Definition

1. Noun:
   • A declaration of an intention to inflict harm or punishment: A statement expressing the aim to cause injury, loss, or pain to someone.
   • A person or thing likely to cause damage or danger: A source of potential harm or a person who inspires fear.
   • A warning of something undesirable or unpleasant that is imminent: An indication that something bad is about to happen.

Usage and Examples

• As a declaration of intent to harm:
  • He made a threat to reveal the secret.
  • The company received a bomb threat.
• As a source of danger:
  • Pollution is a major threat to public health.
  • The escaped prisoner was considered a threat to the community.
• As a warning of something imminent:
  • The dark clouds were a threat of rain.
  • There is a threat of job losses at the factory.

Advanced Usage

• "Under threat of": Facing the imminent possibility of something bad happening, often used with legal or coercive action.
  • He confessed under threat of imprisonment.
  • The species is under threat of extinction.
• "A threat to": Used to describe something that endangers a person, group, or system.
  • Cyberattacks are a growing threat to national security.
• "An empty/idle threat": A threat that is not meant to be carried out.
  • His promise to quit was just an empty threat.

Variants and Related Words

• Threaten (verb): To express an intention to harm or to seem likely to cause harm.
  • The manager threatened to fire him.
  • The storm threatens to flood the coastal town.
• Threatening (adjective): Having a hostile or intimidating quality.
  • He received a threatening letter.
  • The sky looked dark and threatening.

Synonyms

• Menace: Something that threatens to cause evil, harm, or danger.
• Danger: The possibility of suffering harm or injury.
• Peril: Serious and immediate danger.
• Intimidation: The action of frightening or threatening someone.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "A clear and present danger/threat": An obvious and immediate risk. (Often used in legal contexts).
  • The judge ruled the suspect was a clear and present threat to society.
• "To pose a threat": To constitute a source of danger.
  • The invasive species poses a serious threat to the local ecosystem.

Noun

1. a person who inspires fear or dread
   • he was the terror of the neighborhood
2. declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict harm on another
   • his threat to kill me was quite explicit
3. a warning that something unpleasant is imminent
   • they were under threat of arrest
4. something that is a source of danger
   • earthquakes are a constant threat in Japan