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
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
President Donald Trump’s new tariffs—both enforced and threatened—are continuing to have an outsized impact on the global economy.
—
Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Watts said she felt threatened by the racist, sexist and violent posts directed toward her after she was falsely identified online as the person who posted a message on the city’s X account in response to Butker’s controversial speech at a college graduation ceremony last spring.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2025
The telling of the entire story of America, after all, calls into question the greatness that Donald Trump pledges to restore, and agitates a base that remains threatened and excitable by our multicultural reality.
—Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025
His family has been threatened and harassed, and former colleagues lost their government jobs because of their connection with him, according to the letter.
—Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Watts said she felt threatened by the racist, sexist and violent posts directed toward her after she was falsely identified online as the person who posted a message on the city’s X account in response to Butker’s controversial speech at a college graduation ceremony last spring.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2025
The telling of the entire story of America, after all, calls into question the greatness that Donald Trump pledges to restore, and agitates a base that remains threatened and excitable by our multicultural reality.
—Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025
His family has been threatened and harassed, and former colleagues lost their government jobs because of their connection with him, according to the letter.
—Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threaten. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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
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