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
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
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration has argued that Abrego Garcia was illegally in the country and has presented him as a menace to society.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
Trans Canada Image On his list of favorite Dispatches of 2024, Bryant Rousseau, an editor on the International desk, picked two from Canada about how motorists are menaced by moose in Newfoundland and by car thieves in Toronto.
—Ian Austen, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Chris Young Ritzen, CBS News, 10 May 2025
The movie itself is something of a trip; everything feels coated in a faint, menacing sheen of unreality, as if a slasher movie were just a wild twist or two away.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for menace
Noun
That kid is a menace, and parents are on the hook financially for whatever their dumb kids do.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration has argued that Abrego Garcia was illegally in the country and has presented him as a menace to society.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
The impostors then stole two hot dogs and menaced the vendor with a knife before taking off on Seventh Ave., heading toward 44th St.
Cops took one man into custody following the heist, and are looking for a second person dressed in a red hoodie, black pants and black and white sneakers.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
Trans Canada Image On his list of favorite Dispatches of 2024, Bryant Rousseau, an editor on the International desk, picked two from Canada about how motorists are menaced by moose in Newfoundland and by car thieves in Toronto.
—Ian Austen, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Police arrested Doyle and charged him with menacing, harassment and trespassing.
—Chris Young Ritzen, CBS News, 10 May 2025
The movie itself is something of a trip; everything feels coated in a faint, menacing sheen of unreality, as if a slasher movie were just a wild twist or two away.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for menace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menace
Noun
-
If President Trump makes good on his threat to shift disaster response to the states, Florida and other states on the front lines of climate change will be the first to suffer.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 June 2025
-
This watch is in effect until 10 p.m. What to do as threat of lightning approaches?—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
In a small 18th-century English village, locals hear ominous barking.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
22 May 2025
-
There’s a shift in the second to last episode when Michaela suddenly becomes not ridiculous or ominous, but self-aware and human and someone who very clearly sees what a fraud her life has been.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Cruise’s wing-walking sequence was somehow even more dangerous.—
Tyler Foggatt,
New Yorker,
24 May 2025
-
Even ejecting from the aircraft can be dangerous and traumatic.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
Scientists with Oceana and governmental and conservation organizations say the whales also face dangers from entanglement in commercial crabbing and fishing gear and vessel strikes.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
-
Dalton recently was approved to give a presentation to students at each middle and high school in CMS next school year, telling her son’s story and cautioning students about the dangers of drug use.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
With the two men mismatched in temperament and direction, Diller was gone in a year and a half—fleeing one sinister Davis (Martin) for the arms of another, equally sinister one (Marvin), who controlled Twentieth Century Fox.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
-
Though it was written around the time of Malibu’s Woolsey fire, the 14-minute long dirge that encompasses flames in Malibu and a cougar that roams the hills took on a new and sinister meaning in the aftermath of the more recent fires.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
Other parts of the southeastern US could see hazardous weather Friday afternoon and evening.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
-
However, a small portion of them, known as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), do require close monitoring.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
But that ally could soon make the Middle East look a lot more threatening.—
Daniel Byman,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2025
-
The risks and costs of this crisis are a thousand times more threatening to our country than COVID-19.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
The first season traces Ellie and Joel’s perilous journey, punctuated by attacks by the infected, the depredations of groups of raiders, and betrayals galore by would-be allies.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
-
One brother, guided by moral duty, convinces the other to help the mother and join a perilous investigation to find the child.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Menace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menace. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share