Thesaurus results for THREATEN

threaten

verb

ˈthre-tᵊn

Definition of threaten

as in to endanger

to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of threaten The flames surged like a furnace, threatening to destroy her home and testing — once again — the patience of neighbors who were used to waking up to fire truck sirens. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026 West Africa’s cocoa producers are under threat from this year’s El Niño, which threatens to be the worst on record. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 A day after the website went live on July 22, Gupta says people called him from unknown numbers, verbally abusing him and threatening him with violence. — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026 The administration has pressured states to run their voter rolls through an error-prone database to find noncitizen voters and even threatened to prosecute election officials for knowingly allowing noncitizens to cast ballots. — Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for threaten

Recent Examples of Synonyms for threaten

Verb

Mandating malnutrition reporting could increase the need for dietitians in already understaffed hospitals, or create overwhelming caseloads that could endanger patients and heighten the risk of RD burnout.

— Lauren Chan, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026
The possibility that the shooter endangered thousands of people at the rally is also an important distinction under Utah law.

— Bill Chappell, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of endanger

Verb

Top stories California’s coast is under siege A rare convergence of a powerful El Niño, super king tides and sea level rise spurred by climate change could menace California with record coastal flooding this winter.

— Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Dennis Hopper won a Best Villain MTV Movie Award for menacing a bus in this film.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of menace

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threat

threaten

threatened

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“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threaten. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of threaten

verb

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