petrifyverb
uk/ˈpet.rə.faɪ/us/ˈpet.rə.faɪ/petrify verb (FRIGHTEN)
[ T ] to frighten someone a lot, especially so that they are unable to move or speak:
I think you petrified poor Frazer - he never said a word the whole time you were here.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Frightening and scaring
- chill
- chill sb to the bone/marrow idiom
- cow
- creep
- curdle
- daylight
- flesh
- frighten
- make your flesh crawl/creep idiom
- overawe
- put the fear of God into you idiom
- put/get the wind up sb idiom
- scare
- scare, frighten, etc. the (living) daylights out of sb idiom
- send chills down/up sb's spine idiom
- send shivers down/up sb's spine idiom
- send shudders/a shudder down your spine idiom
- shiver (up and) down your spine idiom
- shudder
- wit
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petrify verb (CHANGE TO STONE)
specialized geology [ I ] If dead things petrify, they change to a substance like stone over a long period of time.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Palaeontology & fossils
- ammonite
- ammonoid
- carbon dating
- fossil
- fossil record
- fossilize
- fossilized
- index fossil
- microfossil
- missing link
- palaeontology
- paleontology
- radiocarbon dating
petrifaction
noun [ U ] uk/ˌpet.rɪˈfæk.ʃən/us/ˌpet.rəˈfæk.ʃən/also petrification, specialized