threaten
verb (used with object)
to utter a threat against; menace.
were threatening
-
past progressiveof threaten.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
More were threatening to leave the agency, according to people familiar with the situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
But perhaps more importantly, within those few days, it was as if what Akhundzada had hinted at in that speech months earlier had come to pass: insiders were threatening Taliban unity.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
His move at the time won applause from the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance, which said imports were threatening 250,000 U.S. jobs in the industry.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 29, 2025
The defendants present at the hearing, including a student, a father and carer, admitted to sending messages but denied they were threatening or constituted harassment.
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
The skies were threatening, but the thunderstorm he’d been expecting since last night had yet to arrive.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
