---
title: intimidate — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «intimidate» in the school dictionary: To frighten or threaten someone, especially to make them do what you want. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/intimidate/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/) / [school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/) / [I](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/) / intimidate

# intimidate

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** them, you, older boys, anyone, growl, big dog · **What happens:** frighten, threaten, make, do, want, feel · **To what, where:** someone, them, him, lunch money, boys, anyone · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«intimidate» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 7 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [intimidate in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/intimidate.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To frighten or threaten someone, especially to make them do what you want.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:m1:1
# text = To frighten or threaten someone, especially to make them do what you want.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	frighten	frighten	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	advcl	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	threaten	threaten	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	conj	_	_
5	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	especially	especially	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	xcomp	_	_
12	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	14	obj	_	_
13	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
14	want	want	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **threaten** | infinitive |  | someone |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus someone=Experiencer |
| 3 | **make** | to-infinitive |  | them *= they* |  |  |  | especially *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **do** | infinitive | them *= they* *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **want** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot what=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To make someone feel nervous, shy or less confident, even without meaning to.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:m2:1
# text = To make someone feel nervous, shy or less confident, even without meaning to.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
3	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
4	feel	feel	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	nervous	nervous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	shy	shy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	less	less	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	10	advmod	_	_
10	confident	confident	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	even	even	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
13	without	without	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
14	meaning	mean	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | someone |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset someone=Product |
| 2 | **feel** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | nervous *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |
| 3 | **mean** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The older boys tried to intimidate him into giving them his lunch money.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:x1:1
# text = The older boys tried to intimidate him into giving them his lunch money.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	older	old	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	amod	_	_
3	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	tried	try	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	intimidate	intimidate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	into	into	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	giving	give	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	iobj	_	_
11	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
12	lunch	lunch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **try** | past | the older boys |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **intimidate** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the older boys *not said here* | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus he=Experiencer |
| 3 | **give** | gerund | the older boys *not said here* | his lunch money | boys *= boy* |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent they=Recipient money=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Don't let anyone intimidate you – tell a teacher.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:x2:1
# text = Don't let anyone intimidate you – tell a teacher.
1	Do	do	AUX	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
3	let	let	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	obj	_	_
5	intimidate	intimidate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	–	-	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	tell	tell	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **let** | imperative · do-support | you *not said here* | anyone |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **intimidate** | infinitive | anyone *not said here* | you |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus you=Experiencer |
| 3 | **tell** *speech: assert* | infinitive | you *not said here* |  | a teacher |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent teacher=Recipient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The big dog's growl intimidated the postman.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:x3:1
# text = The big dog's growl intimidated the postman.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	growl	growl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	intimidated	intimidate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	postman	postman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **intimidate** | past | the big dog's growl | the postman |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus postman=Experiencer |
| 2 | **growl** |  | the big dog |  |  |  |  |  | nom growl «event intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I felt intimidated on my first day at the new school.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:x4:1
# text = I felt intimidated on my first day at the new school.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	felt	feel	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	intimidated	intimidate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	xcomp	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
6	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	7	amod	_	_
7	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **feel** | past | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-2 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **intimidate** | participle | I *not said here* |  |  |  | day |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The team's haka can intimidate their opponents.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:x5:1
# text = The team's haka can intimidate their opponents.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	team	team	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	haka	haka	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	intimidate	intimidate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	opponents	opponent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **intimidate** | can | the team's haka | their opponents |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus opponent=Experiencer |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The long maths test looked intimidating, but it was fine.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:x6:1
# text = The long maths test looked intimidating, but it was fine.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	maths	math	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	compound	_	_
4	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	looked	look	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	intimidating	intimidating	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	expl	_	_
10	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
11	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look** | past | the long maths test |  |  |  |  | intimidating *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **is** | past | the long maths test *not said here* |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Intimidating someone online is still bullying.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:intimidate:x7:1
# text = Intimidating someone online is still bullying.
1	Intimidating	intimidate	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	csubj	_	_
2	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obj	_	_
3	online	online	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	still	still	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	bullying	bully	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **intimidate** | gerund |  | someone |  |  |  | online *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus someone=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is** | present | Intimidating |  |  |  | still | bully *property* | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [intimately](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/intimately/)
- next →: [intimidation](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/intimidation/)
- ↑ back to [I in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/)