THREATEN Meaning and
Definition
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Threaten is a verb that refers to the act of expressing an intention or possibility to cause harm, danger, distress, or injury to someone or something. It involves conveying a sense of danger or intimidation by making statements, gestures, or actions that imply negative consequences.
When an individual threatens, they typically aim to instill fear, apprehension, or coercion in others in order to achieve a specific outcome, gain control, or ensure compliance. Threatening behavior can take various forms, such as explicit verbal or written threats, forceful gestures, or even non-verbal cues that suggest harm might occur.
Threatening someone can be done for numerous reasons, including as a means of exerting power or control, as a reaction to feeling threatened oneself, as a response to frustration or anger, or as a way to manipulate or coerce others into a desired behavior or action.
Threaten can also refer to the condition of being exposed to potential harm, damage, or danger. For example, if someone's safety is compromised by a dangerous situation or circumstance, it can be said that they are threatened.
In legal contexts, threatening others with physical harm, violence, or death can be a criminal offense, depending on the jurisdiction and the severity of the threat.
Overall, "threaten" involves the act of asserting or indicating a potential harmful action, condition, or consequence, usually to induce fear, compliance, or control over others.
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• To announce openly the purpose of inflicting punishment or injury on another; to attempt to terrify by threats or menaces; to present the appearance of coming evil; to exhibit the appearance of some coming danger or evil.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Top Common Misspellings for THREATEN *
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
Other Common Misspellings for THREATEN
Etymology of THREATEN
The word "threaten" originated from the Old English word "þreotian" or "þreatian", which had a similar meaning. This Old English term can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic word "*threutōną", meaning "to press, to force". The Proto-Germanic word was derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*trud-", which carries the sense of "to push". Over time, the word "threaten" evolved and took on its current meaning of expressing an intention to harm or cause damage to someone or something.
Idioms with the word THREATEN
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threaten sm with sm or sth
The idiom "threaten someone with something or someone" means to intimidate or frighten someone by using the potential harm, danger, or negative consequences associated with someone or something. It implies making a statement or taking actions that suggest the intention to harm or inflict damage upon another person using a specific object or individual as a means of leverage.
Similar spelling words for THREATEN
Conjugate verb Threaten
CONDITIONAL PERFECT
I
would have threatened
you
would have threatened
he/she/it
would have threatened
we
would have threatened
they
would have threatened
I
would have threaten
you
would have threaten
he/she/it
would have threaten
we
would have threaten
they
would have threaten
CONDITIONAL PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
I
would have been threatening
you
would have been threatening
he/she/it
would have been threatening
we
would have been threatening
they
would have been threatening
CONDITIONAL PRESENT
I
would threaten
you
would threaten
he/she/it
would threaten
we
would threaten
they
would threaten
CONDITIONAL PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
I
would be threatening
you
would be threatening
he/she/it
would be threatening
we
would be threatening
they
would be threatening
FUTURE
I
will threaten
you
will threaten
he/she/it
will threaten
we
will threaten
they
will threaten
FUTURE CONTINUOUS
I
will be threatening
you
will be threatening
he/she/it
will be threatening
we
will be threatening
they
will be threatening
FUTURE PERFECT
I
will have threatened
you
will have threatened
he/she/it
will have threatened
we
will have threatened
they
will have threatened
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
I
will have been threatening
you
will have been threatening
he/she/it
will have been threatening
we
will have been threatening
they
will have been threatening
IMPERATIVE
you
threaten
we
let´s threaten
to threaten
PAST CONTINUOUS
I
was threatening
you
were threatening
he/she/it
was threatening
we
were threatening
they
were threatening
PAST PARTICIPLE
threatened
PAST PERFECT
I
had threatened
you
had threatened
he/she/it
had threatened
we
had threatened
they
had threatened
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
I
had been threatening
you
had been threatening
he/she/it
had been threatening
we
had been threatening
they
had been threatening
PRESENT
I
threaten
you
threaten
he/she/it
threatens
we
threaten
they
threaten
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
I
am threatening
you
are threatening
he/she/it
is threatening
we
are threatening
they
are threatening
PRESENT PARTICIPLE
threatening
PRESENT PERFECT
I
have threatened
you
have threatened
he/she/it
has threatened
we
have threatened
they
have threatened
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
I
have been threatening
you
have been threatening
he/she/it
has been threatening
we
have been threatening
they
have been threatening
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE
he/she/it
threaten
SIMPLE PAST
I
threatened
you
threatened
he/she/it
threatened
we
threatened
they
threatened
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