threaten

verb

threat·​en ˈthre-tᵊn 

threatened; threatening ˈthret-niŋ 

ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

1

: to utter threats against

2

a

: to give signs or warning of : portend

the clouds threatened rain

b

: to hang over dangerously : menace

famine threatens the city

3

: to announce as intended or possible

the workers threatened a strike

4

: to cause to feel insecure or anxious

felt threatened by his brother's success

intransitive verb

1

: to utter threats

2

: to portend evil

threatener

ˈthret-nər 

ˈthre-tᵊn-ər

noun

Synonyms

• hang (over)
• hover (over)
• impend (over)
• menace
• overhang

Examples of threaten in a Sentence

The mugger threatened him with a gun.

She threatened to quit if they didn't give her a raise, but no one believed her.

Civil war has been threatening the country for years.

a marriage threatened by financial problems

Overfishing threatens the survival of certain fish species.

The latest news threatens trouble for the economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2013, researchers at University of Wisconsin put people in MRI machines and threatened to shock them at random. —Kevin Kruse, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

The storm's affect threatened to dampen midweek plans for skiers and snowboarders alike. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024

The families said Jones' repeated lies that the 2012 shooting never happened prompted his followers to mercilessly stalk and threaten them for years. —Tovia Smith, NPR, 11 Dec. 2024

Hurricane Rafael threatened Gulf Coast refineries and so kept prices higher than normal, AAA said. —Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

threaten

verb

threat·​en ˈthret-ᵊn 

threatened; threatening ˈthret-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: to utter threats : make threats against

threaten trespassers with arrest

2

: to give signs or warning of

clouds threatening rain

3

: to be an imminent danger to : menace

hunger threatens the town

4

: to announce as intended or possible

the workers threatened a strike

threatened to buy a car

5

: to cause to feel insecure or anxious

felt threatened by his friend's success

threateningly

ˈthret-niŋ-lē 

-ᵊn-iŋ-

adverb