Link Centre Dictionary

menace

me·nace

UK/ˈmɛnɪs/ US/ˈmɛnɪs/ fairly common informal
noun (2) verb (3)

noun

1.

something that is a source of danger

  • “earthquakes are a constant threat in Japan”
Synonyms
2.

a threat or the act of threatening

  • “he spoke with desperate menace”

verb

1.

pose a threat to; present a danger to

  • “The pollution is endangering the crops”
Synonyms
2.

express a threat either by an utterance or a gesture

  • “he menaced the bank manager with a stick”
3.

act in a threatening manner

  • “A menacing person”

Origin

First attested in 1303: from Middle English manacen, from Old French menacer, manecier, manechier and Anglo-Norman manasser, from the assumed Vulgar Latin *mināciāre, from Latin minācia, whence the noun.

Phrases

  • lavender menace
  • red menace
  • yellow menace

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.