terrorize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to fill or overcome with terror.
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to dominate or coerce by intimidation.
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to produce widespread fear by acts of violence, as bombings.
verb
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to coerce or control by violence, fear, threats, etc
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to inspire with dread; terrify
Synonym Usage
See frighten.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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terrorizesimple
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terrorizessimple
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have terrorizedperfect
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has terrorizedperfect
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am terrorizingprogressive
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are terrorizingprogressive
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is terrorizingprogressive
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have been terrorizingperfect progressive
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has been terrorizingperfect progressive
Past
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terrorizedsimple
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had terrorizedperfect
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was terrorizingprogressive
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were terrorizingprogressive
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had been terrorizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of terrorize
Explanation
When you terrorize someone, you act in a way that makes that person feel terrified, or full of fear. A bully might terrorize his younger victims by threatening to beat them up. There are more and less serious ways to terrorize someone: actual terrorists, who use violence to achieve political goals, are a classic example of people who terrorize. A less grim way to terrorize might be an older sister coercing a younger brother into doing her chores by threatening to hide his favorite toys. In either case, the victim experiences some degree of fear, and the person who terrorizes feels a sense of power and control.
Vocabulary lists containing terrorize
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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Schooled
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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:
An "unforgettable" tribute to America, or a health hazard that will terrorize animals and pollute the environment?
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their "partnership", adding that Minuki "will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans".
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
“I have been very, very disturbed by the activities of some federal law enforcement agencies that have come into Los Angeles and intentionally attempted to terrorize our people,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
“These are characters who are outsiders, who are made to feel alone, who It tries to divide and terrorize into being divided,” he said.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2025
Doc told us that boo-hags would remove their skin when they went out to terrorize people.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Annabelle first terrorizes orphan girls in "Annabelle: Creation" and later is an unknowing man's gift to his pregnant wife.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2022
Oh yeah, Cakey is actually an evil cake that terrorizes the universe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2022
Its president told The News Reporter newspaper it wouldn’t be “a part of anything that terrorizes anybody or goes against law enforcement.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2022
Mr. Hillmann, a native of Queens, was working for Valley Forge Films, a small studio in Pennsylvania, when it began production of a low-budget movie about a gelatinous alien creature that terrorizes a small town.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 28, 2021
The bear sinks its teeth into the fish's flesh because it must; it never terrorizes a deer for a night of fun, just because it can.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
Meanwhile, when he was their age, young Giles, nicknamed Ripper, terrorized London by summoning hell spawn for fun.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
I asked if she worried that Pratt’s agenda would amount to punishing 70,000 people for the actions of a much smaller number, like the man who had terrorized her.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreimanis — the actors who terrorized the juke joint as bloodthirsty vampires in the movie — also snaked their way onto the stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
“This festival is intended to lift up our ancestors that came to this country in bondage, terrorized, brutalized,” Ludlow said outside City Hall on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
“Here,” Mr. Gonzalez cried in his terrorized tenor.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
The families of Stephen Oglivie and Henry Nowak have been resolute in demanding that these horrific attacks not be leveraged for inciting disorder—or for terrorizing the U.K.’s many immigrants.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
He looks like a cross between Barbie and the Predator and will be terrorizing defenses for as long as Norway can hang around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
He said “federal agents are in our neighborhoods terrorizing families” and called for comprehensive immigration reform that includes “humane border solutions,” improved ports of entry and pathways to citizenship for longtime residents.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
They’ve also spent years terrorizing locals by leaping from the waves and crashing into boaters, water skiers and fishermen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
He imagined some hapless monster terrorizing a random demigod in Kansas, only to find itself surrounded by several dozen carloads of heavily armoured Romans.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
