terrorist

noun

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ter·ror·ist | \ ˈter-ər-ist

plural terrorists

Definition of terrorist

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

adjective

Definition of terrorist (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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 In 2019, the city paid $160,000 to settle a lawsuit from a Muslim woman who alleged officers profiled her as a terrorist, threw her down, tore off her headscarf and veil, and took her to a police station to strip search her. — Dan Hinkel, chicagotribune.com, 17 June 2021 While the flight was in the air, Duncan began making statements about being seated next to a terrorist and ignored commands to remain seated and to stop frightening passengers, crew members told police, according to FOX23. — Greg Norman, Fox News, 15 June 2021 Stephon Jamar Duncan, 34, of Atlanta, allegedly choked a crew member and claimed to be seated next to a terrorist before a scuffle broke out, according to a report from the Oklahoma City Police. — Polo Sandoval, CNN, 14 June 2021 Ali, another Boston-area student, faced bullying from a classmate who drew a picture of him as a terrorist at the World Trade Center. — BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2021 The alias of the villain known as the Flag Smasher was a terrorist who fought Captain America as Steve Rogers, but was actually also a brief ally of the John Walker Cap. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2021 The third suit was filed by U.S. relatives of a Jordanian man who was among 39 people killed by an ISIS terrorist at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, in January 2017. — Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 June 2021 Since his death he has been seen either as an anti-western terrorist or a brave martyr of the socialist cause. — Peter Suciu, Forbes, 14 June 2021 On March 16, a domestic terrorist tragically killed eight people—six of them Asian women. — Eric Nam, Time, 19 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective More recently, assault weapons were used in the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino that left 14 people dead and at least 21 injured. — Patrick Mcgreevy, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2021 So there couldn’t have been a domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol on that day, because that day is a fabrication cooked up by left-wing calendar makers, likely sponsored by antifa. — Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 28 July 2021 The contingent also asked that the federal Nonprofit Security Grant program, currently $180 million a year to Jewish and other nonprofit groups at high risk of terrorist attack, be doubled in the 2022 fiscal year to $360 million. — Diane Bell Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2021 As many officials said in the catastrophe's first days, buildings of that size do not just collapse in the U.S. outside of a terrorist attack. — CBS News, 23 July 2021 As many officials said in the catastrophe’s first days, buildings of that size do not just collapse in the U.S. outside of a terrorist attack. — David Fischer, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2021 On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the most horrific terrorist attack the country has ever experienced: a deeply heartfelt musical. — Washington Post, 21 July 2021 The committee is also concerned with providing guidance on how to prepare for a terrorist attack. — Teri Webster, Dallas News, 20 July 2021 Hacking may save lives by revealing key intel on a terrorist attack, or empower dictators to identify and imprison political dissidents. — Sidney Fussell, Wired, 20 July 2021

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