terrorist
noun
ter·ror·ist
| \ ˈter-ər-ist
\
\
plural terrorists
Definition of terrorist
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
terrorist
adjectiveDefinition of terrorist (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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 There 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
Examples of terrorist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Hobbs and Shaw PG13 Presented by the Fast and Furious franchise, a federal agent and a mercenary join forces to battle a terrorist who has super-human abilities thanks to bio-technology. — Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers: ‘Angel Has Fallen’ and ‘Overcomer’ open Friday," 20 Aug. 2019 But there’s also a more specific question: What can be done about the fact that so many of these terrorists—in Pittsburgh, in Poway, in Christchurch, in El Paso—seem to find inspiration in the same online spaces? — Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, "The El Paso Shooting and the Virality of Evil," 4 Aug. 2019 Not to mention that the Libra presents a clear target for tech-savvy terrorists, pooling the risk of global disaster. — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, "What could possibly go wrong with Facebook’s Libra?," 22 June 2019 When authorities in Sri Lanka blocked Facebook and WhatsApp following the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks this year, many people in the country used VPNs to get around them and continue to communicate. — James Griffiths, CNN, "Blocking social media would be 'the end of the open internet of Hong Kong.' It also wouldn't work," 29 Aug. 2019 He is charged with making terrorist threats and disorderly conduct. — Bruce Vielmetti, USA TODAY, "Wisconsin man threatened workplace shooting, 5 guns found in his home, police say," 22 Aug. 2019 Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult behind the attacks, was designated a terrorist organization by the State Department in 2010. — Amy Gunia, Time, "Japan Is Among the World's Safest Countries, Though It Has a Grisly Record of Mass Violence," 19 July 2019 President Biya has branded separatists as terrorists. — Paula Dupraz-dobias, Quartz Africa, "The Swiss luxury getaway of Cameroon’s president Biya has become a hotbed of conflict," 4 July 2019 The plotlines have gone from successfully stealing VHS players to taking down international terrorists, with the films raking in more than $5 billion worldwide combined and becoming Universal’s highest-grossing franchise of all time. — Devan Coggan, EW.com, "Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Idris Elba gear up for Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw," 27 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The five defendants include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a senior al-Qaeda figure who has portrayed himself as the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and other terrorist plots. — Washington Post, "Judge sets early 2021 date for 9/11 trial," 31 Aug. 2019 Under the current timetable, that would mean that the prosecution’s presentation of the case could begin as the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack approaches. — Carol Rosenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Trial for men charged with plotting 9/11 attacks is set for 2021," 30 Aug. 2019 The colonial-era law was last used in 1967 during anti-government riots and a campaign of terrorist bombings which left 51 people dead, including 10 police officers. — James Griffiths, CNN, "Blocking social media would be 'the end of the open internet of Hong Kong.' It also wouldn't work," 29 Aug. 2019 The terrorist movement known as Daesh (or Islamic State) regards the legitimacy of slavery under Islam as axiomatic, and questions the right of anyone who thinks otherwise to be considered Muslim. — The Economist, "Everywhere in chains," 27 Aug. 2019 The terrorist blast took place on May 22, 2017 when Salman Abedi blew himself up outside the Manchester Arena as Grande’s fans were leaving her concert. — Johnny Diaz, sun-sentinel.com, "Ariana Grande 'overwhelmed’ in Manchester for LGBTQ concert," 26 Aug. 2019 The office said there’s no indication of any terrorist links to the explosions. — USA TODAY, "Rocket’s last blast, Alaska drought, million-dollar ham: News from around our 50 states," 23 Aug. 2019 The Commission is also working with the [non-EU] third countries concerned given that our main aim is to improve their anti money-laundering and terrorist financing framework. — Max De Haldevang, Quartz, "The EU is launching a new money-laundering blacklist, after its last one was nixed for naming Saudi Arabia," 22 Aug. 2019 We are deployed on the ground in almost 50 African countries, taking action against Boko Haram and other terrorist affiliates. — Kaj Larsen, National Review, "The U.S. Must Remain in Africa’s Fight against Boko Haram," 21 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'terrorist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for terrorist
terrorist
noun
English Language Learners Definition of terrorist
: a person who uses or supports the use of terrorism
See the full definition for terrorist in the English Language Learners Dictionary
terrorist
noun
ter·ror·ist
| \ ˈter-ər-ist\
Kids Definition of terrorist
: someone who engages in terrorism
Keep scrolling for more