threatened; threatening
ˈthret-niŋ 
ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ
1
: to utter threats against
2
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
Synonyms
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
But the industry faced a growing public-relations problem that was especially threatening to beverage companies, whose names were stamped on the packaging: Plastic litter was becoming an eyesore across the country.
—
Michael Copley, NPR, 9 June 2024
Although Connor McDavid and the Oilers threatened to score, Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the defense helped keep them scoreless to end the first period.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 9 June 2024
This session, Missouri lawmakers filed the most bills out of any state that threaten the rights of LGBTQ people, according to the ACLU, which continues to track those 39 bills.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2024
Case background Prosecutors says the motive for the case was to silence Ortiz, who had been sending a series of threatening text messages to Macauley and Macauley’s boss, charter fishing captain Rick Rodriguez, demanding more money over an ongoing cocaine selling operation.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for threaten 
Michael Copley, NPR, 9 June 2024
Although Connor McDavid and the Oilers threatened to score, Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the defense helped keep them scoreless to end the first period.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 9 June 2024
This session, Missouri lawmakers filed the most bills out of any state that threaten the rights of LGBTQ people, according to the ACLU, which continues to track those 39 bills.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2024
Case background Prosecutors says the motive for the case was to silence Ortiz, who had been sending a series of threatening text messages to Macauley and Macauley’s boss, charter fishing captain Rick Rodriguez, demanding more money over an ongoing cocaine selling operation.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for threaten
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'threaten.' 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 threaten
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threaten. Accessed 13 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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