terrorist

noun

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 1971 the Weather Underground, a Marxist-Leninist terrorist group whose goal was the overthrow of the U.S. government through violent, armed revolution, blasted a hole through the ceiling on the Senate side of the complex. — Debra Burlingame, WSJ, 27 May 2021 Later in his career Mr. Sullivan engaged in efforts to free about a dozen detainees from Guantánamo Bay, including a Saudi police officer who had been doing human rights work in Afghanistan when he was captured and labeled a terrorist. — New York Times, 29 May 2021 On October 29, just as France was preparing for its second lockdown, a terrorist stabbed and killed three people inside the central basilica in Nice. — Harrison Stetler, The New Republic, 24 May 2021 Theories range from a depressed pilot to accidental shoot-down to a stowaway terrorist, but conclusive proof is lacking. — Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 18 May 2021 When a ruthless terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss Toddler U.S.A. pageant, a middle-aged female F.B.I. agent must go undercover as a contestant. — Dahlia Gallin Ramirez, The New Yorker, 14 May 2021 Kim Leadbeater is the sister of Jo Cox, the British MP who was murdered by a far-right terrorist in 2016. — Fortune, 14 May 2021 He, too, has been labeled a terrorist, this elderly archeologist. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 May 2021 Skarlatos, an Army National Guard veteran who served in Afghanistan, was heralded as a hero after he and two of his friends, Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone, confronted an armed terrorist on a Paris train in 2015. — Lawrence Richard, Washington Examiner, 2 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Hamas refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist and is considered a terrorist group by the U.S., Israel and other Western nations. — Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2021 Hamas, which opposes Israel's right to exist and is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S. and other Western countries, receives millions of dollars of military aid from Iran each year. — Laurie Kellman, Star Tribune, 1 June 2021 Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, is branded a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S. and other Western countries. — Time, 31 May 2021 Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, is branded a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S. and other Western countries. — Samy Magdy, USA TODAY, 30 May 2021 Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, is branded a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, and other Western countries. — BostonGlobe.com, 30 May 2021 Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, is branded a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S. and other Western countries. — Fox News, 30 May 2021 Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel this week, in hopes of solidifying the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip. — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 28 May 2021 The conflict descended into war after terrorist group Hamas, which governs Gaza, fired explosive rockets into Israel. — Washington Post, 28 May 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.