past and past participle
Communicated or received a warning that someone might be hurt, punished, or that trouble might be caused.
The bully threatened to break my phone.
Several workers were threatened with dismissal.
American English
How to pronounce threatened
verb · adjectiveB1Common word
THREHtnd
/ˈθɹɛ.t̚n̩d̚/
2 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Form of threaten
Communicated or received a warning that someone might be hurt, punished, or that trouble might be caused.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
past and past participle
Put someone or something in danger of serious harm or damage.
The drought threatened the harvest.
The coastal village was threatened by the rising sea.
adjective
Describes someone or something that is in danger of being harmed, damaged, or destroyed.
Many threatened species need protected habitats.
The threatened bridge was closed after the earthquake.
Related words & forms
The final t is doubled before -ed and -ing: threatened, threatening.