public enemy

American  

noun

1. a person or thing considered a danger or menace to the public, especially a wanted criminal widely sought by the F.B.I. and local police forces.

2. a nation or government with which one's own is at war.

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public enemy British  

noun

1. a notorious person, such as a criminal, who is regarded as a menace to the public

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Etymology

Origin of public enemy

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Artists and fans have long described hip hop as a form of journalism—“the CNN of the hood,” as Chuck D of Public Enemy famously put it—arguing that the music documents social reality rather than creates it.

From The Wall Street Journal

That includes everything from Public Enemy’s eternal banger “Fight the Power” to Johnniqua Charles’ 2020 Internet meme “You About to Lose Your Job,” remixed into a dance hit built out of nothing but a looped refrain freestyled by an inebriated woman being detained by a security guard.

From Salon

Wedding's aliases include "El Jefe," "Giant," "Public Enemy," "James Conrad King," and "Jesse King", the FBI said.

From BBC

Authorities said his aliases included “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy” and “James Conrad Kin.”

From Los Angeles Times

The New York-based label worked on the first records of Public Enemy and Beastie Boys, as well as some albums from Jay-Z and Kanye West -- all mainstays of American hip-hop.

From Barron's