terror

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ter·ror

(tĕr′ər)

1. Intense, overpowering fear. See Synonyms at fear.

2. One that instills intense fear: a rabid dog that became the terror of the neighborhood.

3. The ability to instill intense fear: the terror of jackboots pounding down the street.

4. Violence committed or threatened by a group, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals.

5. Terror The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

6. Informal An annoying person or thing, especially an ill-mannered or disruptive child.

[Middle English terrour, from Old French terreur, from Latin terror, from terrēre, to frighten.]

Usage Note: The word terrorism is sometimes shortened to terror, especially in phrases like the war on terror. The difference between the two words is subtle. Dropping the -ism suffix changes the focus from a reprehensible method of conducting a violent conflict to a moral abstraction. Thus, the war on terror conjures a grave, universal conflict between good and evil, where the war on terrorism does not.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

terror

(ˈtɛrə)

1. great fear, panic, or dread

2. a person or thing that inspires great dread

3. informal a troublesome person or thing, esp a child

4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) terrorism

[C14: from Old French terreur, from Latin terror, from terrēre to frighten; related to Greek trein to run away in terror]

ˈterrorful adj

ˈterrorless adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ter•ror

(ˈtɛr ər)

n.

1. intense fear.

2. a person or thing that causes such fear.

3. violence or threats of violence used as a means of intimidation or coercion.

4. Informal. a person or thing that is especially annoying or unpleasant.

[1325–75; Middle English terrour < Anglo-French < Latin terrēre to frighten]

terror

, horror - Terror is stronger than horror, though it usually lasts for a shorter time.

terror

noun

1. fear, alarm, dread, fright, panic, anxiety, intimidation, fear and trembling I shook with terror whenever I flew in an aeroplane.

2. nightmare, monster, bogeyman, devil, fiend, bugbear, scourge the many obscure terrors that haunted the children of that period

3. rascal, devil, monkey, scamp, horror (informal), troublemaker, imp, tyke (Brit. informal), scally (Northwest English dialect), mischief-maker, perisher (Brit. informal), holy terror (informal), spalpeen (Irish informal) He was a little terror; always had been difficult to control.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

terror

noun

Great agitation and anxiety caused by the expectation or the realization of danger:

affright, alarm, apprehension, dread, fear, fearfulness, fright, funk, horror, panic, trepidation.

Slang: cold feet.

Idiom: fear and trembling.

Translations

إرهاب، عَمَل فَظيعرُعْب، خَوْف شَديدشَخصٌ فَظيع، مُشاغِب كبير

hrůzapostrachterorděs

rædselskræk

Schrecken Terror Entsetzen Plage

τρομάρα τρόμος

terror pavor diablillo

kauhu

terreur anxiété effroi

nehezen kezelhető személyrémuralomterror

ógnógnvaldurskelfing

terrore esige la puntualit...peste

terror

apimtas siaubosiaubybėterorizavimasterorizmas

biedsbriesmasneizturams cilvēksšausmas

verschrikking

terror

grozastrah

skräck

baş belasıdehşetdehşet kaynağıterör

可怕的人引起恐怖的事物恐怖极讨厌的家伙

terror

[ˈterəʳ]

A. N

1. (= fear) → terror m
to live in terror → vivir en el terror
to live in terror of sth → vivir aterrorizado por algo
he went or was in terror of his life → temía por su vida, temía ser asesinado
I have a terror of bats → tengo horror a los murciélagos
he had a terror of flying → le daba miedo volar
the headmistress holds no terrors for me → la directora no me infunde miedo a mí
to sow terror everywhere → sembrar el terror por todas partes

2. (= person, child) she's a terror on the roads → es un peligro conduciendo
you little terror! → ¡eres un diablillo!

B. CPD terror attack N → atentado m (terrorista)
terror campaign N → campaña f de terror

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

terror

[ˈtɛrə^r]

(= fear) → terreur f
to live in terror of sth → vivre dans la terreur de qch
to have a terror of doing sth → être terrorisé(e) à l'idée de faire qch
to hold no terrors for sb → ne pas faire peur à qn

(= terrorism) → terreur f
a campaign of terror → une campagne de terreur

(= unruly child) → petit diable m, petit monstre m
He was a real terror → C'était un vrai petit diable., C'était un vrai petit monstre.

modif (= terrorist) [campaign, attack, group, network, suspect, tactics, threat] → terroriste

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

terror

no pl (= great fear) → panische Angst (→ of vor +dat); in terror → in panischer Angst; to be in terror of one’s life → um sein Leben bangen; it held no terror for him → er schreckte nicht davor zurück; reign of terror (Hist, fig) → Terror- or Schreckensherrschaft f; the IRA terror campaign → die Terrorkampagne der IRA

(= cause of terror, terrible event) → Schrecken m; he was the terror of the other boys → er terrorisierte die anderen Jungen; the headmaster was a terror to boys who misbehaved → der Rektor war der Schrecken aller Jungen, die sich schlecht benahmen

(inf: = person) → Teufel m; (= child) → Ungeheuer nt; a terror with the ladies → ein Weiberheld m (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

terror

[ˈtɛrəʳ] n (fear) → terrore m (fam) (child) → peste f
to live in terror of sth → vivere nel terrore di qc
she's a terror on the roads → al volante è un pericolo pubblico
you little terror! → piccola peste!

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

terror

(ˈterə) noun

1. very great fear. She screamed with/in terror; She has a terror of spiders.

2. something which makes one very afraid. The terrors of war.

3. a troublesome person, especially a child. That child is a real terror!

ˈterrorism noun

the actions or methods of terrorists. international terrorism.

ˈterrorist noun

a person who tries to frighten people or governments into doing what he/she wants by using or threatening violence. The plane was hijacked by terrorists; (also adjective) terrorist activities.

ˈterrorize, ˈterrorise verb

to make very frightened by using or threatening violence. A lion escaped from the zoo and terrorized the whole town.

ˌterroriˈzation, ˌterroriˈsation noun

ˈterror-stricken adjective

feeling very great fear. The children were terror-stricken.

terror

n. terror, pánico.

References in classic literature ?

From my earliest recollection my sleep was a period of terror. Rarely were my dreams tinctured with happiness.

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The horrid cry that had come down to him from above through the ancient well-shaft still haunted him, so that he trembled in terror at even the sounds of his own cautious advance.

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There was a fearful scream of anguish and terror from the black, and mingled with it was the hideous challenge of the killing panther.

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But once more it was the same boundary line overgrown with wormwood, once more the same wormwood desperately tossed by the wind and carrying unreasoning terror to his heart.

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If ever anybody's hair stood on end with terror, mine must have done so then.

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This elusive quality it is, which causes the thought of whiteness, when divorced from more kindly associations, and coupled with any object terrible in itself, to heighten that terror to the furthest bounds.

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So absorbed was the ape-man in speculation as to the purpose of the covered pit that he permitted the blacks to depart in the direction of their village without the usual baiting which had rendered him the terror of Mbonga's people and had afforded Tarzan both a vehicle of revenge and a source of inexhaustible delight.

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Fakirs and soldiers and priests, seized with instant terror, lay there, with their faces on the ground, not daring to lift their eyes and behold such a prodigy.

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With inarticulate cries the men fled in terror, each in a different direction.

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And so Tarzan haunted German headquarters upon many nights hoping to see her again or to pick up some clew as to her whereabouts, and at the same time he utilized many an artifice whereby he might bring terror to the hearts of the Germans.

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An' there, across the ring, I could see the Chicago Terror, an' I had to do some thinkin' to remember I was fightin' him.

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Instead, terror, stark, paralyzing terror, was mirrored in her eyes, in the expression of her mouth, in the tense, cowering attitude of her body.

Noun	1.	terror - an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety affright, panic fear, fearfulness, fright - an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight) swivet - a panic or extreme discomposure; "it threw her into a swivet"
	2.	terror - a person who inspires fear or dread; "he was the terror of the neighborhood" scourge, threat individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do"
	3.	terror - a very troublesome child brat, holy terror, little terror scamp, imp, monkey, rapscallion, rascal, scalawag, scallywag - one who is playfully mischievous
	4.	terror - the use of extreme fear in order to coerce people (especially for political reasons); "he used terror to make them confess" act of terrorism, terrorism, terrorist act - the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear coercion - the act of compelling by force of authority