Fear Definition

fîr

feared, fearing, fears

noun

fears

A feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.; timidity; dread; terror; fright; apprehension.

Webster's New World

A state or condition marked by this feeling.

Living in constant fear of attack; saved as much as he could for fear of losing his job.

American Heritage

A feeling of uneasiness or apprehension; concern.

A fear that it will rain.

Webster's New World

Respectful dread; awe; reverence.

Webster's New World

A reason for dread or apprehension.

Being alone is my greatest fear.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

verb

feared, fearing, fears

To fill with fear; frighten.

Webster's New World

To be afraid of; dread.

Webster's New World

To be uneasy, anxious, or doubtful.

Webster's New World

To feel fear; be afraid.

Webster's New World

To expect with misgiving; suspect.

I fear I am late.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

adjective

(dialectal) Able; capable; stout; strong; sound.

Hale and fear.

Wiktionary

idiom

for fear of

in order to avoid or prevent; lest

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Fear

Noun

Singular:

fear

Plural:

fears

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Fear

for fear of

Origin of Fear

From Middle English feer, fere, fer, from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack, terrible sight”), from Proto-Germanic *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”).

From Wiktionary
From Middle English fere, feore, from Old English fēre (“able to go, fit for service”), from Proto-Germanic *fōriz, *fōrijaz (“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.

From Wiktionary
From Middle English feren, from Old English fǣran (“to frighten, raven”), from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack, terrible sight”). See above.

From Wiktionary
Middle English fer from Old English fǣr danger, sudden calamity per-³ in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition