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
Even as Trump and other Republicans have threatened some of that coverage, Kennedy has remained mum.
—
Aleccia Washington, Twin Cities, 15 Nov. 2024
An eighth-grade transgender boy, who was allegedly threatened with expulsion for using the boys' restroom, is suing his South Carolina school district.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
And those agents can actually ruin deals — like the one who tried to negotiate a price down by insulting the home, which turned off her sellers, or another who threatened a sale by going on vacation instead of signing papers at a closing.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
The logging will periodically cloud the waters of Yellow Creek, where threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon go to spawn.
—April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for threaten 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Aleccia Washington, Twin Cities, 15 Nov. 2024
An eighth-grade transgender boy, who was allegedly threatened with expulsion for using the boys' restroom, is suing his South Carolina school district.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
And those agents can actually ruin deals — like the one who tried to negotiate a price down by insulting the home, which turned off her sellers, or another who threatened a sale by going on vacation instead of signing papers at a closing.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
The logging will periodically cloud the waters of Yellow Creek, where threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon go to spawn.
—April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for threaten
Dictionary Entries Near threaten
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threaten. Accessed 28 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share