threatened; threatening
ˈthret-niŋ 
ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ
1
: to utter threats against
2
3
: to announce as intended or possible
the workers threatened a strike
4
: to cause to feel insecure or anxious
felt threatened by his brother's success
Synonyms
Examples of threaten in a Sentence
The mugger threatened him with a gun.
She threatened to quit if they didn't give her a raise, but no one believed her.
Civil war has been threatening the country for years.
a marriage threatened by financial problems
Overfishing threatens the survival of certain fish species.
The latest news threatens trouble for the economy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet, this week’s homestand offered a conversely troubling reality check, serving as a reminder of the many potholes still threatening to throw the Dodgers’ season off course.
—
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
The Dutch threatened to cut Britain off from trees from the Baltic area (the Rhine empties through Holland), but the British realized that New England contained vast, old growth forests of White Pine.
—Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for threaten 
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
The Dutch threatened to cut Britain off from trees from the Baltic area (the Rhine empties through Holland), but the British realized that New England contained vast, old growth forests of White Pine.
—Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for threaten
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'threaten.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near threaten
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threaten. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
threaten
verb
threat·en
ˈthret-ᵊn
threatened; threatening
ˈthret-niŋ
-ᵊn-iŋ
1
: to utter threats : make threats against
threaten trespassers with arrest
2
: to give signs or warning of
clouds threatening rain
3
: to be an imminent danger to : menace
hunger threatens the town
4
: to announce as intended or possible
the workers threatened a strike
threatened to buy a car
5
: to cause to feel insecure or anxious
felt threatened by his friend's success
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