threat

1 of 2

noun

ˈthret 

1

: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage

2

: one that threatens

3

: an indication of something impending

the sky held a threat of rain

threat

2 of 2

verb

threated; threating; threats

archaic

: threaten

Synonyms of threat

Noun

• danger
• menace
• risk
• peril

Examples of threat in a Sentence

Noun

He was willing to use violence and threats to get what he wanted.

She ignored their threats and continued to do what she felt was right.

a country under threat of civil war

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Raynaud, who went 2 of 2 from 3-point range, continues to emerge as an outside shooting threat after going 8 of 15 from beyond the arc over the past six games. —Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 29 Mar. 2026

The mall resumed operations as normal following the shooting, as police determined there was no threat to the general public. —Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026

But while the weapon didn’t spray, Shipp’s threats allegedly did and an officer eventually had to use his taser. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026

This threat will be greatest from the southern Piedmont to the southern Sandhills and southern Coastal Plain, where little to no rain occurred Friday night. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English thret coercion, threat, from Old English thrēat coercion; akin to Middle High German drōz annoyance, Latin trudere to push, thrust

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing threat

• bomb threat
• counter-threat
• empty threat
• idle threat
• triple threat
• under threat

Rhymes for threat

• bet
• brett
• debt
• et
• fret
• get
• jet
• let
• lett
• met
• net
• nett

Kids Definition

threat

noun

ˈthret

1

: an expression of an intent to do harm

stop making threats

2

: something that threatens

the volcano was a threat to the village

3

: an indication of something impending

the sky held a threat of rain

Legal Definition

threat

noun

: an expression of an intention to injure another : menace sense 1

criminal laws against making terroristic threats