Synonyms

public enemy

American

noun

a person or thing considered a danger or menace to the public, especially a wanted criminal widely sought by the F.B.I. and local police forces.
a nation or government with which one's own is at war.

public enemy British

noun

a notorious person, such as a criminal, who is regarded as a menace to the public

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of public enemy

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Born William Jonathan Drayton Jr., Flav is a founding member of the pioneer rap group Public Enemy, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times

The iconic Public Enemy rapper added: “But I gots to invite my Bobsled + Skeleton team too.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s harsh to discount the bravery of federales who took out Public Enemy No. 1, then quickly quelled retaliation External link by his lieutenants.

From Barron's

Artists and fans have long described hip hop as a form of journalism—“the CNN of the hood,” as Chuck D of Public Enemy famously put it—arguing that the music documents social reality rather than creates it.

From The Wall Street Journal

That includes everything from Public Enemy’s eternal banger “Fight the Power” to Johnniqua Charles’ 2020 Internet meme “You About to Lose Your Job,” remixed into a dance hit built out of nothing but a looped refrain freestyled by an inebriated woman being detained by a security guard.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023