as in endangers
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 threatens
Members of the monarchy wave from carriages, aristocrats don faintly cartoonish top hats and extravagant millinery threatens to obscure the view at every turn.
—
Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
When Yumeko, played by Martineau, a mysterious transfer student arrives, her gambling prowess puts her in the crosshairs of the powerful Student Council, while her secret quest for revenge threatens to upend the school’s status quo entirely.
—Peter White, Deadline, 18 June 2026
Investors see companies racing to capture AI's disruptive gains while underinvesting in societal stewardship and resilience as a risk that threatens to destabilize the very foundations on which healthy markets are built.
—Martin Whittaker, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Their mounds damage landscaping, and their aggressive behavior threatens native wildlife and pets.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 17 June 2026
Flooding threatens hundreds of millions of people each year in low-lying coastal areas across the globe.
—Alexa St. John, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Del Toro also nodded to the rising tide of political polarization that threatens creative freedom around the world.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 16 June 2026
Alas, as the current crisis confirms, such mere facts do not persuade those leading the anti-vaccine crusade that threatens both existing protections and the hope of creating new ones.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
The work will have to continue in future to address the city’s structural deficit, especially as a potential economic downturn further threatens the city’s fiscal standing.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
When Yumeko, played by Martineau, a mysterious transfer student arrives, her gambling prowess puts her in the crosshairs of the powerful Student Council, while her secret quest for revenge threatens to upend the school’s status quo entirely.
—Peter White, Deadline, 18 June 2026
Investors see companies racing to capture AI's disruptive gains while underinvesting in societal stewardship and resilience as a risk that threatens to destabilize the very foundations on which healthy markets are built.
—Martin Whittaker, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Their mounds damage landscaping, and their aggressive behavior threatens native wildlife and pets.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 17 June 2026
Flooding threatens hundreds of millions of people each year in low-lying coastal areas across the globe.
—Alexa St. John, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Del Toro also nodded to the rising tide of political polarization that threatens creative freedom around the world.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 16 June 2026
Alas, as the current crisis confirms, such mere facts do not persuade those leading the anti-vaccine crusade that threatens both existing protections and the hope of creating new ones.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
The work will have to continue in future to address the city’s structural deficit, especially as a potential economic downturn further threatens the city’s fiscal standing.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threatens
endangers
Verb
-
Environmentalists say that plume endangers sea life.—
Harry Stevens,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
There’s lots of humiliation and frustration involved, as well as an incident that endangers his family.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Threatens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threatens. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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