fear
verb/fɪə(r)/
/fɪr/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they fear | /fɪə(r)/ /fɪr/ |
| he / she / it fears | /fɪəz/ /fɪrz/ |
| past simple feared | /fɪəd/ /fɪrd/ |
| past participle feared | /fɪəd/ /fɪrd/ |
| -ing form fearing | /ˈfɪərɪŋ/ /ˈfɪrɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] to be frightened of somebody/something or frightened of doing something
- fear somebody/something All his employees fear him.
- They have reason to fear the police.
- to fear death/persecution/the unknown
- Everyone feared the coming war.
- propaganda designed to make us hate and fear the enemy
- Don't worry, you have nothing to fear from us.
- fear to do something (formal) She feared to tell him the truth.
- fear doing something (formal) She feared going out at night.
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsb1- He learned to fear and respect this force of nature.
- We fear violence, but we are also fascinated by it.
- This disease is greatly feared.
- He says he fears no one but God.
- People feared to speak because he got so angry.
- She says she doesn't fear dying, but she worries for her children.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- genuinely
- greatly
- really
- …
- seem to
- begin to
- learn to
- …
- for
- have little to fear
- have nothing to fear
- have reason to fear something
- …
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- [transitive, intransitive] to feel that something bad might have happened or might happen in the future
- fear something She has been missing for three days now and police are beginning to fear the worst (= think that she is dead).
- The government feared a backlash from farmers.
- fear (that)… Experts fear that terrorists could use the internet to launch attacks.
- They rightly feared that presidents, like kings, might abuse their power.
- He genuinely feared his life was at risk.
- fear doing something The company feared losing its tax breaks.
- be feared to be/have something Women and children are feared to be among the victims.
- The death toll is not as bad as initially feared.
- it is feared (that)… It is feared (that) he may have been kidnapped.
- It was feared that unemployment could rise.
- fear somebody/something + adj. Hundreds of people are feared dead.
- Never fear/Fear not (= Don’t worry), I shall return.
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsb1- Several were former officials who feared reprisals if they returned home.
- They fear a repeat of the controversy that dogged the last election.
- Doctors fear side effects in children from the contamination.
- Fearing an attack, the police called for reinforcements.
- He fears more violence at the polls next month.
- Some critics feared undue government influence in the project.
- Opponents of the plan fear the long-term consequences of exposure to these chemicals.
- Scientists fear loss of funding.
- She feared (that) he might be dead.
- I really feared that this might be the end.
- Campaigners fear the large roadside structures could distract drivers.
- Some residents fear their homes will be destroyed.
- They fear becoming a burden to their families.
- He doesn't say anything because he fears upsetting his wife.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- genuinely
- greatly
- really
- …
- seem to
- begin to
- learn to
- …
- for
- have little to fear
- have nothing to fear
- have reason to fear something
- …
- I fear[intransitive] (formal) used to tell somebody that you think that something bad has happened or is true
- They are unlikely to get here on time, I fear.
- ‘He must be dead then?’ ‘I fear so.’
- ‘She's not coming back?’ ‘I fear not.’
Word OriginOld English fǣr ‘calamity, danger’, fǣran ‘frighten’, also ‘revere’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch gevaar and German Gefahr ‘danger’.
Idioms
See fear in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee fear in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishfools rush in (where angels fear to tread)
- (saying) people with little experience try to do the difficult or dangerous things that more experienced people would not consider doing
Check pronunciation:
fear