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

The Russian Orthodox Church has used bribery and blackmail, threatening to undermine churches that do not adopt its policies and requiring newly converted (and well-paid) clerics to sign documents renouncing all ties with Bartholomew’s Church. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

The current border crisis is threatening our trajectory. —Andrea Adkins-Hutchins, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

The Democrats’ tonal shift comes as President Joe Biden for the first time threatened to pull back on U.S. support if Israel did not change its approach to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza in a stern phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Thursday. —Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024

In 2022, the union won significant concessions on actor exclusivity deals after the Legislature threatened to make such deals invalid. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024

After Israel struck and killed seven aid workers last week -- an incident Israel called a grave mistake -- Biden threatened to change U.S. policy toward Gaza condition if Israel didn't do more to allow humanitarian aid inside the enclave. —Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2024

Now, the standoff between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu threatens to develop into a larger conflagration. —Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024

Duterte looked more favorably on relations with China than the US and at one point threatened not to renew agreements that let the US military operate on the soil of its former colony. —Brad Lendon, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

In the lyrics, Beyoncé takes a stronger, threatening approach compared to Parton’s pleading words in the original. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 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