noun
Refers to a verbal or physical threat meant to frighten or coerce someone.
彼は脅しに屈しなかった。
He didn't give in to the threat.
それはただの脅しだよ。
That's just a bluff.
noun
A device used in fields to scare away birds, such as a scarecrow, noise-making gun, or reflective tape.
田んぼに脅しを設置して鳥を追い払う。
We set up bird-scaring devices in the rice paddy to drive away birds.
Uncommon variant; 嚇 is used in 威嚇 (いかく) but rarely alone for おどし.
脅迫 is a more formal and serious term for threat or intimidation, often used in legal contexts, while 脅し is a broader, everyday word for any kind of threat or bluff.
威嚇 emphasizes a show of force or intimidation, often by posture or display, whereas 脅し focuses on the act of threatening with words or actions.
Derived from the verb 脅す (おどす, to threaten). The noun form 脅し refers to the act or means of threatening.