Meanings
menace1
plural menaces
- The act of threatening.
- informalAn annoying and bothersome person or thing.
menace2
present singular third person menaces · participle present menacing · participle past menaced · past menaced
- ambitransitivetransitiveTo make threats against (someone); to intimidate.
to menace a country with war
3 more examples
My master […] did menace me with death.
c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]The Begums' ministers, on the contrary, to extort from them the disclosure of the place which concealed the treasures, were, […] after being fettered and imprisoned, led out on to a scaffold, and this array of terrours proving unavailing, the meek tempered Middleton, as a dernier resort, menaced them with a confinement in the fortress of Chunargar. Thus, my lords, was a British garrison made the climax of cruelties!
1788 June, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, “Mr. Sheridan’s Speech, on Summing Up the Evidence on the Second, or Begum Charge against Warren Hastings, Esq., Delivered before the High Court of Parliament, June 1788”, in Select Speeches, Forensick and Parliamentary, with Prefatory Remarks by N[athaniel] Chapman, M.D., volume I, [Philadelphia, Pa.]: Published by Hopkins and Earle, no. 170, Market Street, published 1808, →OCLC, page 474Bradley Barcola, on for Kvaratskhelia, menaced with his jet-heeled pace on the counter.
2026 May 30, David Hytner, “Paris Saint-Germain retain Champions League as Arsenal dream dashed in shootout”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 30 May 2026 - ambitransitiveTo threaten (an evil to be inflicted).
By oath he menaced / Revenge upon the cardinal.
1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]1 more example
Upon his browes was pourtraid vgly death, And in his eies the furies of his heart, That ſhine as Comets, menacing reueng, And caſts a pale complexion on his cheeks.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii - ambitransitiveTo endanger (someone or something); to imperil or jeopardize.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
verbpose a threat to; present a danger to
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
menace · noun
- Latinmināx“threatening”
- Late Latinminācia“threat, menace”
- Old Frenchmanace
- Middle Englishmanace
- Englishmenace
From Middle English manace, from Old French manace, menace, &c., from Late Latin minācia (“threat, menace”), from Latin mināx (“threatening”) + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →menace · verb
- Latinminācia
- Vulgar Latin*mināciāre
- Anglo-Normanmanasser
- Old Frenchmenacer
- Middle Englishmanacen
- Englishmenace
First attested in 1303: from Middle English manacen, from Old French menacer, manecier, manechier and Anglo-Norman manasser, from the assumed Vulgar Latin *mināciāre, from Latin minācia, whence the noun.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Anglo-Norman
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَهْدِيد
- تَهْدِيد (tahdīd)perceived threat or danger
Bulgarian запла́ха, опа́сност
- запла́ха (zapláha)perceived threat or danger
- опа́сност (opásnost)perceived threat or danger
- запла́шване (zaplášvane)act of threatening
- заплашвам (zaplašvam)to make threats against, to intimidate
- застрашавам (zastrašavam)to make threats against, to intimidate
Catalan amenaça
- amenaçaperceived threat or danger
Chinese Cantonese 威脅 /威胁, 恐嚇 /恐吓
- 威脅 /威胁 (wai¹ hip³)perceived threat or danger
- 恐嚇 /恐吓act of threatening
Chinese Mandarin 威脅 /威胁, 恐嚇 /恐吓
- 威脅 /威胁 (wēixié)perceived threat or danger
- 恐嚇 /恐吓 (kǒnghè)act of threatening
Czech hrozba, zastrašovat
- hrozbaperceived threat or danger
- zastrašovatto make threats against, to intimidate
- hrozitto make threats against, to intimidate
- ohrožovatto endanger
- ohrozitto endanger
Danish trussel, fare
- trusselperceived threat or danger
- fareperceived threat or danger
Estonian ähvardama
- ähvardamato make threats against, to intimidate
Finnish uhka, uhkailu
- uhkaperceived threat or danger
- uhkailuact of threatening
- uhkausact of threatening
- ilkimysannoying and bothersome person
- ilkiöannoying and bothersome person
- maanvaivaannoying and bothersome person
- uhkaillato make threats against, to intimidate
- pelotellato make threats against, to intimidate
French menace
- menaceperceived threat or danger
German Drohung, Bedrohung
- Drohungperceived threat or danger
- Bedrohungperceived threat or danger
- Druckperceived threat or danger
- Androhungact of threatening
- Bedrohungact of threatening
- Plageannoying and bothersome person
- Landplageannoying and bothersome person
- androhento make threats against, to intimidate
- bedrohento make threats against, to intimidate
- einschüchternto make threats against, to intimidate
Italian minaccia, peste
- minacciaperceived threat or danger
- pesteannoying and bothersome person
Japanese 脅威
- 脅威 (kyōi)perceived threat or danger
Korean 위협, 위협
- 위협 (wihyeop)perceived threat or danger
- 위협 (wihyeop)act of threatening
- 협박 (hyeopbak)act of threatening
Māori whakahakahaka
- whakahakahakato make threats against, to intimidate
Polish zagrożenie, groźba
- zagrożenieperceived threat or danger
- groźbaperceived threat or danger
- zmoraannoying and bothersome person
- grozićto make threats against, to intimidate
Portuguese ameaça
- ameaçaperceived threat or danger
Russian угро́за, опа́сность
- угро́за (ugróza)perceived threat or danger
- опа́сность (opásnostʹ)perceived threat or danger
- угро́за (ugróza)act of threatening
- угрожа́ть (ugrožátʹ)to make threats against, to intimidate
- грози́ть (grozítʹ)to make threats against, to intimidate
Slovak hrozba
- hrozbaperceived threat or danger
Spanish amenaza, amenaza
- amenazaperceived threat or danger
- amenazaact of threatening
- menazaact of threatening
- amenazarto make threats against, to intimidate
- menazarto make threats against, to intimidate
- amenazarto endanger
Turkish tehdit
- tehditperceived threat or danger
Ukrainian погро́за
- погро́за (pohróza)perceived threat or danger
Welsh bygwl, bygylau
- bygwlperceived threat or danger
- bygylauperceived threat or danger
- bygwlact of threatening
- bygylauact of threatening
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with menace
All rhymes →Cite this entry
menace. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/menace
“menace.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/menace. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “menace,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/menace.
Source: menace on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.