a suggestion that something unpleasant or violent will happen, especially if a particular action or order is not followed

[ + to infinitive ] Her parents carried out their threat to take away her mobile phone if her grades didn't improve. 她父母威胁说，如果她不能提高成绩，就要没收她的手机。

The threat of jail failed to deter him from petty crime. 坐牢的可能也没能吓住他小偷小摸。

Drunken drivers pose a serious threat (= cause a lot of harm) to other road users. 酒后驾车者对其他路人构成了严重威胁。

He says he'll tell the authorities but it's just an empty threat (= it will not happen). 他称他要向当局报告，不过那只是一句吓唬人的话。

to be in a situation where people are threatening you with something bad or unpleasant

She left the country under threat of arrest if she returned. 她离开了那个国家，并被警告说一旦返回就会被逮捕。