frighten

Word parts

fright + -en

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ˈfraɪtn̩/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: frigh‧ten

Verb

Plain form frighten

Third-person singular frightens

Past tense frightened

Past participle frightened

Present participle frightening

1. (transitive) If you frighten somebody, you make them feel afraid.

   You are shouting at me and frightening your daughters.

   It made so much noise that it frightened away the animals.

Synonyms

• worry
• upset
• scare

Related words

• frightful
• frightening
• frightened
• frighteningly
• frightener
• frightfully