Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

terrorize

[ter-uh-rahyz] / ˈtɛr əˌraɪz /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

They win by striking out less often than anybody in baseball and using their legs to terrorize opposing defenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Our justice system was not created to terrorize people,” she said.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their "partnership", adding that Minuki "will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans".

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

They initially told him they were deporting him to his home country, which he thinks was done "to terrorize us."

From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026

But they couldn’t terrorize Eric—because Eric was going to tell.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones

What doesn’t change with the times is that “It” is synonymous with its star antagonist, Pennywise, the sinister clown that terrorizes Derry.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2025

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson led the effort to add signatories from all 50 states and four U.S. terrorizes to the letter.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2023

If she terrorizes assistants, designers or publicists, it may sometimes be because she can smell their fear or worshipfulness.

From Washington Post ● May 10, 2022

Cox’s Pat, like Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance, terrorizes her family, but in strictly emotional rather than physical ways.

From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2022

The bear sinks its teeth into the fish's flesh because it must; it never terrorizes a deer for a night of fun, just because it can.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

She can now dine on her deck with her husband and garden without being "terrorized" by bloodsuckers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

The river once terrorized Angelenos; its unconstrained flow was prone to flooding until most of its 51 miles were lined with concrete starting in the 1940s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

He terrorized defenses and scored a hat trick in the final.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Meanwhile, when he was their age, young Giles, nicknamed Ripper, terrorized London by summoning hell spawn for fun.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

A horrible vision of his lanky cousin frozen in time terrorized Otto.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

But as he so often does, Doncic went to work in the first quarter, terrorizing Lendeborg and the Warriors’ faithful with 21 points.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Within two days of putting up his decorations in late September, Carrara, 40, received an anonymous note from a local parent complaining that the ghoulish display was terrorizing their children as they walked to school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

"Other Mommy," from Universal and Blumhouse, stars Chastain in a dual role as a sinister entity terrorizing a child -- made even worse by the fact that the demon resembles the girl's mother.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

“Those threats are a direct result of him taking on the cartels terrorizing Texans and some of the nation’s most dangerous violent criminals.”

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Momma is the youngest of ten kids, and her brothers and sisters were always terrorizing her.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée


Vocabulary lists containing terrorize

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com