Meaning & use
scaring
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“scaring” is a form of “scare”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive
Causing someone to feel sudden fear, alarm, or anxiety.
Grammar: Takes an object: scaring someone. The -ing form is used in progressive tenses or as a gerund.
Patterns
- scaring someone
- scaring someone away
- scaring someone off
The loud thunder is scaring the dog.
Stop scaring your little brother with that mask!
He is scaring away the birds by waving his arms.
Word forms
| third person singular | scares |
|---|---|
| past tense | scared |
| past participle | scared |
| present participle | scaring |
Common combinations
- scaring someone away
- The barking dog is scaring away the mail carrier.
- scaring the children
- The dark cave is scaring the children.
- scaring easily
- She doesn't scare easily, but that noise made her jump.
Synonyms and how they differ
- frightening
- Frightening is stronger and more formal; scaring is more everyday and often used for mild fear.
- terrifying
- Terrifying means causing extreme fear; scaring is milder.
- alarming
- Alarming suggests a sudden warning or shock; scaring is more about fear.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: scaring or scary? scaring or scarring?
scaring vs scary
Scary is an adjective: 'a scary movie.' Scaring is a verb form: 'The movie is scaring the children.'
scaring vs scarring
Scarring means leaving a scar; scaring means causing fear. They sound similar but have different meanings.
Practice
The loud noise is ______ the baby.
Choose one answer.
The verb form 'scaring' is needed after 'is' to show the action. 'Scary' is an adjective, 'scared' describes a feeling, and 'scarring' means leaving a scar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scaring”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.