threaten
verb (used with object)
to utter a threat against; menace.
had been threatening
-
past perfect progressiveof threaten.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said that an activist investor had been threatening to take over the board and fire him and other executives, and a sale seemed like the best exit strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Employees had been threatening to strike until the company reached a tentative agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers union this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2025
"I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him," she said.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024
Midfielder Robert Andrich added another goal for Leverkusen in the 73rd with a long-range shot — just as Roma had been threatening on the other end.
From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2024
Washington had been threatening to retire even before he was inaugurated as president in 1789, and he had repeated the threat in 1792 prior to his reelection.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
