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

Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. —Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025

These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Officials said that material could have been used to construct explosive devices or carry out terrorist attacks. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025

Hamas’s chief in Gaza, Khalil al Hayya, confirmed his terrorist organization started searching new areas for bodies of the remaining 13 hostages, according to comments the group shared Sunday. —Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 27 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