threat */*/*/

UK [θret] / US noun
Word forms "threat":
singular threat plural threats

1) [countable/uncountable] a situation or an activity that could cause harm or danger

threat to:

Officials were confident there had been no threat to public health.

a threat to freedom/democracy

pose a threat:

The dispute poses a direct threat (= is a threat) to peace.

a) [countable] someone who might defeat you or might cause problems for you

She is not viewed as a threat by her former employer.

threat to:

He saw the other man as a real threat to his marriage.

b) [countable/uncountable] the possibility that something bad is going to happen

threat of:

Constant threat of attack makes everyday life dangerous here.

The threat of full-scale war has not been averted.

face a threat:

They face the threat of terrorism every day.

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Collocations:
Verbs frequently used with threat as the object ▪  avert, combat, constitute, counter, dismiss, face, ignore, neutralize, pose, present

2) [countable] an occasion when someone says that they will cause you harm or problems, especially if you do not do what they tell you to do

make/issue a threat:

He would not make threats he wasn't prepared to carry out.

threat of:

After threats of legal action they stopped the building work.

an idle/empty threat (= a threat that is not serious):

This isn't just an idle threat.

a bomb threat:

A bomb threat forced them to make an emergency landing.

death threats:

He had received death threats.

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- under threat