fear-n; 4 Senses

Sense Number 1: an emotional state of fright, terror, being afraid

Commentary: FEAR[+state][+response][+emotional][+fright]
NOTE: focus is on an immediate emotional state or response to something

Examples:
As the explosions continued, he saw real fear in the faces of the children.
Some people have an irrational fear of snakes or spiders.
The condemned man walked, without apparent fear, to the front of the firing squad.
The animals ran in fear ahead of the forest fire.

Mappings:
PropBank: fear.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 2: a contemplative state of ongoing concern

Commentary: FEAR[+state][+contemplation][+concern]
NOTE: implies an ongoing consideration, not an immediate response (Sense 1)
NOTE: implies the specific persons with the fear (different from Sense 4)
NOTE: may occur in the plural (unlike Sense 4)

Examples:
The police launched a search for the family amid fears for their safety.
Fears of rising unemployment have kept consumer spending down.
Mary lay awake at night pondering her fears and anxieties.
Their firm's latest fear is being undercut in pricing by overseas competitors.

Mappings:
PropBank: fear.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2

Sense Number 3: an attitude of reverence or awe towards something

Commentary: FEAR[+state][+attitude][+reverential]
NOTE: does NOT imply a desire to avoid the feared object (differs from Senses 1 and 2)

Examples:
These fundamentalists want to restore a fear of God in everyone.
Experienced surfers have a healthy fear of the big waves at Oahu. (but they love to ride them)

Mappings:
PropBank: fear.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3

Sense Number 4: the likelihood of a possible unpleasant event occuring

Commentary: FEAR[+quantity][+probability][+event][-desirable]
NOTE: does not imply the fear of a specific person or people, it is presented as an abstraction.
NOTE: often occurs with quantifiers, such as 'much' 'no' 'some'
NOTE: always occurs in the singular, often in phrases 'there is fear of X' where X is a possible event or state of affairs.

Examples:
The doctors say there isn't much fear of a recurrence of this type of tumor.
There is some fear of the old dam breaking from these heavy rains.
Has the fear of a nuclear war lessened with the end of the Cold War?
The moonless night enabled the soldiers to sneak into the compound without fear of being seen.

Mappings:
PropBank: fear.01
WordNet 0.0 Sense Numbers: 4