as in to endanger
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
the powerful hurricane continues to threaten the southern coastline
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Recent Examples of threaten
The 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada had already been set to go into effect, but the president had not previously threatened to impose an additional 10% tariffs on Chinese imports after the initial 10% tariff on the country’s goods went into effect earlier this month.
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Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 27 Feb. 2025
The third season, based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels Desert Star and The Black Ice, will center on a murder investigation of Kurt Dockweiler, which threatens to ruin the lives of the series’ three main characters.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Without intervention, this pattern threatens to create an increasingly unbridgeable gap between those who can harness AI's potential and those who bear its costs.
—Hessie Jones, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
The Giants have a three-run lead the old-fashioned way (three catcher’s interference calls and three balks), but the Dodgers are threatening.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 27 Feb. 2025
The third season, based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels Desert Star and The Black Ice, will center on a murder investigation of Kurt Dockweiler, which threatens to ruin the lives of the series’ three main characters.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Without intervention, this pattern threatens to create an increasingly unbridgeable gap between those who can harness AI's potential and those who bear its costs.
—Hessie Jones, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
The Giants have a three-run lead the old-fashioned way (three catcher’s interference calls and three balks), but the Dodgers are threatening.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threaten
Cite this Entry
“Threaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threaten. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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