Meaning & use
terror
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Meanings
noununcountable
A very strong feeling of fear, so great that it is hard to think or move.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: she screamed in terror; a terror of heights uses a countable form.
Patterns
- in terror
- terror of something
- with terror
The children screamed in terror when the lights went out.
She felt sheer terror as the plane dropped.
His terror of dogs began after he was bitten.
noununcountable
Violence or threats used by a group to frighten people, usually for political aims.
Grammar: Uncountable and often in compounds: a terror attack, the war on terror.
Patterns
- terror attack
- reign of terror
The city was shaken by a terror attack last year.
Police have increased security to counter the threat of terror.
The regime ruled through terror and fear.
nouncountableinformal
A person or thing that causes great fear, or, informally, a child who behaves very badly.
Grammar: Countable and often informal when about children: he is a little terror.
Patterns
- a terror to someone
The old dog was a terror to every postman.
Their toddler is a little terror in the supermarket.
The bully was the terror of the playground.
Word forms
| plural | terrors |
|---|
Common combinations
- pure terror
- The ride filled her with pure terror.
- strike terror into
- The thunder struck terror into the puppy.
- in terror
- The villagers fled in terror.
- a terror attack
- Officials condemned the terror attack.
- reign of terror
- The tyrant's reign of terror lasted a decade.
- hold terrors
- The dark held terrors for the little girl.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fear
- Fear is a general word for the feeling and can be mild, while terror is extreme and overwhelming.
- dread
- Dread is fear of something that is going to happen, whereas terror is fear felt at the moment.
- horror
- Horror combines fear with shock and disgust, while terror is mainly fear.
- panic
- Panic is sudden fear that causes wild, uncontrolled action, while terror may freeze a person.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: terror or horror?
terror vs horror
Horror includes shock and disgust at something awful, while terror is the overwhelming feeling of being afraid.
Practice
When the bear appeared at the edge of the camp, the hikers froze in ___.
Choose one answer.
Terror is extreme fear, which would make people freeze. Puzzlement, boredom, and relief are not natural reactions to a bear.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “terror”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.