Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense terrorizes, present participle terrorizing, past tense, past participle terrorizedregional note: in BRIT, also use terrorise
verb
If someone terrorizes you, they keep you in a state of fear by making it seem likely that they will attack you.
Bands of gunmen have hijacked food shipments and terrorized relief workers. [VERB noun]
...pensioners terrorised by anonymous telephone calls. [VERB-ed]
More Synonyms of terrorize
terrorize in British English
or terrorise (ˈtɛrəˌraɪz)
verb(transitive)
1.
to coerce or control by violence, fear, threats, etc
2.
to inspire with dread; terrify
Derived forms
terrorization (ˌterroriˈzation) or terrorisation (ˌterroriˈsation)
noun
terrorizer (ˈterrorˌizer) or terroriser (ˈterrorˌiser)
noun
terrorize in American English
(ˈtɛrərˌaɪz)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈterrorˌized or ˈterrorˌizing
1.
to fill with terror; terrify
2.
to coerce, make submit, etc. by filling with terror, as by the use or threat of violence
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈfrighten
Derived forms
terrorization (ˌterroriˈzation)
noun
Examples of 'terrorize' in a sentence
terrorize
And what I intend to ask of her when she comes back is justice against those who terrorize and betray us.
Robin Hobb THE GOLDEN FOOL: BOOK TWO OF THE TAWNY MAN (2002)
If you have no money and you don `t want to terrorize you can trade off possessions of value for hits.
Shell, Ray ICED (2002)
This kinsman of Count Fisiolo's, this other Lord Prestimion, who ' s allowed to go free to terrorize the river!
Robert Silverberg LORD PRESTIMION (2002)
In other languages
terrorize
British English: terrorize VERB
If someone terrorizes you, they keep you in a state of fear by making it seem likely that they will attack you.
The gunmen terrorized relief workers.
American English: terrorize
Brazilian Portuguese: aterrorizar
Chinese: 恐吓
European Spanish: aterrorizar
French: terroriser
German: terrorisieren
Italian: terrorizzare
Japanese: 恐れさせる
Korean: 공포의 도가니로 몰아넣다
European Portuguese: aterrorizar
Latin American Spanish: aterrorizar
1 (verb)
Definition
to control or force (someone) to do something by violence, fear, threats, etc.
He was fired for terrorizing his colleagues.
Synonyms
bully
I wasn't going to let him bully me.
menace
She is being menaced by her boss.
intimidate
Attempts to intimidate people into voting for them failed.
threaten
If you threaten me verbally or physically, then you will be prosecuted.
oppress
coerce
He argued that the government had coerced him into resigning.
strong-arm (informal)
browbeat
attempts to deceive, con, or browbeat the voters
2 (verb)
Definition
to make (someone) very frightened
The intruders terrorized the government employees.
Synonyms
terrify
The thought of a slow, painful death terrified me.
alarm
We could not see what had alarmed him.
frighten
Most children are frightened by the sight of blood.
scare
She's just trying to scare me.
intimidate
petrify
His story petrified me.
scare to death
strike terror into
put the fear of God into
fill with terror
scare the bejesus out of (informal)
frighten out of your wits
inspire panic in
Additional synonyms
in the sense of alarm
Definition
to fill with fear
We could not see what had alarmed him.
Synonyms
frighten,
shock,
scare,
panic,
distress,
terrify,
startle,
rattle,
dismay,
daunt,
unnerve,
terrorize,
put the wind up (informal),
give (someone) a turn (informal),
scare the bejesus out of (informal),
make (someone's) hair stand on end
in the sense of browbeat
Definition
to frighten (someone) with threats
attempts to deceive, con, or browbeat the voters
Synonyms
bully,
threaten,
cow,
intimidate,
badger,
oppress,
hector,
coerce,
bulldoze (informal),
overawe,
dragoon,
ride roughshod over,
tyrannize,
overbear,
domineer
in the sense of coerce
Definition
to compel or force
He argued that the government had coerced him into resigning.
Synonyms
force,
compel,
bully,
intimidate,
railroad (informal),
constrain,
bulldoze (informal),
dragoon,
pressurize,
browbeat,
press-gang,
twist (someone's) arm (informal),
drive
Synonyms of 'terrorize'
terrorize
Explore 'terrorize' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of frighten
Definition
to terrify or scare
Most children are frightened by the sight of blood.
Synonyms
scare,
shock,
alarm,
terrify,
cow,
appal,
startle,
intimidate,
dismay,
daunt,
unnerve,
petrify,
unman,
terrorize,
scare (someone) stiff,
put the wind up (someone) (informal),
scare the living daylights out of (someone) (informal),
make your hair stand on end (informal),
get the wind up,
make your blood run cold,
throw into a panic,
scare the bejesus out of (informal),
affright (archaic),
freeze your blood,
make (someone) jump out of their skin (informal),
throw into a fright
in the sense of intimidate
Definition
to subdue or influence (someone) through fear
Attempts to intimidate people into voting for them failed.
Synonyms
frighten,
pressure,
threaten,
alarm,
scare,
terrify,
cow,
bully,
plague,
menace,
hound,
awe,
daunt,
harass,
subdue,
oppress,
persecute,
lean on (informal),
coerce,
overawe,
scare off (informal),
terrorize,
pressurize,
browbeat,
twist someone's arm (informal),
tyrannize,
dishearten,
dispirit,
scare the bejesus out of (informal),
affright (archaic),
domineer
in the sense of menace
Definition
to threaten with violence or danger
She is being menaced by her boss.
Synonyms
bully,
threaten,
intimidate,
terrorize,
alarm,
frighten,
scare,
browbeat,
utter threats to
in the sense of petrify
Definition
to stun or daze with fear
His story petrified me.
Synonyms
terrify,
horrify,
amaze,
astonish,
stun,
appal,
paralyse,
astound,
confound,
transfix,
stupefy,
immobilize,
dumbfound
in the sense of scare
Definition
to frighten or be frightened
She's just trying to scare me.
Synonyms
frighten,
alarm,
terrify,
panic,
shock,
startle,
intimidate,
dismay,
daunt,
terrorize,
put the wind up (someone) (informal),
give (someone) a fright,
give (someone) a turn (informal),
scare the bejesus out of (informal),
affright (archaic)
in the sense of threaten
Definition
to express a threat to (someone)
If you threaten me verbally or physically, then you will be prosecuted.