public enemy

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.

To the religious authorities in England in the early 16th century, an obdurate Oxford scholar became a public enemy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

He wants to leave everything to me, but not tell his children, which would make me public enemy No. 1.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

To hear prosecutors tell it, Jose Landa-Rodriguez was public enemy No. 1.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2025

Actress Blake Lively was arguably the internet's public enemy number one for a couple of weeks in the summer.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2024

With the hostage crisis still fresh in the country's minds, we were public enemy number one.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi