menace

Intermediatezipf 3.54

Pronunciation

/ˈmɛnɪs/(MEN-is)

Part of speech

noun / verbneutral

Chinese

(n) 威胁；危险的人或物 (v) 威胁

Definition

(n) A person or thing that is likely to cause harm; a threatening quality. (v) To threaten or endanger.

Word family

  • menacing/ˈmɛnɪsɪŋ/(adj)威胁性的

Collocations

  • public menace
  • menace to society
  • menacing look
  • menacing tone
  • growing menace

Examples

  1. 1.Plastic pollution has become a growing menace to marine ecosystems worldwide. (threat)
  2. 2.He spoke in a low, menacing tone that made everyone in the room uncomfortable. (threatening)

Synonyms

  • threat/θrɛt/— a declaration of harm — more concrete
  • danger/ˈdeɪndʒər/— the possibility of harm
  • hazard/ˈhæzərd/— a source of danger

Etymology

from Latin "minacia" (threats) — "minax" (threatening) — "minari" (to threaten)