Definition of threshold
1 : the plank, stone, or piece of timber that lies under a door : sill
2a : gate, doorb (1) : end, boundary; specifically : the end of a runway (2) : the place or point of entering or beginning : outset on the threshold of a new age
3a : the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced has a high threshold for painb : a level, point, or value above which something is true or will take place and below which it is not or will not
From the M-W Editors
threshold was our Word of the Day on 06/23/2017. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of threshold in a Sentence
… we still hadn't grasped that we had crossed a threshold where it no longer mattered what passport you carried, that you were young and loved, … or that you were a noncombatant. —Paul Salopek, National Geographic, April 2008
As we speak, the very worst of humanity is on the threshold of acquiring the most powerful weapons in history—this is a fear and a consideration to be taken very seriously. —Charles Krauthammer, New Republic, 29 Apr. 2002
We thought that we were on the threshold of an age of space travel. But the greatest impact of the trip to the moon was on how we view the Earth. —Suzannah Lessard, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2001
He stepped across the threshold.
If your income rises above a certain threshold, your tax rate also rises.
Recent Examples of threshold from the Web
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Currently, however, President Trump’s job approval is clinging to the 40 percent threshold.
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May pointed to commitments to raise the thresholds at which people start paying income tax and at which the 40 percent rate of tax kicks in.
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Cracking the arbitrary threshold of a four-digit stock price is a reminder of just how heavy Amazon has become.
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That's when the threshold to pass legislation jumps from a simple majority to a 3/5ths majority.
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Those below that threshold would now only receive partial subsidies under HOPE — increasing their tuition costs and thus student debt.
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What’s more, Ko’s own research suggests that above a certain threshold, more HDL could increase health risks.
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That type of surveillance also requires a high threshold of suspicion that a suspect could turn to violence.
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Both genes and environment contribute to the CDR, so even genetic causes of autism lower the threshold for CDR activation and produce the metabolic syndrome.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'threshold'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The earliest known use of "threshold" in the English language is from Alfred the Great's Old English translation of the Roman philosopher Boethius's De consolatione philosophiae. In this translation, which was written around 888, "threshold" appears as "þeorscwold" (that first letter is called a thorn and it was used in Old English and Middle English to indicate the sounds produced by "th" in "thin" and "this"). The origins of this Old English word are not known, though it is believed to be related to Old English "threscan," from which we get the words thresh, meaning "to separate seed from (a harvested plant) using a machine or tool" and "thrash," meaning, among other things "to beat soundly with or as if with a stick or whip."
Origin and Etymology of threshold
Middle English thresshold, from Old English threscwald; akin to Old Norse threskjǫldr threshold, Old English threscan to thresh
THRESHOLD Defined for English Language Learners
threshold
playDefinition of threshold for English Language Learners
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: a piece of wood, metal, or stone that forms the bottom of a door and that you walk over as you enter a room or building
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: the point or level at which something begins or changes
THRESHOLD Defined for Kids
threshold
playDefinition of threshold for Students
1 : the sill of a door
2 : a point or place of beginning or entering Ralph had a scary feeling he was on the threshold of adventure. — Beverly Cleary, The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Medical Dictionary
threshold
playMedical Definition of threshold
: the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced (as the degree of stimulation of a nerve which just produces a response or the concentration of sugar in the blood at which sugar just begins to pass the barrier of the kidneys and enter the urine) below the threshold of consciousness the threshold of pain a high renal clearance threshold—called also limen
Law Dictionary
Legal Definition of threshold
: a point of beginning : a minimum requirement for further action; specifically : a determination (as of fact or the existence of a reasonable doubt) upon which something else (as further consideration or a right of action) hinges the threshold for inquiry
threshold
Legal Definition of threshold
: of, relating to, or being a threshold the threshold issue in a negligence action is whether the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff — Noakes v. City of Seattle, 895 P.2d 842 (1995) a threshold showing of the need for psychiatric evaluation
Learn More about threshold
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See words that rhyme with threshold Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for threshold Spanish Central: Translation of threshold Nglish: Translation of threshold for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of threshold for Arabic speakers
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