terrify

English

Alternative forms

• terrifie (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French terrifier, from Latin terrificare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb

terrify (third-person singular simple present terrifies, present participle terrifying, simple past and past participle terrified)

1. To frighten greatly; to fill with terror.
2. To menace or intimidate.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First Part , 2nd edition, part 1, London: Richard Iones, , published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:

     Your men are valiant but their number few,
     And cannot terrifie his mightie hoſt, […]

3. (obsolete) To make terrible.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:frighten

Related terms

Translations