menace

1 of 2

noun

men·​ace ˈme-nəs 

1

: a show of intention to inflict harm : threat

exploding in menaces and threats of vengeance

—George Meredith

2

a

: one that represents a threat : danger

the intoxicated motorist is a menace to life and limb

—Wayne Hughes

b

: an annoying person

her friends were beginning to find her a menace

—Guy McCrone

menace

2 of 2

verb

menaced; menacing

transitive verb

1

: to make a show of intention to harm

menaced him with immediate expulsion

—G. B. Shaw

2

: to represent or pose a threat to : endanger

menaced by a group of toughs after his car goes kaput

—Leah Rozen

intransitive verb

: to act in a threatening manner

The bear menaced with its mouth wide open.

Synonyms

Noun

• danger
• hazard
• imminence
• peril
• pitfall
• risk
• threat
• trouble

Verb

• adventure
• compromise
• endanger
• gamble (with)
• hazard
• imperil
• jeopard
• jeopardize
• peril
• risk
• venture

Examples of menace in a Sentence

Noun

There was an atmosphere of menace in the city.

She could hear the menace in his voice.

Verb

menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended

stockpiles of nuclear weapons that continue to menace the inhabitants of this planet

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lyrical snatches of daily life—passing moments of grace on a job outside Nickel’s grounds or during free moments in a rec room—are haunted by traces of past brutality and flickers of menace. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2024

The novel is full of obscure menace and offbeat philosophy, with characters including ecological extremists, shadowy political bosses, and a radical social theorist who lives in a cave. —The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024

Verb

The Franklin fire continued to menace the coastal city, growing by 39% overnight and burning close to some residential neighborhoods and an RV park. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024

The 37-year-old man who set his Brooklyn apartment building on fire during an hours-long standoff with police had menaced a neighbor with a knife and started the blaze with a makeshift Molotov cocktail, police said Friday. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English manace "act of threatening, threat, exposure to a threat," borrowed from Anglo-French manace, manance (also continental Old French manace, menace), going back to Latin mināciae (plural only) "threats" (Late Latin in singular), noun derivative of mināc-, mināx "menacing, threatening, boding ill," from minārī "to threaten, speak or act menacingly" + -āc-, -āx, deverbal suffix denoting habitual or successful performance (probably going back to Indo-European *-eh₂, noun ending + *-k-, suffixal formative) — more at minatory

Note: The English spelling menace, in use since the 16th century, most likely copies Modern French.

Verb

Middle English manacen, manessen, manauncen, borrowed from Anglo-French manacer, manacier, going back to Vulgar Latin *mināciāre, noun derivative of Late Latin minācia "threat" — more at menace entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

menace

1 of 2 noun

men·​ace ˈmen-əs 

1

: someone or something that represents a threat : danger

2

: an annoying person : nuisance

menace

2 of 2 verb

menaced; menacing

1

: to make a show of intention to harm : threaten

2

: endanger

menacingly

ˈmen-ə-siŋ-lē 

adverb

Legal Definition

menace

1 of 2 noun

men·​ace ˈme-nəs 

1

: a show of an intention to inflict especially physical harm

accomplished against a person's will by means of force,…menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury

—California Penal Code

2

: one who represents a threat

menace

2 of 2 verb

menaced; menacing

transitive verb

1

: to make a show of intention to harm

2

: to represent or pose a threat to

intransitive verb

: to act in a threatening manner

menacingly adverb