Reign of Terror

American  

noun

1. a period of the French Revolution, from about March, 1793, to July, 1794, during which many persons were ruthlessly executed by the ruling faction.

2. (lowercase) any period or situation of ruthless administration or oppression.

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Reign of Terror British  

noun

1. the period of Jacobin rule during the French Revolution, during which thousands of people were executed for treason (Oct 1793–July 1794)

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Reign of Terror Cultural  

1. A phase of the French Revolution aimed at destroying all alleged pockets of resistance to the revolution. Robespierre was a leader of the Terror, during which thousands were sent to the guillotine.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Reign of Terror

They’re currently hitting smaller home haunts across the city, but Silva says, if you go to just one this season, make it Reign of Terror.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025

The FBI deemed that the Reign of Terror also lasted only five years in the '20s when in reality it had lasted about two decades.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2023

Known as the Reign of Terror, it sparked a major FBI investigation involving J Edgar Hoover.

From BBC ● May 15, 2023

Except for a brief period during the Reign of Terror, France continued to uphold the institution of slavery in its colonies.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

Mass paranoia so gripped the ghettos, reminding me of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, that I could not even trust my own mother.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane