threaten

American  

[thret-n] / ˈθrɛt n /

verb (used with object)

1. to utter a threat against; menace.

   He threatened the boy with a beating.

2. to be a menace or source of danger to.

   Sickness threatened her peace of mind.

   Synonyms:

   endanger

   Antonyms:

   defend , protect

3. to offer (a punishment, injury, etc.) by way of a threat.

   They threatened swift retaliation.

4. to give an ominous indication of.

   The clouds threaten rain.

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verb (used without object)

1. to utter or use threats.

2. to indicate impending evil or mischief.

threaten British  

/ ˈθrɛtən /

verb

1. (tr) to be a threat to

2. to be a menacing indication of (something); portend

   dark clouds threatened rain

3. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to express a threat to (a person or people)

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Usage

What does threaten mean? To threaten someone is to indicate that you will cause harm to or create some other kind of negative consequences for them, especially to pressure them to do something or not to do something.This kind of statement is called a threat. Threatening someone often involves a promise to physically harm them in retaliation for what they have done or might do. A bank robber might threaten a bank teller by telling them he’ll shoot them if they don’t hand over the money. Some threats are simply meant to intimidate, and don’t involve pressuring someone to do something. A bully might threaten to punch you for no good reason.Not all threats involve violence. You can threaten someone with a lawsuit.The word threat can also refer to someone or something that may potentially cause harm or damage, and threaten can mean to be a source of potential harm or damage. A disease threatens your health. A security threat is someone or something that threatens to make a situation unsafe.Threat can also mean a warning or sign that harm or trouble is coming, and threaten can mean to indicate potential harm or trouble, as in It is threatening to storm out there. The adjective threatening is used to describe someone or something that causes alarm, intimidates, or is intended to intimidate, as in You look very threatening in that costume. The adjective threatened means in danger, as in I felt threatened or We need to protect threatened species. Example: The rowdy students immediately started to behave after the teacher threatened to call their parents.

Other Word Forms

• outthreaten verb (used with object)
• prethreaten verb (used with object)
• rethreaten verb
• threatener noun
• threatening adjective
• threateningly adverb

Etymology

Origin of threaten

First recorded before 1000; Middle English thretnen, Old English thrēatnian, derivative of thrēat “pressure, oppression”; equivalent to threat + -en ¹

Example Sentences

At times, however, the passages quoted from letters and memoirs come so thick and fast that they threaten to overwhelm the connecting strand of Mr. Hart’s own chronological narrative.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Hammers pushed Liverpool close on Sunday, but they did not really threaten very much despite the Reds being so vulnerable defensively at the moment.

From BBC

The panel issue now threatens to interrupt an end-of-year scramble to meet the company’s annual production target.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last month, Unite also claimed managers had threatened agency workers with being banned from jobs or blacklisted if they refused to cross picket lines.

From BBC

Trade and journalistic art criticism are both rooted in mass media, now threatened as their platforms shrink and disappear.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• intimidate
• menace
• scare