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

Around 4,000 of those individuals broke the law, while another 200 to 300 had their visas rescinded for backing terrorists, according to the State Department. —Filip Timotija, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025

The United States graduated from exploiting financial chokepoints against terrorists to deploying sanctions to target banks and, in time, to cutting entire countries, such as Iran, out of the global financial system. —Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025

Adjective

Earlier this year, the administration formally designated Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and several other groups as global terrorist organizations. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2025

This month, The Times reported that Mr. Trump had secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that had been deemed terrorist organizations. —Karen Yourish, New York Times, 22 Aug. 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