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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to endanger
to place in danger
menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
warns that the emergence of new viruses is one of the most menacing developments we face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
fears that the unemployment rate may be reaching menacing proportions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in endangering
to place in danger
menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in threatening
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of menace
Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
But if the ceasefire holds and negotiations are successful, the world could see an Iran that, at least, is no longer a menace to its neighbors.
—Donald Heflin, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026
Extreme heat fuels out of control bushfires Bushfires, fueled by the soaring temperatures, have menaced towns in the state of Victoria, prompting evacuations as volunteer firefighters attempted to douse flames around homes.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
If the sky becomes menacing and thunder becomes audible, seek out a safe place to seek shelter.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
As the two catch up, Crudup veers from good-natured to sorrowful to bitter to menacing in a matter of minutes.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for menace
Noun
Men are softened or eroticized, and their capacity for menace diminished.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
But if the ceasefire holds and negotiations are successful, the world could see an Iran that, at least, is no longer a menace to its neighbors.
—Donald Heflin, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
There’s real, sweat-inducing tension to scenes where Esther, alone at home with her children, is encircled and menaced by mobs of men preying on the easiest of targets.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026
Extreme heat fuels out of control bushfires Bushfires, fueled by the soaring temperatures, have menaced towns in the state of Victoria, prompting evacuations as volunteer firefighters attempted to douse flames around homes.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The beasts were, ostensibly, running a menacing communications conglomerate in a satellite tower looking over the main field of Coachella, but now they were spooked.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
If the sky becomes menacing and thunder becomes audible, seek out a safe place to seek shelter.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
Some argue that the only way to stop Iran from menacing the region and its people is to crush this regime.
—Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
As the two catch up, Crudup veers from good-natured to sorrowful to bitter to menacing in a matter of minutes.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for menace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menace
Noun
-
Court records show a trail of threats preceded Tiffany Woods’ death.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Damaging winds over 60mph will be the biggest threat.—
Mary Ours,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The biggest difference between Mythos and previous AI models was its ability to autonomously exploit vulnerabilities, an ominous new facet of the industry’s transition towards agentic models.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The team of astronomers credited for Apophis' discovery – David Tholen, Fabrizio Bernardi and the late Roy Tucker – were also responsible for coming up with the asteroid's ominous name.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Police on Friday closed Kensington Gardens, a central London park visited by thousands of tourists and local residents every day, after a group that Israel has linked to Iran posted a video claiming Israel’s nearby London embassy was going to be attacked with drones carrying dangerous substances.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Portage police added that while some students play the game safely using brightly colored water guns, others have created dangerous situations that can trigger panic.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
McMahon had a career’s worth of lessons in the virtues of bombast, and also in the dangers of it.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Although the moody, groovy songs on her 1999 debut, No Angel, seemed to hint at danger or allude to Dido’s former life as a teenage wild child, Life for Rent was all middle-class Islington status quo.—
Shaad D’Souza,
Pitchfork,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Needless to say, something very sinister and deadly lies at the end of their path.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The author, known for sinister tales like The Whistler and Sisters of the Lost Nation, has built a reputation for reinventing classic horror tropes by weaving in Native American folklore and stories passed down from his grandmother, an elder of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Photos shared by the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office showed the hazardous road conditions as well as the aftermath of the collisions.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Most hazardous leaks are caused by third-party digging.—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In two separate encounters on Monday, the Israeli air force struck and killed Hezbollah militants that the military said approached its troops in a threatening way.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Their conversation is evasive and threatening and pregnant with decades of secrets, some shared and some to be revealed over the next six hours.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The bloc doesn’t have a mechanism to expel a wayward member, but Western diplomats told me that brazen electoral theft would inaugurate a perilous new era.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Four astronauts are preparing for a perilous return through Earth's atmosphere to make a splashdown near California and put the finishing touches on a moon-circling mission that will etch their names in history.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Menace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menace. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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