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To threaten someone is to indicate that you will cause harm to or create some other kind of negative consequences for them, especially to pressure them to do something or not to do something.

This kind of statement is called a threat. Threatening someone often involves a promise to physically harm them in retaliation for what they have done or might do. A bank robber might threaten a bank teller by telling them he’ll shoot them if they don’t hand over the money. Some threats are simply meant to intimidate, and don’t involve pressuring someone to do something. A bully might threaten to punch you for no good reason.

Not all threats involve violence. You can threaten someone with a lawsuit.

The word threat can also refer to someone or something that may potentially cause harm or damage, and threaten can mean to be a source of potential harm or damage. A disease threatens your health. A security threat is someone or something that threatens to make a situation unsafe.

Threat can also mean a warning or sign that harm or trouble is coming, and threaten can mean to indicate potential harm or trouble, as in It is threatening to storm out there.��

The adjective threatening is used to describe someone or something that causes alarm, intimidates, or is intended to intimidate, as in You look very threatening in that costume.��

The adjective threatened means in danger, as in I felt threatened or We need to protect threatened species.��

Example: The rowdy students immediately started to behave after the teacher threatened to call their parents.

The first records of the word threaten come from before 1000. It ultimately comes from the Old English �ٳ��é����, meaning “pressure” or “punishment.” The suffix -en is used to form verbs (as in strengthen).

Threatening someone is usually meant to pressure them to do something (or not do something) by indicating what the punishment will be if they don’t comply. For example, you might threaten your brother that you will tell your parents that he was out past curfew unless he gives you something (this is also blackmail). It doesn’t matter if you intend to tell your parents or not—the statement is still a threat.

What are some other forms related to threaten?

• threatening (continuous tense verb, adjective)
• threatened (past tense verb, adjective)
• threat (verb)

What are some synonyms for threaten?

• menace

What are some words that share a root or word element with threaten?��

• nonthreatening
• threatened species

What are some words that often get used in discussing threaten?

• intimidate
• violence
• harm
• hit
• punch
• lawsuit
• storm

Threaten is always used in negative contexts, especially ones that involve some kind of harm or violence.

NYC man arrested for threatening to kill Sen. Schumer & protesters, prosecutors say.
Brian Maiorana, 54, took to social media to threaten law enforcement & elected officials from Sept. up until a few days after the presidential election, prosecutors said.

— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone)

NBC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Senator says Ukranian oligarch and Paul Manafort associate Dmytro Firtash has made "hundreds of millions of dollars" in "illicit profits" awaiting extradition to the U.S.

NBC was threatened with a lawsuit if we published:

— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter)

SCOOP: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has threatened to block the EU's €1.8 trillion budget — if payouts are to linked rule-of-law clauses.

— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope)

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Is threaten used correctly in the following sentence?

After I accidentally knocked over their snowman, the kids threatened to throw snowballs at me.