2scare noun
plural scares [count] 1 : a sudden feeling of fear
▪ You gave me (quite) a scare. [=you scared me] ▪ She had a pregnancy scare. [=she was afraid she was pregnant] 2 : a situation in which a lot of people become afraid because of some threat, danger, etc.
▪ There have been scares about the water supply being contaminated. ▪ a bomb scare [=a situation in which people are afraid because someone says that a bomb is going to explode]
▪ You gave me (quite) a scare. [=you scared me] ▪ She had a pregnancy scare. [=she was afraid she was pregnant]
▪ There have been scares about the water supply being contaminated. ▪ a bomb scare [=a situation in which people are afraid because someone says that a bomb is going to explode]
— scare adjective always used before a noun
▪ a scare story about a possible epidemic ▪ They used scare tactics to teach their children not to smoke cigarettes.
▪ a scare story about a possible epidemic ▪ They used scare tactics to teach their children not to smoke cigarettes.
