fright
/fɹʌit/noun
A sudden, sharp burst of fear brought on by the unexpected appearance of danger, usually passing quickly.
Example sentences
- “The loud clap of thunder gave the baby a fright.”
- “She screamed in fright when the lights suddenly went out.”
Mostly survives in set phrases: 'gave me a fright', 'took fright', 'stage fright'. Outside these, 'scare' is the usual conversational word.