Terrorize

Pronunciation: /ˈterəˌraɪz/

Definitions of terrorize

verb to cause extreme fear or intimidation in someone

Example Sentences

A1 The cat terrorized the mouse by chasing it around the room.

A2 The bully terrorized the other students by stealing their lunch money.

B1 The dictator terrorized the citizens by implementing strict laws and punishments.

B2 The serial killer terrorized the town by committing a series of gruesome murders.

C1 The terrorist organization terrorized the entire country with their violent attacks.

C2 The psychopath terrorized the city for years before finally being caught by the police.

Examples of terrorize in a Sentence

formal The government took action to prevent any group from attempting to terrorize the citizens.

informal The bullies tried to terrorize the new kid at school.

slang The gang thought they could terrorize the neighborhood, but they were quickly shut down by the police.

figurative The haunting memories continued to terrorize her dreams every night.

Grammatical Forms of terrorize

• past tense: terrorized
• plural: terrorizes
• comparative: more terrorizing
• superlative: most terrorizing
• present tense: terrorize
• future tense: will terrorize
• perfect tense: have terrorized
• continuous tense: is terrorizing
• singular: terrorize
• positive degree: terrorize
• infinitive: to terrorize
• gerund: terrorizing
• participle: terrorizing

Origin and Evolution of terrorize

First Known Use: 1795 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'terrorize' originated from the Latin word 'terror', which means 'great fear'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe instilling fear or dread in someone through violent or coercive means, the word 'terrorize' has evolved to also include psychological manipulation or intimidation tactics to induce fear in others.