terrorist

noun ter·ror·ist \ ˈter-ər-ist \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of terrorist

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

See terrorist defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of terrorist from the Web

The Cuban fencing team, killed in 1976 when their plane was brought down by a bomb planted by anti-Castro terrorists, at least one of whom was granted asylum in the United States.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "Humboldt Tragedy Hits Home for Hockey and Non-Hockey Families Alike," 9 Apr. 2018
So when my guys walk into their personal terrorist, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram.

— kent somers, azcentral, "Arizona Cardinals begin offseason training amid a host of introductions," 3 Apr. 2018
Yet law enforcement have seemed reluctant to label the bomber a domestic terrorist, leaving community members, and those close to Draylen furious.

— marlena scott, Teen Vogue, "Austin Bombing Victim Draylen Mason, Remembered by His Community," 26 Mar. 2018
Though Conditt was using explosives and bombs to carry out murder, the White House and law enforcement officials have not labeled him as a terrorist, a title rarely ascribed to white perpetrators of murder.

— refinery29.com, "The Austin Bombing Suspect Isn't A Victim. The Media Needs To Stop Covering Him Like He Is.," 22 Mar. 2018
For terrorists, sarin would be the nerve agent of choice to inflict mass casualties because of its high volatility and rapid uptake in the body.

— richard stone, Science | AAAS, "U.K. attack shines spotlight on deadly nerve agent developed by Soviet scientists," 19 Mar. 2018
Take the universal background check to keep guns out of the hands of felons, terrorists, and patients being treated for mental illness.

— stu bykofsky, Philly.com, "Uh-oh. The big, bad NRA is hearing footsteps | Stu Bykofsky," 7 Mar. 2018
That is, that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for terrorists who could stage terrorist attacks like 9/11.

— ann m. simmons, latimes.com, "America must stop scapegoating Pakistan for its failures in Afghanistan, says Pakistani envoy to the U.S.," 14 Feb. 2018
Like many hawks back then, Nunes was in awe of Flynn, who had won praise for revolutionizing the hunt for terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan.

— jeff stein, Newsweek, "Nunes Memo Reveals Congressman’s Penchant for Conspiracy Theories," 11 Feb. 2018

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.

First Known Use of terrorist

1794

terrorist

adjective

Definition of terrorist

: 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

Recent Examples of terrorist from the Web

That theme plays out dramatically when the military forces are ordered to search a district full of Rankless for members of a terrorist group that tried to assassinate the Voice of Rao.

— samantha nelson, The Verge, "What Syfy’s Superman prequel series Krypton is doing right," 12 Apr. 2018
Al-Shabab, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, continues to mount successful attacks.

— The Economist, "Emiratis plough millions into a country that no one recognises: Somaliland," 12 Apr. 2018
And in some ways the victory over ISIS has only complicated the fight, leaving rival powers from across the region fighting to control the areas the brutal terrorist group has fled.

— evan horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "In Syria, Trump’s options are all bad," 9 Apr. 2018
There are about 4,000 US personnel in Djibouti, based at Camp Lemonnier, and US forces there support military operations against the terrorist groups in neighboring Somalia and nearby Yemen.

— ryan browne, CNN, "US military resumes air operations in Djibouti," 8 Apr. 2018
Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by Israel and its Western allies, has controlled Gaza since ousting forces of internationally recognized President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

— ilan ben zion, chicagotribune.com, "ICC says Israel, Hamas acts on Gaza border may be war crimes," 8 Apr. 2018
The turnout was far smaller than Hamas wanted — the terrorist group was aiming for 100,000 people — and the protesters were unable to rush or sabotage the border fence.

— yoav limor, Jewish Journal, "Mass march on Gaza border may only be the beginning," 4 Apr. 2018
One reason might be that some of it originated from the terrorist group Hamas, which also endorsed Obama for president.

— dylan matthews, Vox, "Sinclair Broadcast Group, the pro-Trump, conservative company taking over local news, explained," 3 Apr. 2018
Turkey maintains that Syrian Kurdish fighters there, known as the Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units, or YPG, are a terrorist group affiliated with Turkish Kurds waging an insurgency in Turkey.

— gordon lubold, WSJ, "Pentagon Blames Islamic State For Blast That Killed U.S. and U.K. Troops," 3 Apr. 2018