• IPA: /ˈmɛnɪs/

menace (plural menaces)

1. A perceived threat or danger.

   • the dark menace of the distant war.

2. The act of threatening.
3. (informal) An annoying and bothersome person or thing.

• French: menace
• German: Drohung, Bedrohung, Druck
• Italian: minaccia
• Russian: угро́за
• Spanish: amenaza

• German: Androhung, Bedrohung
• Russian: угро́за
• Spanish: amenaza

• German: Plage, Landplage
• Italian: peste

menace (menaces, present participle menacing; past and past participle menaced) (ambitransitive)

1. (transitive) To make threats against (someone); to intimidate.

   to menace a country with war

   • c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act V, scene iii]:

     My master […] did menace me with death.

2. To threaten (an evil#Noun|evil to be inflicted).
   • 1613, William Shakespeare; [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act I, scene ii]:

     By oath he menaced / Revenge upon the cardinal.

3. To endanger (someone or something); to imperil or jeopardize.

• German: androhen, bedrohen
• Russian: угрожа́ть
• Spanish: amenazar