threat

1 of 2

noun

ˈthret 

1

: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage

2

: one that threatens

3

: an indication of something impending

the sky held a threat of rain

threat

2 of 2

verb

threated; threating; threats

archaic

: threaten

Synonyms of threat

Noun

• danger
• menace
• risk
• peril

Examples of threat in a Sentence

Noun

He was willing to use violence and threats to get what he wanted.

She ignored their threats and continued to do what she felt was right.

a country under threat of civil war

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The juvenile, whose name has not been released, will be charged with terroristic threats and simple assault after making a threat referencing a school shooting while playing video games online, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said on Wednesday. —Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

The severity of the threat posed by CopyFail and the likelihood of active exploitation is high enough to warrant all Linux users to investigate their systems immediately. —Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026

Less than 20 minutes later, someone called 911 reporting a potential threat to Cypress Bay High School in Weston, prompting a lockdown also at that school, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026

An Israeli military official told AP the fiber optic drones are a relatively new threat during the latest round of fighting with Hezbollah. —ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English thret coercion, threat, from Old English thrēat coercion; akin to Middle High German drōz annoyance, Latin trudere to push, thrust

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing threat

• bomb threat
• counter-threat
• empty threat
• idle threat
• triple threat
• under threat

Rhymes for threat

• bet
• brett
• debt
• et
• fret
• get
• jet
• let
• lett
• met
• net
• nett

Kids Definition

threat

noun

ˈthret

1

: an expression of an intent to do harm

stop making threats

2

: something that threatens

the volcano was a threat to the village

3

: an indication of something impending

the sky held a threat of rain

Legal Definition

threat

noun

: an expression of an intention to injure another : menace sense 1

criminal laws against making terroristic threats