plural terrors
1
: a state of intense or overwhelming fear
overcome by terror
people fleeing the scene in terror
He lived in terror of being caught.
2
: violence or the threat of violence used as a weapon of intimidation or coercion
a regime that rules by terror
especially
: violent or destructive acts (such as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands
an act of terror
the war on terror
—sometimes used before another noun a terror attack
3
: a very frightening or terrifying aspect
the terrors of war
4
a
: someone or something that inspires fear : scourge
I stood before fierce Mrs. Mabel Johnston, his secretary and the terror of the office.—
Russell Baker
Russell BakerBefore rifles were available to Eskimo hunters, bears were truly the terror of their existence.—Charles T. Feazel
Charles T. Feazel
b
informal
: an extremely disruptive or annoying person or thing
5
Examples of terror in a Sentence
The sound of guns being fired fills me with terror.
Many civilians fled in terror.
a terror that is still fresh in her memory
the terrors of life in the jungle
a regime that rules by terror
bombings and other acts of terror
These people have been living with terror and the threat of terror for many years.
a campaign of terror against ethnic minority groups
Recent Examples on the Web
In four days, the coin will land, and half of the country will either exhale with relief or shudder in terror.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
At a rally in North Carolina last week, Trump mentioned Obama getting back on the trail and made his voice tremble in fake terror before dismissing him.
—Alex Thompson, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024
Campbell recalled the difficulty of maintaining an intense level of terror for that long but was helped along by Craven.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
And yet the terror is enough that Rita (Saoirse Ronan), a munitions worker, is convinced by her loving, practical dad (Paul Weller) to send 9-year-old George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan) away as part of the mass evacuation of children to the countryside.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terror 
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Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
At a rally in North Carolina last week, Trump mentioned Obama getting back on the trail and made his voice tremble in fake terror before dismissing him.
—Alex Thompson, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024
Campbell recalled the difficulty of maintaining an intense level of terror for that long but was helped along by Craven.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
And yet the terror is enough that Rita (Saoirse Ronan), a munitions worker, is convinced by her loving, practical dad (Paul Weller) to send 9-year-old George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan) away as part of the mass evacuation of children to the countryside.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terror
Articles Related to terror
Dictionary Entries Near terror
Cite this Entry
“Terror.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terror. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terror
noun
ter·ror
ˈter-ər 
1
: a state of great fear
2
: a cause of great fear
3
a
: a dreadful person or thing
b
informal
: an unruly child
4
: violent or destructive acts (as bombing) committed by a group as a way of achieving its goals
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