Idiom idiom
the terrorists will have won
Meaning
Phrase used to indicate that if a specified activity is not continued or carried out, those who seek to disrupt normal activities through terror will have succeeded, which is an unacceptable result.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“If we stop holding public events, the terrorists will have won.”
“We must continue to travel and live our lives normally, because if we hide in fear, the terrorists will have won.”
“By abandoning the democratic principles that define our society in response to these threats, we risk a scenario where the terrorists will have won.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026