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 of threaten

• endanger
• menace

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

Hungary, seen as the EU's most pro-Russian member, threatened over the weekend to hold up both the sanctions and the $106 billion loan meant to help Ukraine meet its military and economic needs for the next two years. —Sam McNeil, Arkansas Online, 24 Feb. 2026

But Nowak is less concerned about artificial intelligence threatening Booking than the recent sell-off might imply. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

As Ngumoha continued to threaten in the minutes that followed, Mac Allister would not be denied a second time, latching onto a loose ball in the box to secure victory. —Gregg Evans, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026

The model’s parent agreed to put up some guardrails after getting threatened by everyone from SAG-AFTRA to Netflix. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for threaten

• chloromycetin
• kinetin
• tibetan

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