threat 
/ˈθrɛt/ noun
plural threats /ˈθrɛt/ noun 1 : a statement saying you will be harmed if you do not do what someone wants you to do [count] ▪ He was willing to use violence and threats to get what he wanted. ▪ She ignored their threats and continued to do what she felt was right. ▪ bomb/death threats ▪ He carried out his threat. [=he did the thing that he threatened to do] ▪ She said she would leave him, but he knew it was an idle/empty threat. [=he knew that she did not mean it] [noncount] ▪ an action done under threat [=done by someone who has been threatened with harm] 2 a [count] : someone or something that could cause trouble, harm, etc. — usually singular ▪ The country is a great/major/serious threat to world peace. ▪ He perceived the question as a threat to his authority. ▪ These people are not a threat to the social order. ▪ Their financial problems are a threat to their marriage.
b : the possibility that something bad or harmful could happen [count] — usually singular ▪ We can't ignore the threat posed by nuclear weapons. ▪ The weather forecast calls for cloudy skies with a threat of rain. ▪ There is a real threat of civil war. [noncount] ▪ a country under threat of civil war
b : the possibility that something bad or harmful could happen [count] — usually singular ▪ We can't ignore the threat posed by nuclear weapons. ▪ The weather forecast calls for cloudy skies with a threat of rain. ▪ There is a real threat of civil war. [noncount] ▪ a country under threat of civil war
