idle threat
noun
: a threat that a person does not really mean to follow through with
She said she would leave him, but he knew it was an idle threat.
Examples of idle threat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Active Russian preparations for future cyber-operations indicate that this not an idle threat.
—
David Cattler, Foreign Affairs, 6 Apr. 2022
Each successive idle threat invites an adversary to test boundaries even more than the last time, and so the consequences of bluffing grow increasingly perilous.
—James A. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2012
Maric was excused for an idle threat and a rookie mistake, and the teams have this year continued to play in Hartford in front of large crowds.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2024
Warnings of impending storms are not idle threats, according to AccuWeather.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024
In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of Congress, that may not feel like an idle threat.
—Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Feb. 2024
The rhetoric may seem overwrought, but these are not necessarily idle threats to get more money.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2023
This isn’t an idle threat, mind you.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
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David Cattler, Foreign Affairs, 6 Apr. 2022
Each successive idle threat invites an adversary to test boundaries even more than the last time, and so the consequences of bluffing grow increasingly perilous.
—James A. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2012
Maric was excused for an idle threat and a rookie mistake, and the teams have this year continued to play in Hartford in front of large crowds.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2024
Warnings of impending storms are not idle threats, according to AccuWeather.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024
In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of Congress, that may not feel like an idle threat.
—Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Feb. 2024
The rhetoric may seem overwrought, but these are not necessarily idle threats to get more money.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2023
This isn’t an idle threat, mind you.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Idle threat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idle%20threat. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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