Threaten

Verb

1. To make a threat against someone; to use threats.

   "He threatened me with a knife."

2. To menace, or be dangerous.

   "The rocks threatened the ship's survival."

3. To portend, or give a warning of.

   "The black clouds threatened heavy rain."

4. To call into question the validity of (a belief, idea, or viewpoint); to challenge.

   "The new information threatened our original hypothesis."

5. To be close to equaling or surpassing (a record, etc.); to challenge.