menace

[ men-is ]

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)

, men·aced, men·ac·ing.

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)

, men·aced, men·ac·ing.

1. to express or serve as a threat.

menace

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈmenacing, adjective
• ˈmenacingly, adverb
• ˈmenacer, noun

Other Words From

• menac·er noun
• pre·menace noun verb (used with object) premenaced premenacing
• un·menaced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of menace¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of menace¹

C13: ultimately related to Latin minax threatening, from mināri to threaten

Example Sentences

They treated it all like some terrible board game when they should have been sounding the alarms and giving the most menacing threat in American history the editorial weight it deserved.

From Salon

She said he was menacing and angry, and he shouted at her that the path was for pedestrians only.

From BBC

Several people were injured in an accident on California 99, and Pacific Gas & Electric reported outages for about 15,000 Fresno county residents as abnormally high winds kicked dust up into a menacing cloud.

From Los Angeles Times

The large cast contains so many magnificent voices that I would love to report in detail about the performers who in “Four Black Dragons” vividly chronicle the growing military menace.

From Los Angeles Times

These Trumpists, like the much larger mass of them in all parts of the United States, radiated entitlement and menace.

From Salon

Related Words

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