threaten

verb

threat·en | \ ˈthre-tᵊn

threatened; threatening\ ˈthret-niŋ

, ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ \

Definition of threaten

transitive verb

1 : to utter threats against

2a : to give signs or warning of : portend the clouds threatened rain

b : to hang over dangerously : menace famine threatens the city

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

intransitive verb

1 : to utter threats

2 : to portend evil

Other Words from threaten Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about threaten

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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

Only about 90 personnel are assigned to the fire, compared with 394 on the Swan Lake fire on the Kenai Peninsula and 776 on the nearby Shovel Creek fire, which threatens subdivisions near Fairbanks. — Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, "Hess Creek fire, burning in Alaska’s Interior, is largest wildfire in the nation," 10 July 2019 The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds to his left bicep and upper right hip, which were not believed to be life- threatening, the officer said. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Man shot in his arm, hip while walking in East Village," 9 July 2019 It’s created immense headwind to address what is unmistakably a growing global crisis, which if left unaddressed threatens civilization altogether. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "Why there’s a movement to declare climate change a national emergency," 9 July 2019 Norton also sustained a head injury in the accident, which involved a female passenger who also sustained non-life threatening injuries and another female driver, who did not suffer any injuries. — Keven Lerner, sun-sentinel.com, "Dolphins’ Kendrick Norton breaks silence following car crash, seeks financial help through GoFundMe," 9 July 2019 Top American and China negotiators are set to speak this week in an effort to revive stalled trade talks, as discord over prior commitments and political considerations threaten to bog down discussions. — Chao Deng, WSJ, "U.S., China Tentatively Move to Revive Trade Talks," 8 July 2019 Iran has set a deadline for Sunday for Europe to offer new terms to the accord, and is threatening to accelerate uranium enrichment. — Fox News, "French president looks for way to salvage Iran agreement," 7 July 2019 Prayuth Chan-ocha, the general who has served as Thailand’s prime minister since leading a coup in 2014, appeared to threaten another putsch, this time against his own government. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 6 July 2019 The agency is also funding the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission (DART), which will pilot the technologies needed to do something about any threatening near-Earth objects. — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, "NASA won’t launch a mission to hunt deadly asteroids," 5 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'threaten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.