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menace

[ men-is ]
/ ˈmɛn ɪs /
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See synonyms for: menace / menaced / menacing on Thesaurus.com

noun
something that threatens to cause evil, harm, injury, etc.; a threat: Air pollution is a menace to health.
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.
an extremely annoying person.
verb (used with object), men·aced, men·ac·ing.
to utter or direct a threat against; threaten.
to serve as a probable threat to; imperil: overdevelopment that menaces our suburbs.
verb (used without object), men·aced, men·ac·ing.
to express or serve as a threat.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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

OTHER WORDS FROM menace

men·ac·er, nounpre·men·ace, noun, verb (used with object), pre·men·aced, pre·men·ac·ing.un·men·aced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use menace in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for menace

menace
/ (ˈmɛnɪs) /

verb
to threaten with violence, danger, etc
noun
literary a threat or the act of threatening
something menacing; a source of danger
informal a nuisance

Derived forms of menace

menacer, nounmenacing, adjectivemenacingly, adverb

Word Origin for menace

C13: ultimately related to Latin minax threatening, from mināri to threaten
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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