as in to frighten
to strike with fear
thunderstorms terrorize our cats, who all scamper downstairs when lightning flashes
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Recent Examples of terrorize
At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Scott has the size and speed coming off the edge to terrorize quarterbacks like Wyatt.
—
Dan Albano, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
Between 1976 and 1977, Berkowitz terrorized the outer boroughs of N.Y.C. with a string of random attacks — primarily shootings — that targeted young women who often had dark hair and were typically sitting in a car with a companion late at night.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Skating in That’s My Boy Donny, Han Solo, and Vanilla Ice’s wild escapades also included terrorizing an ice-skating rink, and while drinking a beer, Donny displays the type of skating talent that would have turned Happy into an NHL Hall of Famer.
—Derek Lawrence, Vulture, 28 July 2025
But to repeat, the Democrats in Massachusetts, another state Nunez terrorized, dare not speak out against him.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorize
Dan Albano, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
Between 1976 and 1977, Berkowitz terrorized the outer boroughs of N.Y.C. with a string of random attacks — primarily shootings — that targeted young women who often had dark hair and were typically sitting in a car with a companion late at night.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Skating in That’s My Boy Donny, Han Solo, and Vanilla Ice’s wild escapades also included terrorizing an ice-skating rink, and while drinking a beer, Donny displays the type of skating talent that would have turned Happy into an NHL Hall of Famer.
—Derek Lawrence, Vulture, 28 July 2025
But to repeat, the Democrats in Massachusetts, another state Nunez terrorized, dare not speak out against him.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorize
Verb
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Most give up halfway, frightened by the warnings of those below.—
Sudhir Gupta,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
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While the notion might frighten fans who have Thursday nights perpetually blocked off on their calendars, shorter episodes could prove beneficial in giving the Critical Role founders a little bit of a break.—
Dana Reboe,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But Levine, a social media savvy young millennial, knew the line between sharing and scaring.—
Alessandra Schade,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
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The Wall Street Journal reported that six years after the film was released, the United States Department of Agriculture selected the audio of the scene in question to scare off wolves from killing cattle and livestock on farms across America.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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These are the hallmarks of the Alien franchise, which have remained mostly consistent across the seven movies (plus two vacuous Alien vs. Predator crossovers) that have kept those terrifying Xenomorphs coming back to our screens every decade since the original premiered in 1979.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
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Though some residents are not keen on seeing alligators in the wild, the animals are just as terrified of humans as humans are of them.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Also, when purchasing hiking gear to wear for gorilla trekking, buy only neutral colors—like army green, khaki, black, and tan — to avoid startling them and drawing extra attention to yourself.—
Claire Gallam,
Travel + Leisure,
23 July 2025
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However, the unexpected authenticity of the situation to her Memphis roots initially startled the artist.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrorize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorize. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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