English · Word Candidate

scare

/skɛə/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: scares · scaring

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A minor fright.

Noun

Johnny had a bad scare last night.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

A cause of terror or alarm; a panic; something that inspires fear or dread.

Noun

a food-poisoning scare

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.

Verb

Did it scare you when I said "Boo!"?

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

(To be able) to be scared.

Verb

I don't scare easily.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

What does “scare” mean?

A minor fright.

Is “scare” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.