threat

(thrĕt)

1. An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, evil, or punishment.
2. An indication of impending danger or harm.
3. One that is regarded as a possible danger; a menace.

[Middle English, from Old English thrēat, oppression.]

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The danger of an attack on a computer system. See threat management, blended threat and risk assessment.

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noun

1. An expression of the intent to hurt or punish another: intimidation, menace. See warn/invite.
2. An indication of impending danger or harm: foreboding, forewarning, thundercloud. Idioms: gathering clouds, storm clouds. See foresight.
3. One regarded as an imminent danger: menace, sword of Damocles. Idioms: clear and present danger. See safety/danger.

Spoken or written words tending to intimidate or menace others.

Statutes in a number of jurisdictions prohibit the use of threats and unlawful communications by any person. Some of the more common types of threats forbidden by law are those made with an intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage or to compel a person to act against his or her will. In all states, it is an offense to threaten to (1) use a deadly weapon on another person; (2) injure another's person or property; or (3) injure another's reputation.

It is a federal offense to threaten to harm the president or to use the mail to transmit threatening communications. These laws must be balanced against First Amendment rights.

Unlawful communications include, among other things, the use of threats to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation and writing libelous letters or letters that tend to provoke a breach of the peace. The use of intimidation for purposes of collecting an unpaid debt has been held to constitute an unlawful communication but might be prosecuted as extortion.

A mere threat that does not cause any harm is generally not actionable. When combined with apparently imminent bodily harm, however, a threat is an assault for which the offender might be subject to civil or criminal liability. In most jurisdictions, a plaintiff can recover damages for the intentional infliction of severe mental or emotional suffering caused by threats or unlawful communications.

In those jurisdictions that have statutes prohibiting unlawful communications, such as letters that tend to provoke a breach of the peace, a violation of the statute gives rise to a civil action for damages.

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Someone who dreams of threatening another in a dream may need to assert himself or herself in some area. If, however, the dreamer is being threatened, the dream may mean that some internal fear of inadequacy needs to be addressed.

A menace; a statement of intention to harm or injure the person, property, or rights of another.

• Types and Techniques of Warfare - threat: declaration of intention and capacity to inflict injury
• Baseball - threat: if a baserunner is likely to attempt to steal a base

For other uses, see Threat (disambiguation).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Threats can be subtle or overt. Actor Justus D. Barnes, in The Great Train Robbery

A threat is an act of coercion wherein an act is proposed to elicit a negative response. It is a communicated intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. It can be a crime in many jurisdictions. Threat (intimidation) is widely used in animal kingdom, particularly in a ritualized form, chiefly in order to avoid the unnecessary physical violence that can lead to physical damage or death of both conflicting parties.

Contents 1 Brazil 2 Germany 3 United States 4 See also 5 References

Brazil

In Brazil, the crime of threatening someone, defined as a threat to cause unjust and grave harm, is punishable by a fine or three months to one year in prison, as described in the Brazilian Penal Code, article 147. Brazilian jurisprudence does not treat as a crime a threat that was proferred in a heated discussion.

Germany

The German Strafgesetzbuch § 241 punishes the crime of threat with a prison term for up to one year or a fine.

United States

In the United States, federal law criminalizes certain true threats transmitted via the U.S. mail^[1] or in interstate commerce. It also criminalizes threatening the government officials of the United States. Some U.S. states criminalize cyberbullying.

See also

• Death threat
• Intimidation
• Extortion

References

1. ^ 18 U.S.C. § 876

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - trussel
v. tr. - true

Nederlands (Dutch)
(be)dreiging

Français (French)
n. - menace, risque, danger
v. tr. - menacer (arch)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Drohung, Bedrohung, bedrohliches Anzeichen
v. - bedrohen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - απειλή, φοβέρα, (προφανής) κίνδυνος

Italiano (Italian)
minaccia

Português (Portuguese)
n. - ameaça (f), presságio (m)

Русский (Russian)
угроза, грозное предзнаменование, опасность

Español (Spanish)
n. - amenaza, peligro, intimidación
v. tr. - amenazar, intimidar

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hot, hotelse, fara

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
恐吓, 威胁, 凶兆, 预示, 是...的征兆

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 恐嚇, 威脅, 凶兆
v. tr. - 威脅, 恐嚇, 預示, 是...的徵兆

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 위협, 흉조, 강적
v. tr. - 협박하다, ~하겠다고 으르다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 脅し, 脅威になるもの, 兆し, 威嚇, 脅威

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) تهديد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮איום, סכנה, אות מבשר רעות‬
v. tr. - ‮איים (מיושן)‬

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