public enemy
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.
a nation or government with which one's own is at war.
Origin of public enemy
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use public enemy in a sentence
Scott, who died Sunday at 49, could go from evoking a Baptist preacher to quoting public enemy.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott | Stereo Williams | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIndependent Greg Orman is public enemy number one to Republicans today because he could upset their senate math toward a majority.
Independent Greg Orman Stands Up Against GOP Attacks | John Avlon | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Chicago Crime Commission declared him public enemy No. 1, declaring that he was a bigger menace than Al Capone had ever been.
El Chapo on the Couch: Inside a Drug Lord's Therapy Sessions | Michael Daly | March 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNational initiatives on drug abuse began with Richard Nixon, when he declared drug abuse “public enemy Number One.”
Heroin: America’s Silent Assassin | Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Robert M. Lober, MD, PhD | February 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs First Lady, Hillary Clinton singled them out as public enemy number one in her failed bid to legislate health care reform.
Battleground Poll Says the Dems May Be All Right | Eleanor Clift | November 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He insisted that Severus should be declared a public enemy by the senate.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire | Edward GibbonForest fires are now rightfully looked upon as a public enemy rather than a private menace.
Our National Forests | Richard H. Douai BoerkerThey at once declared Napoleon a public enemy, and began preparations for launching enormous hosts against him.
Battles of English History | H. B. (Hereford Brooke) GeorgeGaveston was captured in Scarborough Castle, and executed as a public enemy on 19th June, 1312.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia | VariousSo far as the necessities of war demand, a belligerent may make use of public enemy buildings for all kinds of purposes.
International Law. A Treatise. Volume II (of 2) | Lassa Francis Oppenheim
British Dictionary definitions for public enemy
a notorious person, such as a criminal, who is regarded as a menace to the public
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
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