to utter intentions of injury or punishment against:
“He threatened me when I tried to call the police”
verb
to be a menacing indication of something:
“The clouds threaten rain”
Word Forms
jeopardy
noun
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
menace
noun
something that is a source of danger
peril
noun
a state of danger involving risk
Around the World
Europe
🇩🇪German
drohen
eine Bedrohung darstellen für; eine Gefahr darstellen
🇫🇷French
menacer
constituer une menace pour ; présenter un danger pour
🇪🇸Spanish
amenazar
representar una amenaza para; presentar un peligro para
🇮🇹Italian
minacciare
rappresentare una minaccia per; presentare un pericolo per
🇳🇱Dutch
dreigen
een bedreiging vormen voor; een gevaar opleveren
🇵🇹Portuguese
ameaçar
representar uma ameaça para; apresentar um perigo para
🇷🇺Russian
угрожать
представлять угрозу; представлять опасность для
India
🇮🇳Hindi
धमकी देना
के लिए ख़तरा उत्पन्न करना; के लिए खतरा प्रस्तुत करें
🇧🇩Bengali
হুমকি
একটি হুমকি জাহির করা; একটি বিপদ উপস্থাপন
🇮🇳Tamil
அச்சுறுத்துகின்றனர்
அச்சுறுத்தலை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது; ஒரு ஆபத்தை முன்வைக்கிறது
🇮🇳Telugu
బెదిరిస్తారు
ముప్పు కలిగించు; ఒక ప్రమాదాన్ని ప్రదర్శించండి
🇮🇳Marathi
धमकी देणे
धोका निर्माण करणे; साठी धोका दर्शवितो
🇮🇳Gujarati
ધમકી
માટે જોખમ ઊભું કરવું; માટે જોખમ રજૂ કરે છે
🇮🇳Kannada
ಬೆದರಿಕೆ ಹಾಕುತ್ತಾರೆ
ಬೆದರಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ; ಅಪಾಯವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತಪಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ
🇮🇳Malayalam
ഭീഷണിപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു
ഒരു ഭീഷണി ഉയർത്തുക; ഒരു അപകടം അവതരിപ്പിക്കുക
🇮🇳Punjabi
ਧਮਕੀ
ਨੂੰ ਖ਼ਤਰਾ ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰਨਾ; ਨੂੰ ਖ਼ਤਰਾ ਪੇਸ਼ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ
🇵🇰Urdu
دھمکی
کو خطرہ لاحق کو خطرہ پیش کرتے ہیں۔
East & Southeast Asia
🇨🇳Chinese
威胁
构成威胁；构成危险
🇯🇵Japanese
脅かす
に脅威を与える。 ～に危険をもたらす
🇰🇷Korean
위협하다
위협을 가하다; ~에게 위험을 초래하다
🇻🇳Vietnamese
hăm dọa
gây ra mối đe dọa; gây nguy hiểm cho
🇹🇭Thai
ข่มขู่
ก่อให้เกิดภัยคุกคามต่อ; ก่อให้เกิดอันตรายต่อ
🇮🇩Indonesian
mengancam
menimbulkan ancaman terhadap; menghadirkan bahaya bagi
🇵🇭Filipino
pagbabanta
magdulot ng banta sa; nagpapakita ng panganib sa
🇲🇾Malay
mengancam
menimbulkan ancaman kepada; mendatangkan bahaya kepada
Middle East
🇸🇦Arabic
يهدد
تشكل تهديدا ل؛ تشكل خطرا على
🇮🇷Persian
تهدید کند
تهدیدی برای؛ خطری برای
🇹🇷Turkish
tehdit etmek
için tehdit oluşturmak; için tehlike arz etmek
🇮🇱Hebrew
לְאַיֵם
להוות איום על; מהווה סכנה ל
Test Yourself1 / 3
What is the primary definition of the word 'threaten'?
The primary meaning of 'threaten' is 'pose a threat to; present a danger to'.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'threaten' in a grammatically correct way?
Using 'threaten' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.
In which domain is the word 'threaten' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?
'threaten' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.
Community Poll1 / 6
How often do you encounter the word 'threaten' in your daily reading?
Very Often
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you find 'threaten' easy to spell?
Yes, very easy
Somewhat easy
A bit confusing
Extremely hard
In your opinion, does the word 'threaten' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?
Positive
Neutral
Gloomy
Vibrant
Which age group is most likely to use 'threaten' in regular conversations?
Kids (3-12)
Teens (13-19)
Adults (20-60)
Seniors (60+)
How likely are you to use 'threaten' in a professional email?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never
Would you classify 'threaten' as formal, casual, or slang?
Formal
Casual
Slang
Archaic
Pick an option to see how others voted
This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)?
Open the Advanced entry →
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