menace

1 of 2

noun

men·​ace ˈme-nəs How to pronounce menace (audio)
1
: a show of intention to inflict harm : threat
exploding in menaces and threats of vengeanceGeorge Meredith
2
a
: one that represents a threat : danger
the intoxicated motorist is a menace to life and limbWayne Hughes
b
: an annoying person
her friends were beginning to find her a menaceGuy McCrone

menace

2 of 2

verb

menaced; menacing

transitive verb

1
: to make a show of intention to harm
menaced him with immediate expulsionG. B. Shaw
2
: to represent or pose a threat to : endanger
menaced by a group of toughs after his car goes kaputLeah Rozen

intransitive verb

: to act in a threatening manner
The bear menaced with its mouth wide open.

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
Biden can reverse that by capitalizing on his State of the Union momentum and campaigning personally and aggressively among voters, showing his energy, warning of the Trump menace and displaying humor. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The threat of a new DOJ clampdown is hardly the only menace Boeing is facing. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Lane was also a menace on the base paths, leading Class 5A with 54 in the 2023 season. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 For example, the famous case of cane toads, brought to Australia to try to control insects munching on sugarcane crops, quickly became an-ever-expanding menace in their own right. Popular Science, 29 Feb. 2024 That rhetoric has not faded almost two years later, with Ukraine’s leaders and backers championing Kyiv as a bulwark for the free world against a tyrannical menace that knows no bounds. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 Alex Caruso was a menace defensively, finishing with four blocks and two steals while making Anthony Edwards’ life difficult down the stretch. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2024 Perhaps his best game came in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, where was a constant menace to quarterback Justin Herbert and delivered the game’s biggest play with a clutch fourth-quarter strip-sack of Herbert that ended a 21-play drive that had spanned nearly nine minutes. Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2024 Being a non-American rapper, 21 rightfully didn’t face professional blowback for his heritage (save for a few idiots on Twitter) and his credibility as a master of menace remains intact. Grant Rindner, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024
Verb
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 The cousins are threatened, menaced, and forcibly separated, and Seydou, his face battered and bloodied, lands in a Libyan prison, complete with a torture chamber. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 In fact, in 1990, when Iraq menaced Saudi Arabia after invading Kuwait, President George H. W. Bush did come to the rescue with military force—but he was not required to do so by any treaty or agreement. Fareed Zakaria, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023 John Goodman reprises the role of Bill Randa who in this initial sequence is menaced by a giant spider similar to the one featured in arguably the most terrifying sequence from the movie. Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Nov. 2023 So far, the Biden administration has been trying to chip away at the ability of the Houthis to menace merchant ships and military vessels without killing large numbers of Houthi fighters and commanders, which could potentially unleash even more mayhem into a widening war. Helene Cooper, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2024

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.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of menace was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near menace

Cite this Entry

“Menace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menace. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

menace

1 of 2 noun
men·​ace ˈmen-əs How to pronounce menace (audio)
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
menacingly adverb

Legal Definition

menace

1 of 2 noun
men·​ace ˈme-nəs How to pronounce menace (audio)
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 injuryCalifornia 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

More from Merriam-Webster on menace

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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