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threat·en

(thrĕtn)

v. threat·ened, threat·en·ing, threat·ens

v. tr.

1. To express a threat against or give indications of taking hostile action against: threatened his neighbor with a knife.

2. To be a source of danger to; endanger: Landslides threatened the mountain village.

3. To give signs or warning of; portend: clouds threatening rain.

4. To announce the possibility of (something) in a threat or prediction: workers threatening a walkout; a customer threatening to sue for fraud.

5. To cause (someone) to feel that their power, social standing, or self-esteem is in danger of being diminished: felt threatened by his colleague's promotion.

v. intr.

1. To express or use threats.

2. To indicate or be a source of danger or harm: “When World War II threatened, Broadway turned to patriotic extravaganzas” (Deanne Stillman).

threaten·er n.

threaten·ing·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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