Threat — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

something that is a source of danger

a warning that something unpleasant is imminent

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/θɹˈɛt/

🇬🇧British English

/θɹˈɛt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/θɹˈɛt/

1 syllable Say it as /θɹˈɛt/.

Examples

earthquakes are a constant threat in Japan
they were under threat of arrest
his threat to kill me was quite explicit

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

terror scourge menace

Parts of Speech

noun	something that is a source of danger “earthquakes are a constant threat in Japan”
noun	a warning that something unpleasant is imminent “they were under threat of arrest”
noun	declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict harm on another “his threat to kill me was quite explicit”
noun	a person who inspires fear or dread “he was the terror of the neighborhood”

Word Forms

menace	verb	pose a threat to; present a danger to
terrorist	noun	a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Gefahr

etwas, das eine Gefahrenquelle darstellt

🇫🇷French

menace

quelque chose qui est une source de danger

🇪🇸Spanish

amenaza

algo que es una fuente de peligro

🇮🇹Italian

minaccia

qualcosa che è fonte di pericolo

🇳🇱Dutch

bedreiging

iets dat een bron van gevaar is

🇵🇹Portuguese

ameaça

algo que é uma fonte de perigo

🇷🇺Russian

угроза

что-то, что является источником опасности

India

🇮🇳Hindi

धमकी

कुछ ऐसा जो खतरे का स्रोत है

🇧🇩Bengali

হুমকি

এমন কিছু যা বিপদের উৎস

🇮🇳Tamil

அச்சுறுத்தல்

ஆபத்துக்கான ஆதாரமாக இருக்கும் ஒன்று

🇮🇳Telugu

బెదిరింపు

ఏదో ప్రమాదానికి మూలం

🇮🇳Marathi

धमकी

काहीतरी धोक्याचे स्त्रोत आहे

🇮🇳Gujarati

ધમકી

કંઈક કે જે જોખમનો સ્ત્રોત છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಬೆದರಿಕೆ

ಏನಾದರೂ ಅಪಾಯದ ಮೂಲವಾಗಿದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ഭീഷണി

അപകടത്തിൻ്റെ ഉറവിടമായ ഒന്ന്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਧਮਕੀ

ਕੁਝ ਅਜਿਹਾ ਜੋ ਖ਼ਤਰੇ ਦਾ ਸਰੋਤ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

دھمکی

ایسی چیز جو خطرے کا باعث ہو۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

威胁

危险来源的东西

🇯🇵Japanese

脅威

危険の源となる何か

🇰🇷Korean

위협

위험의 원인이 되는 것

🇻🇳Vietnamese

mối đe dọa

một cái gì đó là một nguồn nguy hiểm

🇹🇭Thai

ภัยคุกคาม

สิ่งที่เป็นบ่อเกิดของอันตราย

🇮🇩Indonesian

ancaman

sesuatu yang merupakan sumber bahaya

🇵🇭Filipino

pagbabanta

isang bagay na pinagmumulan ng panganib

🇲🇾Malay

ancaman

sesuatu yang menjadi punca bahaya

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تهديد

شيء يشكل مصدر خطر

🇮🇷Persian

تهدید

چیزی که منبع خطر است

🇹🇷Turkish

tehdit

tehlike kaynağı olan bir şey

🇮🇱Hebrew

אִיוּם

משהו שהוא מקור לסכנה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'threat'?

The primary meaning of 'threat' is 'something that is a source of danger'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'threat' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'threat' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'threat' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'threat' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'threat' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'threat' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'threat' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'threat' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'threat' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'threat' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted