MENACE Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

menace 1 of 2

noun

ˈme-nəs

Definition of menace

as in threat

something that may cause injury or harm a loaded gun is a menace that this household doesn't need

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menace

2 of 2

verb

as in to endanger

to place in danger menaced the children by leaving them in the car unattended

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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

Noun

Jay cites the scene in which Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) threatens Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) with increasingly outrageous acts of violence, turning the mobster’s menace into dark comedy. — John Kennedy, VIBE.com, 30 Sep. 2026 And the Rams are coming off a short week and will be without defensive menace Myles Garrett and possibly star receiver Puka Nacua. — Sam Jane, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2026

Verb

Wallick believed Martinez-Sarmiento had retrieved a weapon from a car and was going to menace others outside the nightclub, the district attorney’s office said. — Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 24 June 2026 Centuries later, Zarkon continues to menace the universe. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for menace

Recent Examples of Synonyms for menace

Noun

In contrast to other Gulf monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar sees no threat in the Muslim Brotherhood, the political movement that spawned Hamas.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
In other words, the biggest threats on the horizon might not be the Vatican or their local dioceses as much as time and money.

— Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of threat

Verb

After he was released from the hospital, 22-year-old Nicholas James Stedeford-Aaron was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger and failure to move over for emergency vehicles with injury.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026
One key objection was the mature tone of the narrative, in which the child protagonist is directly confronted and endangered by the evils derived from fascist ideologies.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of endanger

Verb

Last year, a Senatobia officer threatened a Black woman with a Taser, pulling her from her car and onto the ground and arresting her during a confrontation over an accessible parking space in the same Walmart lot where Kohen was shot.

— SOPHIE BATES, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
The bank still calls Nvidia the sector’s best risk-reward opportunity but warns that financing pressures, power shortages, and concentrated customers could threaten the buildout.

— Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of threaten

Verb

To keep returns low, Daunt shops often placed tiny initial orders, a wan show of confidence that risked seeping down to the fragile economy of the writing life.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Michael Platt, a professor of marketing, psychology and neuroscience at the Wharton School, says the answer may lie in how the brain responds to risk, excitement and the promise of a big win.

— Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of risk

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men's rooms

menace

menaced

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Style

“Menace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menace. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of menace

noun

verb

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