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
“I did not intimidate, threaten, or bully Sandy into making any statements,” she wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Liverpool Liberal Democrat leader Carl Cashman said people "absolutely have the right" to protest peacefully but "they do not have the right to intimidate a community that is still bearing the scars of disorder".
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
The new boss will want to make a mark—almost any mark will do—to intimidate top performers and encourage sycophants.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Uncle Turu was trying to intimidate the stranger into a trade, pushing his nose close to the man’s face, snorting like the turu, the bull for which he was named.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
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
“We’ve seen that this system suppresses and intimidates the majority of children,” said Salwa Duaibis, co-founder of Military Court Watch, a Palestinian legal advocacy group.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
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
To be honest, something about the big houses intimidates me, and I’m already nervous.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
"Never mind the residents being intimidated," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
She’s not intimidated by even the most far-flung destinations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
At one roundabout, 25-year-old Kasim Ramadan gathered with four or five friends, determined not to be intimidated.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
The idea is to have expert hairstylists train uninitiated or intimidated fathers on how to comb and braid their kids’ hair, using salon-type head mannequins but in a setting for bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
“It’s a lovely mine,” apologized the Humbug, who was always intimidated by loud noises.
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
Riders on powerful electric motorbikes are intimidating pedestrians, damaging property and putting people at risk by riding dangerously through towns and villages, communities have warned.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He came to the Dodgers in a trade from the Chicago White Sox in December 1971 with an 84-91 record, a good curveball and a less than intimidating fastball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
“You can pick that up and make it into effective jargon fast because it’s related to the original idea. But it’s also not some weirdly intimidating word, right?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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
It looked even less intimidating taken out of her bag, but she still held it firm.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
