intimidate

verb

in·​tim·​i·​date in-ˈti-mə-ˌdāt 

intimidated; intimidating

transitive verb

: to make timid or fearful : frighten

especially : to compel or deter by or as if by threats

tried to intimidate a witness

intimidation

in-ˌti-mə-ˈdā-shən 

noun

intimidator

in-ˈti-mə-ˌdā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• blackjack
• bogart
• browbeat
• bulldoze
• bully
• bullyrag
• cow
• hector
• strong-arm

Choose the Right Synonym for intimidate

intimidate, cow, bulldoze, bully, browbeat mean to frighten into submission.

intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.

not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

Examples of intimidate in a Sentence

He tries to intimidate his opponents.

You shouldn't allow his reputation to intimidate you.

Recent Examples on the Web

Other sites related to the voting process have also come under attack: The day after the 2020 election, police removed protesters from a vote-counting center in Detroit for disrupting the process and intimidating workers. —Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2024

Since the Biden-Xi summit 11 months ago, Burns said, Chinese security services have tried to impede 94 different U.S. Embassy events meant to bring Chinese and American people together, including by pressuring Chinese citizens not to attend and intimidating those who do. —Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024

Death Despite its intimidating name, the Death card isn’t always about a literal death. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024

Law enforcement support is necessary to ensure workers can securely process ballots without being threatened or intimidated, Maricopa County deputy elections director Jennifer Liewer and Supervisor Bill Gates told us. —Jessica Boehm, Axios, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin intimidatus, past participle of intimidare, from Latin in- + timidus timid

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

intimidate

verb

in·​tim·​i·​date in-ˈtim-ə-ˌdāt 

intimidated; intimidating

: to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats

intimidation

-ˌtim-ə-ˈdā-shən 

noun

intimidator

-ˈtim-ə-ˌdāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

intimidate

transitive verb

in·​tim·​i·​date in-ˈti-mə-ˌdāt 

intimidated; intimidating

1

: to make timid or fearful

especially : to compel or deter by or as if by threats see also coercion

2

: to engage in the crime of intimidating (as a witness, juror, public officer in the performance of his or her duty, or victim of a robbery or other crime)

intimidatingly adverb

intimidation

in-ˌti-mə-ˈdā-shən 

noun

intimidator

in-ˈti-mə-ˌdā-tər 

noun