terrorism
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the use of violence or threats to scare people and force a government to change its actions.
the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives.
Simple“The government increased security at the airport to prevent acts of terrorism.”
In context“International cooperation is essential to dismantle the financial networks that sustain global terrorism and radicalization.”
UsageUncountable in general use; may be used as a countable noun when referring to specific types or instances.
Synonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
the period of extreme violence during the French Revolution.
the specific historical period of state-sanctioned violence and mass executions during the French Revolution (1793–1794).
Simple“Historians study the origins of modern terrorism by looking back at the French Revolution.”
In context“The term originally described the state-led terrorism of the Revolutionary tribunal against perceived enemies of the Republic.”
UsageUsually capitalized as 'the Terror' when referring specifically to the French historical event.
Teacher's tipThis historical sense is rare in daily conversation but common in university-level history or political science contexts.
Synonymsreign of terror
“An attack on a Barclays Bank by five people from the Palestine Action group will not be treated as terrorism when they are sentenced, a judge has ruled.”
“He explained that Bowie, an Albany resident, was a “frequent social media user” who created over a dozen accounts “relaying support for terrorism”.”
From French terrorisme, from terreur + -isme. By surface analysis, terror + -ism. The word first appears in English in 1795 in reference to the Jacobin radicals of France, who ruled during the Reign of Terror.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.