scare away/off
phrasal verb
scared away/off; scaring away/off; scares away/off
: to cause (someone or something) to go away and stay away because of fear or because of possible trouble, difficulty, etc.
The dog scared the prowler away.
The noise scared off the birds.
Tourists have been scared off by the recent violence in the city.
Examples of scare away/off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those aren’t a decor choice–those homeowners are trying to scare away nuisance birds.
—
Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2024
When used correctly, these decoys can scare away pesky birds who are trying to roost on your porch.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2024
That combination of Trump’s mercurial but hard-line foreign policy with Vance’s outlook, which Princeton’s Kurtzer characterizes as viewing the world entirely through the prism of America’s borders and interests, may scare off potential U.S. allies.
—David Hodari, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024
Under current law, people are prohibited from possessing, injuring or shooting bears but can use non-lethal means to scare away bears that may be on the people’s property or rifling through trash.
—Jim Turner, Orlando Sentinel, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for scare away/off 
Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2024
When used correctly, these decoys can scare away pesky birds who are trying to roost on your porch.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2024
That combination of Trump’s mercurial but hard-line foreign policy with Vance’s outlook, which Princeton’s Kurtzer characterizes as viewing the world entirely through the prism of America’s borders and interests, may scare off potential U.S. allies.
—David Hodari, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024
Under current law, people are prohibited from possessing, injuring or shooting bears but can use non-lethal means to scare away bears that may be on the people’s property or rifling through trash.
—Jim Turner, Orlando Sentinel, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for scare away/off
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scare away/off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Scare away/off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare%20away%2Foff. Accessed 18 Sep. 2024.
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