idle threat
noun
: a threat that a person does not really mean to follow through with
She said she would leave him, but he knew it was an idle threat.
Examples of idle threat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Warnings of impending storms are not idle threats, according to AccuWeather.
—
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024
In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of Congress, that may not feel like an idle threat.
—Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Feb. 2024
The rhetoric may seem overwrought, but these are not necessarily idle threats to get more money.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2023
This isn’t an idle threat, mind you.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024
In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of Congress, that may not feel like an idle threat.
—Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Feb. 2024
The rhetoric may seem overwrought, but these are not necessarily idle threats to get more money.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2023
This isn’t an idle threat, mind you.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'idle 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 idle threat
Cite this Entry
“Idle threat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idle%20threat. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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