threaten
v.v. to say you will hurt someone or cause trouble if you do not get what you want. It can also mean that something bad seems likely to happen soon.
v. to express an intention to inflict harm, pain, or punishment on another. Also used to indicate that an unwelcome or dangerous event is imminent. Transitive when directed at a person; often followed by an infinitive clause.
The dark clouds threaten to ruin our picnic.
The hijackers began to threaten the passengers when their demands were not met by the authorities.
Rising sea levels continue to threaten coastal communities, forcing local governments to invest heavily in expensive flood prevention infrastructure and long-term relocation strategies.
From Middle English thretenen, from Old English þrēatnian (“to urge, force, compel”), equivalent to threat + -en.
The verb is transitive and can take a direct object or a 'to' infinitive. When used with an infinitive, it often describes an inanimate threat.
he threatened me with a callhe threatened to call meWhen the threat is a specific action, use the infinitive 'to' rather than 'with' followed by a noun.