threaten
verb- [transitive]
to say that you will cause trouble, hurt somebody, etc. if you do not get what you want 扬言要；威胁；恐吓 - threaten somebody/something
They broke my windows and threatened me. 他们砸碎我的窗子并威胁我。 People have even threatened his life. 人们甚至威胁到他的生命。 I contacted this band and threatened legal action. 我联系了这个乐队，并威胁要采取法律行动。 - threaten somebody with something
The attacker threatened them with a gun. 袭击者用枪威胁他们。 He was threatened with dismissal if he continued to turn up late for work. 他受到警告，如果继续上班迟到，就被辞退。 - threaten something
The threatened strike has been called off. 扬言要进行的罢工被取消了。 Students are threatening legal action. 学生们威胁要采取法律行动。 - threaten to do something
The hijackers threatened to kill one passenger every hour if their demands were not met. 劫机者要挟说，如果他们的要求得不到满足，他们每过一小时就杀死一名乘客。 The bank is threatening to sue him. 银行威胁要起诉他。 - threaten that…
They threatened that passengers would be killed. 他们要挟说要杀死乘客。 - threaten + speech
‘I'm going to kill him!’ she threatened. “我要杀了他，”。她威胁说。
Extra ExamplesI never felt threatened by him. 我从来没有觉得受他威胁。 Did he ever say anything to suggest that he felt threatened, or that his life was in danger? 他有没有说过什么暗示他感到威胁，或者他的生命有危险的话？ She had repeatedly threatened to commit suicide. 她多次扬言要自杀。 The union threatened that unless the new rules were withdrawn, they would call a strike. 工会威胁说，除非新规定被撤销，否则他们将举行罢工。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- publicly
- personally
- physically
- …
- with
- feel threatened
- threaten somebody/something
- [intransitive, transitive]
to seem likely to happen or cause something unpleasant 预示凶兆；有…危险 A storm was threatening. 暴风雨即将来临。 When war threatens, people act irrationally. 受到战争威胁时，人们的行为失去理性。 - threaten to do something
This dispute threatens to split the party. 这一分歧可能会造成党的分裂。 - threaten something
The clouds threatened rain. 乌云密布预示大雨将至。 - threaten something with something
Many species are now threatened with extinction. 许多物种现在面临灭绝的危险。 The theatre was threatened with closure. 剧院面临关闭的威胁。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gravely
- seriously
- severely
- …
- could
- appear to
- seem to
- …
- be threatened with something
- [transitive] threaten something
to be a danger to something 危及；对…构成威胁 Pollution is threatening marine life. 污染正危及海洋生物。 to threaten national security 威胁国家安全 They are not currently an endangered or threatened species. 它们目前不是濒危或受威胁的物种。
Extra ExamplesOur marriage was constantly threatened by his other women. 他有别的女人，我们的婚姻不断受到威胁。 Our way of life is gravely threatened. 我们的生活方式受到严重威胁。 She claimed that the conflict was threatening stability in the region. 她声称冲突威胁该地区的稳定。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gravely
- seriously
- severely
- …
- could
- appear to
- seem to
- …
- be threatened with something
Word OriginOld English thrēatnian ‘urge or induce, especially by using threats’, from thrēat ‘oppression’, of Germanic origin.