Threaten Doing vs. Threaten To Do
Cambridge documents threaten + to-infinitive, while threaten also has object-based constructions such as threatening a person or thing. An -ing form may occur in a larger phrase, but it should not be presented as freely interchangeable with the to-infinitive after threaten.
Use “threaten to do” when someone states or signals a possible action; bare “threaten doing” is not a parallel complement for that pattern. An -ing form may occur in a larger phrase, but it should not be presented as freely interchangeable with the to-infinitive after threaten.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| state or signal a possible action | threaten to + base verb | Use the documented infinitive complement. |
| direct the threat at a person or thing | threaten + object | Use the separate object construction when appropriate. |
| replace the infinitive with bare -ing | threaten doing | Do not treat it as a freely interchangeable parallel complement. |
Quick tests
Threatened-action test
Does the verb after “threaten” name the action someone may carry out?
If yes: Use “threaten to + base verb.”
If no: If a person or thing is the object of the threat, use the object construction instead.
Caveat: An -ing form can occur elsewhere in a larger phrase, but that does not make bare “threaten doing” equivalent to the documented infinitive pattern.
Examples
The supplier threatened to cancel the order.
The infinitive names the possible threatened action.
Dark clouds threatened to delay the match.
The documented infinitive pattern can describe an impending result or action.
The message threatened the witness.
This uses “threaten” with an object rather than an action complement.
Further guidance
Boundary
An -ing form may occur in a larger phrase, but it should not be presented as freely interchangeable with the to-infinitive after threaten.
Construction
Cambridge documents threaten + to-infinitive, while threaten also has object-based constructions such as threatening a person or thing.
Decision
Use “threaten to do” when someone states or signals a possible action; bare “threaten doing” is not a parallel complement for that pattern.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- threaten — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Threaten + to-infinitive and object constructions
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences