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menace

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The definition of a menace is a person or situation that is a possible damage or threat.

(noun)

An example of a menace is a person who is very accident prone and who is likely to break things.
An example of a menace is an approaching hurricane.

See menace in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a threat or the act of threatening
anything threatening harm or evil
Informal a person who is a nuisance

Origin: OFr < L minacia < minax (gen. minacis), projecting, threatening < minari, to threaten < minae, threats, orig. projecting points of walls < IE base *men-, to project > Cornish meneth, mountain

transitive verb, intransitive verb menaced, menacing

to threaten or be a danger (to)

Related Forms:

menacingly adverb

See menace in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. A possible danger; a threat: the menace of nuclear war.
b. The act of threatening.
A troublesome or annoying person: a toddler who was a menace in a shop full of crystal.

verb men·aced, men·ac·ing, men·ac·es

verb, transitive