threatthreat /θret/ ●●● S3 W2 noun 
Your threats don’t scare me.threat of the threat of military invasionthreat from He says his family received phone threats from the group. threats made against his wife and children Nichols never carried out his threat to resign. The government will not give in to terrorist threats. She dismissed the statement as an empty threat. They warned him with veiled threats not to mention anything he had witnessed. The police are investigating death threats made against the two men. Officials at the school say they received a bomb threat at approximately 11:30 a.m. today.2[countable usually singular] the possibility that something very bad will happenthreat of the threat of faminethreat from According to the Secretary of State, the Russians face no threat from an expanded NATO.under threat The area remains under threat from commercial developers.be under threat of closure/attack etc (=be likely to be closed, attacked etc) The program is under threat of closure due to lack of funding.3[countable usually singular] someone or something that is regarded as a possible dangerthreat to The fighting is a major threat to stability in the region.present/pose a threat (to somebody/something) Pollution poses a threat to fish.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 1verbsmake/issue a threat· Neighbours say that they heard Gardiner make threats against his wife.carry out a threat (=do what you threatened to do)· She ought to have carried out her threat to go to the police.give in to a threat (=do what something wants you to do after they threaten you)· The government is not going to give in to terrorist threats.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threata death threat (=a threat to kill someone)· Scientists involved in the research have received death threats.a bomb threat· The station was closed because of a bomb threat.an empty/idle threat (=one that is not sincere)· She was not a woman to make idle threats.a veiled threat (=one that is not made directly)· The emails contained thinly veiled threats of harm.COLLOCATIONS– Meanings 2 & 3ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threata serious/major threat· Bad air quality poses a serious threat to public health.the greatest/biggest threat· The greatest threat to our planet is global warming.a real threat· These measures pose a real threat to the future of agriculture.a potential threat· The group remains a potential threat to the regime.an immediate threat (=the possibility that something bad will happen very soon)· The volcano erupted on Thursday but there is no immediate threat to nearby towns.a direct threat· The workers destroyed the textile machinery which they saw as a direct threat to their jobs.a military threat· Each country regarded the other as a major military threat.a terrorist threat· U.S. officials underestimated the terrorist threat before the June 25 bombing.verbspose/present a threat· The rebels do not pose a serious threat to the armed forces.represent a threat· He is not afraid, because you represent no threat to him.counter/combat a threat· We must work together to counter the threat of state terrorism.face a threat (=likely to be affected by something)· The factory is facing the threat of closure.meet a threat (=deal with it)· We must transform our armed forces to meet emerging threats.
WORD ORIGINthreat
Origin:
Old EnglishEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- After the floods, contaminated water was a serious threat to public health.
- Global warming poses a serious threat for the future.
- He denied making threats to kill her.
- He showed no sign of carrying out his threat of making them pay.
- I'm prepared to listen to him, but I'm not going to respond to threats.
- Immigrant families in the area have received threats from right-wing extremist groups.
- It's nonsense to say that the protesters pose any threat to democratic society.
- Once again the people of Sudan face the threat of famine.
- She claims she received anonymous death threats after she gave evidence in the trial.
- The threat of inflation and high interest rates led to a wage freeze.
- the threat of invasion
- The latest outbreak of the disease can be seen as the greatest threat to UK farmers yet.
- The nuclear threat, while not gone completely, is reduced.
- There is a threat that the violence will break out again.
- Tuberculosis is a common threat when people live in crowded conditions.
- Your threats don't scare me!
- And there has emerged another threat.
- Bad weather is a regular threat.
- But below the mirror images of arts and architecture lurks the threat of extinction - Venice is in Peril.
- The contamination does not pose any immediate public health threat because none of the seed has been planted.
- There's no guarantee that whoever sent it won't follow up those written threats with actual physical violence.
- These two, plus Jones, Botham and Bainbridge, will pose a strong threat to any attack.
THESAURUS
the chance that something bad may happen: · Smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.
the possibility that something very bad will happen: · the only way to reduce the threat of nuclear war
something that may be dangerous or cause accidents or problems: · natural hazards like avalanches
Longman Language Activatorto be likely to be dangerous to people or things to be likely to harm other people or things: · People who drink and drive are a danger to themselves and to others.· The judge described Thomas as 'a danger to the public'.· Extreme nationalism is the single greatest danger to peace in the modern world.
formal if a situation or the existence of something poses a threat , it is dangerous to people: · Supplies of food were so low that this posed a threat as serious as invasion.pose a threat to: · Chemicals in our drinking water could pose a serious threat to public health.pose no threat: · Scientists feel that present levels of radiation pose no threat.
if an activity or a problem threatens something such as a place, animal, or way of life, it could cause it to no longer exist: · Illegal hunting threatens the survival of the African elephant.· By August, it was clear that the volcano could threaten the whole island.
someone who is a menace behaves in a dangerous way, without thinking about the safety of other people: · Drivers like that are a menace. They shouldn't be allowed on the road.be a menace to: · We consider drug trafficking to be a menace to the security of our nation.
to be likely to kill people, cause accidents etc: · Ice on the road is a major hazard at this time of the year.be a hazard to: · The residents of Hollyhurst Road complained that cars parked there were a hazard to pedestrians.be a fire/health/environmental etc hazard: · Garbage that is left uncollected becomes a serious health hazard.
a situation or object that is likely to cause a fire or to damage people's health: · Litter problems and a high fire risk mean that there is now restricted camping on the route.· Cigarettes are acknowledged as a serious health risk and the main cause of lung cancer.
informal if a building, road, car etc is a death-trap , it is very dangerous to enter or use, for example because it is in very bad condition, or is badly designed: · Fire-safety inspectors described the basement night-club as a death trap.· The ancient bridge was described as a potential death trap for the tourists that flock there.
when something bad is likely to happen if someone is heading for an unpleasant situation, it is becoming more and more likely that this situation will actually happen: · I'm worried about Molly. She looks as if she's heading for a nervous breakdown.· There are fears that the company could be heading for closure, following a bad year.
if you say you are in for something unpleasant, it is almost certain to happen to you fairly soon: · It's pretty stormy! I think we're in for a rough flight.· If they think they're going to build a new motorway near here, they're in for a shock.
if something threatens to cause an unpleasant situation, it seems likely that it will cause it: threaten to do something: · The dispute threatened to damage East-West relations.· Somalia was again crippled by a drought that threatened to kill hundreds of thousands more.threaten somebody/something with something: · Our rainforests are being threatened with destruction, and the consequences will be severe.
something that is a threat is likely to cause something unpleasant to happen: threat of: · The threat of inflation and high interest rates led to a wage freeze.· the threat of invasionthreat to: · After the floods, contaminated water was a serious threat to public health.pose a threat (for): · Global warming poses a serious threat for the future.
a possibility that something bad might happen a possibility that something harmful or unpleasant will happen, especially as a result of something else: · There are a lot of risks involved when you start your own business.risk of: · People continue to smoke, despite knowing the risks of heart disease or cancer.risk of doing something: · Drivers often break the speed limit, and there's little risk of getting caught.risk that: · We can't ignore the risk that fighting could spread throughout the region.reduce/increase the risk of something: · Clean the wound thoroughly to reduce the risk of infection.
the possibility that something dangerous or very unpleasant will happen, for example if a particular situation continues or is not dealt with: · The river has not flooded yet, but that does not mean the danger has passed.· The gas leak was quickly fixed, but workers at the factory say the danger remains real.danger of: · Is there any danger of Mike being arrested?· Wear a hat and drink plenty of fluids to reduce the danger of sunstroke.danger that: · There's a real danger that the region's forests will disappear completely in the next 50 years.
a strong possibility that something very bad will happen, especially something that will affect a lot of people: · Tuberculosis is a common threat when people live in crowded conditions.· The nuclear threat, while not gone completely, is reduced.threat of: · Once again the people of Sudan face the threat of famine.threat to: · The latest outbreak of the disease can be seen as the greatest threat to UK farmers yet.threat that: · There is a threat that the violence will break out again.pose a threat (=be a threat): · It's nonsense to say that the protesters pose any threat to democratic society.
a risk that cannot be avoided, because it is always there in a particular activity or situation: · For international traders, changes in the exchange rate are an unavoidable hazard.hazard of doing something: · a study into the potential hazards of playing computer games for long periods of timehazard of: · Malaria is a common hazard of life in the region.occupational hazard (=a hazard that always exists in a particular job): · Serious lung disease seems to be an occupational hazard of working in mines.
in a situation where there are risks if something is at risk, it could be harmed, destroyed or lost: · Unless funding becomes available, the entire project is at risk.be at risk of: · Wildlife along the coastline is at risk of serious pollution from the tankers.be at risk from: · The future of the party is clearly at risk from internal divisions.
if something is in danger , especially something very important, there is a serious risk that it will be harmed, destroyed, or lost: · With the rise of the fascist right, democracy itself was in danger.be in danger of doing something: · The whole building is in danger of collapsing.· The achievements of the 1917 Revolution are now in danger of being forgotten.
if something, especially a plan, an agreement, or a relationship is in jeopardy, there is a serious risk that it will fail, be lost, or be harmed: · Negotiations have broken down, and the peace agreement is now in jeopardy.· Lessing's career in football was in jeopardy after his back surgery in July.
if something important or valuable is at stake , there is a risk that it will be lost if something that you are doing is unsuccessful: · With a place in the final at stake, there was everything to play for.· The peace process will not end; there is too much at stake.
if something important and valuable is under threat , there is a risk that it will be lost or destroyed unless someone takes action to stop the situation that causes it: · With so many new offices being built in London, a lot of important archaeological remains are under threat.be under threat from: · Sensitive environmental areas are under threat from urban developers.be under threat of: · Demand for coal fell, and many of the mines were under threat of closure.
if something such as your job or people's opinion of you is on the line , there is a risk that you will lose it if you do not succeed in something that you are trying to do: · A company's reputation is on the line in the way it handles complaints.· Your job's on the line in this case - you'd better make sure you're right.
something you say or write in order to threaten someone when you tell someone that you will hurt them or cause serious problems for them if they do not do what you want: · I'm prepared to listen to him, but I'm not going to respond to threats.make threats: · He denied making threats to kill her.receive a threat: · Immigrant families in the area have received threats from right-wing extremist groups.death threat (=when someone threatens to kill you): · She claims she received anonymous death threats after she gave evidence in the trial.carry out a threat (=do what you threatened to do): · He showed no sign of carrying out his threat of making them pay.
a final, often official, warning that unless someone does something you will punish or attack them: give somebody an ultimatum: · She's ignored all my previous warnings about being late for work, so I've decided to give her an ultimatum.issue an ultimatum: · The hijackers have issued an ultimatum -- either the government releases the prisoners or the plane will be blown up.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 1verbs Can Thompson make a credible challenge for the party leadership? She was not a woman to make idle threats. He was in imminent danger of dying. Her words contained an implicit threat. Two of our national parks are currently under threat from road schemes.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· Neighbours say that they heard Gardiner make threats against his wife.
(=do what you threatened to do)· She ought to have carried out her threat to go to the police.
(=do what something wants you to do after they threaten you)· The government is not going to give in to terrorist threats.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threat (=a threat to kill someone)· Scientists involved in the research have received death threats.
· The station was closed because of a bomb threat.
(=one that is not sincere)· She was not a woman to make idle threats.
(=one that is not made directly)· The emails contained thinly veiled threats of harm.
Meanings 2 & 3ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threat· Bad air quality poses a serious threat to public health.
· The greatest threat to our planet is global warming.
· These measures pose a real threat to the future of agriculture.
· The group remains a potential threat to the regime.
(=the possibility that something bad will happen very soon)· The volcano erupted on Thursday but there is no immediate threat to nearby towns.
· The workers destroyed the textile machinery which they saw as a direct threat to their jobs.
· Each country regarded the other as a major military threat.
· U.S. officials underestimated the terrorist threat before the June 25 bombing.
verbs· The rebels do not pose a serious threat to the armed forces.
· He is not afraid, because you represent no threat to him.
· We must work together to counter the threat of state terrorism.
(=likely to be affected by something)· The factory is facing the threat of closure.
(=deal with it)· We must transform our armed forces to meet emerging threats.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=when someone leaves a message saying there is a bomb somewhere)· He delayed his flight home because of a bomb threat.
Can Thompson make a credible challenge for the party leadership? (=a threat to kill someone deliberately)· The writer had received a number of death threats.
(=something that could damage your health)· The report looked at the health risks linked to eating excess sugar.
She was not a woman to make idle threats. He was in imminent danger of dying. Her words contained an implicit threat.· The chemical leak poses a threat to human health.
· Tired drivers are a potential danger to other road users.
· The disease presents a grave threat to the livestock industry.
· In the developed world, over-consumption is now a serious threat to health.
(=when someone says that they will kill themselves)· Depression may sometimes lead to suicide threats.
· He admitted the increased terrorist threat was causing the security forces great concern.
Two of our national parks are currently under threat from road schemes.· Ashes without phoenix Whatever the president decides in June, the biggest threat to a slimmer space station will be Congress.· The latter tWo were not viewed as big threats.· Interbreeding with feral cats is probably the biggest threat to the wildcat.· Indeed, earnings worries represent the biggest threat to the bull market.· The biggest threat to standards remains the state of the economy.· What may be the biggest threat for most farmers is the length of time standing water remains on their fields.· The biggest threat to this cosy world comes from within.· Far better to spend some money exploring this new medium than to ignore the biggest competitive threat since television.
· The small village appears to be under constant threat of a landslide from the steep slopes immediately behind.· They lived under constant threat of exposure and extermination at the hands of the Inquisition, which monitored Christians' piety.· The immediate past and the constant threat was poverty.· Individual feelings and complexities are repressed and there is a constant threat of mutiny among family members.· He was impeccable in defence, and posed a constant threat to the Springboks' defensive wall.· They governed during the Cold War, with the constant threat of nuclear war.· Moscow did not falter under the onslaught and their counter-attacking potential was a constant threat.· The strain of working long hours under the constant threat of robbery took its toll on the family.
· It had previously been thought that pollution posed the greatest threat to inshore marine mammals.· Newspapers are under the greatest peacetime threat to their freedom this century.· Nevertheless, its greatest threat comes not only from coal imports but from the Labour party.· Either way, it represents the greatest environmental threat the world now faces.· He said spiralling public sector borrowing was the greatest threat to a sustained economic recovery.· And this may be the greatest threat to our reserves of groundwater.· Disturbance and high tides pose the greatest threats to the breeding birds.
· My tardiness prompted an immediate threat of a fine, but it never materialised.· The contamination does not pose any immediate public health threat because none of the seed has been planted.· The immediate threat to the West may be inflation; the spectre in the shadows is deflation.· The most immediate threat is to bird life.· Officials said there was no immediate threat of tsunami, a seismic ocean wave, which could be catastrophic to the area.· Although the gunman had her pinned down he wasn't her immediate threat.· The creation of States posed an immediate threat to the freedom of action of lesser rulers.
· Most local papers are sympathetic to heritage stories and will give space to them, particularly if there is an imminent threat.· Detain any person who poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.· We face no imminent threat, but we do have an enemy.
· Public sector pay and the unpredictability of pay settlements have always posed a major threat to public expenditure control.· But workers here are accustomed to lifetime employment and see the provisions as a major threat to their job security.· Leicester City are the major threat to Boro's hopes, especially after a last-kick injury-time matchwinner against Tranmere Rovers.· Losing the existing business was his major threat.· For this reason fears have been expressed that rising house prices pose a major threat to price stability generally.· The Christmas holiday, which is eight months away, will be another major threat to the system, analysts said.· Policy choices reflected what governments perceived as the major threats to the cohesion and survival of the state.
· He further stated that the military threat from the Soviet Union was at its lowest level since 1945.· Pete Wilson successfully transformed the image of the industrious immigrant into a military threat.· We do not face outside military threats.· Second, it could prevent us from dealing expeditiously with emergencies such as natural disasters or military threats.· It would make more sense economically to bring them home, and would not create any military threat.· Each country regarded the other as a major military threat.
· The raven was determined to fend off any potential threat and maintain its fiefdom of Edge Wood.· And the success of actions in these circumstances would serve to reduce the potential long-term threat associated with the event.· But he did okay in our program, handling its challenges and its many potential threats.· They regarded it either as virtually impossible to implement, or as a potential threat to themselves at the elections.· Many see computers as a potential threat to their livelihood.· Recent newspaper reports have highlighted the potential threat to Britain when the Channel Tunnel links us with the Continent.· The scientists warn of the potential threat to towns, beaches, golf courses, marinas and nature reserves along the coast.
· On form Cambridge look a real threat.· Any team capable of getting this far had to be considered a real threat.· They have no finishers or real scoring threat besides Owen Nolan, who has six goals.· Small businesspeople in particular see the growing welfare population as a real and present threat to their future.· Inflation running at 57 %, record unemployment, rampant corruption and real threats to democracy.· Somehow they were more terrible than the real threat of the oozing wounds across his back.· The real threat was more substantial, and imminent.· But Chris's smile shows he clearly doesn't see any real threat to his golden 4,000 metres record.
· Of these, logging poses by far the most serious threat.· In this sense, the guns have a virtually religious import, and gun restrictions pose a serious psychological threat.· Perhaps the argument that constituted the most serious threat to Copernicus was the so-called tower argument.· His testimony presented a serious political threat to the incumbents on the city council and alienated Leroy from their affections.· This search for a medical solution, then, may present a serious threat to civil liberties.· The embryonic plot appeared to have been an amateurish operation which did not pose a serious threat to the government.· Moreover, sunken waste containers could pose a serious threat over time as they begin to leak.
· In 1954 Britain had fostered the Baghdad Pact to create a band of friendly pro-Western states against the Soviet threat.· The Alsops' war with Truman and Johnson centered on disagreements about the nature of the Soviet threat.· Briefly At last we've found a convenient enemy to replace the Soviet threat.· And, at bottom, what was the nature and extent of the Soviet threat and how should it be met?· There is, after all, very little risk in defying the United States now that the Soviet threat is history.· A Bevanite pamphlet appeared in July which argued - among other things - that the government was exaggerating the Soviet threat.· In his view the Soviet threat was primarily political.
NOUN· Pervez Musharraf, delayed his flight home because of a bomb threat.· More than 50, 000 people carrying free foam-rubber tomahawks evacuated the stadium as if there had been a bomb threat.· Many passengers switch flight after bomb threat.· Last Thursday, campus officials received a bomb threat that was sent over the university e-mail system.· Schools cancelled extracurricular activities, and many parents took their children out of classes after word of the bomb threat spread.· Last Monday, a bomb threat against the county courthouse was delivered by telephone.· It belongs to the man who called in the bomb threat 18 minutes before it detonated.
· Employees and shareholders have also received death threats and hate mail.· Vince Tobin withdrew his candidacy for the job after both men got death threats from Ditka fanatics.· He has received death threats after cheating hundreds of innocent people.· Then came the death threats against Krueger himself, then the ambush of a convoy in which he was traveling.· Teachers supporting their local community's campaigns have also been subject to death threats.· J., was scrubbed because the promoter got death threats.· They have found themselves the targets of death threats and kidnappings as a result.· His family said he had been subjected to a campaign of racial harassment and death threats.
VERB· We human beings ourselves have become a threat to our planet.· This guy has become the offensive threat Lute and the other coaches have been talking about for the past three years.· But I can see him becoming an instant threat in the Intercontinental division.· Eventually, however, Skinner hopes to become an even bigger threat on the Cup circuit.· This becomes a threat when the information in the marketplace is about humans, and private.· It has become a pure threat signal rather than just the first stage of an attack.· At this time localism had not yet become a threat.· Current world trade agreements have become the foremost threats to democracy on earth.
· There was no way to prevent White from carrying out his threat of f6.· If Walden carries out his threat, the Tory government would fall, leading to a general election.· There was nothing to stop the guy carrying out his threat to put the husband wise about Laura's past.· Charles wondered if Alex Household had carried out his threat of feeding the wrong lines.· Accordingly, on Oct. 22, Bush carried out his threat to veto the bill.· Whether companies would carry out their threat to emigrate is debatable, with the huge costs that it would entail.· Maybe she ought to have carried out her threat to go to the police.· The question of whether the workers wish to co-operate becomes secondary as unwillingness carries with it the threat of losing their jobs.
· Both the level of available resources and their deployment are constantly adjusted as necessary to counter the foreseeable threat.· They countered the threat by inviting only safe theologians - largely Rome-based - to sit on the preparatory commissions.· Edward's first move was to counter any possible threat to Aquitaine from the south and from the sea.
· Whalers face the threat of government reprisals should they start a commercial hunt which has been banned since 1985.· Its cold-blooded use by cops facing no threat to themselves is plainly inhumane.· We do not face outside military threats.· Augustine says some of those patients may be facing collection agency threats.· The 45 grammar schools among them face the additional threat of comprehensive reorganisation, or closure.· Offenders will then face the threat of prosecution.· If young men are estranged from the leadership of society, any society faces a threat from its young men.
· Yet the Mugabe government repeatedly issues public death threats against its foes.· The greater its dependence on others, the less its ability to issue credible threats or to mobilise for sustained hostilities.· It was only by issuing rather unconvincing threats of his disapproval that Peggy could keep the girl in line.· For one sweaty moment I was sure it would be Famlio, about to issue dire threats and promises.· His favourite line of attack was to start talking about finding useful employment for Vincent, and to issue veiled threats.
· Sandwich was better situated to meet a threat from Scandinavia.· The army sent to meet this threat was decimated at Adrianople: the road to Rome now lay open to the barbarians.· Thus the notion of security requires reformulation in terms of satisfaction of human needs: weapons can not meet the threat of starvation.· The Army wanted enough flexibility to be able to meet the Communist threat at any level.· In order to meet these threats, a warrior caste developed under the command of a chieftain or king.· The lower bird turned momentarily upside-down to meet the threat from the larger, more agile predator with its outstretched talons.· The intervention represented by the Newsboys' House, which your generosity made possible, can not suffice to meet this threat.
· This was perceived as a threat to the Plantagenets in Aquitaine.· They damned the no-nonsense, authoritarian government, which peremptorily squashed even the smallest perceived threat to social peace.· Events and situations that you perceive as threats or challenges are called stressors.· And like all perceived threats, the dangers are inflated.· The children targeted were a public eyesore, nuisance, or perceived threat.
· He posed no threat to anyone.· In this sense, the guns have a virtually religious import, and gun restrictions pose a serious psychological threat.· However, if demand falls collective action poses less of a threat, and may even be beneficial.· Some fear that substances used in the process remain in the beans and could pose a health threat.· The embryonic plot appeared to have been an amateurish operation which did not pose a serious threat to the government.· Secondly, the packaging plastics themselves can pose a medical threat.· This still, however, posed a threat to Stanley influence.· Disturbance and high tides pose the greatest threats to the breeding birds.
· The advance of the disease presents a grave threat to the livestock industry.· Because the early runoff of snow, heavy rains later in the year presented less threat of floods.· This search for a medical solution, then, may present a serious threat to civil liberties.· The Rams also present an inside threat with 6-2 senior Teresa James.· Despite the foundation of the small national Independent Labour Party in 1893, Labour did not appear to present an irresistible threat.· Women first are presented as bloodsucking threats, then impaled with gusto.· Surely he presented no physical threat to anyone, but it was possible that he had knowledge that was threatening.· His testimony presented a serious political threat to the incumbents on the city council and alienated Leroy from their affections.
· Employees and shareholders have also received death threats and hate mail.· Since Waco, agents have received so many threats that the bureau has established a computer database to track and analyze them.· He has received death threats after cheating hundreds of innocent people.· Last Thursday, campus officials received a bomb threat that was sent over the university e-mail system.· The judges have received death threats.· Capistran says his family received phone threats from authorities.· The judges have received death threats and been excoriated in the state press by Mugabe and ministers.· And some people have even received threats.
· To reduce these security threats, various protection methods are used.· And the success of actions in these circumstances would serve to reduce the potential long-term threat associated with the event.· Meantime, the government is already spending less, helping to reduce the threat of inflation and lifting bonds.· That would reduce the threat not just to tigers, but also to rhinos, bears, pangolins and many others.
· If it is the postman, introduce them; let him know this man represents no threat.· Indeed, earnings worries represent the biggest threat to the bull market.· We are envious of others who have power because they represent a threat.· Unfriendly takeovers represent a constant threat to underperforming companies with ill prepared strategic plans.· Either way, it represents the greatest environmental threat the world now faces.· The neighbor or newcomer of a different faith or way has always represented a threat or an opportunity to those already here.· Similarly, mimicry of the expressions, stance and actions of a truly violent encounter can represent an intention or threat.
WORD FAMILYnounthreatadjectivethreateningverbthreatenadverbthreateningly
1[countable, uncountable] a statement in which you tell someone that you will cause them harm or trouble if they do not do what you want: Your threats don’t scare me.threat of the threat of military invasionthreat from He says his family received phone threats from the group. threats made against his wife and children Nichols never carried out his threat to resign. The government will not give in to terrorist threats. She dismissed the statement as an empty threat. They warned him with veiled threats not to mention anything he had witnessed. The police are investigating death threats made against the two men. Officials at the school say they received a bomb threat at approximately 11:30 a.m. today.2[countable usually singular] the possibility that something very bad will happenthreat of the threat of faminethreat from According to the Secretary of State, the Russians face no threat from an expanded NATO.under threat The area remains under threat from commercial developers.be under threat of closure/attack etc (=be likely to be closed, attacked etc) The program is under threat of closure due to lack of funding.3[countable usually singular] someone or something that is regarded as a possible dangerthreat to The fighting is a major threat to stability in the region.present/pose a threat (to somebody/something) Pollution poses a threat to fish.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 1verbsmake/issue a threat· Neighbours say that they heard Gardiner make threats against his wife.carry out a threat (=do what you threatened to do)· She ought to have carried out her threat to go to the police.give in to a threat (=do what something wants you to do after they threaten you)· The government is not going to give in to terrorist threats.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threata death threat (=a threat to kill someone)· Scientists involved in the research have received death threats.a bomb threat· The station was closed because of a bomb threat.an empty/idle threat (=one that is not sincere)· She was not a woman to make idle threats.a veiled threat (=one that is not made directly)· The emails contained thinly veiled threats of harm.COLLOCATIONS– Meanings 2 & 3ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threata serious/major threat· Bad air quality poses a serious threat to public health.the greatest/biggest threat· The greatest threat to our planet is global warming.a real threat· These measures pose a real threat to the future of agriculture.a potential threat· The group remains a potential threat to the regime.an immediate threat (=the possibility that something bad will happen very soon)· The volcano erupted on Thursday but there is no immediate threat to nearby towns.a direct threat· The workers destroyed the textile machinery which they saw as a direct threat to their jobs.a military threat· Each country regarded the other as a major military threat.a terrorist threat· U.S. officials underestimated the terrorist threat before the June 25 bombing.verbspose/present a threat· The rebels do not pose a serious threat to the armed forces.represent a threat· He is not afraid, because you represent no threat to him.counter/combat a threat· We must work together to counter the threat of state terrorism.face a threat (=likely to be affected by something)· The factory is facing the threat of closure.meet a threat (=deal with it)· We must transform our armed forces to meet emerging threats.