# terrify

Pronunciation: US say "TER-i-fy" /ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ/; UK

## Verb

1. To frighten someone severely; to fill with terror.
   - Simple: To make someone feel very afraid.
   - _Horror films terrify some viewers so much they cannot sleep afterward._
   - _The sudden roar terrified everyone gathered around the campsite._
2. To menace or intimidate someone through fear.
   - Simple: To threaten or frighten someone, often to control them.
   - _Armed guards terrify anyone who comes near the compound._
   - _The dictator terrified his opponents into silence._

## Verb

3. To render something terrible or dreadful in its own nature. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make something dreadful or full of dread.

## Origin

From Middle French terrifier, itself from Latin terrificare.

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