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intimidate

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Medieval Latin intimidātus, perfect passive participle of Latin intimidō (to intimidate, terrify) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (in) + timidus (afraid, timid) + (verb*forming suffix); see timid.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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intimidate (third-person singular simple present intimidates, present participle intimidating, simple past and past participle intimidated)

  1. (transitive) To make timid or afraid; to cause to feel fear or nervousness; to deter, especially by threats of violence.
    Synonym: abash
    He's trying to intimidate you. If you ignore him, hopefully he'll stop.
    • 2018, Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death, HarperVoyager, page 168:
      His father tried to intimidate his son into staying, threatening him with banishment and a possible beating.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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Spanish

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Verb

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intimidate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of intimidar combined with te