threshold

noun

thresh·​old ˈthresh-ˌhōld 

ˈthre-ˌshōld

1

: the plank, stone, or piece of timber that lies under a door : sill

2

a

: gate, door

b(1)

: end, boundary

specifically : the end of a runway

(2)

: the place or point of entering or beginning : outset

on the threshold of a new age

3

a

: the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced

has a high threshold for pain

b

: a level, point, or value above which something is true or will take place and below which it is not or will not

Did you know?

Whenever you leave your home, walk from one room to another, or enter a building, you are crossing a threshold—that is, the horizontal floor piece that you cross over whenever you move through a doorway. But the earliest uses of threshold refer to a different type of boundary: an Old English translation of Boethius’s De consolatione philosophiae uses the word in a sentence about how the sea was made so that it didn’t overstep the "threshold," or boundary, of the earth. In this translation, which was written around 888, threshold appears as þeorscwold (that first letter is called thorn and it was used in Old English and Middle English to indicate the sounds produced by th in thin and this). The origins of this Old English word are not known, though it is believed to be related to the Old English word threscan, from which we get the words thresh, meaning "to separate seed from (a harvested plant) using a machine or tool" and thrash, meaning, among other things, "to beat soundly with or as if with a stick or whip." But there's nothing in the historical record that directly ties threshing to the threshold.

Synonyms

• brink
• cusp
• edge
• point
• verge

Examples of threshold in a Sentence

… we still hadn't grasped that we had crossed a threshold where it no longer mattered what passport you carried, that you were young and loved, … or that you were a noncombatant. —Paul Salopek, National Geographic, April 2008

As we speak, the very worst of humanity is on the threshold of acquiring the most powerful weapons in history—this is a fear and a consideration to be taken very seriously. —Charles Krauthammer, New Republic, 29 Apr. 2002

We thought that we were on the threshold of an age of space travel. But the greatest impact of the trip to the moon was on how we view the Earth. —Suzannah Lessard, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2001

He stepped across the threshold.

If your income rises above a certain threshold, your tax rate also rises.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Democratic nominee can still reach the threshold of 270 electoral votes and win the election by carrying a combination of some of the other battleground states: Arizona (11 electoral votes), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), North Carolina (16), Nevada (six) and Wisconsin (10). —Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

But this year’s election cycle has been decidedly quieter for bumping the national threshold to $15 an hour. —Maria Gracia Santillana Linares, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Early in the war, concerns that the invasion increased the danger of a nuclear detonation or accidental explosion focused on the risk to Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants and Russia’s threats to intentionally escalate the conflict past the nuclear threshold. —William M. Moon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024

Yet they’re sponsored by some of the most prestigious media institutions, places where 60 percent accuracy — even 90 percent accuracy — wouldn’t come anywhere close to meeting the threshold for publishing a regular news story. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English thresshold, from Old English threscwald; akin to Old Norse threskjǫldr threshold, Old English threscan to thresh

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing threshold

• high pain threshold
• low pain threshold
• on/at the threshold
• pain threshold

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Kids Definition

threshold

noun

thresh·​old ˈthresh-ˌ(h)ōld 

1

: the section of wood or stone that lies under a door

2

a

: entrance entry 1 sense 2a

b

: the place or point of beginning

at the threshold of an adventure

3

: the point or level at which a physical or mental effect begins to be produced

the threshold of hearing

Medical Definition

threshold

noun

thresh·​old ˈthresh-ˌ(h)ōld 

: the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced (as the degree of stimulation of a nerve which just produces a response or the concentration of sugar in the blood at which sugar just begins to pass the barrier of the kidneys and enter the urine)

below the threshold of consciousness

the threshold of pain

a high renal clearance threshold

called also limen

Legal Definition

threshold

1 of 2 noun

thresh·​old ˈthresh-ˌhōld 

: a point of beginning : a minimum requirement for further action

specifically : a determination (as of fact or the existence of a reasonable doubt) upon which something else (as further consideration or a right of action) hinges

the threshold for inquiry

threshold

2 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, or being a threshold

the threshold issue in a negligence action is whether the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff

—Noakes v. City of Seattle, 895 P.2d 842 (1995)

a threshold showing of the need for psychiatric evaluation