fear
noun
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
fear
1 American
[feer]
/ fɪər /
noun
-
fears
plural
-
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
- Synonyms:
- qualm, trepidation, horror, panic, fright, terror, dread, dismay, consternation, apprehension, foreboding
- Antonyms:
- intrepidity, calm, security, courage
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a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling.
an abnormal fear of heights.
- Antonyms:
- predilection, penchant, fondness, liking
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concern or anxiety; solicitude.
a fear for someone's safety.
-
reverential awe, especially toward God.
the fear of God.
- Synonyms:
- veneration, reverence, respect, awe
-
something that causes feelings of dread or apprehension; something a person is afraid of.
Cancer is a common fear.
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anticipation of the possibility that something unpleasant will occur.
Having grown up during the Great Depression, he had a constant fear of running out of money.
verb (used with object)
-
fears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feared,
past participle, past
-
fearing
present participle
-
to regard with fear; be afraid of.
-
to have reverential awe of.
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to consider or anticipate (something unpleasant) with a feeling of dread or alarm.
It's about to snow again, I fear.
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Archaic. to experience fear in (oneself).
I fear me he will ne'er forgive us.
verb (used without object)
-
fears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feared,
past participle, past
-
fearing
present participle
-
to have fear; be afraid.
I'll go with you, so do not fear!
-
to feel apprehensive or uneasy (usually followed byfor ).
In this time of economic instability, I fear for my children's future.
idioms
-
for fear of / that, in order to prevent or avoid the risk of.
She is afraid to say anything for fear of the consequences.
-
put the fear of God in / into, to cause to be greatly afraid.
Fear
2
American
[feer]
/ fɪər /
noun
-
a river in SE North Carolina. 202 miles (325 km) long.
-
Cape, a cape at its mouth.
fear
British
/ fɪə /
noun
-
a feeling of distress, apprehension, or alarm caused by impending danger, pain, etc
-
a cause of this feeling
-
awe; reverence
fear of God
-
concern; anxiety
-
possibility; chance
there is no fear of that happening
-
to forestall or avoid
-
certainly not
-
to frighten
verb
-
to be afraid (to do something) or of (a person or thing); dread
-
(tr) to revere; respect
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(tr; takes a clause as object) to be sorry: used to lessen the effect of an unpleasant statement
I fear that you have not won
-
to feel anxiety about something
-
an archaic word for frighten
fear
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
Fear, alarm, dread all imply a painful emotion experienced when one is confronted by threatening danger or evil. Alarm implies an agitation of the feelings caused by awakening to imminent danger; it names a feeling of fright or panic: He started up in alarm. Fear and dread usually refer more to a condition or state than to an event. Fear is often applied to an attitude toward something, which, when experienced, will cause the sensation of fright: fear of falling. Dread suggests anticipation of something, usually a particular event, which, when experienced, will be disagreeable rather than frightening: She lives in dread of losing her money. The same is often true of fear, when used in a negative statement: She has no fear of losing her money.
Pop Culture
— Fear and Trembling: A philosophical exploration of faith and ethics by Sören Kierkegaard. Published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio. — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream: A roman à clef by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, illustrated by Ralph Steadman. First printed in 1971 as a two-part series in Rolling Stone magazine, and as a novel in 1972. — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A film adaptation of the Hunter S. Thompson book, directed by Terry Gilliam. Released in 1998. — The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things: 1999 book by sociologist Barry Glassner, examining why Americans' fears are misplaced and exaggerated. Revised and updated in 2010. — Fear Factor: An American reality game show (2001–2006) in which contestants had to complete a series of dangerous, disgusting, or otherwise fear-inducing stunts. —No FEAR Act: The Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–174). The act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002, increases Federal agency accountability for acts of discrimination or reprisal against employees.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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fearernoun
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fearlessnessnoun
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fearlessadjective
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self-fearingadjective
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unfearingadjective
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fearlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fearsimple
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fearssimple
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have fearedperfect
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has fearedperfect
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am fearingprogressive
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are fearingprogressive
-
is fearingprogressive
-
have been fearingperfect progressive
-
has been fearingperfect progressive
Past
-
fearedsimple
-
had fearedperfect
-
was fearingprogressive
-
were fearingprogressive
-
had been fearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fear
First recorded before 900; Middle English fere, Old English fær “sudden attack or danger”; cognate with Old Saxon fār “ambush,” Dutch gevaar, German Gefahr “danger,” Old Norse fār “disaster”
Explanation
Does the sight of a snake fill you with panic and the desire to run away as quickly as possible? If so, you have a fear of snakes. People have fear for many things: bugs, guns, heights, etc. Horror movies try to fill the audience with fear. Some fears make more sense than others. The fear of jumping out of planes makes a lot of sense, but the fear of public speaking isn't as logical: it won't kill you. Fear includes anxiety and can be very emotionally painful. If you're scared of anything, you know what fear is all about.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Military authorities put effort into messaging that ultimately obscures responsibility and causality, and family members who speak out sometimes fear real repercussions for themselves and loved ones.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
A team of lab assistants spent months watching their reactions, coding facial expressions and scoring them against nine emotional behaviors: anger, disgust, happiness/amusement, contempt, sadness, embarrassment, fear, surprise and confusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
When “The Weight” leans into its nasty, mean and grim moments, it gets at something that seems closer to truth than the saccharine resolution we fear is coming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Joseph Adinolfi shared a warning for investors combining seasonal factors with fear of AI.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The great fear Duane had as they climbed up the mountain was being overtaken and replaced by something more powerful: the feeling of exhilaration.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Fear of technology's dangerous consequences for society goes back far in history.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Fear is exactly what was struck in some Malibu residents since early Tuesday, when the sinkhole opened up in front of a beachside property owned by actor Nicolas Cage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
His fears are very much in line with the new Retirement Fear Index created by retirement coach David Conti.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Forget FOMO: Fear of financial regret is keeping younger Americans at home on Saturday night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
A.I. fears reach a fever pitch, Kevin Warsh votes to raise rates, and the SEC allows stocks to trade like crypto.
From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026
History is filled with transformative technologies that generated fears about what they would do to human beings and society.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
As Meta prepares to release new wearables, privacy fears surrounding its artificial intelligence glasses have triggered fresh lawsuits against the social media giant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
She fears that dream could now be over and that she could be sent back to Afghanistan.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Though some thought his fears were imaginary, he responded to physical threats just as he did threats on the board.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Isaiah’s sister and aunt testified that the defendants purposely kept Isaiah out of public view because they feared what might happen if someone discovered his condition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"It was a moment of, in one sense, the news that you don't want to hear and obviously, as time went on, it was the news we feared the most," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Businessman Yang Shuai, 42, feared that future generations would "face real hardship" due to hurdles encountered when searching for jobs.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Speaking exclusively to BBC News, Fenton Bailey said he did not believe there was a "hidden agenda" behind the decision, but feared "vulnerable communities are going to be even more vulnerable".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
I feared the father-Human had begun to get suspicious.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Banks, fearing it would lure away customer deposits, were fighting furiously to ban the practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Sixteen years after fearing his career was over for good, the father-of-three is still playing the game he loves at the age of 37.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
It also has been helping to expand the U.S. economy, and so far there isn’t evidence that it’s causing the widespread unemployment that many economists have been fearing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
"Those families fled fearing death," he said, warning that aid was scarce.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Don’t talk now,” said Harry, fearing how slurred Dumbledore’s voice had become, how much his feet dragged.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
