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fear

/fɪɚ/noun, verb1 syllable

Fear means: a feeling of profound respect for someone or something.

Synonyms for fear12

noun, as in a feeling of profound respect for someone or something

reverence, awe, veneration

noun, as in an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

fearfulness, fright

noun, as in an anxious feeling

verb, as in regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of

reverence, revere, venerate

verb, as in be afraid or scared of; be frightened of

also used for fear

hangxiety, afraidness

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of fear

fearlessness

What does fear mean?8

noun

1

a feeling of profound respect for someone or something“the fear of God”

2

an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

3

an anxious feeling“care had aged him”

verb

1

regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of“Fear God as your father”

2

be afraid or scared of; be frightened of“I fear the winters in Moscow”

3

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event“I fear she might get aggressive”

4

be sorry; used to introduce an unpleasant statement“I fear I won't make it to your wedding party”

5

be uneasy or apprehensive about“I fear the results of the final exams”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with fear?51

Show 40 near rhymes

All 51 rhymes for fear, grouped by syllable

Fear in a sentence

  • Never tell a lie, either for fun or from fear.unknown
  • Hope, not fear, is the creative principle in human affairs.unknown
  • Immediately she heard his voice, she trembled with fear.unknown
  • For fear of an accident, my father doesn't drive.Dejo
  • The gang leader made all the members toe the line, keeping control through fear.unknown
  • Brave people feel fear, but that doesn't stop them.Source_VOA
  • I quickly laugh at everything, for fear of having to cry.fishda
  • Do not fear the unexpected, but be prepared for it.U2FS

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of fear

as a noun

plural
fears

as a verb

past tense
feared
present participle
fearing
third-person singular
fears