1
: a show of intention to inflict harm : threat
exploding in menaces and threats of vengeance—
George Meredith
George Meredith2
a
: one that represents a threat : danger
the intoxicated motorist is a menace to life and limb—Wayne Hughes
Wayne Hughes
b
: an annoying person
her friends were beginning to find her a menace—Guy McCrone
Guy McCrone
menaced; menacing
1
: to make a show of intention to harm
menaced him with immediate expulsion—G. B. Shaw
G. B. Shaw2
: to represent or pose a threat to : endanger
menaced by a group of toughs after his car goes kaput—Leah Rozen
Leah Rozen
: to act in a threatening manner
The bear menaced with its mouth wide open.
Synonyms
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 WebDieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Strong and Herzog both find conversational menace like certain musicians sniff out a perfect pitch.
—The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
The menace in Potter’s work feels different than the usual dark allegories in classic fairy tales.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
In most, Farley plays some version of himself, a mild-mannered, eccentric hero projecting varying degrees of menace.
—Brett Martin, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Nolan is mesmerizing as Augustus, a master impresario and sociopath of both charm and menace.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024
Tragedy leads Mariana to question prior certainties about Northern European role models and indeed parenting, as the series, a distinctive family dramedy with an indie air, builds with sense of menace to an unpredictable ending.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Fans didn’t have to wait long for the next big bad, as David Morrissey brought one of Kirkman and Adlard’s most iconic villains, the Governor, from paneled page menace to horrifying small-screen life.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
In Israel, a left-wing coalition with Arab and Jewish members decided to join Zionist parties of the left and the center in endorsing the centrist Benny Gantz for prime minister, with a goal of ousting Benjamin Netanyahu, seen by the group as a menace to Israel’s democracy.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
This Axis opposes and menaces the West and the world’s liberal and/or democratic states and their allies — including Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 13 Oct. 2023
Weaver also menaced Marvel heroes as the villainous Alexandra in Netflix's The Defenders; delighted fans with a cameo appearance in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021); and starred in the 2023 Amazon Prime Video miniseries The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
—EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Local business leaders and politicians hope the new operation can help downtown San Jose escape the perils of a doom loop, a vicious cycle that menaces urban centers nationwide.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
In an overwhelmingly straight film universe, good gay characters helped straight characters; bad gay characters menaced them.
—Mark Harris Rf. Alvarez, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The group’s existence came to light after several deputies — two of whom allegedly admitted to having Indians tattoos — menaced a group of teens during a boozy confrontation outside a bowling alley.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Right now, war—or the threat of it—menaces East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
In Washington, protesters stormed or menaced a Capitol Hill office building and the headquarters of the DNC.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
Noun
Holiday is still one of the finest point guards in the league, a two-way menace for a top team.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Strong and Herzog both find conversational menace like certain musicians sniff out a perfect pitch.
—The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
The menace in Potter’s work feels different than the usual dark allegories in classic fairy tales.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
In most, Farley plays some version of himself, a mild-mannered, eccentric hero projecting varying degrees of menace.
—Brett Martin, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Nolan is mesmerizing as Augustus, a master impresario and sociopath of both charm and menace.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024
Tragedy leads Mariana to question prior certainties about Northern European role models and indeed parenting, as the series, a distinctive family dramedy with an indie air, builds with sense of menace to an unpredictable ending.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Fans didn’t have to wait long for the next big bad, as David Morrissey brought one of Kirkman and Adlard’s most iconic villains, the Governor, from paneled page menace to horrifying small-screen life.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
In Israel, a left-wing coalition with Arab and Jewish members decided to join Zionist parties of the left and the center in endorsing the centrist Benny Gantz for prime minister, with a goal of ousting Benjamin Netanyahu, seen by the group as a menace to Israel’s democracy.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
The semiautomatic rifles that have wrought human carnage from an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., to a Walmart in El Paso are also being used to menace the Haitian government and terrorize the population.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
This Axis opposes and menaces the West and the world’s liberal and/or democratic states and their allies — including Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 13 Oct. 2023
Weaver also menaced Marvel heroes as the villainous Alexandra in Netflix's The Defenders; delighted fans with a cameo appearance in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021); and starred in the 2023 Amazon Prime Video miniseries The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
—EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Local business leaders and politicians hope the new operation can help downtown San Jose escape the perils of a doom loop, a vicious cycle that menaces urban centers nationwide.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
In an overwhelmingly straight film universe, good gay characters helped straight characters; bad gay characters menaced them.
—Mark Harris Rf. Alvarez, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The group’s existence came to light after several deputies — two of whom allegedly admitted to having Indians tattoos — menaced a group of teens during a boozy confrontation outside a bowling alley.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Right now, war—or the threat of it—menaces East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
In Washington, protesters stormed or menaced a Capitol Hill office building and the headquarters of the DNC.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'menace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near menace
Cite this Entry
“Menace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menace. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
California Penal Code2
: one who represents a threat
menace
2 of 2 verb
menaced; menacing
: to act in a threatening manner
menacingly
adverb
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