as in to endanger
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of threaten
One of the breakthrough successes of last year’s COP29 summit is already losing steam, threatening what was meant to be a major new source of capital for carbon-cutting projects.
—
Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Daily record lows will be threatened today in parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, the Carolinas, southeast Louisiana and even Florida.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
Too much risk is also threatening but not enough risk taking is equally dangerous.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 11 Nov. 2025
As recently as last week, a man who'd threatened to kill a member of Congress was arrested before entering a Senate building.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Daily record lows will be threatened today in parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, the Carolinas, southeast Louisiana and even Florida.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
Too much risk is also threatening but not enough risk taking is equally dangerous.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 11 Nov. 2025
As recently as last week, a man who'd threatened to kill a member of Congress was arrested before entering a Senate building.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threaten
Verb
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Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, has repeatedly defended the pain medicine, saying there is no scientific link to autism and warning that such suggestions could endanger maternal health.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Kelly Lewis, 52, is charged with felony child endangering after the child lost about 14% of his body weight.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the follow-up, the sinister killer seeks vengeance on Finn from beyond the grave by menacing his younger sister, Gwen, who is played by Madeleine McGraw.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
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Pop-culture figures like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman are so ubiquitous as to be both movie characters and parodies of themselves, and this DuckTales episode is good for any kids that like monsters but aren’t quite ready to be menaced by them yet.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threaten. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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