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

Officials said the one million pounds of cocaine does not include the strikes on Venezuelan narco-terrorists. —Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025

In 1988, the right-wing Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch arrived in Miami, after serving time in prison for masterminding a series of gruesome bombings. —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Adjective

Members of the terrorist group will also be granted amnesty in exchange for their disarmament and a path to leave Gaza for a third-party nation who is willing to accept them. —Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025

That has involved declaring Antifa a terrorist organization and directing federal agencies to investigate and disrupt liberal philanthropic organizations. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 Oct. 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