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Definition of "fear" []

  • A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. (noun)
  • A state or condition marked by this feeling: living in fear. (noun)
  • A feeling of disquiet or apprehension: a fear of looking foolish. (noun)
  • Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power. (noun)
  • A reason for dread or apprehension: Being alone is my greatest fear. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "fear" in a sentence
  • "Where one protasis is followed by another opposed in meaning, but affirmative in form, the second is introduced by sīn; as, -- hunc mihi timōrem ēripe; sī vērus est, nē opprimar, sīn falsus, ut timēre dēsinam, _relieve me of this fear; if it is well founded, that I may not be destroyed; but if it is groundless, that I may cease to fear_."
  • "Shall it be of that famous Saplana who runneth away to put himself in hiding; -- for fear -- _verily for fear_ -- the Commander of Famagosta! afraid to die like"
  • "I remember that I broke forth with words like these—“I do not fear, my soul does not fear”; and at the same time I found the strength to rise."