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"dread" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often fear (4 letters).
Definitions
causing fear or dread or terror
Word origin
From Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier adread.
Used in a sentence
“I'm dreading getting the results of the test, as it could decide my whole life.”
“Day by day, hole by hole our bearing reins were shortened, and instead of looking forward with pleasure to having my harness put on as I used to do, I began to dread it.”
“Dread not, neither be afraid of them.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer2 curated clues
01“Great fear or apprehension”5 letters
02“Great fear”5 letters
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