What does “scare the shit out of somebody” mean in American English?

Scare the shit out of somebody is a strong American English phrase that means “to scare someone very, very much.” The form verb + the shit out of is a way to make a verb stronger. You can also say “beat the shit out of,” “annoy the shit out of,” or “scare the shit out of” someone. The phrase is informal and very common in American comedy and movies.

In this stand-up clip, the comedian uses it to talk about how a comedy show has to surprise the audience: “you need to scare the shit out of everybody.” Comedians say the phrase often, and so do American adults in casual chat when they want a feeling to sound very big.