threaten verb
1 warn sb that you may hurt, kill or punish them
ADV. publicly | personally, physically He says he was physically threatened in an attempt to get him to sign over his rights. | repeatedly She had repeatedly threatened to commit suicide. | allegedly, reportedly
PREP. with She threatened him with a gun.
PHRASES feel threatened I never felt threatened by him.
2 be likely to harm/destroy sth
ADV. gravely, seriously, severely social unrest which seriously threatens the stability of the whole area | increasingly | directly | constantly, continually Our marriage was constantly threatened by his other women.
VERB + THREATEN could | appear to, seem to
PHRASES be threatened with sth Many species are now threatened with extinction.
You can also check other dicts: threaten (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition