threaten

[ thret-n ]
See synonyms for: threatenthreatenedthreateningthreatens on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. to offer (a punishment, injury, etc.) by way of a threat: They threatened swift retaliation.

  2. to give an ominous indication of: The clouds threaten rain.

verb (used without object)
  1. to utter or use threats.

  2. to indicate impending evil or mischief.

Origin of threaten

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English thretnen, Old English thrēatnian, derivative of thrēat “pressure, oppression”; equivalent to threat + -en1

Other words for threaten

Opposites for threaten

Other words from threaten

  • threat·en·er, noun
  • outthreaten, verb (used with object)
  • pre·threat·en, verb (used with object)
  • re·threat·en, verb

Words Nearby threaten

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How to use threaten in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for threaten

threaten

/ (ˈθrɛtən) /


verb
  1. (tr) to be a threat to

  2. to be a menacing indication of (something); portend: dark clouds threatened rain

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

Derived forms of threaten

  • threatener, noun
  • threatening, adjective
  • threateningly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012