threshold

thresh·old

noun \ˈthresh-ˌhōld, ˈthre-ˌshōld\

Definition of THRESHOLD

1

: the plank, stone, or piece of timber that lies under a door : sill

2

a : gate, door b (1) : end, boundary; specifically : the end of a runway (2) : the place or point of entering or beginning : outset <on the threshold of a new age>

3

a : the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced <has a high threshold for pain> b : a level, point, or value above which something is true or will take place and below which it is not or will not

Examples of THRESHOLD

1. He stepped across the threshold.
2. If your income rises above a certain threshold, your tax rate also rises.
3. … we still hadn't grasped that we had crossed a threshold where it no longer mattered what passport you carried, that you were young and loved, … or that you were a noncombatant. —Paul Salopek, National Geographic, April 2008
4. As we speak, the very worst of humanity is on the threshold of acquiring the most powerful weapons in history—this is a fear and a consideration to be taken very seriously. —Charles Krauthammer, New Republic, 29 Apr. 2002
5. We thought that we were on the threshold of an age of space travel. But the greatest impact of the trip to the moon was on how we view the Earth. —Suzannah Lessard, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2001

Origin of THRESHOLD

Middle English thresshold, from Old English threscwald; akin to Old Norse threskjǫldr threshold, Old English threscan to thresh

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to THRESHOLD

Synonyms: brink, cusp, edge, point, verge

Antonyms: close, conclusion, end, ending, omega

Related Words: nick

Near Antonyms: cessation, closing, closure, completion, finale, finish, period, stop, termination, windup

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

Rhymes with THRESHOLD

acold, age-old, ahold, all told, behold, bifold, billfold, black gold, blindfold, blue mold, bread mold, choke hold, controlled, Cotswold, cuckold, eightfold, enfold, fanfold, fivefold, fool's gold, foothold, fourfold, freehold, gatefold, go gold, green mold, handhold, head cold, household, ice-cold, infold, knock cold, leaf mold, leasehold, make bold, ninefold, old gold, onefold, on hold, pinfold, potholed, roothold, scaffold, sheepfold, sixfold, slime mold, stokehold, stone-cold, stronghold, take hold, tenfold, threefold, toehold, twice-told, twofold, unfold, unmold, untold, uphold, white gold, whole-souled, withhold