fear

[[t]fɪ͟ə(r)[/t]]

♦

fears, fearing, feared

1) N-VAR: oft N of n/-ing Fear is the unpleasant feeling you have when you think that you are in danger.

I was sitting on the floor shivering with fear because a bullet had been fired through a window.

...boyhood memories of sickness and fear of the dark...

London Zoo is running hypnosis programmes to help people overcome their fear of spiders.

Syn:

terror, dread

2) VERB If you fear someone or something, you are frightened because you think that they will harm you.

[V n] It seems to me that if people fear you they respect you.

Syn:

be afraid of

3) N-VAR: with supp, oft N of n/-ing, N that A fear is a thought that something unpleasant might happen or might have happened.

These youngsters are motivated not by a desire to achieve, but by fear of failure...

Then one day his worst fears were confirmed...

His fears might be groundless.

...the fear that once a war began it would soon pass beyond the ability of either side to manage it.

4) VERB If you fear something unpleasant or undesirable, you are worried that it might happen or might have happened.

[V that] She had feared she was going down with pneumonia or bronchitis...

[V n] More than two million refugees have fled the area, fearing attack by loyalist forces.

5) N-VAR: oft N that, N of n/-ing If you say that there is a fear that something unpleasant or undesirable will happen, you mean that you think it is possible or likely.

There was no fear that anything would be misunderstood...

There is a fear that the freeze on bank accounts could prove a lasting deterrent to investors.

Syn:

risk, chance

6) VERB If you fear for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger.

[V for n] Carla fears for her son...

[V for n] He fled on Friday, saying he feared for his life.

7) N-VAR: N for n If you have fears for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger.

He also spoke of his fears for the future of his country's culture.

...fear for her own safety.

8) VERB If you fear to do something, you are afraid to do it or you do not wish to do it.

[V to-inf] She pursed her lips together, as though fearing to betray her news...

[V to-inf] Old people fear to leave their homes.

Syn:

be afraid

9) VERB You say that you fear that a situation is the case when the situation is unpleasant or undesirable, and when you want to express sympathy, sorrow, or regret about it. [FORMAL]

[V that] I fear that a land war now looks very probable...

[V so/not] `Is anything left at all?' - `I fear not.'

Syn:

regret

10) PHRASE: PHR n/-ing, usu v-link PHR, PHR after v If you are in fear of doing or experiencing something unpleasant or undesirable, you are very worried that you might have to do it or experience it.

The elderly live in fear of assault and murder.

11) PHRASE: PHR n/-ing, PHR with cl If you take a particular course of action for fear of something, you take the action in order to prevent that thing happening.

She was afraid to say anything to them for fear of hurting their feelings...

No one dared shoot for fear of hitting Pete.

12) PHRASE: usu PHR with cl You say `fear not' or `never fear' to someone when you are telling them not to worry or be frightened. [OLD-FASHIONED]

Fear not, Darlene will protect me...

You'll get the right training, never fear.

Syn:

don't worry

13) CONVENTION (emphasis) You use `no fear' to emphasize that you do not want to do something. [BRIT, INFORMAL]

When I asked him if he wanted to change his mind, William said `No fear.'

Syn:

not likely

14) PHRASE: V inflects If someone or something puts the fear of God into you, they frighten or worry you, often deliberately.

At some time or other Eve had obviously put the fear of God into her.