jeopardy

noun

jeop·​ar·​dy ˈje-pər-dē 

1

: exposure to or imminence of loss or injury : danger

placing their lives in jeopardy

workers in jeopardy of losing their jobs

2

law : the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense

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Did you know?

We'll start with the answer and you provide the question: A word meaning "danger" that inspired the title of a popular game show. Got it? If you buzzed in "what is jeopardy?" you are correct! Today’s word dates back to at least the 1300s, but its Middle English form can make it hard to spot: it appears in the phrase "in jupartie" with a meaning very much akin to the word's meaning in the modern phrase "in jeopardy"—that is, "in danger." The spellings of what we now render only as jeopardy were formerly myriad. The Oxford English Dictionary reports that between the late 14th and mid-17th centuries the word was spelled in a great variety of ways, among them ieupardyes (the spelling Chaucer used in The Canterbury Tales), iupertie, iupartye, ieoperdis, and juperti. Indeed, like the eponymous quiz show Jeopardy!, today’s word has a long history; we’d wager it has a long future, too.

Synonyms

• danger
• distress
• endangerment
• harm's way
• imperilment
• peril
• risk
• trouble

Examples of jeopardy in a Sentence

the city's firefighters routinely put their lives in jeopardy by executing daring rescues

Recent Examples on the Web

The Biden administration says federal law requires emergency rooms to provide stabilizing care, including abortions, if a patient's health is in serious jeopardy. —USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024

He's made clear his determination to use his legal jeopardy, already a central issue in the race against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden, to his advantage. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024

The far-larger questions as the trial and the Trump-Biden rematch converge are about political jeopardy, or political advantage. —Michael Rothfeld Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

One false move, and all the months of jeopardy would be for nothing. —Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

Without progress toward stabilizing the insurance industry in California, housing for lower-income renters is in urgent jeopardy as well. —Nikki Beasley, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024

The Current’s early perfect season, though, seemed to be in some jeopardy late in the game Saturday. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024

Yet, many of these landmark achievements now face potential jeopardy. —Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024

Unlike previous Championship campaigns the illusion of jeopardy for the ex-Premier League sides has been more absent than before. —Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English jeopardie, from Anglo-French juparti, jeuparti alternative, literally, divided game

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing jeopardy

• double jeopardy
• in jeopardy

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Kids Definition

jeopardy

noun

jeop·​ar·​dy ˈjep-ərd-ē 

: danger sense 1

Legal Definition

jeopardy

noun

jeop·​ar·​dy ˈje-pər-dē 

1

: exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury

2

: the danger of conviction that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense see also double jeopardy

Note: Jeopardy attaches, or comes into effect for double jeopardy purposes, when a jury is sworn in or, in a non-jury trial, when the judge begins to hear evidence. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids double jeopardy for the same offense, and this applies whether the first trial ends in acquittal, conviction, or a mistrial. If a mistrial occurs due to a manifest necessity or if a defendant appeals a conviction, however, the rule against double jeopardy does not apply. The issue of manifest necessity is determined by the trial judge and, if necessary, by an appeals court.