menace

[ men-is ]
/ ˈmɛn ɪs /

noun

something that threatens to cause evil, harm, injury, etc.; a threat: Air pollution is a menace to health.
a person whose actions, attitudes, or ideas are considered dangerous or harmful: When he gets behind the wheel of a car, he's a real menace.
an extremely annoying person.

verb (used with object), men·aced, men·ac·ing.

to utter or direct a threat against; threaten.
to serve as a probable threat to; imperil.

verb (used without object), men·aced, men·ac·ing.

to express or serve as a threat.

Origin of menace

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French < Latin minācia, equivalent to mināc- (stem of mināx) jutting out, threatening + -ia -ia

OTHER WORDS FROM menace

Example sentences from the Web for menacingly

British Dictionary definitions for menacingly

menace
/ (ˈmɛnɪs) /

verb

to threaten with violence, danger, etc

noun

literary a threat or the act of threatening
something menacing; a source of danger
informal a nuisance

Derived forms of menace

menacer, noun menacing, adjective menacingly, adverb

Word Origin for menace

C13: ultimately related to Latin minax threatening, from mināri to threaten