Threshold
noun /ˈθrɛʃhoʊld/ — The exact point of crossing into something new.
Definition
The strip of wood or stone forming the bottom of a doorway; the point of beginning; the level at which something starts to happen or change.
Beyond the definition
Threshold carries more weight than 'beginning'. Standing on a threshold means being exactly between two states — the old world behind you, the new one not yet entered. It's the moment of maximum significance and maximum uncertainty.
Origin & history
Old English therscold — possibly from threscan 'to thresh' (where grain was threshed) or from a Germanic root meaning 'trample'. The place of transition between outside and inside.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She stood at the threshold of her new apartment, suitcase in hand, not yet ready to step in.
They were on the threshold of a discovery that would change their field entirely.
Every major decision is a threshold: you can hesitate before it, but you can't be on both sides.
Synonyms
boundary, edge, brink, verge, limit, entrance
Antonyms
interior, middle, conclusion
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Entering a forest threshold
An adult stands at the entrance to an ancient forest, one foot on a sunlit path and the other in shadow.
The point where the path enters the forest is the threshold. It is the literal and metaphorical boundary between the known world and the beginning of a different, potentially transformative experience that is about to happen.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration