French word

apeurer

Pronunciation

IPA/apœʁe/

Meaning

  • verbscare

Example

Les bruits l'apeurent la nuit.

The noises scare her at night.

Illustration for apeurer (scare)

More examples

La voix soudaine a apeuré le public.

The sudden voice scared the audience.

Core concept

An unexpected noise makes a person draw inward and freeze in alarm.

Common phrases

  • Cela va apeurer les gens

    That will scare people

Similar words

effrayer: Startle someone and make them afraid.
faire peur: Cause someone to feel fear.
intimider: Make someone feel intimidated and too afraid to act freely.
terrifier: Make someone extremely afraid.

Definition in French

Provoquer chez quelqu'un la sensation de peur ou d'alarme.

Word origin

French formed apeurer from peur with the prefix a-, while peur comes from Latin pavor through Old French.

Usage tips

  • Apeurer is transitive, so the frightened person is a direct object, as in Les bruits l'apeurent, with l' before the vowel.

Opposites

Related words

  • apeuréfrightenedadjective

Word lists with this word