Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

fear

2 verb
     
fear2 W2
1 [intransitive and transitive] to feel afraid or worried that something bad may happen:
Fearing violence, the group asked for police protection.
fear (that)
Police fear that there may be further terrorist attacks.
fear to do something formal:
Women feared to go out at night.
fear for somebody
His wife seemed depressed, and he feared for his children.
fear for somebody's safety/life
a terrifying ordeal in which she feared for her life
Hundreds of people are feared dead in the ferry disaster.
2

fear the worst

to think that the worst possible thing has happened or might happen:
When Tom heard about the accident he immediately feared the worst.
3 [transitive] to be afraid of someone and what they might do:
As a leader, he was distrusted and even feared.
4

I fear

formal used when telling someone that you think that something bad has happened or is true
I fear (that)
I fear that there is little more we can do.
I fear so/I fear not
'Were they satisfied?' 'I fear not.'
5

fear not/never fear

formal used to tell someone not to worry:
Never fear, he'll be with us soon.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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