threat
Plural: threats
Noun
- something that is a source of danger
- "earthquakes are a constant threat in Japan"
- a warning that something unpleasant is imminent
- "they were under threat of arrest"
- declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict harm on another
- "his threat to kill me was quite explicit"
- a person who inspires fear or dread
- An expression of intent to injure or punish another.
- An indication of potential or imminent danger.
- A person or object that is regarded as a danger; a menace.
Verb
Verb Forms: threated, threating, threats
- To menace or declare an intention to harm.
- To press; urge; compel.
- To threaten.
- To use threats; act or speak menacingly; threaten.
Examples
- He would THREAT an opponent with a bingo if they didn’t clear the board.
- Verifying and addressing actual threats is not paranoia.
Origin / Etymology
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”), whence also Middle Low German drōt (“threat, menace, danger”), Middle High German drōz (“annoyance, disgust, horror, terror, fright”), Icelandic þraut (“struggle, labour, distress”), Russian труд (trud, “work, labour”), Polish trud (“hard work”), Latin trūdō (“push”, verb).
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 9
threat: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordthreat: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
threat: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary