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

Herzigová and Marsiaj first met in 2001, when the model’s plane back to New York City was grounded in Italy amid the 9/11 terrorist attacks, per a 2007 interview with The Times. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026

If convicted of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, the defendants face up to 15 years in prison. — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Adjective

Law enforcement first learned of the terrorist plot on June 10, four days before the high-profile cage fight. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 16 July 2026

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Tom Hardy is marvelous as the menacing terrorist Bane and pulls off the unenviable task of having to follow Heath Ledger’s Joker. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 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