Frighten
Frighten verb - To strike with fear.
To startle and frighten are semantically related. In some cases you can replace phrase "To startle" with "Frighten", this terms are similar.
Nearby Words: frightening, fright, frighting
To startle
Frighten and to startle are semantically related. You can use "Frighten" instead a verb phrase "To startle".
Both terms in one sentence
- Also known as a "buzz job," this is when a pilot, or someone who can fly somehow, makes a fast pass very low to the ground or close to a target with the intent to startle or frighten.
Source: Buzzing the Deck - Early in the episode he fires it into the air to frighten off some wild dogs, then to startle some Space Mongols.
Source: Chekhovs Gun / Live-Action TV
Cite this Source
To startle and Frighten. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 02, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/frighten/to_startle
Frighten & To startle. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/frighten/to_startle>.
To startle or Frighten. 2016. Accessed August 02, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/frighten/to_startle.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "frighten" and "to startle" have occurred on timeline