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

Critics counter that the road, located within the sprawling Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, threatens migratory birds and other animals, including caribou, brown bears and sea otters.

— Washington Post, "House backs road in remote Alaska wildlife refuge," 20 July 2017
Barely a year ago, with the wounds from the refugee crisis still gaping, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, could be heard warning that a British vote to quit the EU threatened to bring about the collapse of western civilisation.

— The Economist, "Emmanuel Macron is revitalising the European Union—and dividing it," 20 July 2017
U of L athletics director Tom Jurich lashed out at those comments in a radio interview last year, threatening to take the men's and women's basketball teams elsewhere.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Source: U of L will offer to pay $75M more and give up dates in KFC Yum Center deal," 19 July 2017
The suspects fled to Calumet City, Ill., according to police, and are suspected of robbing a female making a deposit at a Bank of America ATM and threatening her with a baseball bat.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Hammond police urge caution after two armed robberies, vehicles stolen," 19 July 2017
Green and Saiger say those prohibitions might be threatened by the Supreme Court’s latest ruling.

— matt barnum, The Atlantic, "Will Churches Ever Be Allowed to Run Charter Schools?," 19 July 2017
Supporters of the restrictions call them a measured approach to containing a serious problem threatening to destroy the community character of the College Area.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mini-dorm crackdown near SDSU halted by judge," 19 July 2017
Two days after Venezuelan citizens voted against a proposition that would allow President Nicolas Maduro's administration to remain in power, the United States government is threatening sanctions against the country if that vote is not honored.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "Over 500 Students Were Allegedly Abused at This German Music School," 19 July 2017
At one point, the video shows, the officer threatened to kill the youth.

— gerald porter jr., Daily Southtown, "Sheriff's office continues review of off-duty Lansing cop who detained teen, official says," 19 July 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

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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.