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.

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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

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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

At the time, the Court suggested a lack of direct ownership fell short of the recusal threshold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Van Houten said on Monday that at the time of the assault two years ago, his office concluded that evidence from her statement to authorities did not meet the legal threshold to bring charges.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

"Below a certain threshold, services do not simply reach fewer people; they can stop functioning altogether, leaving those most at risk without the protection they need."

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Luxury tax payrolls determine whether a team exceeds the league’s luxury tax threshold and owes financial penalties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

All Aru remembered when she crossed the threshold was a curious sense of bemusement.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Luxury tax penalties from clubs that exceed the thresholds funnel back to low-revenue clubs through revenue sharing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Canadian government, alongside regional authorities, had provided roughly $710 million to Stellantis to help with plant reconfiguration, conditional on the company meeting certain production and employment thresholds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The next evidence will come from capital-spending guidance, chip orders, data-center contracts, model-release schedules and enforceable safety thresholds.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

It was the second most frequently reported complaint in the Reddit data, even though relatively few clinical trials reported fatigue often enough for it to reach established reporting thresholds.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

He could secure the thresholds with molten pain and remain; or he could let go and flow back.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko

Related Words

• brink
• verge