rub the fear of God into: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 2.

  USUKinformalMachine
  • To chastise or punish someone severely, whether verbally or physically, with the intention of frightening them into better behavior.

  Examples

  Beta

  • After the kids ignored the rules, their father rubbed the fear of God into them with a stern lecture.

    Their father severely scolded the kids to frighten them into following the rules.

  • The sergeant rubbed the fear of God into the recruits during their first week of training.

    The sergeant harshly disciplined the recruits to frighten them into obedience.

  • She rubbed the fear of God into her employees by threatening serious consequences for mistakes.

    She severely warned her employees to scare them into avoiding errors.

• 1.

  USUKGeneralinformalcolloquialMachine
  • To instill profound fear or dread in someone in order to ensure obedience, deter wrongdoing, or compel compliance.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The strict headmaster rubbed the fear of God into the students to ensure they followed the rules.

    The strict headmaster instilled deep fear in the students to make sure they obeyed.

  • Parents sometimes have to rub the fear of God into their children to keep them from misbehaving.

    Parents occasionally need to instill strong fear in their children to prevent bad behavior.

  • The coach rubbed the fear of God into the team before the championship game, motivating them to focus.

    The coach instilled deep fear in the team before the final game to motivate concentration.

  • Teachers used to rub the fear of God into students with harsh punishments to maintain discipline.

    Teachers formerly instilled strong fear in students through severe punishments to keep order.