Synonyms of threaten

threaten

verb

ˈthre-tᵊn 

as in to endanger

to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on

the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline

Synonyms & Similar Words

• endanger
• menace
• hang (over)
• jeopardize
• imperil
• hover (over)
• impend (over)
• overhang
• hazard
• peril

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of threaten

James is every ambitious director threatening to topple this town in a narcissistic quest to create the ultimate special effects epic. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

The downside is that without strict containment practices, the beetles can escape and lay eggs that hatch, leading to infestations that threaten museum collections. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026

Later, the Streevers would learn the same agents presented the same form to a Syracuse poll worker earlier that day, and accused her of threatening an ICE officer on her Instagram account. — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 1 July 2026

In the weeks since Fable 5 and Mythos 5 were forced out of commission, industry leaders and experts became increasingly worried that the ad-hoc ban would threaten America’s AI lead against China. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 1 July 2026