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
Its tale of how a great white shark terrorized a beach community led box offices for weeks in the summer of 1975.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
Other California officials, including Bass, have called the move a politically motivated stunt intended to terrorize residents of the city and said the National Guard was not needed.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Parsons is one of the most dangerous defensive players in the league, capable of taking over any game while terrorizing opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
At the same time, Moscow keeps terrorizing Ukraine’s civilian population with near daily deadly aerial attacks against cities across the country.
—Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorize
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
Other California officials, including Bass, have called the move a politically motivated stunt intended to terrorize residents of the city and said the National Guard was not needed.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Parsons is one of the most dangerous defensive players in the league, capable of taking over any game while terrorizing opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
At the same time, Moscow keeps terrorizing Ukraine’s civilian population with near daily deadly aerial attacks against cities across the country.
—Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorize
Verb
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Judy Hernandez’ husband Raul, a co-founder of the community group the Resurrection Project, dismissed those plans as a political stunt geared to create fear and frighten Spanish-speaking people.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Many of us are conditioned to think that our ultimate goal in life is to be with someone, so much so, that the mere thought of being alone frightens us.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Loud motors can scare silver carp into jumping up to 5 feet in the air, sometimes leaving recreational boaters with bloody noses, black eyes and bruises.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
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With school starting and families focused on back-to-school expenses, the cost of an ER visit may feel just as scary as the health scare itself.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Historically start-ups were terrified of anyone outside their immediate organization learning the secrets of their innovations for fear they’d be copied.—
Michelle Greenwald,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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People were terrified about dealing with the fact that two people were ending their lives.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The cars are startled by a ghost car named Brenda (a perfectly imperfect name), who introduces them to other friendly ghost vehicles, most of whom have experienced deadly crashes and now honk funny.—
Sloane Crosley,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
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This technique often is used with fencing to create a visual barrier and to startle geese when the tape shimmers in the breeze.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrorize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorize. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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