Public Enemy Number One

American  

Or Public Enemy Number 1,

noun

1. (not in official use) a criminal at the top of the FBI's list of the ten most wanted criminals.

2. a major menace to public safety, health, etc..

   Cancer is Public Enemy Number One.

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Etymology

Origin of Public Enemy Number One

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

On June 17, 1971, Nixon called drug abuse "public enemy number one" and said it must be met with an "all-out offensive."

From Salon

Armed militias are roaming the streets; Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to discredit the results of the 2020 election; the press has been labelled the “enemy of the people”; there are credible allegations that migrant women in detention camps are being coerced into having their uteruses removed; “anti-fascists” have been branded public enemy number one.

From The Guardian

"Ma Barker and her outlawed crew is an incredible story. They become the very definition of public Enemy Number One," Hutton said.

From Fox News

“The virus remains public enemy number one, but the actions of many governments and people do not reflect this.”

From Washington Post

“Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction, the virus remains public enemy number one,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing on Monday.

From Reuters