threaten
- v. 威胁, 恐吓
- v. 可能来临
- Definition
- v. to warn of harm
- v. to seem likely to happen soon
- Example
- Dark clouds began to threaten rain over the small village.
- 乌云开始笼罩这个小村庄，眼看就要下雨了。
Synonyms & Differences 近义词辨析
Compared meaning: to threaten someone with possible harm (verb).
比较义项：以威胁、恐吓的方式使某人可能受到伤害（动词）。
- threaten 本词
The everyday, general word for stating an intention to harm someone or for something ominous, like weather, that seems about to happen; often followed by 'to + verb' (threaten to hurt someone).
日常通用词，表示表明要伤害某人的意图，或形容天气等不祥事物似乎即将发生；后面常接“to+动词”结构（threaten to hurt someone）。
The masked man threatened to hurt anyone who moved.
那个戴着面具的男人威胁要伤害任何敢动的人。
- menace
A more formal, literary verb describing a looming, often physical or continuous danger to someone; usually takes a direct object and rarely the 'to + verb' pattern that threaten uses.
更正式、书面化的动词，形容对某人构成一种持续或隐隐逼近的（往往是身体上的）危险；通常直接接宾语，很少像 threaten 那样接“to+动词”结构。
Armed guards patrolled the border, ready to menace anyone who trespassed.
武装警卫在边境巡逻，随时准备威吓任何胆敢闯入的人。
Threaten and menace both mean putting someone at risk, but register differs. Threaten is everyday, for people, things, or bad weather, often with 'to + verb.' Menace is formal, literary, describing looming danger, taking a direct object. This excludes the noun menace (an annoying thing).
这两个词在“威胁、恐吓某人使其可能受到伤害”这一义项上意思相近，但语气和用法不同：threaten 是日常通用词，可用于人、事物甚至天气；menace 语气更正式、书面化，多描述持续或隐隐逼近的危险，且通常不接“to+动词”结构。这里不比较 menace 作名词表示“讨厌的人或事物；威胁”的用法。