Public Enemy Number One

or Public Enemy Number 1, Public Enemy No. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Public Enemy Number One¹

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

Another waste turned public enemy number one, CO2,is an industrial gaseous effluent with low economic value.

From Science Daily

England ultimately lost the match on penalties, leading Beckham to become public enemy number one.

From BBC

The resulting article had the headline: “How Warner Bros. Discovery C.E.O. David Zaslav became public enemy number one in Hollywood.”

From New York Times

Bowers called Jews “public enemy number one,” according to a post read by an FBI agent, spoke approvingly of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi extermination of Jews, and shared an image that said “the only good Jew is a dead Jew.”

From Seattle Times

For this, the miffed grand jury foreman called him “Public Enemy Number One.”

From Los Angeles Times