Search
Select the dictionary language
to threaten
01
to say that one is willing to damage something or hurt someone if one's demands are not met
Transitive: to threaten sb | to threaten to do sth
Grammatical Information
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
threaten
3rd person singular
threatens
Past simple
threatened
Past participle
threatened
Examples
The robber threatened the store clerk with a knife if they did n't hand over the money.
02
to indicate a potential danger or risk to someone or something
Transitive: to threaten sth
Examples
His aggressive behavior began to threaten the safety of those around him.
03
to show signs or provide a warning of something bad or harmful that may happen
Transitive: to threaten an undesirable situation
Examples
The darkening sky threatened rain, prompting people to leave the beach.
Lexical Tree
threatened
threatening
threatening
threaten
