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

After two days when admission was by invitation only, Art Basel Paris opened to the public Friday -- but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program. — Elitsa Gadeva, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Especially if the ship is required to counter a mixture of threats from air, sea, and land. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

But the preparations go well beyond bans and police warnings, especially since last week’s riots sparked criticism of the authorities for not taking the threat seriously enough. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

That growing threat reinforces our conviction in cybersecurity as a long-term AI winner. — Alexa Lomonaco,matthew J. Belvedere,jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 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