as in to frighten
to strike with fear
thunderstorms terrorize our cats, who all scamper downstairs when lightning flashes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrorize
The 6 foot 5 inch Lister made an indelible impression as Deebo, the bicycle-riding neighborhood heavy who terrorizes Ice Cube and Chris Tucker in the comedy Friday (1995).
—
Danny Horn, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Perkins had audiences in a chokehold last year with Longlegs, his creepy tale of an FBI agent on a mission to solve the mystery behind the horrific killing spree terrorizing her neighborhood.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
That's not good customer service and they should not be allowed to terrorize passengers who paid to fly their pet legally in an under-seat carrier.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Lafferty pins the blame on the rash of killings that terrorized the Bay Area in the ‘70s on a certain someone.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for terrorize 
Danny Horn, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Perkins had audiences in a chokehold last year with Longlegs, his creepy tale of an FBI agent on a mission to solve the mystery behind the horrific killing spree terrorizing her neighborhood.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
That's not good customer service and they should not be allowed to terrorize passengers who paid to fly their pet legally in an under-seat carrier.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Lafferty pins the blame on the rash of killings that terrorized the Bay Area in the ‘70s on a certain someone.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for terrorize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorize
Verb
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Thousands of residents and visitors have left Santorini, frightened by the earthquakes measuring between magnitude 3 and magnitude 5 in the area since the weekend.—
Elena Becatoros,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2025
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President Trump did no one any favors and his irresponsible accusations were meant to confuse and spread an unfounded conspiracy while both trying to score political points as well as frighten the flying public needlessly.—
Michael B. Teiger,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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His limited resume and the fact he’s spent more time in the box than on the edge also might scare teams, which means Walker’s potential draft range could be rather large.—
Nick Baumgardner,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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That's one week after Borderlands 4 and just in time to scare everyone (hopefully) during the all-spooky Halloween season.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Instead of a confetti bomb going off, someone turns on the fog/smoke machine, terrifying all of the little pups into relieving themselves everywhere in fear.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2025
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But Marcel arrived terrified, hiding in the bathroom and refusing to move or be touched.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The shocking roar of a vehicle’s engine can startle wildlife.—
Alexandra Owens,
AFAR Media,
10 Feb. 2025
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Jo explained that people with frequent views of auroras tended to draw more positive conclusions about them than those who may have been startled by the sight of them.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near terrorize
Cite this Entry
“Terrorize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorize. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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