ter·ror·ist
ˈter-ər-ist 
plural terrorists
: an advocate or practitioner of terrorism as a means of coercion
Opposition still runs high to the idea of releasing or bringing into U.S. prisons dozens of men widely considered dangerous terrorists even if many are not.
Less than three weeks before the Winter Olympics are set to begin in the Russian city of Sochi, police there have begun hunting for suspected terrorists allegedly plotting attacks.—
Time
Time
: or, relating to, or characteristic of terrorists or terrorism : practicing or involving violent acts of terror
a terrorist organization
The consequences of the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks of September 2001 will ramify for decades.—Joe Klein
Joe KleinThere is no margin for error when a real terrorist threat is present and the safety of the public, and the first responders, is in jeopardy.—Gary J. Laughlin
Gary J. LaughlinExamples of terrorist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
Major incidents in the past few years include: July 2017—Amarnath Yatra Attack: Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists ambushed a bus of Hindu pilgrims returning from the Amarnath cave shrine in Anantnag, killing 7 pilgrims (mostly women) and injuring 19.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Apr. 2025
In these, the enemy is not a standing army but various terrorist organizations and looser categories of hostiles, enmeshed in large civilian populations.
—Colin Jones, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorist
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Noun
Because the area is only reachable by horseback and largely barren of security forces, the terrorists’ task was easier.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
Major incidents in the past few years include: July 2017—Amarnath Yatra Attack: Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists ambushed a bus of Hindu pilgrims returning from the Amarnath cave shrine in Anantnag, killing 7 pilgrims (mostly women) and injuring 19.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Trump signed Executive Orders to remove individuals suspected of ties to foreign terrorist organizations.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Apr. 2025
In these, the enemy is not a standing army but various terrorist organizations and looser categories of hostiles, enmeshed in large civilian populations.
—Colin Jones, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrorist
Cite this Entry
“Terrorist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrorist. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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