fear

1 Fear is the unpleasant feeling you have when you think that you are in danger.
I was sitting on the floor shivering with fear.
...boyhood memories of sickness and fear of the dark...
2 [VERB] V n
If you fear someone or something, you are frightened because you think that they will harm you.
Many people fear change because they do not like the old ways to be disrupted.
3 [N-VAR] with supp, oft N of n/-ing, N that
A fear is a thought that something unpleasant might happen or might have happened.
These youngsters are motivated not by a desire to achieve, but by fear of failure...
Then one day his worst fears were confirmed...
4 [VERB] V that, V n
If you fear something unpleasant or undesirable, you are worried that it might happen or might have happened.
She had feared she was going down with pneumonia or bronchitis...
More than two million refugees have fled the area, fearing attack by loyalist forces.
5 [N-VAR] oft N that, N of n/-ing
If you say that there is a fear that something unpleasant or undesirable will happen, you mean that you think it is possible or likely.
There is a fear that the freeze on bank accounts could prove a lasting deterrent to investors.
6 [VERB] V for n, V for n
If you fear for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger.
Carla fears for her son...
He fled on Friday, saying he feared for his life.
7 [N-VAR] N for n
If you have fears for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger.
He also spoke of his fears for the future of his country's culture.
8 [VERB] V that, V so/not
You say that you fear that a situation is the case when the situation is unpleasant or undesirable, and when you want to express sympathy, sorrow, or regret about it. (FORMAL)
I fear that a land war now looks very probable...
`Is anything left at all?'--`I fear not.'
= regret
9 [PHRASE] PHR n/-ing, usu v-link PHR, PHR after v
If you are in fear of doing or experiencing something unpleasant or undesirable, you are very worried that you might have to do it or experience it.
The elderly live in fear of assault and murder.
10 [PHRASE] PHR n/-ing, PHR with cl
If you take a particular course of action for fear of something, you take the action in order to prevent that thing happening.
She was afraid to say anything to them for fear of hurting their feelings...
11 [CONVENTION]
You use `no fear' to emphasize that you do not want to do something. (BRIT INFORMAL)
When I asked him if he wanted to change his mind, William said `No fear.'

noun [C, U] ~ (of sb/sth)
~ (for sb/sth)
~ (that ...) the bad feeling that you have when you are in danger, when sth bad might happen, or when a particular thing frightens you: ◆ (a) fear of the dark / spiders / flying ◆ Her eyes showed no fear. ◆ The child was shaking with fear. ◆ We lived in constant fear of losing our jobs. ◆ her fears for her son's safety ◆ the fear that he had cancer ◆ The doctor's report confirmed our worst fears. ◆ Alan spoke of his fears for the future.
Tagline : Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will allow my fear to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone I will turn my inner eye to see its path. And where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." (From Frank Herbert's Dune)