threaten

verb

threat·​en ˈthre-tᵊn 

threatened; threatening ˈthret-niŋ 

ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

1

: to utter threats against

2

a

: 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

threatener

ˈthret-nər 

ˈthre-tᵊn-ər

noun

Synonyms

• hang (over)
• hover (over)
• impend (over)
• menace
• overhang

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

Intense heat wave threatens East Coast Meanwhile, scorching heat continued for the third week this month as more than 126 million people remained under heat alerts across the country on Tuesday, according to heat.gov. —Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024

Over 1,200 major western companies pulled out of Russia over Putin's bloody invasion of Ukraine, which threatened sovereign stability and the rule of law. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Stephen Henriques, TIME, 16 July 2024

The aging population will increase the demand for medical services, while pending retirements threaten to squeeze the supply of health care professionals. —Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 15 July 2024

Unexpectedly, the two fall in love and elope — but the fairytale is threatened when Vanya’s parents find out. —Ellise Shafer, Variety, 15 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids 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

threateningly

ˈthret-niŋ-lē 

-ᵊn-iŋ-

adverb