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⚠️ A threat ⚠️ To threaten
to menace

to menace

19 4.6
To threaten people or places with harm
  • verb
  • /ˈmɛnəs/
translation icon : amenazar
  • At first, they are perplexed; some feel menaced, but everyone is too embarrassed to ask questions.

These being eliminated, we are menaced by no fears in regard to the powers above.

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Examples

  • Once again, a Middle Eastern country central to America is menaced by Islamic activists.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The kingdom has been menaced by this creature for too long.

    Love Don’t Fade Away (2023)

  • Still two more points were in Japanese hands, and they would continue to menace MacArthur's plans until they were removed.

  • Mob rule in Little Rock menaces the very safety of the United States and the free world.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The boat rocks dangerously; it runs up against rocks and is menaced by sea serpents.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Sam, Chris, and Mike stand in the doorway staring at a giant spider menacing Ashley.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Market-style accountability faces considerable political obstacles because it menaces the entrenched interests and power bases of public education.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Two centuries ago, the Katona tribe and white settlers alike were menaced by a band of six renegades led by a young shaman named Torak.

    The Bone Eater (2008)

  • In Gore, Oklahoma, a Kerr McGee processing plant menaces resident Cherokees with leaking sludge ponds.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The storm clouds gathered, threatening to menace the small town with heavy rains.

Synonyms

to threaten
vsto menace
∞ 3.0

To be likely to cause harm or damage

is about actively threatening or creating danger rather than mere probability
to jeopardize
vsto menace
  • US
191 6.3

Put someone or something in danger of harm

narrows this to threatening or posing danger rather than broader risk types
to endanger
vsto menace
124 3.7

To put someone or something in danger of harm

focuses more on the act of threatening as well as creating danger
to imperil
vsto menace
9 7.8

Put someone or something in danger

adds the sense of deliberately threatening as well as causing danger
to peril
vsto menace
8.2

To put a person or thing in serious danger

stresses an active threat or warning aspect alongside creating danger

Antonyms

to protect
∞ 1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

to safeguard
45 3.7

To protect someone or something from harm

How Threatening

to threaten
987 3.3
to menace
19 4.6
to imperil
9 7.8
to endanger
124 3.7
to jeopardize
  • US
191 6.3
to risk
∞ 3.0

Surface Forms

menace infinitive
menaced past
menaced past participle
menacing present participle
menaces third person singular

Etymology

To menace comes from the Latin verb minari meaning 'to threaten', so to menace someone is to threaten them or put them in danger.