threaten

verb
🔊/ˈθretn/
🔊/ˈθretn/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they threaten
🔊/ˈθretn/
🔊/ˈθretn/
he / she / it threatens
🔊/ˈθretnz/
🔊/ˈθretnz/
past simple threatened
🔊/ˈθretnd/
🔊/ˈθretnd/
past participle threatened
🔊/ˈθretnd/
🔊/ˈθretnd/
-ing form threatening
🔊/ˈθretnɪŋ/
🔊/ˈθretnɪŋ/
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  1. [transitive] to say that you will cause trouble, hurt somebody, etc. if you do not get what you want扬言要;威胁;恐吓
    • threaten somebody/something They broke my windows and threatened me.他们砸碎我的窗子并威胁我。🔊🔊
    • People have even threatened his life. 人们甚至威胁他的生命。
    • I contacted this band and threatened legal action.我联系了这个乐队并威胁要采取法律行动。
    • threaten somebody with something The attacker threatened them with a gun.袭击者用枪威胁他们。🔊🔊
    • He was threatened with dismissal if he continued to turn up late for work.他受到警告,如果继续上班迟到,就被辞退。🔊🔊
    • threaten something The threatened strike has been called off.扬言要进行的罢工被取消了。🔊🔊
    • Students are threatening legal action. 学生们威胁要采取法律行动。
    • threaten to do something The hijackers threatened to kill one passenger every hour if their demands were not met.劫机者要挟说,如果他们的要求得不到满足,他们每过一小时就杀死一名乘客。🔊🔊
    • The bank is threatening to sue him.银行威胁要起诉他。
    • threaten that… They threatened that passengers would be killed.他们要挟说要杀死乘客。🔊🔊
    • threaten + speech ‘I'm going to kill him!’ she threatened. “我要杀了他!” 她威胁。
    Extra Examples
    • I never felt threatened by him.我从来没有觉得受他威胁。
    • Did he ever say anything to suggest that he felt threatened, or that his life was in danger?他是否曾经说过任何暗示自己受到威胁或生命危险的言论?
    • She had repeatedly threatened to commit suicide.她多次扬言要自杀。
    • The union threatened that unless the new rules were withdrawn, they would call a strike.工会威胁说,除非撤销新规则,否则他们将罢工。
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • publicly
    • personally
    • physically
    preposition
    • with
    phrases
    • feel threatened
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive, transitive] to seem likely to happen or cause something unpleasant预示凶兆;有…危险
    • A storm was threatening.暴风雨即将来临。🔊🔊
    • When war threatens, people act irrationally.受到战争威胁时,人们的行为失去理性。
    • threaten to do something This dispute threatens to split the party.这一分歧可能会造成党的分裂。🔊🔊
    • threaten something The clouds threatened rain.乌云密布预示大雨将至。🔊🔊
    • threaten something with something Many species are now threatened with extinction.许多物种现在面临灭绝的危险。
    • The theatre was threatened with closure. 剧院被迫关闭。
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • gravely
    • seriously
    • severely
    verb + threaten
    • could
    • appear to
    • seem to
    phrases
    • be threatened with something
    See full entry
  3. [transitive] threaten something to be a danger to something危及;对…构成威胁 synonym endanger, at risk
    • Pollution is threatening marine life.污染正危及海洋生物。🔊🔊
    • to threaten national security 威胁国家安全
    • They are not currently an endangered or threatened species. 它们目前不是濒危物种。
    Extra Examples
    • Our marriage was constantly threatened by his other women.他有别的女人,我们的婚姻不断受到威胁。
    • Our way of life is gravely threatened.我们的生活方式受到严重威胁。
    • She claimed that the conflict was threatening stability in the region.她声称冲突威胁该地区的稳定。
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • gravely
    • seriously
    • severely
    verb + threaten
    • could
    • appear to
    • seem to
    phrases
    • be threatened with something
    See full entry
  4. Word OriginOld English thrēatnian ‘urge or induce, especially by using threats’, from thrēat ‘oppression’, of Germanic origin.