empty threat
noun
: a threat that someone does not really mean
Don't make empty threats that you have no intention of backing up with action.
… the Witch of the West looks, in this scene anyhow, curiously frail and impotent, obliged to mouth empty threats …—
Salman Rushdie
Salman RushdieExamples of empty threat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mouth-taping had long been the empty threat of spouses irked by their partner’s snoring, but now the TikTok tapers seal their own mouths voluntarily, looking for better sleep and more likes.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
Not surprisingly, that turned out to be an empty threat.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
Verstappen’s words aren’t an empty threat Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Losing your temper, and leveling empty threats against your battling brood.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 29 June 2024
And the mounting challenge to Marcos Jr. and his allies in government is not necessarily an empty threat.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 26 June 2024
Ironically, when the dust settled, Chinese nationalists accused their government of making empty threats and not doing enough to stand up to the United States.
—Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Journalist Yair Rosenberg suggested that Musk's posts could be an empty threat.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2023
The union sees that as an empty threat, but is also dealing with growing restlessness among its A-list members.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
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Matt Fuchs, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
Not surprisingly, that turned out to be an empty threat.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
Verstappen’s words aren’t an empty threat Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Losing your temper, and leveling empty threats against your battling brood.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 29 June 2024
And the mounting challenge to Marcos Jr. and his allies in government is not necessarily an empty threat.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 26 June 2024
Ironically, when the dust settled, Chinese nationalists accused their government of making empty threats and not doing enough to stand up to the United States.
—Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Journalist Yair Rosenberg suggested that Musk's posts could be an empty threat.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2023
The union sees that as an empty threat, but is also dealing with growing restlessness among its A-list members.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near empty threat
Cite this Entry
“Empty threat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty%20threat. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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