intimidate

Etymology

From Medieval Latin intimidatus, past participle of intimidō (“to make afraid”), from Latin in- (“in”) + timidus (“afraid, timid”); see timid.

verb

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

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