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fear

 
 
pronunciation:
fir
parts of speech:
noun, verb
features:
Word History, Word Builder, Word Explorer
part of speech: noun
definition: Fear is the feeling of being afraid. It is a feeling you get when you think there is danger and something painful or very bad might happen.
Jason has a fear of dogs. He always thinks they will bite him.My cousin says he never feels fear, but I know he's scared of the dark!
 
similar words:
alarm
 
part of speech: verb
inflections: fears, fearing, feared
definition: When you fear something, you are afraid of it. You think it will cause you pain or harm.
Julia fears staying at her grandparents' house. It's because the house is old and she always hears strange noises in it at night.
Word History
Fear comes from fere, an Old English word. Its earliest meaning, in the 700s, was "danger or peril." It was not used for the feeling of fear until the 1300s.
Word Builder: fear +
  • fearful:
    having or showing fear.
  • fearless:
    having or showing no fear.
Word Explorer
broader categories that include fear
conventionally associated with fear
feeling fear
some actions related to fear
some states of fear
some things that cause fear
without fear