frighten the life out of

frighten the life out of (one)

To shock or frighten one very suddenly or severely. (Hyperbolically alludes to frightening someone so severely as to cause them to die.) Don't sneak up on me like that, you frightened the life out of me! That car accident seems to have frightened the life out of Janet—she's still shaken by it. Waking up to the sound of the howler monkeys nearly frightened the life out of us. We had no idea what we were hearing.

See also: frighten, life, of, out

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frighten the life out of

terrify.

See also: frighten, life, of, out

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