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
Related Words
See frighten.
Other Word Forms
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.
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
“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
“My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who stalk and terrorize others, ensuring they are held accountable.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2025
The wife cooks comically inedible food; the daughters terrorize Jakob.
From Los Angeles Times • May 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
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.
