threshold

noun

SayTHRESH-ohld/ˈθɹɛʃ(h)oʊld/UK/ˈθɹɛʃ(h)əʊld/

6 meanings of threshold

1
nouncountable
The amount or level something must reach before something else happens or starts to apply.
Like the line on a measuring cup: nothing counts until the water reaches it.
You get free delivery if your order is over the $50 threshold.
The petition needs 500 names to reach the threshold for a vote.
UsageYou reach, cross, or pass a threshold. Spell it with one h in the middle (not ~~incorrect: threshhold~~).
Similarlimit, level, cutoff, minimum
Note
2
nouncountable
The bottom part of a doorway that you step over, or the doorway itself where you go into a building.
Like a low bar at the bottom of a door that you step over.
He tripped over the threshold on his way in.
The cat sat on the threshold, half in and half out.
UsageYou walk across the threshold. The step outside is the doorstep.
Similardoorway, entrance, sill
Note
3
beginningnounfigurativelycountable
The very beginning of something new or important.
Like the first step onto a path you have never walked before.
They stood at the threshold of a brand-new adventure.
We are at the threshold of summer vacation.
UsageSay on the threshold of something new.
Similarbrink, verge, cusp, edge, dawn
Note
4
tolerance levelnouncountable
The point at which something starts to bother or hurt a person.
Like a cup that only spills once it is full: you cope until you reach your limit.
She has a high pain threshold and barely flinched.
His threshold for noise is low, so loud music upsets him quickly.
UsageSay a high pain threshold or a low threshold for noise.
Similartolerance, limit
5
nouncountable
An edge or limit where one thing ends and another begins.
Like the line that shows where one field ends and the next one starts.
Dusk is the threshold between day and night.
They reached the threshold of the forest and stopped.
Similarboundary, border, edge, limit, frontier
6
runway startnouncountable
The marked start of the part of a runway where planes can land.
Like the starting line on a track, but for planes coming down to land.
The pilot aimed to land just past the threshold.
Bright markings show the threshold at the end of the runway.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of threshold apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English þresċold meaning "doorsill" or "entryway," linked to an old word meaning "to thresh" and originally "to tread."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Threshold derives from Old English þresċold, meaning doorsill or entryway. en.wiktionary.org
The word is linked to an ancestral verb meaning to thresh, originally to tread. en.wiktionary.org