menace

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“
Vaguely it came home to him that the menace might be avoidable.

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Definitions (20)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. noun A possible danger; a threat: the menace of nuclear war.
  2. noun The act of threatening.
  3. noun A troublesome or annoying person: a toddler who was a menace in a shop full of crystal.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (50)

  • But Calvin looked upon the coming of Servetus as a menace, and honestly thought, no doubt, that Servetus was in the personal employ of the Vatican, with intent to collect evidence against “the new faith.” Calvin aroused the community into a belief that their rights were being jeopardized. —  Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Reformers, V9
  • Today he was a jovial glad-hander but the menace was always there The picketers saw Kirby approaching and they met him with a volley of boos and whistles. —  EQMM,May2007
  • Cleo was none too happy with the situation at all, and her menace was aimed at Maddie. —  Lori Foster - Duets.html
  • This is especially true of the gang members, although part of their menace might be the very conspicuous tattoos most of them sport. —  PegasusNews.com stories
  • And it looks like some kind of menace is attacking from the skies, driving people to their knees. —  ShowHype - Top Entertainment News, Videos, and Blogs
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This word has been looked up 154 times.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

ominous ·  grim ·  threat ·  evil ·  sullen ·  long ·  hostile ·  insult ·  cold ·  dread

Used in the same contextWord Family

menace:   menacing ·  menaced
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *minācia, sing. of Latin mināciae, threats, menaces, from mināx, mināc-, threatening, from minārī, to threaten, from minae, threats; see men-2 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English menace, manace, manas, from Old French menace, menache, manache, French menace = Provencal menassa, menaza = Old Spanish menaza (Spanish a-menaza = Portuguese a-meaça, a-meaço) = Italian minaccia, minaccio, threat, menace, from Latin minaciæ, plural, threats, from minax, threatening, projecting, from minæ, things projecting, hence threats, menaces, from minere, put out, project, whence also ult. English eminent, imminent, prominent, etc., and mine, mien, etc.
  2. from Middle English menacen, manacen, manasen, from Old French menacer, French menacer (= Spanish a-menazar = Portuguese a-meaçar = Italian minacciare), threaten, from menace, a threat: see menace, n.
 

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/ˈmɛnəs/
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