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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of threaten
Relatives and local activists said Porter, a 43-year-old father of two, was not threatening anyone, and was simply shooting into the air to ring in the new year.
—
Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
Hanson previously pleaded guilty to threatening the president and successors to the presidency.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 7 Mar. 2026
The images were a refutation—and a response to her husband, who believed the reports and threatened to take their son, Georgio.
—Anika Burgess, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026
Written by Sheridan and directed by David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water centers on Texas brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster), whose family ranch is being threatened with foreclosure.
—Sezin Devi Keohler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
Hanson previously pleaded guilty to threatening the president and successors to the presidency.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 7 Mar. 2026
The images were a refutation—and a response to her husband, who believed the reports and threatened to take their son, Georgio.
—Anika Burgess, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026
Written by Sheridan and directed by David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water centers on Texas brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster), whose family ranch is being threatened with foreclosure.
—Sezin Devi Keohler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threaten
Verb
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The Yurok Tribe is leading the effort to bring the large, endangered vultures back to their historic homeland in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Experts said the changes could endanger the running of Mexico’s elections and make the governing party stronger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bruce, as the stunt shark built to menace them is nicknamed, is acting up and delaying the acting itself.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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Trump’s Republican Party, which narrowly controls the House and Senate, largely sees the conflict with Iran not as the start of a new war, but the end of a government that has long menaced the West.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Fortune,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threaten. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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