thresh ‧ old /ˈθreʃhəʊld, -ʃəʊld $ -oʊld/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: threscwald ]
1 . the entrance to a room or building, or the area of floor or ground at the entrance:
She opened the door and stepped across the threshold.
2 . the level at which something starts to happen or have an effect:
Eighty percent of the vote was the threshold for approval of the plan.
a high/low pain/boredom etc threshold (=the ability or inability to suffer a lot of pain or boredom before you react to it)
3 . at the beginning of a new and important event or development SYN brink
be on the threshold of something
The creature is on the threshold of extinction.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + threshold
▪ sb’s pain threshold (=your ability or inability to deal with pain)
‘Will it hurt?’ ‘That all depends on your pain threshold.’
▪ sb’s boredom threshold (=whether you do or do not get bored easily)
She loves challenges and admits she has a low boredom threshold.
▪ a tax threshold
The Conservatives promised to help the lower paid by increasing the tax threshold.
▪ a high threshold
Professional football players have a pretty high pain threshold.
▪ a low threshold
I know that young children have very low boredom threshold.
■ verbs
▪ exceed a threshold
The value of many family homes far exceeds the inheritance tax threshold.
▪ lower a threshold
the demand to lower the retirement threshold to 60
▪ raise a threshold
They should raise the threshold to at least £245 a week.
▪ cross the threshold
Such a person has sufficiently crossed the threshold of criminality to justify punishment.