Meaning & use
fear of danger
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
the feeling of being afraid when something might hurt you
Grammar: Often used after verbs like 'have' or 'show': She showed no fear of danger.
Patterns
- fear of danger
- a fear of danger
- show fear of danger
The soldiers showed no fear of danger.
Children need to learn a healthy fear of danger.
His fear of danger kept him from trying new things.
Common combinations
- show fear of danger
- The firefighter showed no fear of danger.
- a healthy fear of danger
- A healthy fear of danger can keep you safe.
- fear of danger
- Fear of danger is natural.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fright
- Fright is a sudden feeling of fear; fear of danger is more general and lasting.
- terror
- Terror is extreme fear; fear of danger can be mild or strong.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fear of danger or afraid of danger?
fear of danger vs afraid of danger
'Afraid' is an adjective and needs 'be': She is afraid of danger. 'Fear of danger' is a noun phrase.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'fear of danger' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Fear of danger' is a noun phrase, so it can follow 'have a'. 'Fears of danger' is wrong because 'fear' as a verb takes a direct object without 'of'. 'Is fear' is wrong because 'fear' is not an adjective. 'Afraid' needs 'be': She is afraid of danger.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fear of danger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.