intimidate

in·tim·i·date | \ in-ˈti-mə-ˌdāt

How to pronounce intimidate (audio)

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intimidated; intimidating

Definition of intimidate

transitive verb

: to make timid or fearful : frighten especially : to compel or deter by or as if by threats tried to intimidate a witness

Other Words from intimidate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about intimidate

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Choose the Right Synonym for intimidate

intimidate, cow, bulldoze, bully, browbeat mean to frighten into submission. intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another. intimidated by so many other bright freshmen cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost. not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats. bulldozed the city council into approving the plan bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior. bullied into giving up their lunch money browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment. browbeat the witness into a contradiction

Examples of intimidate in a Sentence

He tries to intimidate his opponents. You shouldn't allow his reputation to intimidate you.

Recent Examples on the Web The silverback smelled the smoke from our fire and began roaring and retching to intimidate us. — Jerome Lewis, Scientific American, "How Sustainable Development Ravaged the Congo Basin," 26 Apr. 2020 According to Daisy, the whole situation really intimidated her. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "A Definitive Timeline of the Hype House Feud Between Daisy Keech and Thomas Petrou," 7 Apr. 2020 In some instances, threats and acts of violence were used to intimidate or deter people from running for office. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, "Henry C. Gonzalez, former South Gate mayor who survived a gunshot to the head, dies at 84," 3 Apr. 2020 Workers allege that throughout the program, managers harassed and intimidated them. — Maryam Jameel, ProPublica, "The Postal Service Fired Thousands of Workers for Getting Injured While Delivering and Processing Your Mail," 24 Feb. 2020 In June 2017, Kazzelbach filed another report with police, alleging JK continued to threaten and intimidate him. — Justin Rohrlich, Quartz, "Your worst office romance was never this bad," 15 Jan. 2020 North Korea is a Communist dictatorship determined to keep its grip on power and use nuclear weapons to intimidate other countries: primarily the United States and South Korea. — Nr Editors, National Review, "The Week," 19 Dec. 2019 Those are some of the tactics used to intimidate African-American workers at Apple Park’s massive construction project, a federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges. — Mallory Moench, SFChronicle.com, "Apple Park construction workers racially harassed, lawsuit accuses subcontractor," 18 Nov. 2019 Mobs loyal to Hezbollah and the Shiite Amal movement attacked protesters in late October with sticks and pipes, and destroyed some tents, in a failed attempt to intimidate them. — Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Inside Hezbollah: How Lebanon protests are breaking ‘fear barrier’," 12 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intimidate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near intimidate

in times of need

Statistics for intimidate

Last Updated

20 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Intimidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intimidate. Accessed 29 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for intimidate

intimidate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of intimidate

: to make (someone) afraid

See the full definition for intimidate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

intimidate

in·tim·i·date | \ in-ˈti-mə-ˌdāt

\

intimidated; intimidating

Kids Definition of intimidate

: to frighten especially by threats

intimidate

transitive verb

in·tim·i·date | \ in-ˈti-mə-ˌdāt

\

intimidated; intimidating

Legal Definition of intimidate

1 : to make timid or fearful especially : to compel or deter by or as if by threats — see also coercion

2 : to engage in the crime of intimidating (as a witness, juror, public officer in the performance of his or her duty, or victim of a robbery or other crime)

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