Vocabulary     

What does threat mean?

Definitions for threat
θrɛtthreat

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word threat.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. menace, threatnoun

    something that is a source of danger

    "earthquakes are a constant threat in Japan"

  2. threatnoun

    a warning that something unpleasant is imminent

    "they were under threat of arrest"

  3. threatnoun

    declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict harm on another

    "his threat to kill me was quite explicit"

  4. terror, scourge, threatnoun

    a person who inspires fear or dread

    "he was the terror of the neighborhood"

Wiktionary

  1. threatnoun

    an expression of intent to injure or punish another.

  2. threatnoun

    an indication of imminent danger.

  3. threatnoun

    a person or object that is regarded as a danger; a menace.

  4. threatverb

    To threaten.

  5. Etymology: þreat.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Threatnoun

    Menace; denunciation of ill.

    Etymology: from the verb.

    There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats. William Shakespeare.

    The emperor perceiving that his threats were little regarded, regarded little to threaten any more. John Hayward.

    Do not believe
    Those rigid threats of death: ye shall not die. John Milton.

  2. To Threat, To Threatenverb

    threat is seldom used but in poetry.

    Etymology: þreatian , Saxon:

    Death to be wish’d
    Though threaten’d, which no worse than this can bring. John Milton.

    What threat you me with telling of the king?
    Tell him and spare not. William Shakespeare, Richard III.

    That it spread no further, straitly threaten them that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. Acts iv. 18.

    The void profound
    Wide gaping, and with utter loss of being
    Threatens him. John Milton.

    Æneas their assault undaunted did abide,
    And thus to Lausus, loud with friendly threat’ning cry’d. John Dryden, Virgil.

    This day black omens threat the brightest fair,
    That e’er deserv’d a watchful spirit’s care. Alexander Pope.

    Void of fear,
    He threaten’d with his long protended spear. Dryden.

    The noise increases as the billows roar,
    When rowling from afar they threat the shore. Dryden.

Wikipedia

  1. Threat

    A threat is a communicated intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. Intimidation is widely observed in animal behavior (particularly in a ritualized form) chiefly in order to avoid the unnecessary physical violence that can lead to physical damage or the death of both conflicting parties. A threat is considered an act of coercion. Some of the more common types of threats forbidden by law are those made with an intent to obtain a monetary advantage or to compel a person to act against his or her will. In most US states, it is an offense to threaten to (1) use a deadly weapon on another person; (2) injure another's person or property; or (3) injure another's reputation.

ChatGPT

  1. threat

    A threat is a perceived or real danger or harm; it refers to something or someone that has the potential to cause harm, damage, or negative consequences. In a broader context, it can also indicate any indication or warning of probable trouble or adverse situation. It can refer to various areas, such as physical safety, emotional well-being, cyber security, national security, or environmental stability.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Threatnoun

    the expression of an intention to inflict evil or injury on another; the declaration of an evil, loss, or pain to come; menace; threatening; denunciation

  2. Threatnoun

    to threaten

Wikidata

  1. Threat

    A threat is an act of coercion wherein an act is proposed to elicit a negative response. It is a communicated intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. It can be a crime in many jurisdictions. Threat is widely seen in animals, particularly in a ritualized form, chiefly in order to avoid the unnecessary physical violence that can lead to physical damage or death of both conflicting parties.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Threat

    thret, n. declaration of an intention to inflict punishment or other evil upon another: menace.—v.t. Threat′en, to declare the intention of inflicting punishment or other evil upon another: to terrify by menaces: to present the appearance of coming evil or of something unpleasant.—n. Threat′ener.—adj. Threat′ening, indicating a threat or menace: indicating something approaching or impending.—adv. Threat′eningly.—adj. Threat′ful (Spens.), full of threats, having a menacing appearance. [A.S. þreát—þreótan, to afflict; cog. with Ger. verdriessen, Goth. thriutan, to vex.]

Suggested Resources

  1. threat

    Song lyrics by threat -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by threat on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. THREAT

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Threat is ranked #31656 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Threat surname appeared 730 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Threat.

    80.6% or 589 total occurrences were Black.
    12.1% or 89 total occurrences were White.
    4.3% or 32 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    1.9% or 14 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'threat' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1809

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'threat' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3249

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'threat' in Nouns Frequency: #664

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for threat »

  1. Hatter

  2. hatter

How to pronounce threat?

How to say threat in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of threat in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of threat in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of threat in a Sentence

  1. Prisons Director Michael Carvajal:

    We're battling a threat here that is unseen, that's not normal for anyone.

  2. Senator Susan Collins of Maine:

    If ever there were an emergency, it is the threat posed to public health by the Zika virus.

  3. Dmitry Peskov:

    The president is mobilized, fully mobilized, mobilized to the extent that circumstances demand, the circumstances are unprecedented. The gauntlet thrown down to Russia is unprecedented. So naturally the reaction is in line with this threat.

  4. Rubana Huq:

    I never thought Islamic extremism would be a big threat to the industry directly, and I never thought it would happen quite like this.

  5. Frank Caporusso:

    Back out of this bulls ** t before it's too late, or we'll start cutting down your staff. This is not a threat. This is a promise.

more sentences »

Popularity rank by frequency of use

threat#1#3891#10000

References

Translations for threat

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"threat." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/threat>.

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