terrorize
Americanverb (used with object)
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terrorizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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terrorized,
past participle, past
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terrorizing
present participle
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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:
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
They initially told him they were deporting him to his home country, which he thinks was done "to terrorize us."
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
The mysterious case of a chain-saw-wielding vandal who appeared to randomly terrorize trees in and around downtown Los Angeles last year has come to an anticlimactic close.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
“This is part of the effort to terrorize those who were not born in the United States and instill fear in immigrant communities and mixed-status families,” Mukherjee said.
From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2025
“It must be done before the waning moon or her powers will be too strong and she will be free to terrorize Ravenskill once more,” said Mr. Dimblewit.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
“I’m looking forward to a packed student section and a crowd that terrorizes the opposing goalie,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2023
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
If she terrorizes assistants, designers or publicists, it may sometimes be because she can smell their fear or worshipfulness.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2022
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
She can now dine on her deck with her husband and garden without being "terrorized" by bloodsuckers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 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
Investigators used genetic genealogy to identify Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. as the Golden State Killer who terrorized California in the 1970s and 80s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Like so many of us, Good could have stayed tucked safely away in her house, looking the other way while a bunch of hastily hired wannabe warriors terrorized her neighbors.
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2026
There didn’t seem to be a thing we could do for Winn-Dixie to make him feel better, so we just sat there and watched him run back and forth, all terrorized and panting.
From "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo
Tired of teens terrorizing the town on e-bikes?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
His father Alf-Inge had also played at Bryne before moving to Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Manchester City, where Erling can now be found terrorizing defenses across Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
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
State wildlife officials have finally come up with a theory to explain where a giant, highly destructive rodent that’s been terrorizing California came from: Oregon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
“Somebody fouled up, Bull. That’s all. They obviously think they made a mistake or they wouldn’t be giving you a squadron. Just keep your nose clean and don’t go terrorizing corporals in the latrine.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
