terrorize

T1E1R1R1O1R1I1Z10E1
/ˈtɛɹəɹaɪz/

verb

To fill (someone) with terror; to terrify.

“terrorize civilians”

Similar
petrifyterrifybullyhectorterrorise
OriginEnglish terror ← Middle English terrour ← Middle French terreur →
UncommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

verbterrorize (third-person singular simple present terrorizes, present participle terrorizing, simple past and past participle terrorized)

present singular third person terrorizes · participle present terrorizing · participle past terrorized · past terrorized · alternative terrorise

  1. BritishEnglishOxfordUStransitiveTo fill (someone) with terror; to terrify.

    terrorize civilians

    4 more examples

    terrorize the population

    The gang continued to terrorize the neighborhood.

    She felt terrorized by the constant threats.

    Sleep with one eye open You have no idea what I'm capable of Keep claiming holier than thou My knife can stab more holes than you can count How dare you sleep where a king once slept And dry the tears of where his queen has wept Kill, torture, terrorize Welcome to my mind

    2019, “Brimstone”, performed by Whitechapel

    Synonyms: petrify, terrify

  2. BritishEnglishOxfordUStransitiveTo coerce (someone) by using threats or violence.

    Synonyms: bully, hector

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo fill (someone) with terror; to terrify.

Similar
petrifyterrify

verbTo coerce (someone) by using threats or violence.

Similar
bullyhector

More synonyms by meaning

verbcoerce by violence or with threats

Similar
terrorise
Broader
coercehalesqueeze

verbfill with terror; frighten greatly

Similar
terrifyterrorise
Broader
frightenfrightscare
Also see
affrightfearfrightenhectorpetrifyterrify

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tres-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*troséyeti
  3. Proto-Italic*troseō
  4. Latinterreō
  5. Latinterror
  6. Old Frenchterreur
  7. Middle Frenchterreur
  8. Middle Englishterrour
  9. Englishterror
  10. Englishterrorize

From terror + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian тероризирам
  • тероризирам (teroriziram)fill with terror
Catalan terroritzar
  • terroritzarfill with terror
Esperanto terori
  • terorifill with terror
French terroriser
  • terroriserfill with terror
German terrorisieren
  • terrorisierenfill with terror
Greek τρομοκρατώ
  • τρομοκρατώ (tromokrató)fill with terror
Hungarian terrorizál, megfélemlít
  • terrorizálfill with terror
  • megfélemlítfill with terror
Italian terrorizzare
  • terrorizzarefill with terror
Latin terreō
  • terreōfill with terror
Latvian terorizēt
  • terorizētfill with terror
Polish terroryzować, sterroryzować
  • terroryzowaćfill with terror
  • sterroryzowaćfill with terror
Russian терроризи́ровать
  • терроризи́ровать (terrorizírovatʹ)fill with terror
Spanish terrorizar, aterrorizar
  • terrorizarfill with terror
  • aterrorizarfill with terror
Swedish terrorisera
  • terroriserafill with terror
Ukrainian тероризува́ти, стероризува́ти
  • тероризува́ти (teroryzuváty)fill with terror
  • стероризува́ти (steroryzuváty)fill with terror
Cite this entry
APA

terrorize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrorize

MLA

“terrorize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrorize. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terrorize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrorize.

Source: terrorize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.