Etimology
From Middle English feer, fere, fer, from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack, terrible sight”), from Proto-Germanic *fērō, *fērą (“danger”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to attempt, try, research, risk”). Cognate with Dutch gevaar (“danger, risk, peril”), German Gefahr (“danger, risk, hazard”), Swedish fara (“danger, risk, peril”), Latin perīculum (“danger, risk, trial”), Albanian frikë (“fear, danger”), Romanian frică. Doublet of peril. The verb is from Middle English feren, from Old English fǣran (“to frighten, raven”), from the noun. Cognate with the archaic Dutch verb varen (“to fear; to cause fear”).
noun
fear (countable and uncountable, plural fears)
(uncountable) A strong, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
(countable) A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone.
(uncountable) Terrified veneration or reverence, particularly towards God, gods, or sovereigns.
(UK, with definite article, "the fear") A feeling of dread and anxiety when waking after drinking a lot of alcohol, wondering what one did while drunk.
Examples
He was struck by fear on seeing the snake.
I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.
Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.
‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?’
Not everybody has the same fears. I have a fear of ants.
Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.
The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome.
That sacred dread of all offence to him, which is called the Fear of God.
Synonym: hangxiety
Her feeling of humiliation had intensified as the day had gone on and her hangover had worsened. She now also had 'the fear' to contend with, […]
He had the fear, that feeling of dread that you've done something really embarrassing. The fear was a hundred times worse than the hangover. No, a thousand times worse.
Related words
synonyms
(an emotion caused by actual or perceived danger; a sense of fear induced by something or someone): See Thesaurus:fear
(terrified veneration): dread
verb
fear (third-person singular simple present fears, present participle fearing, simple past and past participle feared)
(transitive) To be afraid of (something or someone); to consider or expect (something or someone) with alarm.
(intransitive) To feel fear.
(intransitive, used with for) To worry about, to feel concern for, to be afraid for.
(transitive) To venerate; to feel awe towards.
(transitive) To regret.
(obsolete, transitive) To cause fear to; to frighten.
(obsolete, transitive) To be anxious or solicitous for.
(obsolete, transitive) To suspect; to doubt.
Examples
I fear the worst will happen.
I greatly fear my money is not safe.
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.
One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools […] as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.
Never fear; help is always near.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
She fears for her son’s safety.
People who fear God can be found in Christian churches.
I fear I have bad news for you: your husband has died.
Thenne the knyghte sayd to syre Gawayn / bynde thy wounde or thy blee chaunge / for thou bybledest al thy hors and thy fayre armes / […] / For who someuer is hurte with this blade he shalle neuer be staunched of bledynge / Thenne ansuerd gawayn hit greueth me but lytyl / thy grete wordes shalle not feare me ne lasse my courage
Ythrild with deepe disdaine of his proud threat,She shortly thus; Fly they, that need to fly;Wordes fearen babes.
Tush, tush! fear boys with bugs.
We must not make a scarecrow of the law,Setting it up to fear the birds of prey,And let it keep one shape, till custom make itTheir perch and not their terror.
Fearst thou thy person? thou shalt haue a guard:
The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children: therefore, I promise ye, I fear you.
Fear you not her courage?
Related words
synonyms
(feel fear about (something)): be afraid of, be frightened of, be scared of, be terrorised/terrorized
(venerate; to feel awe towards): be in awe of, revere, venerate
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "venerate; to feel awe towards"): belittle, contemn
Etimology
From Middle English fere, feore, from Old English fēre (“able to go, fit for service”), from Proto-Germanic *fōriz (“passable”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to put across, ferry”). Cognate with Scots fere, feir (“well, active, sound”), Middle High German gevüere (“able, capable, fit, serviceable”), Swedish för (“capable, able, stout”), Icelandic færr (“able”). Related to fare.
adjective
fear (comparative more fear, superlative most fear)
(dialectal) Able; capable; stout; strong; sound.
Examples
hale and fear