intimidate

intimidate — verb

1. to deliberately cause someone to feel afraid or uneasy, often as a way of forcin

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to deliberately cause someone to feel afraid or uneasy, often as a way of forcing them to meet your demands.

Example

The older students tried to intimidate Quan into handing over his lunch money.

intimidate + object + into + gerund

Some workers feel intimidated when they have to present in front of a large audience.

feel intimidated + when/by

Common collocations
  • intimidate someone into something
  • feel intimidated
  • intimidated by
  • intimidating behaviour
  • deliberately intimidate
Synonyms
  • bully

    more physical or social, often repeated; less about a single coercive act

  • threaten

    more direct and immediate; focuses on stating harm rather than creating a general feeling of fear

  • daunt

    stronger and more formal; emphasises making someone feel discouraged rather than pressured to act

Antonyms
  • encourage

    builds confidence instead of destroying it

  • reassure

    removes fear rather than creating it

Grammar Patterns

intimidate + object

intimidate + object + into + [doing something]

feel intimidated + by + [something/someone]

be intimidated + into + [doing something]

Usage Note

Nearly always takes an object. The pattern 'intimidate someone into doing something' is especially common. The passive form 'feel intimidated' or 'be intimidated' appears frequently in both speech and writing.

Common Mistakes

He intimidated me to give him the keys.
He intimidated me into giving him the keys.
The verb requires 'into + gerund', not 'to + infinitive', to express the coerced action.
She felt intimidate by the crowd.
She felt intimidated by the crowd.
Use the past participle 'intimidated' after linking verbs like 'feel' or 'seem'.

Word family

  • intimidation
    nounB2
  • intimidating
    adjectiveB2
  • intimidated
    adjectiveB2
  • intimidatory
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These four verbs all involve causing fear, but they differ in how and why. Intimidate is the broadest: you can intimidate someone with a look, a letter, or an implied threat — the goal is usually to get them to do what you want. Bully implies repeated, physical or social aggression, often in a school or workplace setting, and is less about a single act. Threaten is more direct and immediate — you explicitly state that you will harm someone if they do not comply. Daunt is more formal and focuses on discouragement rather than coercion; someone might feel daunted by a difficult exam rather than by a person trying to pressure them. You can feel daunted by a challenge; you are intimidated by a person or situation. Example: 'The gang intimidated local shopkeepers into paying protection money.' 'Older kids bullied him in the playground.' 'The robber threatened her with a knife.' 'The mountain's height did not daunt the experienced climber.'

intimidate ↗bully ↗threaten ↗daunt

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • intimidate someone into silence
  • feel intimidated by

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Intimidate comes from the Latin verb intimidare, which was built from 'in-' (causing a state) and 'timidus' (fearful, timid), itself from 'timor' (fear). The word entered English in the mid-1600s, originally with the literal sense of 'to make timid or fearful'.