threshold

American  

[thresh-ohld, thresh-hohld] / ˈθrɛʃ oʊld, ˈθrɛʃ hoʊld /

noun

• thresholds
  plural

1. the sill of a doorway.

2. the entrance to a house or building.

3. any place or point of entering or beginning.

   the threshold of a new career.

4. Also called limen.  Psychology, Physiology. the point at which a stimulus is of sufficient intensity to begin to produce an effect.

   the threshold of consciousness; a low threshold of pain.

---

threshold British  

/ ˈθrɛʃˌhəʊld, ˈθrɛʃəʊld /

noun

1. Also called: doorsill.  a sill, esp one made of stone or hardwood, placed at a doorway

2. any doorway or entrance

3. the starting point of an experience, event, or venture

   on the threshold of manhood

4. psychol the strength at which a stimulus is just perceived Compare absolute threshold difference threshold

   the threshold of consciousness

5. 1. a level or point at which something would happen, would cease to happen, or would take effect, become true, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      threshold price

      threshold effect

6. 1. the minimum intensity or value of a signal, etc, that will produce a response or specified effect

      a frequency threshold

   2. ( as modifier )

      a threshold current

7. (modifier) designating or relating to a pay agreement, clause, etc, that raises wages to compensate for increases in the cost of living

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• thresholds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of threshold

First recorded before 900; Middle English threschold, Old English threscold, threscwald; cognate with Old Norse threskǫldr, dialectal Swedish träskvald; akin to thresh in earlier sense “trample, tread”; -old, -wald element of obscure origin

Explanation

A threshold is what you step across when you enter a room. A threshold takes you from one place into another, and when you're about to start something new, you're also on a threshold. A threshold is a point of departure or transition. Graduation can mark a threshold — when you graduate from circus school, you're standing at the threshold of your new career as a trapeze artist. Another kind of threshold is a limit or boundary. If you have a high threshold for pain, you can tolerate a lot of it, and your dentist can drill away without worrying about your squirming and howling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

threshold thresholds

Scientists at the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht now say that this temperature threshold does not tell the whole story.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

While Saturday will still feel very warm in south-eastern areas of England, temperatures will have mostly come down below the heatwave threshold of 28C, marking an end to the current heatwave.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Second, American negotiators assume that there is a fixed pain threshold at which the regime will break.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

But there is now a 69% chance that this El Niño will reach or exceed that threshold in the tropical Pacific.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The hall-door, which was half of glass, stood open; I stepped over the threshold.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

“Medicaid asset and income thresholds can prompt families to reassess their plans,” the law firm adds.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

The researchers noted that the thresholds used to define a meaningful improvement were developed mainly from studies involving knee osteoarthritis or mixed groups of osteoarthritis patients.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

The EA told BBC News that the "heavy rain" definition Hammond was using was only for the Southern Water sites and that different parts of England had different levels of rainfall, so different thresholds.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Cast-stone columns with ornate capitals bisect the thresholds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The floor was a patchwork of odd-shaped wooden slats that rose in the middle and dipped toward the front and back doors, where they butted against shiny, worn thresholds.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• brink
• verge