# scare

Pronunciation: say "SKAIR" US /skɛɚ/, UK /skɛə/, AUS /skeː/

## Verb

1. To make someone suddenly feel afraid, especially in a small or brief way.
   - Simple: To make someone feel afraid, usually for a short time.
   - _The mask was designed to scare visitors at the haunted house._
   - _A spider on the wall scared her more than she expected._
5. To be susceptible to fright; to become frightened easily.
   - Simple: To become afraid easily or in a certain way.
   - _He doesn't scare easily, even in a crisis._
   - _The new recruits scared at every unfamiliar noise._

## Noun

2. A short-lived feeling of fright, usually mild and quickly over.
   - Simple: A short feeling of fear that does not last long.
   - _The loud bang gave everyone a scare._
   - _She got quite a scare when the lights suddenly went out._
3. A cause of alarm or panic; something that inspires fear or dread in many people.
   - Simple: Something that makes a lot of people feel afraid or worried.
   - _The security scare forced organizers to cancel the concert._
   - _The scare over tainted water emptied every store in the region within days._
4. An object or device used to frighten animals or people away.
   - Simple: An object made to frighten away animals or people.
   - _They rigged a noisy scare to drive deer from the orchard._
   - _A flashing scare kept the pigeons from nesting on the roof._

## Adjective

6. Lean or scanty; existing only in small amounts.
   - Simple: Small in amount and not enough to go around.
   - _Provisions grew scare as the long winter dragged on._
   - _In those scare years, every grain of wheat counted._

## Origin

**Meanings 2–4** — From Middle English sker, skere ("terror, fright"), which came from the Middle English verb skerren ("to frighten").
**Meanings 1, 5** — From Middle English scaren (and forms like skaren, skerren), from Old Norse skirra ("to frighten; to shun; to prevent"), from Proto-Germanic *skirzijaną ("to shoo, scare off"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ("to swing, jump, move"). It is related to Old Norse skjarr ("timid, shy") and cognate with Scots skar ("wild, timid, shy").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/scare (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).