menace

American  

[men-is] / ˈmɛn ɪs /

noun

1. something that threatens to cause evil, harm, injury, etc.; a threat.

   Air pollution is a menace to health.

2. a person whose actions, attitudes, or ideas are considered dangerous or harmful.

   When he gets behind the wheel of a car, he's a real menace.

3. an extremely annoying person.

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verb (used with object)

menaced, menacing

1. to utter or direct a threat against; threaten.

2. to serve as a probable threat to; imperil.

   overdevelopment that menaces our suburbs.

verb (used without object)

menaced, menacing

1. to express or serve as a threat.

menace British  

/ ˈmɛnɪs /

verb

1. to threaten with violence, danger, etc

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noun

1. literary  a threat or the act of threatening

2. something menacing; a source of danger

3. informal  a nuisance

Other Word Forms

• menacer noun
• menacing adjective
• menacingly adverb
• premenace noun
• unmenaced adjective

Etymology

Origin of menace

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English manace, manance, from Middle French manace, menace, from Late Latin minācia “threat,” equivalent to mināc- (stem of mināx ) “jutting out, threatening” + -ia; verb from noun; -ia

Example Sentences

The old man would become the menacing force behind many of Shepard’s plays.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fittingly, the Clipse opened their set with the menacing “Chains and Whips,” which is jam packed with lethal, high-level bars about why contemporary rappers simply can’t sit with them.

From Los Angeles Times

The weed that is now a discomfiting menace was once a rarity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Buffalo has its problems: iffy defense, offensive inconsistency, and turnovers, but QB Josh Allen remains a multithreat headache and a healthy Bills team on a chilly January afternoon is a menace.

From The Wall Street Journal

Although a menacing observer lurks in the darkness, the couple feels protected, submerged beneath the wall of clouds, which roll like white waves against a huge, indigo sky.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• endanger
• imperil
• intimidate
• jeopardize
• terrorize
• threaten