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
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
Charna Flam, People.com, 31 July 2025
Microsoft said the ability to cause infected devices to trust malicious sites allows the threat actor to maintain persistence, likely for use in intelligence collection.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2025
Cyber threat actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and operate at increasing scale, with the activity of nation states growing and the use of AI increasing.
—John Whittle, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
In short, security layers should deter someone from attempting an attack, detect an incoming threat with surveillance, delay the attack by limiting access, and detain the individual, according to Wheatley.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for threat
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.
Noun
While these lizards are not seen as a threat to humans, dogs or cats, Thompson officials noted that people should not attempt to approach Goose.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 31 July 2025
Microsoft said the ability to cause infected devices to trust malicious sites allows the threat actor to maintain persistence, likely for use in intelligence collection.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2025
Cyber threat actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and operate at increasing scale, with the activity of nation states growing and the use of AI increasing.
—John Whittle, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
In short, security layers should deter someone from attempting an attack, detect an incoming threat with surveillance, delay the attack by limiting access, and detain the individual, according to Wheatley.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for threat
Cite this Entry
“Threat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threat. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share