Threaten

Definition: Threaten

Threaten

Verb

1. Pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops".

2. To utter intentions of injury or punishment against:"He threatened me when I tried to call the police".

3. To be a menacing indication of something:"The clouds threaten rain"; "Danger threatens".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "threaten" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Synonyms: Threaten

Danger

Threaten danger; run one hard; lay a trap for; (deceive).

Defiance

Show fight, show one's teeth, show a bold front; bluster, look big, stand akimbo, beat one's chest; double the fist, shake the fist; threaten.

Destiny

Verb: impend; hang over, lie over; threaten, loom, await, come on, approach, stare one in the face; foreordain, preordain; predestine, doom, have in store for.

Fear

Put in fear, put in bodily fear; terrorize, intimidate, cow, daunt, overawe, abash, deter, discourage; browbeat, bully; threaten.

Futurity

Come on, draw on; draw near; approach, await, threaten; impend; (be destined).

Malediction

Execrate, beshrew, scold; anathematize; (censure); bold up to execration, denounce, proscribe, excommunicate, fulminate, thunder against; threaten.

Threat

Verb: threat, threaten; menace; snarl, growl, gnarl, mutter, bark, bully.

Warning

Verb: warn, caution; forewarn, prewarn; admonish, premonish; give notice, give warning, dehort; menace; (threaten); put on one's guard; sound the alarm; croak.

Crosswords: Threaten

Don't threaten me with jail, Blanche, because it's not a threat (The Odd Couple; writing credit: Neil Simon)

Threaten them with an audit (Now and Again; writing credit: Michael Angeli)

You threaten like a dockside bully (A Man for All Seasons; writing credit: Robert Bolt)

I'm sorry, Lyndon, I would never want to do anything to threaten our lack of friendship (Life's Work; writing credit: Warren Bell; Alana Burgi)

So don't threaten or dictate to us until you're marching up Whitehall (Battle of Britain; writing credit: Wilfred Greatorex; James Kennaway)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• A Choice of Catastrophes: The Disasters Thata Threaten Our World (reference)

• Asia's Deadly Triangle: How Arms, Energy, and Growth Threaten to Destabilize Asia-Pacific (reference)

• Ethnic Conflicts Threaten U.S. Interests in the Caucasus [DOWNLOAD: PDF] (reference)

• Killer Germs: Microbes and Diseases That Threaten Humanity (reference)

• Moral Judgment: Does the Abuse Excuse Threaten Our Legal System? (reference)

  (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

High tide and storm threaten a pier and beach along the Patuxent River. Credit: America's Coastlines.

Hundred of starfish dredged or scraped off an oyster bed. Starfish attack young oysters and threaten the well-being of the oyster crop. F&WL 12,416. Credit: Fisheries.

Ominous clouds threaten rain over the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. Credit: Lynn Chamberlain.

Families move out as rising waters threaten their homes, Ridgeley, Tennessee. Credit: Library of Congress.

Large drifts of good Kansas top soil threaten to cover up this farmer's home. Kansas. Credit: Library of Congress.

A farmer's son playing on one of the large soil drifts which threaten to cover up his home. Liberal, Kansas. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

But if either these illegal acts have extended to the majority of the people; or if the mischief and oppression has lighted only on some few, but in such cases, as the precedent, and consequences seem to threaten all; and they are persuaded in their consciences, that their laws, and with them their estates, liberties, and lives are in danger, and perhaps their religion too; how they will be hindered from resisting illegal force, used against them, I cannot tell. (Second Treatise of Government)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

For the world would not she have seemed to threaten me.

The princes of Europe, at the first moment, owls in this dawn, closed their eyes, shocked and stupefied, and opened them only to threaten.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

Surgery is the treatment of choice for tumors that enlarge rapidly and threaten vision. (references)

Untreated UTIs can lead to serious kidney problems that could threaten the life of your child. (references)

But don't let diabetic retinopathy fool you. It could get worse over the years and threaten your good vision. (references)

Business

Unfortunately, millions of landmines in the former war zones continue to threaten human lives. (references)

Obviously, high piracy rates threaten expansion of job opportunities in the IT market, undermines innovation (thus risking the future of the local software industry), and discourages foreign investments in the local IT market. (references)

Any foreign imports are subject to excise taxes and an 18% VAT. Fixed investment goods imported to Lithuania are not subject to VAT, provided the importer is a registered VAT-payer and the imported asset does not threaten competitiveness. (references)

Children

Guatemala

Poroj continued to threaten the father, but also offered him a bribe to drop the case. (references)

Civil Liberties

Malawi

However, the Government continued to threaten and harass members of the media. (references)

Djibouti

There are no specific laws or criminal sanctions that threaten academic freedom. (references)

Economic History

Uganda

They do not, however, threaten the stability of the government. (references)

Maldives

Global warming and sea level rise could threaten the very existence of the Maldives. (references)

Guinea

However, new taxes threaten to debilitate or destroy Internet service providers so the future of Internet in Guinea is unclear. (references)

Human Rights

Yemen

Tribal members at times threaten and harass members of the judiciary. (references)

Vietnam

Prison conditions are harsh, but do not generally threaten the lives of prisoners. (references)

Haiti

In early June, a gang residing in Grande Ravine began to threaten residents of Fort Mercredi. (references)

Indigenous People

Suriname

Organizations representing Maroon and Amerindian communities complain that small-scale mining operations, mainly by illegal Brazilian gold miners, dig trenches that cut residents off from their agricultural land and threaten to drive them away from their traditional settlements. (references)

Minorities

Dominican Republic

Police regulations threaten those offering transportation to illegal immigrants with confiscation of their vehicles and have discouraged taxi and bus drivers from picking up dark-skinned persons. (references)

India

The Pandit community criticizes bleak physical, educational, and economic conditions in the camps and fears that a negotiated solution giving greater autonomy to the Muslim majority might threaten its own survival in Jammu and Kashmir as a culturally and historically distinctive group. (references)

Political Economy

Comoros

The coup attempt did not appear to threaten the Fomboni Agreement. (references)

Comoros

The military Government limited freedom of religion, and security forces reportedly continued to threaten Christians. (references)

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Otherwise, existing high levels of domestic corporate debt could threaten economic performance with the impact of significant bankruptcies. (references)

Political Rights

Comoros

Abeid was defeated quickly, however, and the coup attempt did not appear to threaten the Fomboni Agreement. (references)

Trade

Lithuania

Fixed investment goods imported to Lithuania are not subject to VAT, provided the importer is a registered VAT-payer and the imported asset does not threaten competitiveness. (references)

Senegal

The cyclical or seasonal tax, called the "taxe conjoncturelle a l'importation," protects local production of vegetables, rice, onions, potatoes, etc, with a 10 percent levy applied when world prices drop and threaten local producers. (references)

Women

Jordan

Women may not invoke these defenses for murdering a male relative under the same circumstances, nor may they use them for killing men who attempt to rape, sexually harass, or otherwise threaten their honor. (references)

Worker Rights

Albania

Traffickers also may threaten their family members. (references)

Bolivia

Labor leaders allege that employers use or threaten to use this article to limit unionization. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expression using "threaten": threaten danger. Additional references.

Afrikaans

bedreig (menace). (various references)

Albanian

paralajmëroj (admonish, bespeak, bode, caution, exhort, forebode, forecast, forerun, foreshadow, foretoken, forewarn, harbinger, hint, notice, presage, previse, tip off, tip the wink, warn), kanosem, kërcënoj (blackmail, browbeat, bulldoze, denounce, impend, menace). (various references)

Arabic 

‏متخوف, ‏هدد (intimidate, loom up, lurk, menace, overhang), ‏توعد (bluster, impend, luscious, menace, overhang), ‏أنذر ب (betoken, foreshadow). (various references)

Bulgarian 

застрашавам (imperil, menace), заканвам се, заплашвам че, заплашвам (huff, impend, intimidate, menace, thunder), предвещавам (adumbrate, augur, betoken, bode, forerun, foreshadow, portend, presage, prognosticate, shadow, spell). (various references)

Chinese 

脅 (side of body), 威胁 (Cowed, Cowing, menace, threat, threatened, threatening). (various references)

Czech

vyhrožovat, ohrožovat (menace), hrozit (menace, shake). (various references)

Danish

true (menace). (various references)

Dutch

dreigen (menace), bedreigen (menace). (various references)

Esperanto

minaci (menace), insidi kontraŭ (beset). (various references)

Faeroese

hótta (menace). (various references)

Farsi 

تهدیدکردن ترساندن , خبردادن از (Presage). (various references)

Finnish

uhata (menace). (various references)

French

menacer. (various references)

Frisian

drige (menace), bedriigje (menace). (various references)

German

bedrohen (endanger, menace, pull), drohen (be imminent, be looming, impend, loom, menace, threat, to menace, to threaten). (various references)

Greek 

απειλώ (menace, threaten with). (various references)

Hebrew 

לאים (intimidate, menace), ל�"�'זים (exaggerate, overdo), לסכן (endanger, imperil, jeopardize, menace, risk, stake). (various references)

Hungarian

fenyeget (menace, to lour, to menace, to show one's teeth, to stand over, to threat). (various references)

Indonesian

menggertak (bluff, bluster, browbeat, buffalo, bully, goash, snap at, snarl, spur), mengancam (endanger), mengacukan (point at with, refer), gertak (snapping, threat), gera (frighten). (various references)

Irish

bagair. (various references)

Italian

minacciare (impend, menace, overhang). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

脅 (coerce), 凄 . (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

きょう (all, and, as well as, assist, bad harvest, bad luck, both, Buddhist scriptures, coerce, co-operation, correct, disaster, entertainment, evil, exposing, Hungary, including, interest, lance, long ages, neither, offer, pleasure, plural ending, present, save, serve, submit, supply, sutra, temporary home, this day, threat, today, together with, turmoil, wickedness, with), せい (cause, companion, control, energy, establishment, family name, fault, gender, government, height, holding back, imperial command, laws, -made, make, military strength, organization, reason, regular, regulation, restraint, sex, spirit, stature, suppression, surname, system, true). (various references)

Korean 

위협하십시�". (various references)

Manx

mooirjeenagh (cloud, cloudy, dark, dark as weather, dull as day, going to be wet, looks like rain, murky, overcast, watery, watery of sky), baggyr. (various references)

Papiamen

menasá (menace), amenasá (menace). (various references)

Pig Latin

eatenthray.(various references)

Portuguese

ameaçar (bludgeon, bully, menace, overhang). (various references)

Romanian

ameninţa (bludgeon, bluster, denunciate, impend, launch a threat, menace, overhang, Ratten, scowl). (various references)

Russian 

угрожать (impend, overhang). (various references)

Scottish

tomh (aim, attempt, offer), smád, maoidh (grudge, upbraid), bagair (and -radh). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zapretiti (menace, warn), ugroziti (endanger, imperil, jeopardize, menace), pretiti (bluster, brandish, impend). (various references)

Spanish

amenazar (brew, impend, loom, loom up, menace, overhang), conminar (menace). (various references)

Swedish

hota (impend, menace, overhang). (various references)

Thai

คุกคาม (menace). (various references)

Turkish

tehlike belirtisi olmak, tehdit etmek (menace, overhang), korkutmak (administer a shock, affright, alarm, appal, appall, awe, bulldoze, cow, daunt, dismay, fright, frighten, funk, horrify, intimidate, overawe, scare, startle, terrorize), gözdağı vermek (buffalo, bulldoze, hector about, hector around, menace), gözünü korkutmak (browbeat, call smb. over the coals, daunt, Hector, intimidate). (various references)

Turkmen 

зenemek (chew, take aim at). (various references)

Ukrainian

загрожувати (hang, hang about, hang over, impend, menace, overhang), провіщати (adumbrate, bode, cast, divine, forebode, foreshadow, foretell, foretoken, harbinger, omen, portend, predict, presage, prognosticate, promise, shadow, signify, vaticinate, warn). (various references)

Welsh

bygwth (menace, threat). (various references)

comminabantur, comminabatur, comminabitur, comminans, comminantes, comminatus, comminemur, immineo, impendeo, inminebant, inminebat, inminens, inminente, inminentes, inminentis, inminet, inpende, inpendebant, inpendere, insta, instabant, instabat, instabunt, instante, instantem, instantes, instantia, instantibus, instantis, instare, instarent, instat, instate, instet, institerit, intenta, mina, minabamur, minabant, minabatur, minabit, minantes, minari, minas, minasset, minatur, minavit, minor, salamina. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words beginning with "threaten": threatened, threatener, threateners, threatening, threateningly, threatens. (additional references)

Words containing "threaten": nonthreatening, unthreatening. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Threaten" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: theaten, threated, threathen, threating, threaton, Threave, threten, traten, treaden, treaten, Treowen. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: earthen, entreat, hearten, ratteen, ternate, theater, theatre, thereat.

-2 letters: aether, anther, entera, ethane, hatter, heater, hereat, natter, neater, nether, netter, ratten, reheat, tenter, tether, thenar, threat.

-3 letters: antre, arete, earth, eaten, eater, enate, enter, ether, hater, heart, neath, ranee, rathe, rente, tater, teeth, tenet, tenth, terne, tetra, thane, there, theta, three, treat, treen.

+1 letter: entrechat, threatens.

+2 letters: entrechats, threatened, threatener.

+3 letters: enteropathy, hearthstone, northeaster, parenthetic, tetrahedron, tetrahymena, threateners, threatening.

+4 letters: enthrallment, etherization, fainthearted, hearthstones, hereditament, nitromethane, northeastern, northeasters, reattachment, southeastern, stenothermal, stonyhearted, straightened, straightener, tetrahedrons, tetrahymenas, theatergoing, theoretician, thereinafter.

+5 letters: catheterizing, counterthreat, enteropathies, enthrallments, etherizations, hereditaments, nitromethanes, northeasterly, parenthetical, preanesthetic, reattachments, retinopathies, straighteners, tenderhearted, theatergoings, theoreticians, threateningly, throatinesses, untheoretical, unthreatening.