Meaning & use
threaten
To express an intention to cause harm, punishment, or damage if a demand is not met.
See it in a sentence
The landlord threatened to evict the tenants if the rent stayed unpaid another month.
Dark clouds threatened rain, so we packed up the picnic early.
A note on using this word
Threaten also works with non-human subjects to mean 'seem likely to bring something unwelcome,' as with weather or danger.
Words with a similar meaning
intimidatemenace
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
reassure
Make it your own
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