verb

intimidate

ihn-TIH-mih-dayt

verb

To frighten or pressure someone, often through threats, so they do what you want.

"The gang tried to intimidate witnesses into staying silent."

"Her confidence alone was enough to intimidate the competition."

How to Use Intimidate

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo make someone feel scared or nervous, often on purpose.

Common pairings

try to intimidate intimidate a witness intimidate someone into doing something

intimidated past tense, intimidates singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The gang tried to _____ witnesses into staying silent.

From Medieval Latin intimidare, from in- ("into") plus timidus ("afraid" or "timid").

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