threat

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

noun

/θret/

singular	threat
plural	threats

Related dictionary definitions

make good (on) a promise/threat/debt etc

1
[countable/uncountable] a situation or an activity that could cause harm or danger
threat to:
Officials were confident there had been no threat to public health.
a threat to freedom/democracy
pose a threat:
The dispute poses a direct threat (=is a threat) to peace.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of threat
1. a.
  [countable] someone who might defeat you or might cause problems for you
  She is not viewed as a threat by her former employer.
  threat to:
  He saw the other man as a real threat to his marriage.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of threat
2. b.
  [countable/uncountable] the possibility that something bad is going to happen
  threat of:
  Constant threat of attack makes everyday life dangerous here.
  The threat of full-scale war has not been averted.
  face a threat:
  They face the threat of terrorism every day.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of threat
Collocations: threat
▪ avert, combat, constitute, counter, dismiss, face, ignore, neutralize, pose, present
2
[countable] an occasion when someone says that they will cause you harm or problems, especially if you do not do what they tell you to do
make/issue a threat:
He would not make threats he wasn’t prepared to carry out.
threat of:
After threats of legal action they stopped the building work.
an idle/empty threat (=a threat that is not serious):
This isn’t just an idle threat.
a bomb threat:
A bomb threat forced them to make an emergency landing.
death threats:
He had received death threats.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of threat

phrase

under threat
1. 1
  likely to be harmed or damaged
  An ancient religious custom is under threat.
  come under threat (=start being under threat):
  These developments meant that the peace effort came under threat.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of threat
2. 2
  because of being threatened
  under threat of:
  Any contract made under threat of violence is not legal.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of threat

This is the British English definition of threat. View American English definition of threat.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

glottal stop

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...

Word of the Day

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog

Did you know?