fright
/fraɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /fraɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfrīt/ (ame, mw)
fright — noun
1. a sudden feeling of shock or fear that you get when something dangerous or compl
a sudden feeling of shock or fear that you get when something dangerous or completely unexpected happens
Chen Wei got such a fright when a stray cat leaped out of the dark garage.
get + a + fright: sudden shock experience
The little girl screamed in fright when the thunder shook the windows of her bedroom.
in fright: describes an action done out of sudden fear
You gave me a fright — I did not hear you come in through the back door.
A loud bang from the kitchen gave everyone in the living room a terrible fright.
Clara stood frozen with fright as the dog ran towards her, barking very loudly.
- calm
a state of no fear or worry
文法句型
fright + of + noun/-ing form
get/have + a + fright
用法筆記
Usually used in the singular. Common in the patterns 'get a fright', 'give someone a fright', and 'take fright'. The phrase 'take fright' often suggests deciding to avoid something because of fear.
常見錯誤
2. a continuous feeling of being afraid or worried about something that may be dang
a continuous feeling of being afraid or worried about something that may be dangerous or unpleasant
Omar lives in constant fright of losing his job since the company announced big layoffs.
live in + fright + of: describes a lasting fearful state
Ever since the robbery last autumn, the shopkeeper has lived in constant fright of someone breaking in through the back door.
live in + fright + of: describes a persistent fearful state
Amina's fright of flying got much worse each time she had to travel for work.
The workers live in fright of being laid off every time the company announces new budget cuts.
- security
feeling safe and free from fear
文法句型
in + fright
with + fright
fright + of + noun/-ing form
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (a sudden event), this sense describes a feeling that lasts or returns. Often used with 'live in fright of', 'tremble/shake with fright'. The prepositional object (of + noun/-ing) names the source of the fear.
常見錯誤
3. someone or something that has a very strange, unattractive, or ridiculous appear
someone or something that has a very strange, unattractive, or ridiculous appearance — for example, a person with messy hair and dirty clothes after a long journey
After falling into the muddy pond, Kofi looked an absolute fright.
look + a + fright: idiom for appearing messy or ridiculous
That old hat with the giant silk flower is a fright — please do not wear it to the wedding.
Emma caught a glimpse of herself in the train-station mirror and thought she looked a fright after the long flight.
The scarecrow in the garden was such a fright that the birds stayed far away from the vegetable patch.
文法句型
look + a + fright
用法筆記
Always used with the indefinite article 'a'. The verb is typically 'look' ('look a fright') but 'be a fright' also occurs. This sense is informal and most common in British English. Do not confuse with sense 1 (sudden fear) — here 'fright' refers to an object's appearance, not an emotion.
常見錯誤
fright — verb
- frightpresent simple I / you / we / they
- frights3rd person singular
- frighting-ing form
- frightedpast simple
1. to make someone feel a sudden sense of fear or alarm, usually by doing something
to make someone feel a sudden sense of fear or alarm, usually by doing something unexpected
The sudden knock on the cabin door frighted the old woman who lived alone.
simple active: fright + person
Do not wave your arms like that — you will fright the horses and they might run off.
A loud car horn frighted the birds, and they rose into the sky all at once.
The old sailor told a story about a ghost ship that frighted every crew member who saw it.
文法句型
fright + someone
be + frighted + by + noun
用法筆記
This verb is much less common than 'frighten' in modern English. It is found mostly in older or literary texts, and in some regional dialects. The past form 'frighted' is regular. The adjective 'frightened' (from the more common verb 'frighten') has entirely replaced 'frighted' in everyday use.