as in bullies
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
refusing to be intimidated by the manager's harsh stare, I demanded my money back
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Recent Examples of intimidates
Maybe her coolness intimidates them, or her green eyes.
—
Rodrigo Hasbún, Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
If French wine intimidates you, this is the perfect place to get over that fear.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Before his luck runs out, Robert is saved by a very pissed off Blonde Blazer, who intimidates Shroud’s crew with the bluff of backup, or at least killing half the gang.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
Rodrigo Hasbún, Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
If French wine intimidates you, this is the perfect place to get over that fear.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Before his luck runs out, Robert is saved by a very pissed off Blonde Blazer, who intimidates Shroud’s crew with the bluff of backup, or at least killing half the gang.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intimidates
Verb
-
Collective action deters bullies Harvard never stood alone.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
-
There’s always a mean kid in your class who bullies everybody else.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The piercing sunlight frightens her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Geopolitical scares that faded and allowed oil prices to recede.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
He’s also been involved in multiple injury scares to star players in the last year.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If hypotheticals about what could have been are a good dream for New York Knicks fans, then Mikal Bridges is the alarm clock that startles them awake.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The project, which Steinberger has rebranded multiple times—evolving from Clawdbot to Moltbot and finally to OpenClaw—largely owing to politics—has expanded at a pace that startles even seasoned AI experts.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intimidates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intimidates. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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