Adjacent Words

Threaten definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THREATEN, v.t. thret'n.
1. To declare the purpose of inflicting punishment, pain or other evil on another, for some sin or offense; to menace. God threatens the finally impenitent with everlasting banishment from his presence.
2. To menace; to terrify or attempt to terrify by menaces; as for extorting money.
To send threatening letters is a punishable offense.
3. To charge or enjoin with menace, or with implied rebuke; or to charge strictly.
Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in his name. Acts 4.
4. To menace by action; to present the appearance of coming evil; as, rolling billows threaten to overwhelm us.
5. To exhibit the appearance of something evil or unpleasant approaching; as, the clouds threaten us with rain or a storm.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops" [syn: endanger, jeopardize, jeopardise, menace, threaten, imperil, peril]
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"

Merriam Webster's

verb (threatened; threatening) Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. to utter threats against 2. a. to give signs or warning of ; portend <the clouds threatened rain> b. to hang over dangerously ; menace <famine threatens the city> 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> intransitive verb 1. to utter threats 2. to portend evil • threatener noun • threateningly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 make a threat or threats against. 2 be a sign or indication of (something undesirable). 3 (foll. by to + infin.) announce one's intention to do an undesirable or unexpected thing (threatened to resign). 4 (also absol.) give warning of the infliction of (harm etc.) (the clouds were threatening rain). Derivatives: threatener n. threateningly adv. Etymology: OE threatnian (as THREAT)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Threaten Threat"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Threatened; p. pr. & vb. n. Threatening.] [OE. [thorn]retenen. See Threat, v. t.] 1. To utter threats against; to menace; to inspire with apprehension; to alarm, or attempt to alarm, as with the promise of something evil or disagreeable; to warn. Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. --Acts iv. 17. 2. To exhibit the appearance of (something evil or unpleasant) as approaching; to indicate as impending; to announce the conditional infliction of; as, to threaten war; to threaten death. --Milton. The skies look grimly And threaten present blusters. --Shak. Syn: To menace. Usage: Threaten, Menace. Threaten is Anglo-Saxon, and menace is Latin. As often happens, the former is the more familiar term; the latter is more employed in formal style. We are threatened with a drought; the country is menaced with war. By turns put on the suppliant and the lord: Threatened this moment, and the next implored. --Prior. Of the sharp ax Regardless, that o'er his devoted head Hangs menacing. --Somerville.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Threaten Threat"en, v. i. To use threats, or menaces; also, to have a threatening appearance. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(threatens, threatening, threatened) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If a person threatens to do something unpleasant to you, or if they threaten you, they say or imply that they will do something unpleasant to you, especially if you do not do what they want. He said army officers had threatened to destroy the town... He tied her up and threatened her with a six-inch knife... If you threaten me or use any force, I shall inform the police. VERB: V to-inf, V n with n, V n, also V that 2. If something or someone threatens a person or thing, they are likely to harm that person or thing. The newcomers directly threaten the livelihood of the established workers... 30 percent of reptiles, birds, and fish are currently threatened with extinction. VERB: V n, be V-ed with n 3. If something unpleasant threatens to happen, it seems likely to happen. The fighting is threatening to turn into full-scale war... VERB: V to-inf 4. see also threatened, threatening

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Menace, denounce. 2. Portend, presage, forebode, augur, foreshadow, prognosticate, indicate. II. v. n. 1. Use threats, use menaces. 2. Impend, be near at hand, be imminent, stare one in the face.

Moby Thesaurus

abuse, admonish, advise, afflict, aggrieve, alert, anticipate, apprehend, approach, augur, await, be destined, be fated, be imminent, be in store, be to be, be to come, befoul, bewitch, blight, bludgeon, bluster, bluster out of, bode, brew, browbeat, bulldoze, bully, caution, come, come on, comminate, condemn, confront, corrupt, cow, croak, crucify, cry havoc, curse, damage, daunt, defile, demoralize, denounce, deprave, despoil, destroy, disadvantage, disserve, distress, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, doom, dragoon, draw near, draw nigh, draw on, endanger, envenom, expect, face, forebode, foresee, foretell, forewarn, forthcome, gather, get into trouble, give fair warning, give notice, give warning, hang over, harass, harm, have a premonition, have a presentiment, hector, hex, hope, hover, huff, hurt, impair, impend, imperil, infect, injure, intimidate, issue an ultimatum, jeopardize, jinx, lie ahead, lie over, look black, look for, look forward to, look threatening, loom, lower, maltreat, menace, mistreat, molest, near, notify, outrage, overhang, persecute, plan, play havoc with, play hob with, plot, poison, pollute, portend, preapprehend, predict, prejudice, presage, project, prophesy, put in jeopardy, savage, scathe, sound the alarm, systematically terrorize, taint, terrorize, tip, tip off, torment, torture, utter a caveat, utter threats against, violate, warn, warn against, wound, wreak havoc on, wrong