terrorist

American  

[ter-er-ist] / ˈtɛr ər ɪst /

noun

1. a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism.

2. a person who terrorizes or frightens others.

3. (formerly) a member of a political group in Russia aiming at the demoralization of the government by terror.

4. an agent or partisan of the revolutionary tribunal during the Reign of Terror in France.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of terrorism or terrorists.

   terrorist tactics.

terrorist British  

/ ˈtɛrərɪst /

noun

1. 1. a person who employs terror or terrorism, esp as a political weapon

   2. ( as modifier )

      terrorist tactics

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Other Word Forms

• terroristic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of terrorist

First recorded in 1785–95; terror + -ist; compare French terroriste

Explanation

Someone who uses violence, mayhem, and destruction — or the threat of those things — to coerce people or countries into taking a certain action is a terrorist. A terrorist may be motivated by religious fervor, politics, or just plain old-fashioned greed. Terrorist has at its root the word "terror," which comes from the Latin word terrorem, meaning great fear. Great fear is exactly what terrorists hope to create so they can manipulate the situation to their benefit. The label terrorist is a subjective one. To the British, the American colonists who destroyed shiploads of tea in Boston Harbor in 1773 were terrorists. To colonists, they were patriots and heroes.

Example Sentences

Zeraati's employer, Iran International, had also been designated by the Iranian government as a "terrorist organisation", the jury heard.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

The UK's terrorism threat level was raised two weeks ago to the second-highest level of "severe", with security officials citing the "broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat".

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

Ofcom said this followed concerns from some organisations that they had flagged "multiple pieces" of suspected illegal hate and terrorist content to X, but were unclear whether the reports had been received or acted upon.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

"We have evidence that terrorist content and illegal hate speech is persisting on some of the largest social media sites," said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom's online safety director.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Behind his innocent façade of a doctor without prestige there was hidden a terrorist who with his short-legged boots covered the scars that five years in the stocks had left on his legs.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• assassin
• bomber
• fanatic
• guerrilla
• gunman
• hijacker
• insurgent
• radical
• rebel
• revolutionary
• sniper
• zealot