threshold

threshold — noun

1. a horizontal piece at the bottom of a doorway, made of wood, stone, or metal, th

1.nounB1
Definition

a horizontal piece at the bottom of a doorway, made of wood, stone, or metal, that people step over when moving from one room or building to another.

Example

Aarav lifted his sandals over the stone threshold as he entered the incense-filled temple.

step over + threshold — physical crossing

Three generations of footsteps had worn the oak farmhouse threshold into a shallow dip.

passive: threshold worn smooth by [agent]

Common collocations
  • step over the threshold
  • cross the threshold
  • stand on the threshold
  • approach the threshold
Synonyms
  • doorstep

    refers to the step or slab leading up to the door, not the bottom piece of the doorframe itself

  • doorsill

    technical term for the bottom part of a doorframe; less common in everyday speech

  • doorway

    refers to the entire entrance opening, not just the floor part

Grammar Patterns

[verb] + over/across/on + the threshold

Usage Note

Often appears with prepositions indicating physical position or movement: over, across, on, at (e.g., step over the threshold, stand on the threshold).

Common Mistakes

He stepped over the threshold of a new career.
He stood on the threshold of a new career.
The physical verb step over pairs with the literal doorway sense, not the figurative verge sense.

2. the exact value, number, or degree at which a particular change, reaction, or ru

2.nounB2
Definition

the exact value, number, or degree at which a particular change, reaction, or rule begins to happen — for example, the amount of pain a person can bear before feeling discomfort, or the annual income that makes someone pay a higher rate of tax.

Example

At 120 decibels, Lin reached her pain threshold, though her partner could tolerate 140.

collocation: pain threshold

Scientists measured the hearing threshold of each participant in the study.

collocation: hearing threshold

Common collocations
  • pain threshold
  • tax threshold
  • hearing threshold
  • threshold for/of
  • reach a threshold
  • exceed a threshold
  • below/above the threshold
Synonyms
  • limit

    broader term; can mean the furthest extent allowed (speed limit) or the point where something stops, whereas threshold is where something starts

  • cutoff

    emphasizes an administrative or numerical stopping point rather than a starting point

  • critical point

    more technical and dramatic; suggests a moment of major change rather than a routine boundary

Grammar Patterns

threshold + for + noun

threshold + of + noun

[adjective] + threshold

[verb] + a threshold

Usage Note

Frequently appears in scientific, medical, and financial writing. Common collocations include pain threshold, tax threshold, hearing threshold, and threshold of pain. Often followed by for (threshold for action) or of (threshold of hearing).

Common Mistakes

I've reached my threshold of patience with this noise.
I've reached the limit of my patience with this noise.
threshold usually refers to a measurable or defined boundary (e.g., pain threshold), not a personal emotional breaking point.

3. the point in time just before an important new situation, stage of life, or majo

3.nounC1
Definition

the point in time just before an important new situation, stage of life, or major change begins — the moment when something new is about to start.

Example

The company stood on the threshold of a major breakthrough in battery technology.

on the threshold of [milestone] — key phrase

Feng felt he stood on the threshold of a new chapter after graduation.

Common collocations
  • on the threshold of
  • at the threshold of
  • stand on the threshold of
Synonyms
  • verge

    very similar, often in 'on the verge of'; suggests being extremely close to something happening

  • brink

    similar but often carries a sense of danger or crisis (on the brink of war)

  • outset

    refers to the beginning itself, not the moment just before

Grammar Patterns

on the threshold of + noun phrase

at the threshold of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Nearly always appears in the construction on the threshold of + noun. Preferred in formal or literary writing rather than casual conversation.

Common Mistakes

She is on the threshold of 25 years old.
She is on the threshold of a new decade in her life.
The phrase requires an abstract milestone or situation as its object, not a specific age or number.

4. a line, edge, or region that marks where one area ends and another begins, espec

4.nounC1
Definition

a line, edge, or region that marks where one area ends and another begins, especially in terms of physical space, geography, or territory.

Example

The old stone bridge marked the park threshold, where the paved road turned to gravel.

marked the threshold of — verb + object pattern

The creek formed a natural threshold between the pasture and the woodland beyond.

Common collocations
  • the threshold between
  • at the threshold of
  • beyond the threshold
Synonyms
  • boundary

    more general term for any dividing line; threshold for this sense implies a zone or region rather than a sharp line

  • frontier

    suggests a boundary between settled and unsettled areas; more dramatic and exploratory

  • edge

    more concrete and everyday; the outer limit of a physical object or area

Grammar Patterns

the threshold between + noun and + noun

at the threshold of + place

Usage Note

Less common than the other noun senses. Typically describes a natural or historical dividing line rather than a political border. Often interchangeable with boundary or frontier in literary contexts.

Word family

  • subthreshold
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Threshold, limit, verge, brink, and cutoff all refer to a point near a change or boundary, but they differ in how the change happens. A threshold is the point you pass to enter a new state or experience — the focus is on the start of something (pain threshold, threshold of a new era). A limit is the furthest point allowed or possible — the focus is on where something must stop, not where it begins (speed limit, limit of endurance). Verge and brink both describe the edge just before a change, but verge is neutral (on the verge of tears) while brink often suggests danger or a dramatic outcome (on the brink of collapse). A cutoff is an administrative or numerical stopping point, such as a cutoff date or income cutoff. You pass a threshold to begin something; you hit a limit to stop; you stand on the verge or brink just before something happens.

limit ↗verge ↗brinkcutoff

Common collocations

Phrases

  • cross the threshold

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Threshold comes from Old English þrescold, a compound of þrescan (to thresh — to beat grain to separate the seeds from the straw) and a word meaning 'wooden plank' or 'wood.' In early English farmhouses, the floor at the entrance was also used as a surface for threshing grain, so the word for 'doorway plank' became tied to the entrance itself. By the early 1600s, English speakers were using threshold in its figurative sense of 'a point of entry or beginning.'