jeopardize
verb
Did you know?
Jeopardize Has a Controversial History
Imagine you’re a contestant on a game show, and your task is to provide a question as a response to this statement from the host: “This word was once controversial, and in 1870 a grammarian called it ‘a foolish and intolerable word,’ a view shared by many 19th-century critics.” If you answered, “What is jeopardize?,” you might be going home with some money! The preferred word back then was jeopard, which first appeared in print in the 14th century. The upstart jeopardize didn’t arrive until the late 16th century, and took a while to catch on. In 1828, Noah Webster himself declared jeopardize to be “a modern word, used by respectable writers in America, but synonymous with jeopard, and therefore useless.” Unfortunately for the champions of jeopard, increased usage of jeopardize ultimately put the former word in jeopardy. Jeopard is now only rarely heard.
Examples of jeopardize in a Sentence
Editorial, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
And the loss of federal dollars set in motion by that bill is already wreaking havoc across the state, jeopardizing nearly every sector of California — spanning transportation, education, scientific research and energy infrastructure, just for starters.
—Mercury News Editorial, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Chmura said the court determined Burke could have used the lights and sirens on his police vehicle and would not have jeopardized his ability to catch up to the vehicle that may have been the one police were looking for because that vehicle driver was too far away.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025
But Peggy's past—from the loss of her son to her former flame, the married Globe editor Thomas Fortune—and William's mother, whose colorism marred her impression of Peggy, jeopardized their chances of a happily ever after.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jeopardize
Cite this Entry
“Jeopardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jeopardize. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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