scare

Compared meaning: to make someone feel afraid (verb).

比较义项：使害怕，惊吓（动词）。

• scare 本词

  Scare emphasizes a sudden, startling fright — something abrupt gives you a scare — and is the more common, informal word in everyday speech.

  scare 强调突然的、令人一惊的恐惧——某个突发状况会让人“吓一跳”，是日常口语中更常用、更随意的词。

  The sudden bang from the kitchen scared me half to death.

  厨房里突然传来的巨响把我吓得半死。

• frighten

  Frighten covers fear more broadly, including a lasting sense of dread or apprehension rather than just a sudden startle, and is slightly more formal or written in tone.

  frighten 涵盖的恐惧范围更广，既可以指突然的惊吓，也可以指持续的忧虑或不安，语气略显正式，更常见于书面语。

  The thought of losing his job frightened him for weeks.

  失业的念头让他忧心忡忡了好几个星期。

Scare and frighten both mean to make someone afraid. Scare stresses a sudden shock and is more common in everyday speech. Frighten is broader, covering lasting fear or unease, and sounds a little more formal or written.

这两个词都表示使人感到害怕，语义相近但侧重不同：scare 强调突然的惊吓，日常口语中更常用；frighten 语义更宽泛，可以指持续的恐惧或不安，语气略显正式，多见于书面语。

Compared meaning: a sudden feeling of fear (noun).

比较义项：突然产生的害怕感（名词）。

• scare 本词

  A brief, mild fright triggered by something sudden or startling; it is usually momentary and does not stop the person from thinking or acting normally.

  一种由突然或惊人的事物引起的短暂、轻微的惊吓；通常转瞬即逝，不会使人无法正常思考或行动。

  A sudden bang from the kitchen gave her quite a scare, but she calmed down in seconds.

  厨房里突然传来的一声巨响把她吓了一跳，但她几秒钟后就镇定下来了。

• panic

  A stronger, more intense fear that overwhelms clear thinking, often spreading through a group and causing hasty, uncontrolled reactions.

  一种更强烈、更剧烈的恐惧，会使人无法清晰思考，常常在群体中蔓延，并导致仓促、失控的反应。

  The fire alarm sent the whole office into a panic, and no one could think straight.

  火警警报让整个办公室陷入恐慌，没有人能冷静思考。

Scare and panic both name a sudden feeling of fear. A scare is mild and brief, and the person recovers quickly. Panic is much stronger, stopping clear thinking and often spreading through a group. The verb forms of scare and panic are not compared here.

这两个词都指突然产生的害怕感，但程度不同：scare通常是轻微、短暂的惊吓，很快就能恢复；panic则是更强烈的恐惧，会让人失去理智、难以清晰思考，常发生在群体中。这里不比较scare作动词“使惊吓”以及panic作动词“恐慌”的用法。