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

Hamas terrorists killed two Israeli soldiers, prompting Israeli strikes against the terror group. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025

Reuveni’s refusal to label Abrego Garcia a terrorist led to his dismissal. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Only weeks later, on September 11, al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger planes and carried out the deadliest terrorist attack in modern history, killing nearly 3,000 people. —Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025

The Israeli military conducted strikes against Hamas in Gaza after accusing the terrorist organization of repeatedly violating its ceasefire agreement on Sunday. —Anders Hagstrom , Trey Yingst, FOXNews.com, 19 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