as in scaring
to strike with fear
thunderstorms terrorize our cats, who all scamper downstairs when lightning flashes
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Recent Examples of terrorizing
The animal begins wrecking the fields and terrorizing the people.
—
Perin Gürel, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
But when a sadistic local (Taron Egerton) begins terrorizing her, a frantic chase ensues.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
State wildlife officials have finally come up with a theory to explain how a giant, highly destructive rodent that’s been terrorizing California might have come from Oregon.
—Samantha Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
One rabid mongoose bite later, and Ben is a skull-crushing, face-ripping menace terrorizing Lucy and her friends.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
While there have been multiple iterations of the KKK, in the 1960s, Klans throughout the country were responding to the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation by terrorizing Black activists and their allies.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 30 Mar. 2026
Also his signature immigration policy, these mass deportations, has become broadly unpopular, especially after the two killings in Minneapolis and these scenes of federal agents seemingly terrorizing people.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
Cartel members are terrorizing many regions by setting fire to businesses and with gunfire in public areas.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Richard Schuster, Fort Lauderdale The Sssssun Ssssentinel must stop terrorizing the good people of Florida!
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
Perin Gürel, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
But when a sadistic local (Taron Egerton) begins terrorizing her, a frantic chase ensues.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
State wildlife officials have finally come up with a theory to explain how a giant, highly destructive rodent that’s been terrorizing California might have come from Oregon.
—Samantha Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
One rabid mongoose bite later, and Ben is a skull-crushing, face-ripping menace terrorizing Lucy and her friends.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
While there have been multiple iterations of the KKK, in the 1960s, Klans throughout the country were responding to the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation by terrorizing Black activists and their allies.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 30 Mar. 2026
Also his signature immigration policy, these mass deportations, has become broadly unpopular, especially after the two killings in Minneapolis and these scenes of federal agents seemingly terrorizing people.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
Cartel members are terrorizing many regions by setting fire to businesses and with gunfire in public areas.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Richard Schuster, Fort Lauderdale The Sssssun Ssssentinel must stop terrorizing the good people of Florida!
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorizing
Verb
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Plus, nobody will careen past you at 110 mph, scaring you spitless.—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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This isn’t a film about trauma, or smuggled-in social issues, or anything at all, really, besides the honest workaday business of scaring the bejesus out of its audience, rinsing, and repeating with extra vigor.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Directed by Lee Sang-min, the film stars Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jong-won as a road-view camera crew that encounters terrifying supernatural events at a remote reservoir.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
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The air in the room changed immediately, terrifying little Liza.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrorizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorizing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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