{
    "term": "threaten",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "threaten",
            "heSheIt": "threatens"
        },
        "pastSimple": "threatened",
        "pastParticiple": "threatened",
        "ingForm": "threatening"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to say that you will cause trouble, hurt somebody, etc. if you do not get what you want",
            "sensetop": "threaten somebody/somethingthreaten somebody with somethingthreaten somethingthreaten to do somethingthreaten that…threaten + speech",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They broke my windows and threatened me.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "People have even threatened his life."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The attacker threatened them with a gun.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten somebody with something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was threatened with dismissal if he continued to turn up late for work."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The threatened strike has been called off.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Students are threatening legal action."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The hijackers **threatened to kill** one passenger every hour if their demands were not met.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bank is **threatening to sue** him."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They threatened that passengers would be killed.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten that…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘I'm going to kill him!’ she threatened.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten + speech"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I never felt threatened by him."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Did he ever say anything to suggest that he felt threatened, or that his life was in danger?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She had repeatedly threatened to leave."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The union threatened that unless the new rules were withdrawn, they would call a strike."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["publicly", "personally", "physically"],
                "preposition": ["with"],
                "phrases": ["feel threatened"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to seem likely to happen or cause something unpleasant",
            "sensetop": "threaten to do somethingthreaten somethingthreaten something with something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "A storm was threatening."
                },
                {
                    "text": "When war threatens, people act irrationally."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This dispute threatens to split the party.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The clouds threatened rain.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Many species are now threatened with extinction.",
                    "contextForm": "threaten something with something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The theatre was threatened with closure."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["gravely", "seriously", "severely"],
                "verb + threaten": ["could", "appear to", "seem to"],
                "phrases": ["be threatened with something"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to be a danger to something",
            "sensetop": "threaten something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Pollution is threatening marine life."
                },
                {
                    "text": "to threaten national security"
                },
                {
                    "text": "They are not currently an endangered or threatened species."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Our marriage was constantly threatened by his other women."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Our way of life is gravely threatened."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She claimed that the conflict was threatening stability in the region."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "endanger, at risk",
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["gravely", "seriously", "severely"],
                "verb + threaten": ["could", "appear to", "seem to"],
                "phrases": ["be threatened with something"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretn/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threaten__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretnz/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threatens__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretnd/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threatened__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretnɪŋ/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threatening__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretn/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threaten__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretnz/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threatens__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretnd/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threatened__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈθretnɪŋ/",
                "audio": "th/threaten/threatening__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English thrēatnian ‘urge or induce, especially by using threats’, from thrēat ‘oppression’, of Germanic origin."
}