as in to frighten
to strike with fear
thunderstorms terrorize our cats, who all scamper downstairs when lightning flashes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrorize
Candyman Year: 2021 Runtime: 1h 31m Director: Nia DaCosta
Too many people easily dismissed the Nia DaCosta remake of the 1992 classic about a boogeyman who terrorizes a Chicago community.
—
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Sack City — Aidan Hutchinson notched 4 1/2 sacks in one afternoon, wholly terrorizing the Tampa Bay front line.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
They are believed to scare away the mythical monster Nian, who would terrorize villages at the start of the new year.
—Brandi D. Addison, The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2024
That movie, about a scrappy punk band terrorized by white supremacists, was the coolest action movie in ages—and the audience knew it.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrorize 
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Sack City — Aidan Hutchinson notched 4 1/2 sacks in one afternoon, wholly terrorizing the Tampa Bay front line.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
They are believed to scare away the mythical monster Nian, who would terrorize villages at the start of the new year.
—Brandi D. Addison, The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2024
That movie, about a scrappy punk band terrorized by white supremacists, was the coolest action movie in ages—and the audience knew it.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrorize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorize
Verb
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Where another artist might rely on grotesque specifics to frighten the reader, Mignola’s insinuating expanses of black ink conceal all but the most necessary details of a rich and malevolent world, filled with monstrosities, yes, but also oddities, many of them delightful.—
Sam Thielman,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
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As the devastating wildfires began to sweep across Los Angeles on Jan. 7, frightened residents were not turning to Netflix.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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All these precautions are not meant to scare people, Tetro and Gerba said, but to inform.—
Melanie Radzicki McManus,
CNN,
25 Jan. 2025
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Because these WMAs are designed to provide two conflicting services — to maintain wildlife habitat and to offer recreation, including hunting opportunities that may scare the birds away — no one really knows how the resident geese perceive the situation.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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At the Commerce Department, employees were terrified whenever a meeting was called, one worker said.—
Erica L. Green,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2025
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Set in a German port in the 1830s, the remake follows a haunted young woman named Ellen Hutter (Depp) and Count Orlok (Skarsgård), the terrifying vampire who becomes infatuated with her.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The cat sniffs the iguana's tail and appears to bite it, startling the iguana.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA TODAY,
29 Jan. 2025
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Immediately, Morgan's appearance startled the investigators.—
Nikki Battiste,
CBS News,
14 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near terrorize
Cite this Entry
“Terrorize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorize. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
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