as in threatening
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 hovering (over)
threatening
Verb
-
Yet videos reviewed by CNN showed officers regularly detaining or threatening to arrest people who never appeared to cross that line.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026 -
Jackson aimed his trademark fiery dynamism at studio and network executives, forming the Rainbow Coalition on Fairness in the Media — an offshoot of his Rainbow Coalition that focused on social justice and economic equality — and threatening boycotts against projects that excluded minorities.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 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
“Hovering (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hovering%20%28over%29. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
