Definition of 'menace'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense menaces
, present participle menacing
, past tense, past participle menaced
1. countable noun [usually singular]
2. countable noun [usually singular]
3. uncountable noun
Menace is a quality or atmosphere that gives you the feeling that you are in danger or that someone wants to harm you.
There is a pervading sense of menace.
...a voice full of menace.
4. verb
5. verb
If you are menaced by someone, they threaten to harm you.
She's being menaced by her sister's latest boyfriend. [be VERB-ed]
[Also VERB noun]
6.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of 'menace'
noun
3.
something menacing; a source of danger
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
noun
menacing (ˈmenacing)
adjective
menacingly (ˈmenacingly)
adverb
Word origin of 'menace'
noun
1.
a threat or the act of threatening
2.
anything threatening harm or evil
3. Informal
a person who is a nuisance
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈmenaced or ˈmenacing
4.
to threaten or be a danger (to)
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈthreaten
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
adverb
Word origin of 'menace'
Example sentences containing 'menace'
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
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By the time he looked back, Costa had turned the moment into something truly menacing. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The bunkers are so well placed and pose real menace. Times, Sunday Times (2014)The rottweiler has earned a fearsome reputation as extremely loyal and as a menacing guard dog. Times, Sunday Times (2007)These unusual clouds also signal something quite menacing. Times, Sunday Times (2010)It will become a menace to society. Times, Sunday Times (2013) Real menace at times with powerful bursts. The Sun (2009)The actor who made his name exuding menace and danger finds far more than that in the role. Times, Sunday Times (2010)Was a constant menace in midfield. The Sun (2010)The setting for detective stories was crucial to the atmosphere of menace and suspense, she said. Times, Sunday Times (2014)The menace of uninsured drivers also warrants a new law, according to you. Times, Sunday Times (2006)On stage, her menacing voice competes with pounding drums and distorted guitars. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Is this a tent, a house or a public menace? Times, Sunday Times (2011)But his movement was a constant menace to Leeds. The Sun (2015)If he is to become a serious menace, he may have to refine his yorker. Times, Sunday Times (2007)They also want to enjoy their prosperity without fear of robbery, violence and the menace of drugs. Times, Sunday Times (2016)One paying guest said: 'The atmosphere is menacing. The Sun (2016)It was doing, instead, something far more menacing. Times, Sunday Times (2012)You could smell him in the stalls - and the stench was of malice, menace and danger. Times, Sunday Times (2010) Crime is a menace. Times, Sunday Times (2012)I've seldom heard one with less menace, less of the demonic in it. Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Trends of 'menace'
In Common Usage. menace is one of the 10000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
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Translations for 'menace'
British English: menace NOUN
If you say that someone or something is a menace to other people or things, you mean that person or thing is likely to cause serious harm.
In my view you are a menace to the public.
British English: menace VERB
If you say that one thing menaces another, you mean that the first thing is likely to cause the second thing serious harm.
The states retained a latent capability to menace the country's own security.
Nearby words of 'menace'
Source
Definition of menace from the
Collins English Dictionary
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