scared
Being scared is a feeling when something frightens or worries you. You might feel your heart beat faster or get butterflies in your stomach.
When people use the word 'scared', it's often because something unexpected happened or they saw or heard something that made them worried. For example, if someone sees a snake slithering across their path while walking outside, they might say "I'm scared!" If you're watching a horror movie and the main character is running away from a monster, they might be scared too. Sometimes people are even scared of things that aren't real, like ghosts or monsters in their imagination. When someone says they're scared, it usually means they're feeling anxious or fearful about what's happening around them.
How common is "scared"?
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
verb
To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
Example: Did it scare you when I said "Boo!"?
adjective
Feeling fear; afraid, frightened.
Real examples of "scared" in context
