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

These terrorists are Indian proxies. —CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025

Some conservative activists argue that the Brotherhood has been a breeding ground for terrorists, while supporters maintain that most chapters operate peacefully within their respective political systems. —Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025

Adjective

The story is rooted in the filmmaker’s own encounters with several women who fought against ISIS, and was inspired by the courage of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Nadia Murad, who was abducted by the terrorist group during the Yazidi genocide of 2014. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025

Takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, for example, were driven in part by growing terrorist insurgencies, Russian disinformation and rising anti-French sentiment. —John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 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