Noun
He was willing to use violence and threats to get what he wanted.
She ignored their threats and continued to do what she felt was right.
a country under threat of civil war
Recent Examples on the Web
Such videos are further examples of the growing tide of violence and threats against the trans community.
—
Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023
Merchan and his family have received threats since Trump’s New York arraignment this week, as did the prosecutors in the case in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
—Harold Maass, The Week, 7 Apr. 2023
Even these take on elements of horror or fantasy to cement their status as a threat to the group.
—Matt Monagle, Chron, 7 Apr. 2023
And he’s done so without coming on too strong as a strategic threat.
—Martin Holmes, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2023
Standing side by side at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, the two acknowledged China’s threats against the island’s government.
—Huizhong Wu, ajc, 6 Apr. 2023
Simmons says the local Icelandic whales saw him as a threat and treated him as such.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
China’s effort has echoes of its defense of another Chinese company that has found itself in the cross hairs of American legal and political controversy: Huawei, the telecommunications giant, which the United States has identified as a potential national security threat.
—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2023
Spiraling crisis Many Protestants loyal to the U.K. viewed the culture of Northern Ireland’s minority Catholic population as a threat and treated them as second-class citizens.
—Joseph Patrick Kelly, The Conversation, 5 Apr. 2023
Multi-layered protection should incorporate everything from SSL inspection, to DDoS protection, to customer identity and access management (CIAM), to threat intelligence, along with ongoing user training in best practices to minimize risky behaviors.
—Dhrupad Trivedi, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2021
Look for women mentors within the company who have been able to go up the career ladder despite the pet to threat.
—Luciana Paulise, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023
On the turnover, Jones froze the defense momentarily with a nice play-action fake, rolled right, and tried to threat a needle to Kendrick Bourne.
—Jim Mcbride, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2022
Removing barriers to threat information sharing between government and the private sector.
—Leonard Kleinman, Forbes, 9 Nov. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘threat.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
noun
a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course: His family convinced him to take the anonymous threats seriously and call the police.
an indication or warning of probable trouble, or of being at risk for something terrible:The threat of a storm was in the air.He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
a person or thing that threatens: Her attorney will try to convince the judge that she is not a threat to herself or others.
verb (used with or without object)
Archaic. to threaten: Do you dare to accuse and threat within my very home?
QUIZ
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There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of threat
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun thret(e) “crowd, multitude, verbal menace,” Old English thrēat “crowd, pressure, oppression, punishment”; cognate with Old Norse thraut “hardship, great struggle”; verb from the noun; see also threaten
OTHER WORDS FROM threat
coun·ter·threat [koun-ter-thret], /ˈkaʊn tərˌθrɛt/, noun
Words nearby threat
thread silk, thread vein, threadworm, thready, threap, threat, threaten, threatened species, threatening, three, three-a-cat
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
MORE ABOUT THREAT
What does threat mean?
A threat is a statement indicating that you will cause harm to or create some other kind of negative consequences for someone, especially to pressure them to do something or not to do something.
Many threats involve a promise to physically harm someone in retaliation for what they have done or might do. A bank robber who says he’ll shoot the bank teller if they don’t hand over the money is making a threat. Telling a bully that you’ll punch them if they don’t stop bothering your little brother is a threat. A death threat involves telling someone that they will be killed. Some threats are simply meant to intimidate, and don’t involve pressuring someone to do something.
Not all threats involve violence. Telling your neighbor that you’re going to file a lawsuit if they don’t repair your fence that they broke is a threat.
The word threat can also refer to someone or something that may potentially cause harm or damage. A hurricane is a threat to people and buildings in its path. A disease is a threat to your health. A security threat is someone or something that might make a situation unsafe. A person who may be able to beat someone in a competition might be called a threat, such as in sports or politics.
Threat can also mean a warning or sign that harm or trouble is coming, as in The news was seen as a threat of problems in the very near future.
The verb threaten means to make a threat, as in Don’t you dare threaten me! It can also mean to be a source of potential harm or damage, as in This recession threatens our livelihoods, or to indicate potential harm or trouble, as in It is threatening to storm out there.
The adjective threatening is used to describe someone or something that causes alarm, intimidates, or is intended to intimidate, as in You look very threatening in that costume.
Example: The rowdy students immediately started to behave in response to the teacher’s threat of calling their parents.
Where does threat come from?
The first records of the word threat come from before 900. It ultimately comes from the Old English thréat, meaning “pressure” or “punishment.”
Most threats are meant to pressure someone to do something (or not do something) by indicating what the punishment will be if they don’t comply. For example, telling your brother that you will tell your parents that he was out past curfew unless he gives you something is a threat (it’s also blackmail). It doesn’t matter if you intend to tell your parents or not—the statement is still a threat.
In all of its uses, a threat involves the possibility of something bad happening, but the word does not refer to the actual negative consequences that are being threatened.
Did you know … ?
How is threat used in real life?
Threat is always used in negative contexts, especially ones that involve some kind of harm or violence.
Great to have everyone under one roof so that I can yell threats at them from the attic about Xmas decorations
— NC State mbb scored 24 pts in a regulation game (@LeninFunkoPop) December 7, 2019
Somebody please get this raccoon out of my backyard!!! It is a threat to my dog
— Jackie B (@_queen__j) January 23, 2014
Besides the constant threat of bankruptcy, owning a horse may be the best decision I’ve ever made
— fine (@physeqs) April 21, 2016
Try using threat!
Is threat used correctly in the following sentence?
After I accidentally knocked over their snowman, the kids started shouting angry threats at me.
Words related to threat
blackmail, hazard, intimidation, menace, peril, risk, bluff, commination, fix, foreboding, foreshadowing, fulmination, impendence, omen, portent, presage, thunder, writing on the wall
How to use threat in a sentence
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“We disclose attacks like these because we believe it’s important the world knows about threats to democratic processes,” Burt said.
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We have to be as patient and as responsive as we can and acknowledge the challenges that many of these major advertisers are going through as they face fundamental threats to their business models.
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This is a threat that many small commercial areas will likely face in the very near future.
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It’s there that the NSA has unique insight into some of the biggest threats that the public and private sectors face, and uses that information to help protect the nation’s most critical infrastructure and systems from disruption.
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Cygilant, a threat detection cybersecurity company, has confirmed a ransomware attack.
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When communism was a threat, it was construed as a communist plot.
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But this war jumps from city to city, depending the threat of the day.
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But his solution to this metastasizing threat is, in some ways, counterintuitive.
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“The threat streams to U.S. interests and Western interests are off the chart,” he said.
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The Perfect Storm writer talks combat brotherhood and the threat posed by growing wealth inequality.
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That cold, sneering voice, with its note of threat, was like a hand of ice upon his overheated brain.
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Her voice was stern; it bore to the girl’s ears a subtle, unworded repetition of the threat the Marquise had already voiced.
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Was it the threat of Tony’s near arrival that made her confession—and his dismissal—at last inevitable?
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Recall his threat when coughed down on the occasion of his maiden speech in the House of Commons.
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It throve because it came with the tempting bribe of Heaven in one hand, and the withering threat of Hell in the other.
British Dictionary definitions for threat
noun
a declaration of the intention to inflict harm, pain, or misery
an indication of imminent harm, danger, or pain
a person or thing that is regarded as dangerous or likely to inflict pain or misery
verb
Word Origin for threat
Old English; related to Old Norse thraut, Middle Low German drōt
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with threat
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
threat
(thrĕt)
n.
1. An expression of an intention to inflict pain, harm, or punishment.
2. An indication of impending danger or harm: a threat of frost in the air.
3. One that is regarded as a possible source of harm or danger: viewed the stranger as a threat to the community.
4. The condition of being in danger or at risk: under threat of attack.
tr.v. threat·ed, threat·ing, threats Archaic
To threaten.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
threat
(θrɛt)
n
1. a declaration of the intention to inflict harm, pain, or misery
2. an indication of imminent harm, danger, or pain
3. a person or thing that is regarded as dangerous or likely to inflict pain or misery
[Old English; related to Old Norse thraut, Middle Low German drōt]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
threat
(θrɛt)
n.
1. a declaration of an intention to inflict punishment, injury, etc., as in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course.
2. an indication or warning of probable trouble.
3. a person or thing that threatens.
v.t., v.i.
4. Archaic. to threaten.
[before 900; Middle English threte, Old English thrēat pressure, c. Old Norse thraut hardship]
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
threat
- boast — First meant «threaten» or «threat.»
- gunboat diplomacy — Foreign policy carried out with the backing of the threat or use of military force.
- ostrichism — Self-delusion, a refusal to cope with something, such as a threat—figuratively hiding one’s head in the sand, as the animal is mistakenly thought to do.
- threat — A word for a throng or crowd of people.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Threat
a crowd; a multitude of people; a group of men in an attacking mood. See also throng.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
threat
Past participle: threated
Gerund: threating
| Imperative |
|---|
| threat |
| threat |
| Present |
|---|
| I threat |
| you threat |
| he/she/it threats |
| we threat |
| you threat |
| they threat |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I threated |
| you threated |
| he/she/it threated |
| we threated |
| you threated |
| they threated |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am threating |
| you are threating |
| he/she/it is threating |
| we are threating |
| you are threating |
| they are threating |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have threated |
| you have threated |
| he/she/it has threated |
| we have threated |
| you have threated |
| they have threated |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was threating |
| you were threating |
| he/she/it was threating |
| we were threating |
| you were threating |
| they were threating |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had threated |
| you had threated |
| he/she/it had threated |
| we had threated |
| you had threated |
| they had threated |
| Future |
|---|
| I will threat |
| you will threat |
| he/she/it will threat |
| we will threat |
| you will threat |
| they will threat |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have threated |
| you will have threated |
| he/she/it will have threated |
| we will have threated |
| you will have threated |
| they will have threated |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be threating |
| you will be threating |
| he/she/it will be threating |
| we will be threating |
| you will be threating |
| they will be threating |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been threating |
| you have been threating |
| he/she/it has been threating |
| we have been threating |
| you have been threating |
| they have been threating |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been threating |
| you will have been threating |
| he/she/it will have been threating |
| we will have been threating |
| you will have been threating |
| they will have been threating |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been threating |
| you had been threating |
| he/she/it had been threating |
| we had been threating |
| you had been threating |
| they had been threating |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would threat |
| you would threat |
| he/she/it would threat |
| we would threat |
| you would threat |
| they would threat |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have threated |
| you would have threated |
| he/she/it would have threated |
| we would have threated |
| you would have threated |
| they would have threated |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  threat — something that is a source of danger; «earthquakes are a constant threat in Japan»
menace danger — a cause of pain or injury or loss; «he feared the dangers of traveling by air» yellow peril — the threat to Western civilization said to arise from the power of Asiatic peoples |
| 2. | threat — a warning that something unpleasant is imminent; «they were under threat of arrest»
warning — a message informing of danger; «a warning that still more bombs could explode» |
|
| 3. | threat — declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict harm on another; «his threat to kill me was quite explicit»
declaration — a statement that is emphatic and explicit (spoken or written) commination — a threat of divine punishment or vengeance menace — a threat or the act of threatening; «he spoke with desperate menace» |
|
| 4. | threat — a person who inspires fear or dread; «he was the terror of the neighborhood»
terror, scourge individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul — a human being; «there was too much for one person to do» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
threat
noun
2. threatening remark, menace, commination, intimidatory remark He may be forced to carry out his threat to resign.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
threat
noun
1. An expression of the intent to hurt or punish another:
2. An indication of impending danger or harm:
Idioms: gathering clouds, storm clouds.
3. One regarded as an imminent danger:
Idiom: clear and present danger.
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
تَهْديدتَهْدِيدعلامَة فيها تَهْديدمَصْدَر تَهْديد
hrozbaohroženívýhružky
trusselfare
تهدید
uhkauhkaus
prijetnja
fenyegetõ veszedelem
hótunógnunyfirvofandi hætta
脅かし脅し脅威脅迫
위협
grasinimasgrasinti
drauditraucēklis
grožnja
hot
การขู่เข็ญ
tehdittehlike işaretitehlike kaynağı
mối đe dọa
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
threat
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
threat
(θret) noun
1. a warning that one is going to hurt or punish someone. He will certainly carry out his threat to harm you.
2. a sign of something dangerous or unpleasant which may be, or is, about to happen. a threat of rain.
3. a source of danger. His presence is a threat to our plan/success.
ˈthreaten verb
to make or be a threat (to). She threatened to kill herself; He threatened me with violence / with a gun; A storm is threatening.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
threat
→ تَهْدِيد hrozba trussel Drohung απειλή amenaza uhka menace prijetnja minaccia 脅し 위협 dreigement trussel groźba ameaça угроза hot การขู่เข็ญ tehdit mối đe dọa 威胁
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
threat 
threaten 
threatened
threatening Surely if the main threat is from middle eastern terrorist groups largely, but not exclusively, recruiting middle eastern, asian and indian people then it follows that the resulting stop/search statistics reflect that? ❋ Inspector Gadget (2010)
Right now though, the main threat is Zod, so there’s that going on. spinster ❋ Unknown (2010)
In effect, the United States’ leaders have twisted the meaning of the term ‘threat‘ so as to render it a catch-all phase referring to dangers conjectured as well as actual, maturing at some indefinite time in the future as well as in the near term, and covering persons unwitting of their associations who provide even intangible forms of ‘aid and comfort’ to anyone who may be placed in the former broad categories. ❋ Michael Brenner (2011)
What’s true now is that many see Stewart as a title threat after his win Monday. ❋ Unknown (2011)
It’s true, Junior may not be the title threat you’d expect from his standing as the most popular driver seven years running, but he’s far from overrated; he just faced a completely different set of expectations than everyone else. ❋ Unknown (2010)
Britain’s security service, MI5, believe that the threat is at its highest for at least a decade — in other words higher now even than the aftermath of 9/11. ❋ Azeem Ibrahim (2010)
Too often, it’s like terrorist threats — when the threat is abated and dealt with and unsuccessful, then you never knew the threat was there in the beginning. ❋ Heath Harrison (2010)
You disagree (although apparently you no problem if the threat is an imminent asteroid impact — begging the question how do you justify funding NASA absent an asteroid threat?). ❋ Unknown (2010)
Increasingly, the threat is also from «lone terrorists» inspired by al Qaeda, whose plots are more difficult to detect. ❋ Alistair MacDonald (2010)
Naguib Sawiris, a billionaire businessman and one of Egypt’s highest profile Copts, founded a secular political party this year to counter what he describes as the threat of a «new dictatorship» by Islamist parties. ❋ Sam Dagher (2011)
Just how big a threat is the real-time web to Google? ❋ Unknown (2009)
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich gave an interview to the Christian Broadcasting Network to speak about his past indiscretions, the coming presidential race and what he calls the threat to «Judeo-Christian society.» ❋ Unknown (2011)
After this threat is the only time I have ever received competent service from Comcast. ❋ Unknown (2010)
In self-defense, the threat is a statement that if you come closer to me with your knife, I will shoot you. ❋ Unknown (2010)
For his part, Wilders said he is happy with the verdict and will continue to speak out against what he calls the threat of Islam. ❋ Unknown (2011)
[…] 2009 | 9: 00 AM PT | 0 comments Just how big a threat is the real-time web to Google? ❋ Unknown (2009)
The dispute has been bubbling away for some time now, with the producers from Provence up in arms at what they describe as a threat to the premium image of their wine. ❋ Will Lyons (2010)
«This [tank’s] is amazing, I pulled 13,[337] [dps] and I never got above 60% threat!» ❋ URTV667 (2009)
This [party’s] threat, yo.
Take a [sniff] of this coke, bro; it’s [the bomb] threat. ❋ Misterbailey (2007)
Jack: [Rose], are you threating me?
Rose: I don’t know what [the f]*[ck] that means , Jack ❋ GimuGimu (2017)
[Watch out] here comes the [threat]. ❋ …………girls……….. (2020)
[Rudy Gobert] you just kicked a chair so you get a [Hall of Fame] School Threat [badge]. ❋ Booban Marijuanavick (2020)
I was late picking up my girlfriend so I told her that the horn fell off my car and I had to have it fixed using [a zip] screw. She said I was lying. She said the car horn is in the [steering wheel] and there is so such thing as a zip screw. So I google threatened her. I told her I would [google it] to prove I was right! ❋ SullieMarie (2015)
If you disobey me and go out in the woods at night the [Chupacabra] will get you and eat you. (Chupacabra is the Blind Threat)
If you don’t do what Zeus commands he’ll hit you with a [lightning bolt] and send you to [Hades]! (Hades and Zeus hitting you with a lightning bolt are both Blind Threats) ❋ Jxaxmxixn (2012)
Friend: hey i got a text from [Eugene] saying to not come to school tomorrow.
[Friend’s] Pal: [woah man] maybe you should talk to a teacher about that. He might be a school threat bc he is edgy and has dyed hair in dark clothes. ❋ School Threat (2020)
Dude, [Minor Threat] were an amazing example of [DC] [HarDCore]. ❋ Dayglo (2004)
[Ayy] [Brady], this [school threat] keeps messaging me. ❋ Little Cardio (2020)