menace 1 of 2

noun

ˈme-nəs How to pronounce menace (audio)
Definition of menacenext
as in threat
something that may cause injury or harm a loaded gun is a menace that this household doesn't need

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menace

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to endanger
to place in danger menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to threaten
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on stockpiles of nuclear weapons that continue to menace the inhabitants of this planet

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of menace
Noun
Dangerous donkeys On one side is the public safety crowd, who insist the 500-pound beasts are a menace to the free flow of commerce. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Few directors are better than Mungiu at capturing the non-wisdom of crowds, and every glimpse of the Gheorghius in communion with other Christians throws off an air of mass-smiling menace. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
Dennis Hopper won a Best Villain MTV Movie Award for menacing a bus in this film. — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Wallick believed Martinez-Sarmiento had retrieved a weapon from a car and was going to menace others outside the nightclub, the district attorney’s office said. — Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for menace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menace
  1. threat
  2. endanger
  3. threaten
  4. danger
  5. risk
Noun
  • Beyond the immediate threat to crude supplies, damage to refining infrastructure could pose a more persistent challenge to global energy markets.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has repeated threats to take out power plants and other infrastructure.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of threat
Verb
  • The money will go to conservation groups and local partners working on species the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies as endangered, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Delron Pickens, of Independence, was charged with one count of vehicle hijacking and one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child in Jackson County Circuit Court on Sunday.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of endanger
Verb
  • Matthew Unglesbee, a 36-year-old resident of Quincy in southwestern Illinois, was charged with violations related to false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When all out-of-court options have been exhausted, and the MCA debt threatens the immediate survival of an otherwise viable business, legal reorganization is the final angle of management.
    — Nathan Mor, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of threaten
Noun
  • Earlier this week, missiles fired by the Houthis struck a residential area in Taiz, killing two teenage girls and renewing attention on the dangers faced by civilians.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Gigantic Fantastic also explores the development of steroids themselves, their physiological effects, as well as other image and performance-enhancing drugs and their dangers.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of danger
Verb
  • Lawmakers who oppose him risk public ridicule, primary challenges and diminished political support.
    — Stephanie A, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
  • When a manageable investment can bring a decent return, producers can risk something unfamiliar, and audiences can afford to try it.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of risk

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Menace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menace. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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