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.

---

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

---

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; see -ia

Explanation

If it's threatening you or otherwise posing some sort of danger, then it's a menace. Angry rabid dogs, smog clouds, and annoying little brothers are all probable menaces. The word menace works as both a noun and a verb, but it wasn't used to describe threatening or bothersome people until 1936. Before then, common menaces probably included things like the plague, locusts, and roving bands of pirate ships. Today, a bad reputation can menace an otherwise promising career, weeds can menace your garden, and burglars are a menace to society.

Example Sentences

The Brady Bunch traveled there, and so did Dennis the Menace in a comic book I once owned.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

Unlike many movies, these are made to be looked at more than listened to, and George Lucas and his collaborators have filled "The Phantom Menace" with wonderful visuals.

From Salon • May 25, 2024

I vexed her like a Mexican Dennis the Menace.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2024

"They were just so anarchic", he says of Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2024

“Interesting,” Rishi said, a small breeze lifting a tuft of his hair so he looked, adorably, like an Indian Dennis the Menace.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

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