Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An expression of an intention to inflict pain, harm, or punishment.
  • noun An indication of impending danger or harm.
  • noun One that is regarded as a possible source of harm or danger.
  • noun The condition of being in danger or at risk.
  • transitive verb To threaten.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Crowd; press; pressure.
  • noun Vexation; torment.
  • noun A menace; a denunciation of ill to befall some one; a declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict punishment, loss, or pain on another.
  • noun In law, any menace of such a nature and extent as to unsettle the mind of the person on whom it operates, and to preclude that free voluntary action which is necessary to assent.
  • To press; urge; compel.
  • To threaten.
  • To use threats; act or speak menacingly; threaten.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun 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.
  • verb Obs. or Poetic To threaten.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An expression of intent to injure or punish another.
  • noun An indication of imminent danger.
  • noun A person or object that is regarded as a danger; a menace.
  • verb archaic To threaten.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person who inspires fear or dread
  • noun declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict harm on another
  • noun something that is a source of danger
  • noun a warning that something unpleasant is imminent

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English thrēat, oppression; see treud- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English þrēat ("crowd, army").

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Examples

Comments

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  • Evaluate relative threats here.

    December 24, 2007