tyrannize
verb
tyr·an·nize
ˈtir-ə-ˌnīz 
tyrannized; tyrannizing
: to exercise arbitrary oppressive power or severity
some ways the living tyrannize over the dying—
Thomas Powers
Thomas Powers
: to treat tyrannically : oppress
a regime that tyrannizes its citizens
tyrannizer
noun
Examples of tyrannize in a Sentence
a government that tyrannizes its own people
Recent Examples on the Web
There would be plenty to celebrate if Iranians successfully replaced the Islamist regime that has tyrannized them for 45 years.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 18 June 2025
The driving force behind these antics is a tyrannizing uncertainty.
—Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025
As a simple but stable system of cryptographic property rights, Bitcoin is a digital, modern-day solution to the problems the U.S. Constitution sought to solve: protecting us from humans who seek to tyrannize us.
—Edan Yago, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Saddam Hussein tyrannized Iraq for 12 years after his troops were routed in Kuwait in 1991.
—Daniel Treisman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2022
The mechanics of Shakespeare’s plot — unfolding first in rigid, tyrannized Sicilia and then in pastoral, sunnier Bohemia — hinge on our rooting for the characters Leontes so cruelly censures.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
In the process, these majority ethnic coalitions tyrannize and marginalize other groups, particularly those that are not members of the coalition.
—John Mukum Mbaku, Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2021
In Portsmouth, Virginia, cops have been systematically using their state power to tyrannize political enemies.
—Alex Pareene, The New Republic, 28 Aug. 2020
In such societies, counters Madison, a majority will tyrannize the minority.
—Corey Robin, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2020
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Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 18 June 2025
The driving force behind these antics is a tyrannizing uncertainty.
—Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025
As a simple but stable system of cryptographic property rights, Bitcoin is a digital, modern-day solution to the problems the U.S. Constitution sought to solve: protecting us from humans who seek to tyrannize us.
—Edan Yago, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Saddam Hussein tyrannized Iraq for 12 years after his troops were routed in Kuwait in 1991.
—Daniel Treisman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2022
The mechanics of Shakespeare’s plot — unfolding first in rigid, tyrannized Sicilia and then in pastoral, sunnier Bohemia — hinge on our rooting for the characters Leontes so cruelly censures.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
In the process, these majority ethnic coalitions tyrannize and marginalize other groups, particularly those that are not members of the coalition.
—John Mukum Mbaku, Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2021
In Portsmouth, Virginia, cops have been systematically using their state power to tyrannize political enemies.
—Alex Pareene, The New Republic, 28 Aug. 2020
In such societies, counters Madison, a majority will tyrannize the minority.
—Corey Robin, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tyrannize. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tyrannize
verb
tyr·an·nize
ˈtir-ə-ˌnīz
tyrannized; tyrannizing
: to act like a tyrant
tyrannizer
noun
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