intimidate
Americanverb (used with object)
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intimidates,
present (3rd person singular)
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intimidated,
past participle, past
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intimidating
present participle
verb
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to make timid or frightened; scare
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to discourage, restrain, or silence illegally or unscrupulously, as by threats or blackmail
Synonym Usage
See discourage.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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intimidatesimple
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intimidatessimple
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have intimidatedperfect
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has intimidatedperfect
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am intimidatingprogressive
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are intimidatingprogressive
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is intimidatingprogressive
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have been intimidatingperfect progressive
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has been intimidatingperfect progressive
Past
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intimidatedsimple
-
had intimidatedperfect
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was intimidatingprogressive
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were intimidatingprogressive
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had been intimidatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of intimidate
First recorded in 1640–50; from Medieval Latin intimidātus, past participle of intimidāre “to make afraid,” equivalent to Latin in- verb-formative prefix + timid(us) “afraid” + -ātus past participle suffix; see in- 2, timid, -ate 1
Explanation
You can see "timid" in the middle of intimidate, and to be timid is to be frightened or to pull back from something. When you intimidate, you frighten or make someone afraid. A pet rat might intimidate your sister's friends, keeping them out of your fort. "To frighten" or "make fearful" is at the root of the verb intimidate. An animal might intimidate a smaller animal by bearing its teeth, and a person can intimidate another by threatening to do something harmful. You can be intimidated with mental or emotional bullying, as well as with something physical: "they were all good spellers, but some of them knew how to intimidate the competition into thinking they didn't have a chance at winning the spelling bee."
Vocabulary lists containing intimidate
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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The Breadwinner
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Twelve Angry Men
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“These crimes are meant to intimidate entire communities and weaken the trust that holds us together,” he said in a statement Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
De la Espriella condemned the bombing "in the strongest terms," adding that "terrorism will not intimidate Colombia."
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The lawsuit brought under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 says the groups sought to make an example of Khalil to intimidate the movement for Palestinian rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"People don't understand that StubHub's name of their game is to intimidate you, defer you, and deny you," Clements told the BBC, also citing legal dispute notices that were mailed to the company but returned.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
He had not expected anything like this; he had not thought that this world would be so utterly different from his own that it would intimidate him.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Offering a lot to process—historically, technically and visually—“Sèvres Extraordinaire!” is that rare species of exhibition that impresses and intimidates in equal measure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2025
The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 allows for prosecution if a photographer threatens, stalks, intimidates or causes distress.
From Reuters ● May 18, 2023
If using gelatin intimidates you, refer to this handy guide, which explains how to use both sheet and powdered gelatin.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2022
It’s clear by now that no pitcher, from Scherzer to Verlander, intimidates the youngster.
From Seattle Times ● May 27, 2022
When he looks at the Mona Lisa, he sees the same contradictory mix, and it intimidates him.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
She’s not intimidated by even the most far-flung destinations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Dr Huurman is not intimidated by working in a male-dominated field although she explains there are challenges.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Feeling a bit intimidated after my last interaction, I decided to text instead of call.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
This is a topic that is raised in these pages from time to time — most recently by this reader who implored more Americans to start saving early and not to be intimidated by money.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
The first time Hazel had seen the legion assemble, she’d been so intimidated, she’d almost slunk back to the barracks to hide.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Get out of your hiring comfort zone: Hiring a person 20 years your senior can be intimidating as a young founder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“I remember filming that scene and trying to be intimidating to Hannah Waddingham,” Reynolds says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Schwimmer said the completed mount does more than give museum visitors a sense of the animal's intimidating size.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
But his intimidating onyx armor obscures all that, much in the way Darth Vader’s helmet and cloak overcompensate for his shriveled form.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
At first they were whispering and not really looking at me—I guess hospitals are pretty intimidating.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
