horror

Universal Words noun 1 [U] a feeling of great shock, fear or disgust: People watched in horror as the small plane crashed to the ground. * With a look of horror, he asked if the doctor thought he had cancer. * The thought of being left alone filled her with horror. * To her horror, the man produced a gun. * She recoiled in horror at the sight of an enormous spider. * To his horror, he could feel himself starting to cry (= it upset him very much). * Her eyes were wide with horror. 2 [sing.] ~ of sth / of doing sth a great fear or hatred of sth: a horror of deep water * Most people have a horror of speaking in public. 3 [U] the ~ of sth the very unpleasant nature of sth, especially when it is shocking or frightening: The full horror of the accident was beginning to become clear. * In his dreams he relives the horror of the attack. 4 [C,usually pl.] a very unpleasant or frightening experience: the horrors of war * You wouldn't believe the horrors they have suffered due to famine and disease. 5 [U] a type of book, film/movie, etc. that is designed to frighten people: In this section you'll find horror and science fiction. * a horror film / movie seealsoHORRORSTORY 6 [C] (BrE, informal) a child who behaves badly: Her son is a little horror. IDIOMS horror of horrors (BrE, humorous or ironic) used to emphasize how bad a situation is: I stood up to speak and-horror of horrors-realized I had left my notes behind. moreatSHOCKn.