fear

Word family  noun fear fearfulness ≠ fearlessness adjective fearful ≠ fearless fearsome verb fear adverb fearfully ≠ fearlessly

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++fear1 /fɪə $ fɪr/ ●●● S3 W1 noun  1  FRIGHTENED[countable, uncountable] the feeling you get when you are afraid or worried that something bad is going to happen 害怕，恐惧；担忧fear of a fear of flying 害怕坐飞机fear that There are fears that share prices could decrease still further. 有人担心股价会继续下滑。fear for The girl’s parents expressed fears for her safety. 女孩的父母对她的安全表示担心。in fear The children looked at her in fear. 孩子们担心地看着她。without fear People must be able to express their views without fear of criticism. 民众一定要能够表达出自己的观点，不用害怕受批评。2  for fear (that), for fear (that)  for fear of somethingFRIGHTENED because you are worried that you will make something happen 唯恐（…），生怕（…） She finally ran away for fear that he would kill her. 她最后逃走了，唯恐他会杀她。for fear of doing something He got to the station early, for fear of missing her. 他早早到了车站，生怕接不到她。3  no fear! British English informalNO used humorously to say that you are definitely not going to do something 当然不！决不！〔幽默用法〕 ‘Are you going to Bill’s party tonight?’ ‘No fear!’ “你今晚去参加比尔的聚会吗？”“当然不去！”4  [uncountable] the possibility or danger that something bad might happen 〔不好的事发生的〕可能性 There’s no fear of revolt now. 现在不可能有人造反了。5  put the fear of God into somebody informalFRIGHTENED to make someone feel that they must do something, by making sure they know what will happen if they do not do it 吓唬某人服从 The Italian manager must have put the fear of God into his team. 这位意大利主教练一定是威胁过他的队员。6  without fear or favour British English formalFAIR in a fair way 公平的[地]，公正的[地]，不偏袒的[地] The law must be enforced without fear or favour. 执法必须不偏不倚。 COLLOCATIONSadjectivessomebody’s worst/greatest fear 某人最大的担心Her worst fear was never seeing her children again. 她最担心的是再也见不到自己的孩子。an irrational fear (=one that is not reasonable) 毫无道理的恐惧He grew up with an irrational fear of insects. 他从小到大都莫名其妙地怕虫子。a deep-seated fear (=very strong and difficult to change) 深深的担忧nHe exploited people’s deep-seated fears about strangers.groundless (=without any reason) 〔担心〕无缘无故的As it turned out, these fears were groundless. 结果，这些担心毫无根据。verbsconquer/overcome your fear (=stop being afraid) 克服恐惧She managed to conquer her fear of flying. 她克服了坐飞机的恐惧。shake/tremble with fear 吓得发抖He was shaking with fear after being held at gunpoint. 他被枪口指着，吓得浑身发抖。nshow fearShe was determined not to show fear.be gripped by fear (=be very afraid) 非常害怕We were gripped by fear as the boat was tossed around by the waves. 船被波涛抛来抛去，我们害怕极了。be paralysed with fear (=be so afraid that you cannot move) 吓呆了nBruce was paralysed with fear when he saw the snake.confirm somebody’s fears (=show that what you were afraid of has actually happened) 证实某人的担心nThe look on Colin’s face confirmed all my worst fears.ease/allay/dispel somebody’s fears (=help someone stop being afraid) 消除某人的恐惧nFrank eased my fears about not being able to speak the local language.phrasesbe in fear of/for your life (=be afraid that you may be killed) 担心生命安全Celia was in fear of her life when she saw the truck coming toward her. 西莉亚看到卡车向她驶来，担心自己有性命之虞。be full of fear 充满恐惧The residents are too full of fear to leave their houses. 居民们恐惧万分，不敢踏出家门一步。be/live in fear of something (=be always afraid of something) 生活在对某事物的恐惧之中nThey were constantly in fear of an enemy attack.have no fear of something 不害怕某事物He had no fear of death. 他不怕死。somebody’s hopes and fears 某人的希望和忧惧nWe each had different hopes and fears about the trip.COMMON ERRORS ► Do not say that someone ‘has fear’. Say that someone is frightened or is afraid. 不要说 someone ‘has fear’. 而要说 someone is frightened 或 is afraid. THESAURUSfear a feeling of being frightened 害怕，恐惧He was trembling with fear. 他吓得发抖。Fear of failure should not stop you trying. 你不应该因为害怕失败而不再尝试。terror a feeling of great fear, because you think that something terrible is about to happen 惊恐，恐惧She let out a scream of pure terror. 她发出了惊恐的尖叫声。fright a sudden feeling of fear, or a situation that makes you feel this 惊吓My body was shaking with fright. 我吓得浑身发抖。You gave me a fright! 你吓了我一跳！nHe’s had a bit of fright, that’s all.panic a sudden feeling of fear or nervousness that makes you unable to think clearly or behave sensibly 恐慌〔因而无法正常思考或行动〕She was in such a panic that she hardly knew what she was doing! 她惊慌失措，几乎不知道自己在做什么！nThere were scenes of sheer panic immediately following the bomb blast.alarm a feeling of fear or worry which shows in your voice or behaviour, because you think something bad might happen 〔预料坏事即将发生而引起的〕恐慌When I mentioned her name, he looked up at me in alarm. 我一提到她的名字，他便惊恐地看着我。The streets were calm and there was no sign of alarm. 街道上安安静静的,没有丝毫恐慌的迹象。foreboding /fɔːˈbəʊdɪŋ $ fɔːrˈboʊ-/ a feeling that something bad or unpleasant might happen although there is no obvious reason why it should 不祥的预感She felt the same sense of foreboding she had before her father died. 她有一种不祥之感，这与她在父亲去世前的感觉完全一样。phobia /ˈfəʊbiə $ ˈfoʊ-/ a permanent strong unreasonable fear of something 〔长期且强烈的〕恐惧I had a phobia about going to the dentist. 我有看牙医恐惧症。

Examples from the Corpus

fear• fear of flying• Fears of a recession have wiped billions of dollars off share values.• With their eyes erect and fear in their speed they run for the safety of the waves.• On New Year's Eve we come together, and share our hopes and fears for the coming year.• Meditation for scared warriors Where does fear come from, Lord?• The overhang has continued because companies held back shutdowns for fear of helping competitors.• Curiosity overcame her fear.• Her fears were groundless and she slid the door back.• I glanced around in fear. Was someone following me?• People fled in fear of their lives, as mud began to pour down the mountainside.• My fear of the dentist goes back to when I was a child.• The boy's eyes were full of fear.• A tingle of fear mixed with excitement came over me.• With all these men, however, their egos are clearly strong enough to overcome any residual fear of the feminine.• McCarthy exploited deep-seated fears about communism among the American people.• There was always the fear that he might never return.• The fear is that if they are published, Parliament will pass a law against smearing politicians.• The boat had gone. We stood frozen with fear, staring at the sea.• Her hands were shaking with fear.• These men were despots, meaning they could kill their subjects without fear of retribution.fear for• Two men refused to testify in court out of fear for their lives.fear2 ●●○ W2 verb  1  FRIGHTENED[intransitive, transitive] to feel afraid or worried that something bad may happen 害怕，恐惧；担心 Fearing violence, the group asked for police protection. 该团体担心发生暴力事件，所以请求警方保护。fear (that) Police fear that there may be further terrorist attacks. 警方担心可能会有进一步的恐怖袭击。fear to do something formal Women feared to go out at night. 女性晚上不敢外出。fear for somebody His wife seemed depressed, and he feared for his children. 妻子似乎患了忧郁症，他很担心自己的孩子。fear for somebody’s safety/life a terrifying ordeal in which she feared for her life 她的一次有性命之虞的可怕磨难 Hundreds of people are feared dead in the ferry disaster. 恐怕已有数百人在这次渡船失事中丧生。n GrammarIn more formal English, you say it is feared that something is true: It is feared that the child has been abducted.2  fear the worst EXPECTto think that the worst possible thing has happened or might happen 担心（会）发生最坏的情况 When Tom heard about the accident he immediately feared the worst. 汤姆一听说出事，就担心会发生最坏的情况。3  FRIGHTENED[transitive] to be afraid of someone and what they might do 畏惧，害怕〔某人及其可能会做的事〕 As a leader, he was distrusted and even feared. 作为一个领导，他不被人信任，甚至让人畏惧。4  I fear formalTHINK/HAVE THE OPINION THAT used when telling someone that you think that something bad has happened or is true 恐怕〔用于告知某人不好的事已发生或属实〕I fear (that) I fear that there is little more we can do. 恐怕我们无能为力。I fear so/I fear not “他们满意了吗？”“恐怕不满意。” ‘Were they satisfied?’ ‘I fear not.’ “他们满意了吗？”“恐怕不满意。”5  fear not/never fear formalWORRIED used to tell someone not to worry 别担心 Never fear, he’ll be with us soon. 别担心，他很快就会和我们在一起。 → God-fearing→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

fear• Fearing a blizzard, many people stayed home.• The rescuers dug slowly and carefully, fearing that the wreckage might collapse on top of them.• At the age of thirty, Gertrude lay on her death-bed, fearing that she was unworthy of heaven.• Second, the actual difficulties encountered overseas appeared to be of a considerably lower order of intensity than had been feared.• Some have decided not to return, fearing they will lose the pleasant images of memory they developed long ago.• If you see Mrs Meir, tell her I am not a person who fears anyone.• He was a ruthless dictator, feared by the entire country.• Whitney, the butcher, who was feared for his savagery and barbarism.• This will comfort those on the Labour side who most feared negative Nice fallout in an election year.• Many of the gang's victims refused to give information to the police because they feared reprisals.• They say the only people who need fear the cameras are those doing somthing illegal.• I feared the snow would bury the words beneath its drifts.feared dead• An airforce spokesman has tonight confirmed that both the pilot and navigator of the F One-Eleven are feared dead.• Five people helping lead a convoy of aid from Oxfordshire are missing feared dead.Origin fear1 Old English fær “sudden danger”

fear1 noun →COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1fear2 verb →n GRAMMAR1LDOCE OnlineChinese  

the when are or Corpus you get feeling you afraid

fear

I

fear¹ S3 W1 /fɪə $ fɪr/ noun1. [uncountable and countable] the feeling you get when you are afraid or worried that something bad is going to happen
    fear of
    a fear of flying
    fear that
    There are fears that share prices could decrease still further.
    fear for
    The girl’s parents expressed fears for her safety.
    in fear
    The children looked at her in fear.
    without fear
    People must be able to express their views without fear of criticism.
2. for fear (that), for fear of something because you are worried that you will make something happen:
    She finally ran away for fear that he would kill her.
    for fear of doing something
    He got to the station early, for fear of missing her.
3. no fear! British English informal used humorously to say that you are definitely not going to do something:
    ‘Are you going to Bill’s party tonight?’ ‘No fear!’
4. [uncountable] the possibility or danger that something bad might happen:
    There’s no fear of revolt now.
5. put the fear of God into somebody informal to make someone feel that they must do something, by making sure they know what will happen if they do not do it:
    The Italian manager must have put the fear of God into his team.
6. without fear or favour British English formal in a fair way:
    The law must be enforced without fear or favour.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives
   ▪ sb’s worst/greatest fear Her worst fear was never seeing her children again.
   ▪ an irrational fear (=one that is not reasonable) He grew up with an irrational fear of insects.
   ▪ a deep-seated fear (=very strong and difficult to change) He exploited people’s deep-seated fears about strangers.
   ▪ groundless (=without any reason) As it turned out, these fears were groundless.
■ verbs
   ▪ conquer/overcome your fear (=stop being afraid) She managed to conquer her fear of flying.
   ▪ shake/tremble with fear He was shaking with fear after being held at gunpoint.
   ▪ show fear She was determined not to show fear.
   ▪ be gripped by fear (=be very afraid) We were gripped by fear as the boat was tossed around by the waves.
   ▪ be paralysed with fear (=be so afraid that you cannot move) Bruce was paralysed with fear when he saw the snake.
   ▪ confirm sb’s fears (=show that what you were afraid of has actually happened) The look on Colin’s face confirmed all my worst fears.
   ▪ ease/allay/dispel sb’s fears (=help someone stop being afraid) Frank eased my fears about not being able to speak the local language.
■ phrases
   ▪ be in fear of/for your life (=be afraid that you may be killed) Celia was in fear of her life when she saw the truck coming toward her.
   ▪ be full of fear The residents are too full of fear to leave their houses.
   ▪ be/live in fear of something (=be always afraid of something) They were constantly in fear of an enemy attack.
   ▪ have no fear of something He had no fear of death.
   ▪ sb’s hopes and fears We each had different hopes and fears about the trip.
■ COMMON ERRORS
    ► Do not say that someone 'has fear'. Say that someone is frightened or is afraid.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ fear a feeling of being frightened: He was trembling with fear. | Fear of failure should not stop you trying.
   ▪ terror a feeling of great fear, because you think that something terrible is about to happen: She let out a scream of pure terror.
   ▪ fright a sudden feeling of fear, or a situation that makes you feel this: My body was shaking with fright. | You gave me a fright! | He’s had a bit of fright, that’s all.
   ▪ panic a sudden feeling of fear or nervousness that makes you unable to think clearly or behave sensibly: She was in such a panic that she hardly knew what she was doing! | There were scenes of sheer panic immediately following the bomb blast.
   ▪ alarm a feeling of fear or worry which shows in your voice or behaviour, because you think something bad might happen: When I mentioned her name, he looked up at me in alarm. | The streets were calm and there was no sign of alarm.
   ▪ foreboding /fɔːˈbəʊdɪŋ $ fɔːrˈboʊ-/ a feeling that something bad or unpleasant might happen although there is no obvious reason why it should: She felt the same sense of foreboding she had before her father died.
   ▪ phobia /ˈfəʊbiə $ ˈfoʊ-/ a permanent strong unreasonable fear of something: I had a phobia about going to the dentist.

II

fear² W2 verb1. [intransitive and transitive] to feel afraid or worried that something bad may happen:
    Fearing violence, the group asked for police protection.
    fear (that)
    Police fear that there may be further terrorist attacks.
    fear to do something formal:
    Women feared to go out at night.
    fear for somebody
    His wife seemed depressed, and he feared for his children.
    fear for sb’s safety/life
    a terrifying ordeal in which she feared for her life
    Hundreds of people are feared dead in the ferry disaster.
2. fear the worst to think that the worst possible thing has happened or might happen:
    When Tom heard about the accident he immediately feared the worst.
3. [transitive] to be afraid of someone and what they might do:
    As a leader, he was distrusted and even feared.
4. I fear formal used when telling someone that you think that something bad has happened or is true
    I fear (that)
    I fear that there is little more we can do.
    I fear so/I fear not
    ‘Were they satisfied?’ ‘I fear not.’
5. fear not/never fear formal used to tell someone not to worry:
    Never fear, he’ll be with us soon.
⇨ God-fearing