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
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
The virtual shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz is unnerving the world economy, driving up energy and fertilizer prices, threatening food shortages in poor countries, destabilizing fragile states and complicating efforts by central banks to drive down prices for consumers.
—
Arkansas Online, 17 Mar. 2026
Budapest is threatening to block a $103 billion loan to Ukraine unless Kyiv reactivates the Druzhba pipeline, a piece of Soviet-era infrastructure that has been out of service since it was damaged by a Russian attack in January.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
Burgeoning national college football powers at Miami and elsewhere threatened Notre Dame’s place in the national hierarchy.
—Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Trump has threatened to punish companies that oppose his agenda.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Arkansas Online, 17 Mar. 2026
Budapest is threatening to block a $103 billion loan to Ukraine unless Kyiv reactivates the Druzhba pipeline, a piece of Soviet-era infrastructure that has been out of service since it was damaged by a Russian attack in January.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
Burgeoning national college football powers at Miami and elsewhere threatened Notre Dame’s place in the national hierarchy.
—Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Trump has threatened to punish companies that oppose his agenda.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threaten. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
