scare someone to death
Cause extreme terror
To scare someone to death is to frighten them extremely, though almost never literally: That noise scared me to death.
The phrase emphasizes intensity rather than actual mortal danger.
Similarly, scared to death describes being terrified: I was scared to death of the dark as a kid.
- shake like a leafTremble visibly from fear
- sweatingMoisture through pores
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- tremblingInvoluntary shaking motion
nightmares · hyperventilation · fight or flight · panic · trepidation · fright · bump in the night · nervousness · petrified · ghosts · apprehension · jumpiness · anxiety · white as a sheet · goosebumps · dry mouth · threatening behavior · freezing up