threat S3 W2 / θret / 名词

1 [可数和不可数名词] a statement in which you tell someone that you will cause them harm or trouble if they do not do what you want :

Your threats don’t scare me.

threat of

the threat of military invasion

threat from

He says his family received phone threats from the group.

threats made against his wife and children

Nichols never carried out his threat to resign.

The government will not give in to terrorist threats .

She dismissed the statement as an empty threat .

They warned him with veiled threats not to mention anything he had witnessed.

The police are investigating death threats made against the two men.

Officials at the school say they received a bomb threat at approximately 11:30 a.m. today.

2 [可数名词，通常单数] the possibility that something very bad will happen

threat of

the threat of famine

threat from

According to the Secretary of State, the Russians face no threat from an expanded NATO.

under threat

The area remains under threat from commercial developers.

be under threat of closure/attack etc (= be likely to be closed, attacked etc )

The program is under threat of closure due to lack of funding.

3 [可数名词，通常单数] someone or something that is regarded as a possible danger

threat to

The fighting is a major threat to stability in the region.

present/pose a threat (to somebody/something)

Pollution poses a threat to fish.

COLLOCATIONS

动词

make/issue a threat Neighbours say that they heard Gardiner make threats against his wife.

carry out a threat (= do what you threatened to do ) She ought to have carried out her threat to go to the police.

give in to a threat (= do what something wants you to do after they threaten you ) The government is not going to give in to terrorist threats.

ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threat

a death threat (= a threat to kill someone ) Scientists involved in the research have received death threats.

a bomb threat The station was closed because of a bomb threat.

an empty/idle threat (= one that is not sincere ) She was not a woman to make idle threats.

a veiled threat (= one that is not made directly ) The emails contained thinly veiled threats of harm.

COLLOCATIONS

ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threat

a serious/major threat Bad air quality poses a serious threat to public health.

the greatest/biggest threat The greatest threat to our planet is global warming.

a real threat These measures pose a real threat to the future of agriculture.

a potential threat The group remains a potential threat to the regime.

an immediate threat (= the possibility that something bad will happen very soon ) The volcano erupted on Thursday but there is no immediate threat to nearby towns.

a direct threat The workers destroyed the textile machinery which they saw as a direct threat to their jobs.

a military threat Each country regarded the other as a major military threat.

a terrorist threat U.S. officials underestimated the terrorist threat before the June 25 bombing.

动词

pose/present a threat The rebels do not pose a serious threat to the armed forces.

represent a threat He is not afraid, because you represent no threat to him.

counter/combat a threat We must work together to counter the threat of state terrorism.

face a threat (= likely to be affected by something ) The factory is facing the threat of closure.

meet a threat (= deal with it ) We must transform our armed forces to meet emerging threats.

THESAURUS

risk the chance that something bad may happen : Smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.

threat the possibility that something very bad will happen : the only way to reduce the threat of nuclear war

hazard something that may be dangerous or cause accidents or problems : natural hazards like avalanches