40 Idioms About Fear (Meaning + Examples + Other Ways to say)

I write 40 idiomatic phrases about fear with Meaning, Examples and other ways to say. Short or long i Coverd idiomatic expressions examples for you and give at the end fear and confidence idioms.

List Of 40 Idioms For Fear

• Fear turns legs to jelly
• Fear makes the heart jump
• Fear raises the hair on the neck
• Fear paints the face sheet-white
• Fear puts cold feet in shoes
• Fear shakes hands like a leaf
• Fear makes teeth chatter
• Fear tightens the throat
• Fear puts the heart in the mouth
• Fear breaks out a cold sweat
• Fear makes eyes chase shadows
• Fear starts at every creak
• Fear locks the knees
• Fear steals the voice
• Fear sets nerves on wires
• Fear keeps a person on edge
• Fear makes time crawl
• Fear rings alarm bells
• Fear opens the trapdoor of doubt
• Fear pulls courage backward
• Fear whispers worst-case stories
• Fear drains color from cheeks
• Fear makes a person run scared
• Fear keeps boots quaking
• Fear makes a person sweat bullets
• Fear bites
• Fear freezes
• Fear flares
• Fear grips
• Fear flinches
• Fear writes disaster lists before breakfast
• Fear borrows tomorrow’s trouble with interest
• Fear bolts the door after the wind stops
• Fear turns a whisper into a verdict
• Fear lights a lantern and still trips
• Fear knocks, confidence answers
• Fear warns, confidence weighs
• Fear pulls back, confidence steps forward
• Fear tests the bridge, confidence crosses
• Fear watches the storm, confidence sets course

What are the Fear Idioms ?

The fear idioms are Fear turns legs to jelly, Fear makes the heart jump, Fear raises the hair on the neck, Fear paints the face sheet-white, Fear puts cold feet in shoes, Fear shakes hands like a leaf, Fear makes teeth chatter, Fear tightens the throat, Fear puts the heart in the mouth, Fear breaks out a cold sweat, Fear makes eyes chase shadows, Fear starts at every creak, Fear locks the knees, Fear steals the voice, Fear sets nerves on wires, Fear keeps a person on edge, Fear makes time crawl, Fear rings alarm bells, Fear opens the trapdoor of doubt, Fear pulls courage backward, Fear whispers worst-case stories, Fear drains color from cheeks, Fear makes a person run scared, Fear keeps boots quaking, Fear makes a person sweat bullets.
These fear idioms name fear through body signals and plain old caution, the same way grandparents described it at the dinner table.

Fear turns legs to jelly

Meaning: Fear makes the body feel weak and unsteady.
Example: Fear turned his legs to jelly when the door slammed in the dark.
Other ways to say: weak knees, wobble, shaky legs, jump

Fear makes the heart jump

Meaning: Fear triggers a sudden startle in the chest.
Example: Fear made his heart jump when the phone rang at midnight.
Other ways to say: startle, jolt, shock, goosebumps

Fear raises the hair on the neck

Meaning: Fear causes a prickly, alert feeling, like skin tightening.
Example: Fear raised the hair on his neck when the footsteps stopped behind him.
Other ways to say: bristle, prickles, gooseflesh, pale

Fear paints the face sheet-white

Meaning: Fear drains color from the face fast.
Example: Fear painted her face sheet-white when she read the note.
Other ways to say: blanch, turn ashen, lose color, hesitation

Fear puts cold feet in shoes

Meaning: Fear causes a person to hesitate right before action.
Example: Fear put cold feet in his shoes at the wedding door.
Other ways to say: back out, lose nerve, second thoughts, tremble

Fear shakes hands like a leaf

Meaning: Fear makes the hands shake in a clear, visible way.
Example: Fear shook his hands like a leaf as he signed the paper.
Other ways to say: quiver, shake, flutter, chatter

Fear makes teeth chatter

Meaning: Fear brings trembling that reaches the jaw and teeth.
Example: Fear made his teeth chatter during the blackout.
Other ways to say: shiver, rattle, tremor, gulp

Fear tightens the throat

Meaning: Fear creates a choking or swallowing-block feeling.
Example: Fear tightened her throat when she heard her name called.
Other ways to say: choke up, swallow hard, clamp down, mouth

Fear puts the heart in the mouth

Meaning: Fear makes the heartbeat feel high, loud, and urgent.
Example: Fear put his heart in his mouth as the stairs creaked.
Other ways to say: racing heart, panic surge, dread spike, sweat

Fear breaks out a cold sweat

Meaning: Fear triggers sudden sweating from stress, not heat.
Example: Fear broke out a cold sweat when the car skidded.
Other ways to say: clammy, sweaty palms, stress sweat, shadows

Fear makes eyes chase shadows

Meaning: Fear makes the mind search for danger in small sights.
Example: Fear made his eyes chase shadows across the hallway.
Other ways to say: jumpy watching, wary scanning, spooked, creak

Fear starts at every creak

Meaning: Fear makes small sounds feel like big threats.
Example: Fear started at every creak in the old house.
Other ways to say: flinch, startle, jump at noise, knees

Fear locks the knees

Meaning: Fear freezes the body and stops movement.
Example: Fear locked his knees when the dog barked close.
Other ways to say: freeze up, stuck in place, rooted, voice

Fear steals the voice

Meaning: Fear makes speech fail right when it matters.
Example: Fear stole the voice from the witness on the stand.
Other ways to say: tongue-tied, mute, lost words, wires

Fear sets nerves on wires

Meaning: Fear makes the nerves feel tight, stretched, and raw.
Example: Fear set his nerves on wires before the exam bell.
Other ways to say: tense, keyed-up, jittery, edge

Fear keeps a person on edge

Meaning: Fear keeps the mind alert and restless.
Example: Fear kept her on edge during the long wait.
Other ways to say: jumpy, restless, uneasy, crawl

Fear makes time crawl

Meaning: Fear makes minutes feel slow and heavy.
Example: Fear made time crawl while the results loaded.
Other ways to say: drag, slow stretch, long minutes, bells

Fear rings alarm bells

Meaning: Fear triggers warning thoughts that demand attention.
Example: Fear rang alarm bells when the stranger followed.
Other ways to say: red flag, warning sign, alert, doubt

Fear opens the trapdoor of doubt

Meaning: Fear drops confidence fast into second-guessing.
Example: Fear opened the trapdoor of doubt right before the speech.
Other ways to say: uncertainty, second-guess, worry, backward

Fear pulls courage backward

Meaning: Fear makes bravery retreat at the worst moment.
Example: Fear pulled courage backward when the crowd grew loud.
Other ways to say: shrink back, retreat, lose nerve, stories

Fear whispers worst-case stories

Meaning: Fear tells the mind dark outcomes as if they are certain.
Example: Fear whispered worst-case stories on the drive home.
Other ways to say: catastrophize, doom-think, spiral, cheeks

Fear drains color from cheeks

Meaning: Fear shows up as visible paleness.
Example: Fear drained color from his cheeks when he saw the bill.
Other ways to say: turn pale, go ashen, blanch, run

Fear makes a person run scared

Meaning: Fear pushes someone into rushed, defensive action.
Example: Fear made him run scared after the bad headline.
Other ways to say: flee, bolt, scramble, quaking

Fear keeps boots quaking

Meaning: Fear makes the whole body tremble, like shaking boots.
Example: Fear kept his boots quaking as the judge spoke.
Other ways to say: trembling, shaking, shuddering, bullets

Fear makes a person sweat bullets

Meaning: Fear causes intense stress sweating under pressure.
Example: Fear made her sweat bullets during the interview.
Other ways to say: perspire hard, sweat hard, panic sweat, short

What are the Short Idioms about Fear ?

The short idioms about fear are Fear bites, Fear freezes, Fear flares, Fear grips, Fear flinches.
These short fear idioms act like quick labels for panic, the way a short warning gets the point across.

Fear bites

Meaning: Fear hits sharp and sudden, like a snap.
Example: Fear bit when the lights went out.
Other ways to say: snap fear, sudden fright, sharp panic, freezes

Fear freezes

Meaning: Fear stops movement and thought for a moment.
Example: Fear froze him at the doorway.
Other ways to say: lock up, go still, freeze up, flares

Fear flares

Meaning: Fear rises fast and hot, then spreads.
Example: Fear flared as the siren grew louder.
Other ways to say: spike, surge, rush, grips

Fear grips

Meaning: Fear holds tight and refuses to loosen.
Example: Fear gripped the room when the verdict arrived.
Other ways to say: seize, clutch, tighten, flinches

Fear flinches

Meaning: Fear shows up as a quick recoil from risk.
Example: Fear flinched when the door creaked again.
Other ways to say: recoil, twitch, startle, breakfast

What are the long Idioms about Fear ?

The long idioms about fear are Fear writes disaster lists before breakfast, Fear borrows tomorrow’s trouble with interest, Fear bolts the door after the wind stops, Fear turns a whisper into a verdict, Fear lights a lantern and still trips.
These long fear idioms describe how fear argues, plans, and overreacts, like a nervous town council that never ends a meeting.

Fear writes disaster lists before breakfast

Meaning: Fear makes the mind list problems before the day even starts.
Example: Fear wrote disaster lists before breakfast and ruined his appetite.
Other ways to say: worry list, doom notes, panic planning, interest

Fear borrows tomorrow’s trouble with interest

Meaning: Fear drags future problems into today and adds extra stress.
Example: Fear borrowed tomorrow’s trouble with interest before the first call.
Other ways to say: borrow trouble, worry ahead, fret early, wind

Fear bolts the door after the wind stops

Meaning: Fear reacts late, then overcorrects with harsh caution.
Example: Fear bolted the door after the wind stopped and locked out good help.
Other ways to say: overprotect, clamp down, shut out, verdict

Fear turns a whisper into a verdict

Meaning: Fear treats small hints as final proof of danger.
Example: Fear turned a whisper into a verdict and ended the friendship.
Other ways to say: assume the worst, overread, rush judgment, trips

Fear lights a lantern and still trips

Meaning: Fear tries to stay safe yet still stumbles from worry.
Example: Fear lit a lantern and still tripped over simple choices.
Other ways to say: anxious stumble, worry-blind, misstep, knocks

What are The Idioms About Fear & confidence?

The idioms about fear and confidence are Fear knocks, confidence answers, Fear warns, confidence weighs, Fear pulls back, confidence steps forward, Fear tests the bridge, confidence crosses, Fear watches the storm, confidence sets course.
These fear and confidence idioms treat fear as a warning bell and confidence as the hand that decides what happens next.

Fear knocks, confidence answers

Meaning: Fear arrives first, yet confidence responds with control.
Example: Fear knocked, confidence answered, and she spoke anyway.
Other ways to say: steady reply, firm response, brave answer, weighs

Fear warns, confidence weighs

Meaning: Fear signals risk, confidence judges the risk with reason.
Example: Fear warned, confidence weighed the facts, and he signed the deal.
Other ways to say: measured courage, calm judgment, clear head, forward

Fear pulls back, confidence steps forward

Meaning: Fear retreats, confidence takes action despite nerves.
Example: Fear pulled back, confidence stepped forward during the rescue.
Other ways to say: act anyway, push through, bold step, crosses

Fear tests the bridge, confidence crosses

Meaning: Fear checks safety, confidence commits after the check.
Example: Fear tested the bridge, confidence crossed, and the team moved on.
Other ways to say: assess then act, weigh then move, take the step, course

Fear watches the storm, confidence sets course

Meaning: Fear notices danger, confidence chooses direction without panic.
Example: Fear watched the storm, confidence set course, and work continued.
Other ways to say: steady nerve, firm heart, brave aim, confidence