1To fear or be afraid of something; to feel apprehension or dread. Commonly used as 「〜を恐れる」; its noun form 恐れ appears in the frequent news/formal phrase 「〜のおそれがある」 ('there is a risk of ~').
彼は失敗を恐れて挑戦しなかった。
He was afraid of failure and didn't try.
地震を恐れる必要はないと言われたが不安だ。
I was told there's no need to fear earthquakes, but I'm still uneasy.
彼女は新しい環境を恐れずに飛び込んだ。
She plunged into a new environment without fear.