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

After a year, Jontay still hadn’t paid Kalaj back, and Kalaj threatened to go public with Jontay’s gambling. — New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026

But a shift in recent years has threatened to upend the unwavering protection that many doctors and hospitals had taken for granted. — Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 8 Nov. 2026

One of the combatants then threatened the victim before knifing him in the back. — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2026

The person who petitioned for the order in September alleged that the man in custody had threatened her with a knife and bit her in recent months, and had obtained an emergency order of protection, court records show. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for threaten

• 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