Fear Definition

fîr
feared, fearing, fears
noun
fears
A feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.; timidity; dread; terror; fright; apprehension.
Webster's New World
A state or condition marked by this feeling.
Living in constant fear of attack; saved as much as he could for fear of losing his job.
American Heritage
A feeling of uneasiness or apprehension; concern.
A fear that it will rain.
Webster's New World
Respectful dread; awe; reverence.
Webster's New World
A reason for dread or apprehension.
Being alone is my greatest fear.
American Heritage
verb
feared, fearing, fears
To fill with fear; frighten.
Webster's New World
To be afraid of; dread.
Webster's New World
To be uneasy, anxious, or doubtful.
Webster's New World
To feel fear; be afraid.
Webster's New World
To expect with misgiving; suspect.
I fear I am late.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
adjective

(dialectal) Able; capable; stout; strong; sound.

Hale and fear.
Wiktionary
idiom
for fear of
  • in order to avoid or prevent; lest
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Fear

Noun

Singular:
fear
Plural:
fears

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Fear

Origin of Fear

  • From Middle English feer, fere, fer, from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack, terrible sight”), from Proto-Germanic *fērą (“danger”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to attempt, try, research, risk”). Cognate with Dutch gevaar (“danger, risk, peril”), German Gefahr (“danger, risk, hazard”), Swedish fara (“danger, risk, peril”), Latin perīculum (“danger, risk, trial”), Albanian frikë (“fear,danger”).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English fere, feore, from Old English fēre (“able to go, fit for service”), from Proto-Germanic *fōriz, *fōrijaz (“passable”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to put across, ferry”). Cognate with Scots fere, feir (“well, active, sound”), Middle High German gevüere (“able, capable, fit, serviceable”), Swedish för (“capable, able, stout”), Icelandic færr (“able”). Related to fare.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English feren, from Old English fǣran (“to frighten, raven”), from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack, terrible sight”). See above.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English fer from Old English fǣr danger, sudden calamity per-3 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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