Word a Day
threaten
What does threaten mean?
threaten (verb): to utter intentions of injury or punishment against.
Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.
How do you pronounce threaten?
/ˈθɹɛtən/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does threaten come from?
From Middle English thretenen, from Old English þrēatnian (“to urge, force, compel”), equivalent to threat + -en.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “threaten”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “threaten” mean?
to form (something) by combining materials or parts
Not quite: that's what build means.
to notice with care; to observe; to remark; to heed
Not quite: that's what note means.
to come face to face with by accident; to encounter
Not quite: that's what meet means.
to utter intentions of injury or punishment against
Right! That's what “threaten” means.
Learn a word like “threaten” every day
Word a Day for iPhone quizzes you on a few new words a day and brings each one back for review at growing intervals. Free, no account, no ads.
Coming soon to the App Store