Fear is a common human emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. It can be challenging to describe this complex feeling, but idioms offer a colorful and succinct way to express various aspects of fear. Here are 20 idioms that vividly describe fear, complete with their meanings and example sentences.
Idioms That Describe Fear
1. Scared to Death
Meaning: Extremely frightened.
Example: The loud noise scared me to death.
2. Jump Out of Your Skin
Meaning: Be extremely startled.
Example: The surprise made me jump out of my skin.
3. Heart Misses a Beat
Meaning: To be very surprised or frightened.
Example: Her scream made my heart miss a beat.
4. White as a Ghost
Meaning: Very pale due to fear.
Example: He turned white as a ghost upon seeing it.
5. Break Out in a Cold Sweat
Meaning: Start sweating due to fear or anxiety.
Example: I broke out in a cold sweat during the exam.
6. Hair Stands on End
Meaning: Feel very scared or horrified.
Example: The eerie sound made my hair stand on end.
7. Get Cold Feet
Meaning: Feel too scared to proceed.
Example: He got cold feet before his speech.
8. Goosebumps
Meaning: Small bumps on skin from fear or cold.
Example: The horror story gave me goosebumps.
9. Frightened Out of Your Wits
Meaning: Extremely scared.
Example: The thunderstorm frightened me out of my wits.
10. Shaking Like a Leaf
Meaning: Trembling from fear or anxiety.
Example: She was shaking like a leaf before the interview.
11. Scared Stiff
Meaning: So frightened that one is unable to move.
Example: The sight of the spider scared me stiff.
12. Quaking in Your Boots
Meaning: Trembling with fear.
Example: He was quaking in his boots before the test.
13. Spine-Chilling
Meaning: Very frightening or horrifying.
Example: The ghost story was spine-chilling.
14. Scare the Living Daylights Out of Someone
Meaning: Frighten someone very much.
Example: The prank scared the living daylights out of me.
15. Weak at the Knees
Meaning: Feeling weak due to fear or nervousness.
Example: The high cliff made me weak at the knees.
16. Scare Someone Silly
Meaning: Frighten someone severely.
Example: The haunted house scared me silly.
17. Frozen with Fear
Meaning: Unable to move due to extreme fear.
Example: I was frozen with fear during the earthquake.
18. Nervous Wreck
Meaning: Extremely nervous or anxious.
Example: He was a nervous wreck before his surgery.
19. Freak Out
Meaning: React very strongly to fear or stress.
Example: She freaked out when she saw the snake.
20. Running Scared
Meaning: Feeling fear and trying to avoid it.
Example: The criminals were running scared from the police.
