empty threat
noun
: a threat that someone does not really mean
Don't make empty threats that you have no intention of backing up with action.
… the Witch of the West looks, in this scene anyhow, curiously frail and impotent, obliged to mouth empty threats …—
Salman Rushdie
Salman RushdieExamples of empty threat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Losing your temper, and leveling empty threats against your battling brood.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 29 June 2024
And the mounting challenge to Marcos Jr. and his allies in government is not necessarily an empty threat.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 26 June 2024
Ironically, when the dust settled, Chinese nationalists accused their government of making empty threats and not doing enough to stand up to the United States.
—Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Journalist Yair Rosenberg suggested that Musk's posts could be an empty threat.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2023
The union sees that as an empty threat, but is also dealing with growing restlessness among its A-list members.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
Last weekend, multiple synagogues in Rhode Island and Massachusetts faced what ended up being empty threats meant to instill fear among Jewish Americans living in the area.
—Kyle Morris, Fox News, 20 Oct. 2023
Friday's announcement is the latest in a series of empty threats by ECOWAS to forcefully restore democratic rule in Niger, say conflict analysts.
—Sam Mednick, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
The ban wasn’t an empty threat or an isolated incident.
—Yusuf Khan, WSJ, 1 June 2023
Melissa Willets, Parents, 29 June 2024
And the mounting challenge to Marcos Jr. and his allies in government is not necessarily an empty threat.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 26 June 2024
Ironically, when the dust settled, Chinese nationalists accused their government of making empty threats and not doing enough to stand up to the United States.
—Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Journalist Yair Rosenberg suggested that Musk's posts could be an empty threat.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2023
The union sees that as an empty threat, but is also dealing with growing restlessness among its A-list members.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
Last weekend, multiple synagogues in Rhode Island and Massachusetts faced what ended up being empty threats meant to instill fear among Jewish Americans living in the area.
—Kyle Morris, Fox News, 20 Oct. 2023
Friday's announcement is the latest in a series of empty threats by ECOWAS to forcefully restore democratic rule in Niger, say conflict analysts.
—Sam Mednick, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
The ban wasn’t an empty threat or an isolated incident.
—Yusuf Khan, WSJ, 1 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'empty threat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near empty threat
Cite this Entry
“Empty threat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty%20threat. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share