threatenverb
uk/ˈθret.ən/us/ˈθret.ən/B2 [ T ] to tell someone that you will kill or hurt them or cause problems if they do not do what you want:
They threatened the shopkeeper with a gun.
[ + to infinitive ] They threatened to kill him unless he did as they asked.
C1 [ T ] to be likely to cause harm or damage to something or someone:
Changing patterns of agriculture are threatening the countryside.
C2 [ I ] If something bad threatens to happen, it is likely to happen:
Look at those clouds! There's a storm threatening.
More examples
- Greenpeace works to promote awareness of the dangers that threaten our planet today.
- Britain threatened to break off diplomatic relations.
- A masked robber threatened the bank staff with a gun.
- They threatened to blow up the plane if their demands were not met.
- She's threatening to take me to court for not paying the bill on time.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Dangers and threats
- baneful
- black spot
- brinkmanship
- calculated risk
- chance
- darkly
- desperately
- dodgy
- gamble
- hazard
- hazardous
- hazmat
- high-risk
- hostage
- perilous
- poisoned chalice
- precarious
- pull
- pull a gun, knife, etc. on sb idiom
- treacherous
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Damaging and spoiling
Possible and probable