as in terror
the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal
They have been arrested for acts of terrorism. international terrorism the fight against terrorism
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Recent Examples of terrorism
The story also draws a fine line between passionate activism and terrorism, a balance that posed major challenges but also great dramatic potential.
—
Ed Meza, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
The alliance grew from 12 founding members to 32, helped end the Cold War, supported democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe, and adapted to new threats from terrorism to cyberattacks to great-power rivalry.
—Kay Bailey Hutchison, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Beyond Chicago, a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school Wednesday killed two children and wounded 18 others in what is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Assisting the Minneapolis Police Department, the FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorism
Ed Meza, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
The alliance grew from 12 founding members to 32, helped end the Cold War, supported democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe, and adapted to new threats from terrorism to cyberattacks to great-power rivalry.
—Kay Bailey Hutchison, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Beyond Chicago, a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school Wednesday killed two children and wounded 18 others in what is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Assisting the Minneapolis Police Department, the FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorism
Noun
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London — Large crowds of people protesting the British government’s decision to ban the activist group Palestine Action gathered in London’s Parliament Square on Saturday, in a show of continuing support since it was designated as a terror organization in July.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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For Bear, the new arrangement is great about 99 percent of the time… the only drawback is that Nikki occasionally snaps back into her old self and screams in utter terror for a few seconds, before resuming the love-bombing.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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More than a dozen people faced criminal charges stemming from a melee after a rally in Soliman’s support; demonstrators and police blame each other for the violence July 17.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Experts have cautioned against tying mental health to acts of gun violence, and told ABC News that the narrative that people with mental illness are more violent than their peers is false; the majority of people who commit violence do not have a history of mental illness.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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It is designed to get Jew-hatred and racist ideology out of our schools, to protect all children and to ensure that Jewish children and educators — like everyone else — can learn and work in an environment free from harassment, intimidation or violence.—
Daniel Klein,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
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There can be an intimidation factor to playing at Yankee Stadium, but Guerrero has never felt it in the slightest.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorism. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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