terrorize
v. C1 Advanced US //ˈtɛɹɝˌaɪz// ter·ror·ize
v. to frighten people in a very cruel or violent way. It often involves using threats or force to make people feel unsafe.
v. to subject someone to persistent intimidation, threats, or violence. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the victims or the location being targeted.
The gang tried to terrorize the local shopkeepers.
The local community was terrorized by a series of break-ins that occurred every night for a month.
The regime sought to terrorize the population into silence, using arbitrary arrests and public executions as tools of psychological control to suppress any dissent.
From terror + -ize.