Synonyms
Examples of terrorize in a Sentence
As a child she terrorized her younger siblings.
She was terrorized by nightmares.
Employees were terrorized into accepting abysmal working conditions.
Recent Examples on the Web
The trailer shows Keaton terrorizing a frightened looking townsperson who keeps insisting the ghost in front of him is an illusion.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
In 1989, Charles Stuart claimed that a Black man had shot him and his pregnant wife, Carol, spurring a racist manhunt that terrorized and ensnared innocent people.
—Longreads, 22 Mar. 2024
Experts said these videos are likely part of propaganda campaigns designed to scare rivals and terrorize local Haitians rather than a reflection of common or normalized behavior.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The gangs terrorized the population with systematic rape, indiscriminate kidnapping and mass killing, all with impunity.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The Aryan Nations and other white supremacist groups have terrorized the region since at least the 1970s, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Since the president’s assassination at his home outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti has plunged into total chaos as armed gangs have terrorized the island nation with no presidential election on the horizon.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024
But in the late 1920s and early 1930s gangsters began using them for their criminal activities, often terrorizing the streets.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024
For more than a week, Haiti’s all-powerful gangs have terrorized Port-au-Prince, attacking the airport, port, government buildings and at least a dozen of the city’s police stations.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
In 1989, Charles Stuart claimed that a Black man had shot him and his pregnant wife, Carol, spurring a racist manhunt that terrorized and ensnared innocent people.
—Longreads, 22 Mar. 2024
Experts said these videos are likely part of propaganda campaigns designed to scare rivals and terrorize local Haitians rather than a reflection of common or normalized behavior.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The gangs terrorized the population with systematic rape, indiscriminate kidnapping and mass killing, all with impunity.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The Aryan Nations and other white supremacist groups have terrorized the region since at least the 1970s, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Since the president’s assassination at his home outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti has plunged into total chaos as armed gangs have terrorized the island nation with no presidential election on the horizon.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024
But in the late 1920s and early 1930s gangsters began using them for their criminal activities, often terrorizing the streets.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024
For more than a week, Haiti’s all-powerful gangs have terrorized Port-au-Prince, attacking the airport, port, government buildings and at least a dozen of the city’s police stations.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrorize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near terrorize
Cite this Entry
“Terrorize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrorize. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrorize
verb
ter·ror·ize
ˈter-ər-ˌīz 
terrorized; terrorizing
1
: to fill with terror
2
: to force by threat or violence
Legal Definition
terrorize
transitive verb
ter·ror·ize
ˈter-ər-ˌīz
terrorized; terrorizing
: to inflict terror upon
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