scare off (someone/something)

to cause someone or something to go or stay away.

In summer, when you walked through a field of dry grass, you stamped your feet to scare off snakes.

A deadly outbreak of “bird flu” in Hong Kong has killed six people and scared off tourists.

Intensive border patrols probably scared smugglers off.

• a place in the sun
• a plain Jane
• a play on words
• a poacher turned gamekeeper
• a poisoned chalice
• a poison-pen letter
• a political football
• a poor man's
• a poor man's someone
• a poor man's something
• a poor relation
• a port of call
• a powder keg
• apple of eye
• apple of someone's eye
• apple of your eye
• apples and oranges
• a pretty kettle of fish
• a prima donna
• a prime mover
• a priori
• a prophet of doom
• a pub crawl
• a put-up job
• a Pyrrhic victory