Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

scare straight

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.03 in modern English

Syllables: scare s-traight
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To frighten (someone) to such a degree that a significant improvement in behavior results.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Indeed, there is a streak of Reaganomics that believes the only way to motivate American workers is to scare them straight with unemployment charts."
"Thomas credited the boot camp for scaring him straight."
"Slimmed down and scared straight after his bypass surgery, Clinton brokers a deal to get sugary drinks out of schools."

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

scares straight (present, singular) scaring straight (participle, present) scared straight (participle, past) scared straight (past)

Phrases

set straight

Frequently Paired Words

set straight

Questions

What does scare straight mean?: To frighten (someone) to such a degree that a significant improvement in behavior results.

How to pronounce scare straight

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “scare straight”.
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