as in to endanger
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in impending
giving signs of immediate occurrence
economists warning of a threatening recession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
a threatening silence followed the loud thump in the adjoining motel room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
threatening rocks lined that narrow stretch of the river through which we would be rafting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in menacing
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of threaten
Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 27 Apr. 2025
Palmer spent a large proportion of his time receiving and passing the ball too far from goal to threaten Jordan Pickford.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 Apr. 2025
According to The Athletic, Donald received threatening emails from Anwar five years ago and has since sent him packages and gifts while stalking him and threatening the life of his 3-year-old son.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Palisades fire has garnered headlines, but the Hurst and Eaton fires have also been threatening very populated areas.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Verb
Russian officials, at least covertly, have threatened US space infrastructure before.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 27 Apr. 2025
Palmer spent a large proportion of his time receiving and passing the ball too far from goal to threaten Jordan Pickford.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
However, the manager of the Small Faces, Marriott’s band at the time, allegedly made threatening noises about the move and everyone returned to their previous bands, although Beck left the Yardbirds shortly afterward.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 Apr. 2025
According to The Athletic, Donald received threatening emails from Anwar five years ago and has since sent him packages and gifts while stalking him and threatening the life of his 3-year-old son.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
Richard curses again, threatening Blum.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Palisades fire has garnered headlines, but the Hurst and Eaton fires have also been threatening very populated areas.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threaten
Adjective
-
The impending downturn at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles comes not long after the twin facilities reported booming activity, tied to a labor dispute that shut down major ports on the East and Gulf coasts.—
Caroline Petrow-Cohen,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2025
-
Customers of some e-commerce giants like Amazon, Shein and Temu are already feeling the effects of the impending closure of a trade loophole by the Trump administration.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Apr. 2025
-
But despite some ominous signs, a close look at the data shows that travel to the United States is largely holding up — at least so far.—
Josh Holder,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Harvard-Westlake, last year’s Division 1 runner-up, is still dangerous with sophomore pitcher Justin Kirchner (7-0) and junior center fielder James Tronstein.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Activists have criticized clearing acres of trees, said that a firing range on campus could be dangerous and that the project would change the Matthews campus’ culture for the worse.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Or, more likely, The Sentry is simply the benevolent mirror image of that shadowy, sinister entity that emerges after Bob Reynolds ingests a super serum.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
-
However, what was happening behind the scenes was more sinister than what the public thought.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And like the previous trials, the intense tests served an important purpose—in this case, making sure the shields coating LIFE habitat modules will withstand any hazardous micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) impacts.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Although with the right tools, tough jobs can be a lot easier, faster, and even less hazardous in the case of sharp tools.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Those two will take on the Mitchell and Garland assignments and will need to be as disruptive as possible.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
Users need to have a top-secret security clearance of the highest level possible at the Energy Department to access the network, according to agency rules for handling classified information.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Adjective
-
His other arrests include menacing and marijuana possession in 2009, grand larceny in 2008 and a 2005 bust for assault as a juvenile.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2025
-
If the sky becomes menacing and thunder becomes audible, seek out a safe place to seek shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Most cryptocurrency education is either overly basic or intended to encourage new investors to make risky trades without a clear plan.—
Kody Boye,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threaten. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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