threaten
threatens
threatening
threatened
Threaten means to express intention to harm, or to be a source of danger. Regular verb: threaten-threatened-threatened.
Meanings
- To express intention to harm
- To be a source of danger to
- To indicate something unpleasant
Common Collocations
threaten to
threaten someone with
threatened species
threaten legal action
storm threatens
Tip for Learners
Threaten to + verb: threatened to leave. Threaten with + noun: threatened with a knife.
Present Simple
| I | threaten |
| you | threaten |
| he/she/it | threatens |
| we | threaten |
| they | threaten |
Examples - Present Simple
- I threaten to quit.
- You threaten me daily.
- She threatens legal action.
- We threaten to leave.
- They threaten the staff.
Present Continuous
| I | am threatening |
| you | are threatening |
| he/she/it | is threatening |
| we | are threatening |
| they | are threatening |
Examples - Present Continuous
- I am threatening to quit.
- You are threatening me.
- She is threatening legal action.
- We are threatening to leave.
- They are threatening the staff.
Present Perfect
| I | have threatened |
| you | have threatened |
| he/she/it | has threatened |
| we | have threatened |
| they | have threatened |
Examples - Present Perfect
- I have threatened to quit.
- You have threatened me.
- She has threatened legal action.
- We have threatened to leave.
- They have threatened the staff.
Present Perfect Continuous
| I | have been threatening |
| you | have been threatening |
| he/she/it | has been threatening |
| we | have been threatening |
| they | have been threatening |
Examples - Present Perfect Continuous
- I have been threatening to quit.
- You have been threatening me.
- She has been threatening legal action.
- We have been threatening to leave.
- They have been threatening the staff.
Past Simple
| I | threatened |
| you | threatened |
| he/she/it | threatened |
| we | threatened |
| they | threatened |
Examples - Past Simple
- I threatened to quit.
- You threatened me.
- She threatened legal action.
- We threatened to leave.
- They threatened the staff.
Past Continuous
| I | was threatening |
| you | were threatening |
| he/she/it | was threatening |
| we | were threatening |
| they | were threatening |
Examples - Past Continuous
- I was threatening to quit.
- You were threatening me.
- She was threatening legal action.
- We were threatening to leave.
- They were threatening the staff.
Past Perfect
| I | had threatened |
| you | had threatened |
| he/she/it | had threatened |
| we | had threatened |
| they | had threatened |
Examples - Past Perfect
- I had threatened to quit.
- You had threatened me.
- She had threatened legal action.
- We had threatened to leave.
- They had threatened the staff.
Past Perfect Continuous
| I | had been threatening |
| you | had been threatening |
| he/she/it | had been threatening |
| we | had been threatening |
| they | had been threatening |
Examples - Past Perfect Continuous
- I had been threatening to quit.
- You had been threatening me.
- He had been threatening legal action.
- We had been threatening to leave.
- They had been threatening the staff.
Future Simple
| I | will threaten |
| you | will threaten |
| he/she/it | will threaten |
| we | will threaten |
| they | will threaten |
Examples - Future Simple
- I will threaten to quit.
- You will threaten me.
- She will threaten legal action.
- We will threaten to leave.
- They will threaten the staff.
Future Continuous
| I | will be threatening |
| you | will be threatening |
| he/she/it | will be threatening |
| we | will be threatening |
| they | will be threatening |
Examples - Future Continuous
- I will be threatening to quit.
- You will be threatening me.
- He will be threatening legal action.
- We will be threatening to leave.
- They will be threatening the staff.
Future Perfect
| I | will have threatened |
| you | will have threatened |
| he/she/it | will have threatened |
| we | will have threatened |
| they | will have threatened |
Examples - Future Perfect
- I will have threatened to quit.
- You will have threatened me.
- She will have threatened legal action.
- We will have threatened to leave.
- They will have threatened the staff.
Future Perfect Continuous
| I | will have been threatening |
| you | will have been threatening |
| he/she/it | will have been threatening |
| we | will have been threatening |
| they | will have been threatening |
Examples - Future Perfect Continuous
- I will have been threatening to quit.
- You will have been threatening me.
- He will have been threatening legal action.
- We will have been threatening to leave.
- They will have been threatening the staff.