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 WebTamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Both men had pledged support for ISIS and received training from the third ISIS terrorist, who specialized in organizing attacks within Israel, Israeli police said.
—Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
In reading court documents, they were stunned to learn about the high number of F.B.I. informants in the case, who had not only helped organize and connect potential domestic terrorists but had secretly taped hundreds of hours of meetings, conversations, and training sessions.
—Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
Kevin Hart plays a master thief undertaking a daring heist to steal $500 million in gold from a plane, while simultaneously navigating a complex plot involving terrorists and betrayal at high altitudes.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Washington must also expand human rights sanctions against Taliban leaders and work with the UN to officially designate more of them as terrorists.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
An European intelligence official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, said his government expected that aspiring terrorists, enraged by Gaza, will draw inspiration from the events at the Moscow concert hall.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, though experts have warned it could be used to bolster Russia's war in Ukraine.
—Nick Duffy, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
In just two attacks so far this year, in Iran and Russia, ISIS-K terrorists targeted large groups of civilians, killing nearly 250 people — assaults that were celebrated by the Islamic State’s propaganda organs as proof that the group is again on the ascent.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Josef Federman, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Daines cited the March 22 terrorist attack by the Islamic State allegedly committed by four Tajik nationals as an example of the terror threat the U.S. now faces.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
The Russian government is considering removing the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
The same month, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 13 men in the Maldives for their involvement in terrorist financing activities linked to ISKP.
—Fatema Hosseini, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Following the Moscow attack, France – which hosts the Olympics this year – raised the terrorist threat level to the maximum.
—Tim Lister, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Doctors report malnourished patients dying from infections at Gaza hospital
Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli officials.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024
The question that arises from this case is whether regulators will view Tornado Cash, a decentralized crypto mixer, differently from a centralized mixer conducting illicit finance operations such as money laundering and terrorist funding.
—Jason Brett, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
This war isn’t like Israel’s earlier wars The first nine months of 2023 had already seen a rise in deadly violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as terrorist attacks within Israel’s borders.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
In the months after the attacks, the communities were targeted by government officials searching for terrorists and recruiting informants.
—Tamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Both men had pledged support for ISIS and received training from the third ISIS terrorist, who specialized in organizing attacks within Israel, Israeli police said.
—Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
In reading court documents, they were stunned to learn about the high number of F.B.I. informants in the case, who had not only helped organize and connect potential domestic terrorists but had secretly taped hundreds of hours of meetings, conversations, and training sessions.
—Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
Kevin Hart plays a master thief undertaking a daring heist to steal $500 million in gold from a plane, while simultaneously navigating a complex plot involving terrorists and betrayal at high altitudes.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Washington must also expand human rights sanctions against Taliban leaders and work with the UN to officially designate more of them as terrorists.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
An European intelligence official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, said his government expected that aspiring terrorists, enraged by Gaza, will draw inspiration from the events at the Moscow concert hall.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, though experts have warned it could be used to bolster Russia's war in Ukraine.
—Nick Duffy, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
In just two attacks so far this year, in Iran and Russia, ISIS-K terrorists targeted large groups of civilians, killing nearly 250 people — assaults that were celebrated by the Islamic State’s propaganda organs as proof that the group is again on the ascent.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Egypt considers the Brotherhood a terrorist group and accused both Qatar and Al Jazeera of supporting it.
—Josef Federman, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Daines cited the March 22 terrorist attack by the Islamic State allegedly committed by four Tajik nationals as an example of the terror threat the U.S. now faces.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
The Russian government is considering removing the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
The same month, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 13 men in the Maldives for their involvement in terrorist financing activities linked to ISKP.
—Fatema Hosseini, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Following the Moscow attack, France – which hosts the Olympics this year – raised the terrorist threat level to the maximum.
—Tim Lister, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Doctors report malnourished patients dying from infections at Gaza hospital
Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli officials.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024
The question that arises from this case is whether regulators will view Tornado Cash, a decentralized crypto mixer, differently from a centralized mixer conducting illicit finance operations such as money laundering and terrorist funding.
—Jason Brett, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
This war isn’t like Israel’s earlier wars The first nine months of 2023 had already seen a rise in deadly violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as terrorist attacks within Israel’s borders.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrorist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to terrorist
Dictionary Entries Near terrorist
Cite this Entry
“Terrorist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrorist. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share