terrorist

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noun

ter·​ror·​ist ˈter-ər-ist 

plural terrorists

: an advocate or practitioner of terrorism as a means of coercion

Opposition still runs high to the idea of releasing or bringing into U.S. prisons dozens of men widely considered dangerous terrorists even if many are not.

Less than three weeks before the Winter Olympics are set to begin in the Russian city of Sochi, police there have begun hunting for suspected terrorists allegedly plotting attacks.

—Time

terrorist

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adjective

: or, relating to, or characteristic of terrorists or terrorism : practicing or involving violent acts of terror

a terrorist organization

The consequences of the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks of September 2001 will ramify for decades.

—Joe Klein

There is no margin for error when a real terrorist threat is present and the safety of the public, and the first responders, is in jeopardy.

—Gary J. Laughlin

Examples of terrorist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. —Davis Winkie, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2025

Everyone – including rogue states, terrorists and cartels – now has access to advanced new technology from the consumer market. —David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Adjective

Online speculation ranged from talk of a terrorist attack to claims that pepper spray may have been involved. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025

Another terrorist organization, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also praised the shooting but did not claim responsibility for it. —Bradford Betz , Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1794, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1795, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing terrorist

• anti-terrorist