How to Use threaten in a Sentence

threaten

verb

• 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.
• The latest news threatens trouble for the economy.
• Overfishing threatens the survival of certain fish species.
• And the wrong way is to scream, threaten and storm off.
  — Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 3 June 2022
• Maduro and his cadres have threatened to lock up both of them.
  — Jorge Rueda and Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2024
• The Washburn fire is only the latest to threaten the beloved trees.
  — Christine Fernando, USA TODAY, 9 July 2022
• Also, it’s not just the spills that threaten coastal ecosystems and economies, and ways of life.
  — Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 28 June 2022
• The sections with sticky, sloppy mud and hog ruts threatened to take the shoes right off our feet.
  — Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Nov. 2024
• Later in the episode, Spears got emotional again and threatened to quit the show.
  — Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
• Some fans will threaten players children in front of any kids in the stands.
  — Bobby Nightengale, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2022
• Some fans will threaten players' children in front of any kids in the stands.
  — The Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2022
• World & Nation Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal.
  — Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
• The woman said Marchetti killed her dog and threatened to kill her next.
  — Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 21 June 2024
• When a guard threatened to shoot, the group backed off and Ms. Stafford felt her resolve deflate.
  — Lynsey Chutel Gulshan Khan, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2023
• But there are some risks that threaten De Haan’s outlook.
  — Krystal Hur, CNN, 28 May 2023
• Critics had warned that the change could lead to chaos, or even threaten the city’s credit rating.
  — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
• That sounds like a lot, but the sum so far has not appeared to threaten U.S. economic growth.
  — Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2024
• The Bombers’ bullpen depth, meanwhile, has been threatened by a handful of injuries.
  — Gary Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
• Then there is the island itself, shaped by the seasons and threatened by the hostile nature.
  — Annika Pham, Variety, 13 Nov. 2023
• Even when guns are not lethal, research shows they are used by abusers to threaten victims.
  — Abigail Higgins, Washington Post, 14 June 2022
• Shoutout to the 38 Republicans who shot the bill down in the House while being threatened & blackmailed.
  — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
• The vice president would not have been threatened with a hanging.
  — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2025
• Snowfall in New Orleans threatened a record set 130 years ago.
  — John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
• If the sky becomes threatening and thunder can be heard, find a safe place to shelter.
  — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2025
• By the time the 80th minute rolled around, France had yet to seriously threaten the Albiceleste.
  — Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Dec. 2022
• When disaster threatens, her new friends — a pile of rocks, a rabbit, a cactus, the motel desk clerks— save the day.
  — Staff Author, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2023
• Severe thunderstorms threatened a swath of the country with a population of 2.3 million people from northeast Texas through Arkansas and into southeast Missouri.
  — Andrew Demillo, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
• Senior Iranian officials are threatening to ramp up the country's nuclear program as the Trump administration weighs a possible strike against the regime if Tehran does not come to the table for negotiations.
  — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025