Synonyms of menace

menace 1 of 2

noun

ˈme-nəs 

as in threat

something that may cause injury or harm

a loaded gun is a menace that this household doesn't need

Synonyms & Similar Words

• threat
• danger
• risk
• peril
• hazard
• imminence
• trouble
• pitfall
• snare
• trap
• booby trap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protection
• guard
• ward
• shield
• harbor
• safeguard
• refuge
• shelter
• retreat
• asylum
• haven

menace

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to endanger

to place in danger

menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended

Synonyms & Similar Words

• endanger
• threaten
• risk
• adventure
• compromise
• jeopardize
• hazard
• peril
• imperil
• venture
• jeopard
• gamble (with)
• intimidate
• subject
• expose
• chance
• wager

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• guard
• shelter
• save
• preserve
• shield
• resume

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• threaten
• hang (over)
• endanger
• overhang
• hover (over)
• impend (over)
• jeopardize
• peril
• imperil
• hazard

Example Sentences

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