imperil
verb
im·per·il
im-ˈper-əl 
-ˈpe-rəl
imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling
: to bring into peril : endanger
a reckless act that imperiled us all
a list of imperiled species
Examples of imperil in a Sentence
The toxic fumes imperiled the lives of the trapped miners.
The financial health of the company was imperiled by a string of bad investments.
a list of imperiled species
Recent Examples on the Web
Policies of the current federal administration and in certain states have imperiled our global leadership and prospects for the next generations of aspiring scholars of science with the potential for significant damage to our nation’s public health and biomedical and industrial leadership.
—
Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 16 June 2026
Her husband, who works in a factory painting industrial trucks, would be penalized for such a move, imperiling future raises.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 16 June 2026
Renewable energy groups suing the Pentagon claim a freeze in national security reviews for wind farms on private land has halted new projects, imperiling $47 billion in investments and 120,000 jobs across 21 states.
—Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
For the frosted flatwoods salamander, a threatened species, the change was more severe—seawater was pushed into their freshwater breeding habitats, imperiling their survival.
—Jeff Vandermeer, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperil
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Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 16 June 2026
Her husband, who works in a factory painting industrial trucks, would be penalized for such a move, imperiling future raises.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 16 June 2026
Renewable energy groups suing the Pentagon claim a freeze in national security reviews for wind farms on private land has halted new projects, imperiling $47 billion in investments and 120,000 jobs across 21 states.
—Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
For the frosted flatwoods salamander, a threatened species, the change was more severe—seawater was pushed into their freshwater breeding habitats, imperiling their survival.
—Jeff Vandermeer, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperil
Cite this Entry
“Imperil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperil. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
imperil
verb
im·per·il
im-ˈper-əl
imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling
: to place in great danger : endanger
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