for fear of
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English
[edit]Prepositional phrase
[edit]- In order to try to prevent the risk of a particular thing happening.
- 1960 March, “Motive Power Miscellany: Western Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 184:
- [...] but in the damp conditions prevailing the driver sensibly was unwilling to attempt the climb up through Combe Down tunnel without help, for fear of slipping to a standstill in the unventilated bore, [...].
Related terms
[edit]References
[edit]- “for fear of”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.