threat
English · Thesaurus
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threat¹
- /θɹɛt/ UK, US
- /θɹet/ Australia, New Zealand
- /θɾɛt/ Scotland, Wales
- /tɹɛt/ Ireland
- /fɹɛt/
Sounds like fret (th-fronting) · Rhymes with -ɛt
Where it comes from
From Middle English threte, thret, thrat, thræt, threat, from Old English þrēat (“crowd, swarm, troop, army, press; pressure, trouble, calamity, oppression, force, violence, threat”), from Proto-Germanic *þrautaz, closely tied to Proto-Germanic *þrautą (“displeasure, complaint, grievance, labour, toil”), from Proto-Indo-European *trewd- (“to squeeze, push, press”). Cognate with Scots thret, threte, threit (“threat”), Middle High German drōz (“annoyance, disgust, horror, terror, fright”), Middle Low German drōt (“threat, menace, danger”), Faroese treyt (“struggle, labour, distress”), Icelandic þraut (“struggle, labour, distress”), Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Ukrainian труд (trud, “work, labour”), Czech trud (“effot, hard work”), Polish trud (“hard work”), Serbo-Croatian trȗd (“effort, hard work”).
noun threats
- An expression of intent to injure or punish another. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats.
- An indication of potential or imminent danger. Verifying and addressing actual threats is not paranoia.
- A person or object that is regarded as a danger; a menace. Rooney's United team-mate Chris Smalling was given his debut at right-back and was able to adjust to the international stage in relatively relaxed fashion as Bulgaria barely posed a threat of any consequence.
Similar: intimidation, warning, menace, threat · Opposite: protection
threat²
- /θɹɛt/ UK, US
- /θɹet/ Australia, New Zealand
- /θɾɛt/ Scotland, Wales
- /tɹɛt/ Ireland
- /fɹɛt/
Sounds like fret (th-fronting) · Rhymes with -ɛt
Where it comes from
From Middle English threten, from Old English þrēatian (“to press, oppress, repress, correct, threaten”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *trewd- (“to squeeze, push, press”). Cognate with Scots threit (“to threaten”), Dutch verdrieten (“to sadden, displease”), Middle Low German drēten (“to threaten”), German verdrießen (“to bother, vex”), Faroese tróta (“to run out”), Icelandic þrjóta (“to run out, end”), Norwegian tryte (“to run out, end”), Swedish tryda (“to run out”), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌸𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍄𐌰𐌽 (usþriutan, “to harass, torment”), Latin trūdō (“to push”), Albanian ndrydh (“to sprain, supress, withdraw”), Belarusian трудзіць (trudzicʹ, “to burden, tire”), Bulgarian тру̀дя (trùdja, “to work”), Czech trudit (“to toil, worry”), Polish trudzić (“to toil, worry”), Russian труди́ть (trudítʹ, “to burden, tire”), Serbo-Croatian trúditi (“to try, make and effot”), Ukrainian труди́ти (trudýty, “to toil, tire”).
verb threats · threating · threated
- To press; urge; compel.
- To threaten. An hideous Geant horrible and hye, / That with his talnesse seemd to threat the skye […]
- To use threats; act or speak menacingly; threaten.
Threat³
proper noun Threats
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: menace, terror, scourge, menacing, threaten, threatening, trouble, intimidation, intimidate, distress, fear, problem, dangerous, peril, endangering, danger
noun
Similar: intimidation, warning, menace, threat · Opposite: protection
Translations
Every language
noun expression of intent to injure or punish another
| 한국어 | 위협 wihyeop, 협박 hyeopbak |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 脅迫 kyōhaku, 脅かし odokashi |
| 中文 | 威脅 /威胁 wēixié |
| हिन्दी | धमकी dhamkī |
| Kiswahili | tisho |
| Português | ameaça |
| Français | menace |
| Deutsch | Drohung |
| Italiano | minaccia |
| Ελληνικά | απειλή apeilí |
| Română | amenințare |
| Русский | угро́за ugróza |
| Tiếng Việt | uy hiếp, lời đe doạ |
| العربية | تَهْدِيد tahdīd |
| עברית | אִיּוּם iyum |
noun indication of imminent danger
| 한국어 | 협위 hyeobwi, 위험 wiheom |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 脅威 kyōi |
| 中文 | 危險 /危险 wēixiǎn |
| हिन्दी | जोखिम jokhim |
| Kiswahili | tisho |
| Português | ameaça |
| Français | menace |
| Deutsch | Bedrohung |
| Italiano | minaccia |
| Ελληνικά | απειλή apeilí |
| Română | amenințare |
| Русский | опа́сность opásnostʹ |
noun person regarded as a danger
| Español | peligro al público |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 脅威 kyōi |
| Kiswahili | tisho |
| Português | ameaça, perigo público |
| Français | danger public |
| Italiano | minaccia, pericolo a popolo |
| Ελληνικά | απειλή apeilí |
| Русский | исто́чник опа́сности istóčnik opásnosti, зло zlo |
| Tiếng Việt | mối hiểm hoạ |
Talk about this word "threat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/threat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. threat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/threat "threat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/threat.Cite this
@misc{threat_2026,
title = {threat},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/threat},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
