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
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
This was not the first time Alvarez and Almada had combined to threaten Uruguay, though.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Shortly before his death, A.B. confronted Lilly in his office and threatened to expose her for misappropriating funds, illegally securing contracts, trading favors with different vendors and sneaking individuals into the White House.
—Max Gao, Variety, 23 Mar. 2025
At Columbia University in New York, demonstrations against the war, while mostly peaceful, also led to the occupation and vandalizing of buildings and what many Jewish students described as a threatening antisemitic atmosphere on campus.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2025
Lee says tariffs can be helpful in certain situations, but what’s been threatened by the Trump administration is more troublesome.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
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Anantaajith Raghuraman, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Shortly before his death, A.B. confronted Lilly in his office and threatened to expose her for misappropriating funds, illegally securing contracts, trading favors with different vendors and sneaking individuals into the White House.
—Max Gao, Variety, 23 Mar. 2025
At Columbia University in New York, demonstrations against the war, while mostly peaceful, also led to the occupation and vandalizing of buildings and what many Jewish students described as a threatening antisemitic atmosphere on campus.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2025
Lee says tariffs can be helpful in certain situations, but what’s been threatened by the Trump administration is more troublesome.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threaten. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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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