terrorist

1 of 2

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

2 of 2

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

It's been 25 years since al-Qaida terrorists attacked the United States by hijacking four commercial airplanes and crashing them into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. — September 9, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

After planes hijacked by terrorists struck the World Trade Center, Secret Service officers learned of another plane headed for Washington. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

Adjective

In the panicked days after the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil, New Yorkers agreed that their city had changed forever. — Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2026

On the 25th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on US soil, law enforcement officials – especially in New York – manage a massive counterterrorism infrastructure made up of almost every local, state, and federal law enforcement agency. — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 10 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