# threat

Pronunciation: say "THRET" /θɹɛt/

## Noun

1. Someone or something considered likely to cause harm or to put others in danger.
   - Simple: A person or thing seen as dangerous to others.
   - _The dictator was seen as a threat to regional stability._
   - _Invasive species can become serious threats to native wildlife._
2. A statement or action showing intent to injure or punish another person.
   - Simple: A warning that you will hurt or punish someone.
   - _She reported the threat to the police immediately._
   - _The gang's threats forced the shop owner to pay protection money._
3. A sign of potential or imminent danger.
   - Simple: A sign that something dangerous may happen.
   - _The threat of an avalanche kept the mountain pass closed all weekend._
   - _With the threat of frost tonight, farmers covered their young plants._

## Verb

4. To threaten someone or something, or to use menacing words or behavior. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old word for threaten: to say or show that you will hurt someone.
5. To put pressure on someone, urging or compelling them to do something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To push or force someone to do something.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3** — From Middle English threte, from Old English þrēat ("crowd, troop, pressure, force, violence, threat"), from Proto-Germanic *þrautaz. This traces back to Proto-Indo-European *trewd- ("to squeeze, push, press"), which also gave Latin trūdō ("push") and Russian труд ("work, labour").
**Meanings 4–5** — Akin to Middle Dutch drōten ("to threaten"), the verb goes back to Old English þrēatian ("to press, oppress, correct, threaten"), which became Middle English threten.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/threat (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).