- the floor or ground at the bottom of a doorway, considered as the entrance to a building or room
- He stepped across the threshold.
- on the threshold She stood hesitating on the threshold.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + threshold- cross
- across the threshold
- over the threshold
- on the threshold
- …
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- the level at which something starts to happen or have an effect
- He has a low boredom threshold (= he gets bored easily).
- I have a high pain threshold (= I can suffer a lot of pain before I start to react).
- My earnings are just above the tax threshold (= more than the amount at which you start paying tax).
Extra Examples- The number of people with the disease is reaching a critical threshold.
- They earn wages below the decency threshold set by the EU.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- low
- maximum
- …
- have
- reach
- meet
- …
- level
- value
- above a/the threshold
- below a/the threshold
- [usually singular] the point just before a new situation, period of life, etc. begins
- on the threshold of something She felt as though she was on the threshold of a new life.
Word OriginOld English therscold, threscold; related to German dialect Drischaufel; the first element is related to thresh (in a Germanic sense ‘tread’), but the origin of the second element is unknown.
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threshold