menace

[ men-is ]
See synonyms for menace on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. 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.

Origin of menace

1
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, noun
  • pre·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. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for menace

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

  1. informal a nuisance

Origin of menace

1
C13: ultimately related to Latin minax threatening, from mināri to threaten

Derived forms of menace

  • menacer, noun
  • menacing, adjective
  • menacingly, adverb

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