A bomb scare or a security scare is a situation in which there is believed to be a bomb in a place. Despite many recent bomb scares, no one has yet been hurt. = alert see also scared
sudden mass fear and anxiety over anticipated events; "panic in the stock market"; "a war scare"; "a bomb scare led them to evacuate the building"
A scare is a situation in which many people are afraid or worried because they think something dangerous is happening which will affect them all. the doctor at the centre of an Aids scare
If a sudden unpleasant experience gives you a scare, it frightens you. Don't you realize what a scare you've given us all? We got a bit of a scare
If something scares you, it frightens or worries you. You're scaring me The prospect of failure scares me rigid It scared him to realise how close he had come to losing everything. = frighten emphasis If you want to emphasize that something scares you a lot, you can say that it scares the hell out of you or scares the life out of you