threaten/ˋθrɛtṇ; ˈθretn/v 1 [T] if someone threatens you, they say that they will hurt you or cause problems, especially if you do not do what they tell you to do 威胁﹐恐吓: threaten to do sth The hijackers threatened to shoot him. 劫持者威胁要开枪杀他。threaten sb with sth I was threatened with jail if I published the story. 我受到威胁说﹐如果刊登这篇报道﹐就会被送进监狱。2 [T] to be likely to harm or destroy something 危及﹐威胁到: Illegal hunting threatens the survival of the white rhino. 非法捕猎危及白犀牛的生存。be threatened with sth The rainforest is threatened with extinction. 热带雨林面临毁灭的威胁。3 [I] if something unpleasant threatens to happen, it seems likely to happen〔坏事〕将要发生﹔预示〔不好的事〕: threaten to do sth The fighting threatens to turn into a major civil war. 这次战斗可能会演变成一场大规模的内战。—threatening adj : a threatening letter 恐吓信 —threateningly adv