Word · CEFR B2 · Frequency #1390
Fully loadedthreaten
威胁；恐吓
to say you will hurt or punish someone
- 1.
To make a threat against someone; to use threats.
威胁某人；使用威胁手段。
- 2.
To menace, or be dangerous.
危及；构成危险。
- 3.
To portend, or give a warning of.
预示；给出警告。
- 4.
To call into question the validity of (a belief, idea, or viewpoint); to challenge.
质疑(信念、观点等)的有效性；挑战。
- 5.
To be close to equaling or surpassing (a record, etc.); to challenge.
接近或超越(纪录等)；挑战。
预示；可能来临；威胁某人；使用威胁手段。；危及；构成危险。；预示；给出警告。；质疑(信念、观点等)的有效性；挑战。
In use
The driver threatened the cyclist with his fist.
My landlord threatened to raise the rent if I complained again.
She threatened that she would tell everyone our secret.
threaten to do sth
可表示威胁要做某事，也可表示某事有发生危险。
He threatened to call the police if I didn't leave.
他威胁说，如果我不离开，他就报警。
threaten sb with sth
with后接威胁手段。
The robber threatened her with a knife.
抢劫犯用刀威胁她。
threaten sth
直接接宾语，表示威胁或预示危险。
The storm threatens the coastal towns.
Connections
Collocations
- threaten to do something
- 威胁要做某事
- He threatened to resign if his demands were not met.他威胁说如果他的要求得不到满足就辞职。
- threaten with something
- 用…威胁
- The robber threatened her with a knife.抢劫犯用刀威胁她。
- threaten someone's life
- 威胁某人的生命
- They threatened his life if he went to the police.他们威胁说如果他报警就要他的命。
- threaten security/stability
- 威胁安全/稳定
- The ongoing conflict threatens regional security.持续的冲突威胁地区安全。
- threaten legal action
- 威胁采取法律行动
- The company threatened legal action against the hackers.公司威胁要对黑客采取法律行动。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
记作 threat（威胁）加上动词后缀-en，意为“威胁”。
Context & Register
语气中性，多用于人际威胁、警告或法律语境，也可用于抽象危险（如预示灾难）。实际使用中语气通常严肃，但部分场景可弱化为夸张或玩笑。
Pronunciation & Spelling
All listed words share the spelling pattern -ten, but their stressed vowels (e.g., /aɪ/) differ from threaten's /ɛ/, so they do not rhyme.
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 4，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.