threat

American  

[thret] / θrɛt /

noun

1. a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course.

   His family convinced him to take the anonymous threats seriously and call the police.

2. an indication or warning of probable trouble, or of being at risk for something terrible.

   The threat of a storm was in the air.

   He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.

3. a person or thing that threatens.

   Her attorney will try to convince the judge that she is not a threat to herself or others.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. Archaic. to threaten.

   Do you dare to accuse and threat within my very home?

threat British  

/ θrɛt /

noun

1. a declaration of the intention to inflict harm, pain, or misery

2. an indication of imminent harm, danger, or pain

3. a person or thing that is regarded as dangerous or likely to inflict pain or misery

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verb

1. an archaic word for threaten

threat Idioms  

1. see triple threat.

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Usage

What does threat mean? A threat is a statement indicating that you will cause harm to or create some other kind of negative consequences for someone, especially to pressure them to do something or not to do something. Many threats involve a promise to physically harm someone in retaliation for what they have done or might do. A bank robber who says he’ll shoot the bank teller if they don’t hand over the money is making a threat. Telling a bully that you’ll punch them if they don’t stop bothering your little brother is a threat. A death threat involves telling someone that they will be killed. Some threats are simply meant to intimidate, and don’t involve pressuring someone to do something. Not all threats involve violence. Telling your neighbor that you’re going to file a lawsuit if they don’t repair your fence that they broke is a threat. The word threat can also refer to someone or something that may potentially cause harm or damage. A hurricane is a threat to people and buildings in its path. A disease is a threat to your health. A security threat is someone or something that might make a situation unsafe. A person who may be able to beat someone in a competition might be called a threat, such as in sports or politics. Threat can also mean a warning or sign that harm or trouble is coming, as in The news was seen as a threat of problems in the very near future. The verb threaten means to make a threat, as in Don’t you dare threaten me! It can also mean to be a source of potential harm or damage, as in This recession threatens our livelihoods, or 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. Example: The rowdy students immediately started to behave in response to the teacher’s threat of calling their parents.

Other Word Forms

• counterthreat noun

Etymology

Origin of threat

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun thret(e) “crowd, multitude, verbal menace,” Old English thrēat “crowd, pressure, oppression, punishment”; cognate with Old Norse thraut “hardship, great struggle”; verb from the noun; threaten ( def. )

Explanation

A threat is an impending danger that has the potential to cause serious harm — it just hasn't done so yet. In The Wizard of Oz, the huge tornado that spiraled across the Kansas countryside posed a threat to the little girl named Dorothy in its path. If a huge thug carrying an equally huge knife approaches you in a dark alley and demands, "Your wallet or your life," you feel the imminent threat. Your safety is at risk, especially if you don't hand over that wallet. Threats don't have to be big and scary, though. An extra-large slice of chocolate cake isn't armed and dangerous, but it's still a serious threat to any dieter who's trying to cut calories. Or, you could see a gray cloud as promising the threat of rain showers.

Example Sentences

That makes it less vulnerable to disruption than, say, an enterprise software provider facing an existential threat from tools such as Anthropic’s Claude.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

But after Argentine MPs this week passed government reforms to loosen the protection of glaciers, De Valle fears her vineyard's water supply is under threat.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Researchers say the animal is a threat to the state’s agriculture and water supply.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

And it isn’t just energy prices that pose an economic threat for Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

What could Daniel Ellsberg possibly have done to provoke such wrath—to be seen as such a threat?

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• blackmail
• hazard
• intimidation
• menace
• peril
• risk