threshold

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noun thresh·old \ ˈthresh-ˌhōld , ˈthre-ˌshōld \

Definition of threshold

1 :the plank, stone, or piece of timber that lies under a door :sill

2 a :gate, door

b (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

3 a :the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced

has a high threshold for pain

b :a level, point, or value above which something is true or will take place and below which it is not or will not

See threshold defined for English-language learners

See threshold defined for kids

threshold was our Word of the Day on 06/23/2017. Hear the podcast!

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

At the ZIP code level, the highest income threshold for IRS tax-return data is $200,000 and higher.

— gene balk / fyi guy, The Seattle Times, "A city of riches? Most Seattle filers make less than $50K, IRS data show," 29 Aug. 2017
Scott didn’t clarify whether a super-majority means three-fifths of both houses of the Legislature, or the higher two-thirds threshold.

— steve bousquet and mary ellen klas, miamiherald, "Governor wants to make raising your taxes harder. Not everyone agrees that’s good.," 14 Aug. 2017
Furthermore, the reassessment of the overtime threshold mirrors another legislative effort to substitute compensatory time off for overtime pay.

— diane stafford, kansascity, "Trump’s Labor Department eyes remake of Obama’s stalled overtime rules," 10 Aug. 2017
Adding those spending cuts would risk losing the eight Democrats needed to reach the 60-vote threshold for advancing legislation in the Senate.

— anna edgerton, Bloomberg.com, "Top House Conservative Drops Debt-Ceiling Demands," 2 Aug. 2017
But other scientists reject the idea of any absolute threshold for significance.

— kelly servick, Science | AAAS, "It will be much harder to call new findings ‘significant’ if this team gets its way," 25 July 2017
For the past several years the city's budget has done just that, but under a new deal, the city would forgo the option of dropping its payments below that threshold.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Source: U of L will offer to pay $75M more and give up dates in KFC Yum Center deal," 19 July 2017
They are led by Amir Peretz, a former defense minister and ex-party leader who has topped most polls but is unlikely to reach the 40-percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off next week.

— jonathan ferziger, Bloomberg.com, "Israeli Leadership Contest Delayed Because of Britney Spears Concert," 3 July 2017
All results fell below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's actionable threshold.

— meredith colias, Post-Tribune, "Study: Replace aging building materials in schools," 28 June 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

threshold Synonyms

Synonyms

brink, cusp, edge, point, verge

Antonyms

close, conclusion, end, ending, omega

Related Words

nick

Near Antonyms

cessation, closing, closure, completion, finale, finish, period, stop, termination, windup

Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

THRESHOLD Defined for English Language Learners

threshold

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noun

Definition of threshold for English Language Learners

: 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
: the point or level at which something begins or changes

THRESHOLD Defined for Kids

threshold

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noun thresh·old \ ˈthresh-ˌhōld \

Definition 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

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noun thresh·old \ ˈthresh-ˌ(h)ōld \

medical 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

threshold

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noun thresh·old \ ˈthresh-ˌhōld \

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

adjective

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)