I. men ‧ ace 1 /ˈmenəs, ˈmenɪs/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin minacia , from minari 'to threaten' ]
1 . [countable] something or someone that is dangerous SYN threat
menace of
It’s the only way to deal with the menace of drug dealing.
menace to
That man’s a menace to society. He should be locked away.
the growing menace of oil pollution at sea
2 . [uncountable] a threatening quality, feeling, or way of behaving:
There was menace in his voice.
air/sense of menace
There was a sense of menace as the sky grew darker.
3 . [countable] a person, especially a child, who is annoying or causes trouble SYN nuisance :
My little brother’s a real menace.
4 . with menaces British English law if someone asks another person for something with menaces, they use threats of violence to get what they want:
He was charged with demanding money with menaces.
II. menace 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
formal to threaten:
The elephants are still menaced by poachers.