terror

noun

ter·​ror ˈter-ər How to pronounce terror (audio)
ˈte-rər
plural terrors
Synonyms of terrornext
1
: a state of intense or overwhelming fear
overcome by terror
people fleeing the scene in terror
He lived in terror of being caught.
2
: violence or the threat of violence used as a weapon of intimidation or coercion
a regime that rules by terror
especially : violent or destructive acts (such as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands
an act of terror
the war on terror
—sometimes used before another noun
a terror attack
3
: a very frightening or terrifying aspect
the terrors of war
4
a
: someone or something that inspires fear : scourge
I stood before fierce Mrs. Mabel Johnston, his secretary and the terror of the office.—Russell Baker
Before rifles were available to Eskimo hunters, bears were truly the terror of their existence.—Charles T. Feazel
b
informal : an extremely disruptive or annoying person or thing
especially : a misbehaving child : brat
Their son is a little terror.
5
: reign of terror
terrorless
ˈter-ər-ləs How to pronounce terror (audio)
ˈte-rər-
adjective

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for terror

fear, dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, trepidation mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger.

fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.

fear of the unknown

dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

faced the meeting with dread

fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.

fright at being awakened suddenly

alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.

view the situation with alarm

panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.

the news caused widespread panic

terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.

immobilized with terror

trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.

raised the subject with trepidation

Examples of terror in a Sentence

The sound of guns being fired fills me with terror. Many civilians fled in terror. a terror that is still fresh in her memory the terrors of life in the jungle a regime that rules by terror bombings and other acts of terror These people have been living with terror and the threat of terror for many years. a campaign of terror against ethnic minority groups
Recent Examples on the Web Advertisement Nine million Black Americans subjected to the domestic terror of Jim Crow-era violence that left justice in the hands of racist vigilantes. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024 Netanyahu has said going into Rafah is crucial for victory over Hamas and to prevent future terror attacks. —Luis Martinez, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024 Escaping the terror of lynchings, Black migrants were flowing from south to north in a movement of millions. —Debra Kamin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024 The Kremlin has embraced a challenge in the wake of last week’s deadly terror attack in Moscow: pinning the blame on its enemies. —Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024 This new group of housewives goes through everything together: divorces, wine-label launches, and the constant terror of living in the besieged Roku City. —Dennard Dayle, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024 The following day, the terror group published an image through Amaq purporting to show the four men who had attacked the complex. —Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 But that film also uses her expressiveness to build mounting unease, countering the situation’s mundanity with the creeping terror growing on Sweeney’s face. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2024 The terror started with writing scripts from what many believed was an unadaptable novel, steeped in metaphysics, philosophy and shifting narratives. —Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terror.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French terrour, from Latin terror, from terrēre to frighten; akin to Greek trein to be afraid, flee, tremein to tremble — more at tremble

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of terror was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing terror

Dictionary Entries Near terror

terron

terror

terrorful

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Terror.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terror. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

terror

noun
ter·​ror ˈter-ər How to pronounce terror (audio)
1
: a state of great fear
2
: a cause of great fear
3
: a dreadful person or thing
especially : an unruly child
4
: violent or destructive acts (as bombing) committed by a group as a way of achieving its goals

Legal Definition

terror

noun
ter·​ror
: an intense fear of physical injury or death
inflict terror by forced entry or unlawful assembly
also : the infliction of such fear
an act of terror

More from Merriam-Webster on terror

Nglish: Translation of terror for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of terror for Arabic Speakers

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