as in to threaten
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
after the first big layoff, the possibility of losing their jobs hovered over all of the factory's workers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hover (over)
threaten
Verb
-
His comments appear to be in response to Trump’s post on Truth Social, threatening military backing for Iranian protesters.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026 -
That melting is threatening the island’s infrastructure and the lifestyles of native people, who over millennia have adapted their transportation and food systems to the presence of snow and ice.—
Paul Bierman,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Hover (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hover%20%28over%29. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share