What does terrorise mean?
Terrorise means to put someone in extreme fear, usually through threats or sustained intimidation. It often implies an attempt to control a person or community by creating a climate of fear, making them submit, remain silent, or flee. Consequently, the word carries a distinctly severe and coercive connotation and is commonly used in discussions of persecution, conflict, domestic abuse, and political violence. “Terrorise” is the standard British spelling, while American English generally uses “terrorize.” Although simple fright may be enough to terrify someone, terrorising usually suggests a deliberate or persistent course of intimidation. The word is therefore useful in both precise writing and forceful public expression because it identifies not merely fear but the use of fear as a means of dominance or control.
verbTo put someone in extreme fear, typically as a means of intimidating or controlling them.
- To frighten someone into extreme fear, especially through threats, intimidation, or persistent persecution.
"The campaign of unanswered threats terrorised the village into silence."
"Years of persecution terrorised the family into leaving the country."
"News reports warned that the masked group was terrorising residents."
Born from the Latin word for fear, terrorise entered English in the early nineteenth century with a deceptively simple meaning: to fill someone with dread.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does terrorise come from?
The word ultimately comes from Latin terror, meaning “fear” or “terror,” which derives from terrere, “to frighten,” and entered English through Old French terreur. The verb was formed in English in the early nineteenth century by adding the suffix -ize to terror. Its present British spelling uses the conventional -ise form, while related English words include terrible, terrify, and terrorist.
Related word forms
How terrorise is actually used
The word has a strong and serious connotation. It commonly describes intimidation intended to make someone comply, remain silent, or abandon an activity, rather than a single moment of ordinary fear. It is especially common in British English and in accounts of conflict, persecution, and abuse.
Easily confused with terrorise
Terrorize is the standard American spelling of the same word; terrorise is the usual British spelling.