scare off
A2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To make someone or something go away by scaring them.
Literal meaning: To frighten something so that it goes off — transparent.
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
(Literal) To cause a person or animal to flee by making them afraid.
"The dog's loud barking was enough to scare off the burglar."
Grammar: separable
2 B1
idiomatic
neutral
(Figurative) To discourage someone from doing something or continuing a relationship by making them feel nervous or uncomfortable.
"He was worried that talking about commitment too early would scare her off."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Virtually interchangeable with 'scare away'. Very common in both literal and figurative use. In business contexts, often used to mean deterring customers or investors.
Commonly used with
investors customers competition predators intruders buyers
Forms
Base
scare off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
scares off
he/she/it
Past simple
scared off
yesterday
Past participle
scared off
have + pp
-ing form
scaring off
continuous
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