terrorize

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *tres-
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti
Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti
Proto-Italic *troseō
Latin terreō
Proto-Indo-European *-os
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *-ōs
Proto-Italic *-ōs
Latin -or
Latin terrorlbor.
Old French terreur
Middle French terreurbor.
Middle English terrour
English terror
Proto-Indo-European *-id-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti
Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō
Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor.
Late Latin -izōder.
Middle French -iserbor.
Middle English -isen
English -ize
English terrorize

    From terror + -ize.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈtɛɹəɹaɪz/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)

    Verb

    terrorize (third-person singular simple present terrorizes, present participle terrorizing, simple past and past participle terrorized) (transitive, American spelling, Oxford British English)

    1. To fill (someone) with terror; to terrify.
      terrorize the population
      terrorize civilians
      The gang continued to terrorize the neighborhood.
      She felt terrorized by the constant threats.
      • 2019, “Brimstone”, performed by Whitechapel:
        Sleep with one eye open
        You have no idea what I'm capable of
        Keep claiming holier than thou
        My knife can stab more holes than you can count
        How dare you sleep where a king once slept
        And dry the tears of where his queen has wept
        Kill, torture, terrorize
        Welcome to my mind
    2. To coerce (someone) by using threats or violence.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    Translations

    Further reading

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