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

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hedged his answers on the Iranian regime’s connection with the Houthis and Hezbollah in a Thursday night interview, denying any formal relationship with either Middle East terrorist group. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2026

Co-writers Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves use Kaczynski’s beliefs to bridge those timelines, drawing a clear line from a teenager defending his worldview to a terrorist demanding an audience for it. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Ansariy is charged with conspiring to and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026

For a criminal or a terrorist sympathizer, a high transaction fee is a small price to pay to turn cash into anonymous digital currency to be sent worldwide in a split second. — Mike Ryan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1794, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1795, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing terrorist

• anti-terrorist