threaten

play

verb threat·en \ˈthre-t^ən\

Definition of threaten

threatened

;

threatening

play \ˈthret-niŋ, ˈthre-t^ən-iŋ\

transitive verb
1 : to utter threats against
2a : to give signs or warning of : portend the clouds threatened rainb : 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

threatener

play \ˈthret-nər, ˈthre-t^ən-ər\ noun

See threaten defined for English-language learners

See threaten defined for kids

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 of threaten from the Web

One survey estimated that one in 25 Americans have been affected by it at some point, either from someone threatening to release sexually explicit images of them or distributing those images.

— lily herman, Teen Vogue, "Why Rob Kardashian Could Possibly Face Revenge Porn Charges", 6 July 2017
The Hammond City Court judge has threatened the city with a lawsuit over the decision to shutter the court.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Hammond judge threatens city with lawsuit", 5 July 2017
The convention confirmed this news with a tweet, and although Handler has yet to comment, Lahren’s response seems either excited or vaguely threatening: This should be fun!

— claire landsbaum, The Cut, "Chelsea Handler and Tomi Lahren Are Going to Have a Political Debate", 5 July 2017
One remaining possibility is that America might threaten to shoot down North Korean missiles in their boost or ascent phase.

— The Economist, "The wrong kind of fireworksNorth Korea’s long-range-missile test will alarm Washington", 4 July 2017
The driver was taken to a hospital with moderate, but not life-threatening, injuries.

— lyndsay winkley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Semi-truck carting chicken feed overturns, blocks Ramona highway", 3 July 2017
Scarborough said, without giving details about the article the tabloid was threatening to run.

— kate storey, Esquire, "Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough's Responses to Trump's Tweets Detail a History of Disturbing Behavior", 30 June 2017
Dottie threatens to leave, suggesting to the higher-ups that a trade be made to appease the situation.

— anne t. donahue, Cosmopolitan, "No, Dottie Did Not Drop the Ball on Purpose in A League of Their Own", 30 June 2017
Women being able to speak their minds without feeling threatened is a relatively new phenomenon.

— jennifer wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Donald Trump Keeps Calling Women "Bloody"", 29 June 2017

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.

First Known Use of threaten

13th century

THREATEN Defined for English Language Learners

threaten

play

verb

Definition of threaten for English Language Learners

: to say that you will harm someone or do something unpleasant or unwanted especially in order to make someone do what you want
: to be something that is likely to cause harm to (someone or something) : to be a threat to (someone or something)

THREATEN Defined for Kids

threaten

play

verb threat·en \ˈthre-t^ən\

Definition of threaten for Students

threatened

;

threatening

1 : to show an intention to do harm or something unwanted He threatened to quit.
2 : to give warning of by an indication The clouds threatened rain.