as in to endanger
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline
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Recent Examples of threaten
When a 1960s Austin-Healey and a trove of rare toy cars emerge from the mess, a massive payday feels within reach — until lowball offers threaten to tank the deal.
—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
This year’s 76th annual Berlinale has been marred by chaos and controversy that threaten to overshadow the films themselves.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2026
Four other people with non-life threatening gunshot wounds were transported by ambulance to local hospitals.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Blizzard warnings were issued Saturday for New York City, New Jersey and coastal communities along the East Coast as a late-winter storm set to arrive on Sunday threatened to make a mess of the start of a new week.
—CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
This year’s 76th annual Berlinale has been marred by chaos and controversy that threaten to overshadow the films themselves.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2026
Four other people with non-life threatening gunshot wounds were transported by ambulance to local hospitals.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Blizzard warnings were issued Saturday for New York City, New Jersey and coastal communities along the East Coast as a late-winter storm set to arrive on Sunday threatened to make a mess of the start of a new week.
—CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threaten
Verb
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And just around the next corner appears the dress itself, with its giant organza skirt covered in feathers that, we’re assured, are common and not endangered.—
Jane Wooldridge,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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Wood storks were listed as endangered in 1984, when its population had dropped by over 75 percent—from roughly 20,000 nesting pairs to about 5,000 nesting pairs—primarily due to wetland loss.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s real, sweat-inducing tension to scenes where Esther, alone at home with her children, is encircled and menaced by mobs of men preying on the easiest of targets.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
22 Feb. 2026
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Extreme heat fuels out of control bushfires Bushfires, fueled by the soaring temperatures, have menaced towns in the state of Victoria, prompting evacuations as volunteer firefighters attempted to douse flames around homes.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threaten. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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