danger

play

noun dan·ger \ˈdān-jər\

Definition of danger

1a archaic : jurisdiction You stand within his danger, do you not? — Shakespeareb obsolete : reach, range … out of the shot and danger of desire. — Shakespeare
2 obsolete : harm, damage … a sting in him that at his will he may do danger with. — Shakespeare
3 : exposure or liability to injury, pain, harm, or loss a place where children could play without danger was assured her job was not in danger
4 : a case or cause of danger the dangers of mining

See danger defined for English-language learners

See danger defined for kids

Examples of danger in a Sentence

I was unaware of the danger that lay ahead.
She was fearless in the face of danger.
The sign on the door read “Danger. Keep out.”
There's less danger that you'll lose your money if you have a wide variety of investments.
There's a danger that your apology will be taken as a sign of weakness.
The danger is that we'll become careless as the process becomes more familiar.
It's important to teach your children about the dangers of smoking.
Here is a list of possible dangers associated with the procedure.
We believe it poses a serious danger to our national security.

Recent Examples of danger from the Web

In a marathon session lasting well past midnight, the Senate voted to allow abortions when a mother’s life is in danger, when the fetus is not viable, and in cases of rape.

— eva vergara, The Seattle Times, "Chile Senate OKs bill allowing abortion in some cases," 19 July 2017
The Senate voted to allow abortions when a mother’s life is in danger, when the fetus is not viable and in cases of rape.

— Washington Post, "World Digest: July 19, 2017," 19 July 2017
Surprisingly though, despite the constant feeling of danger, the film is free from gore or even much blood (it’s only rated PG-13).

— cary darling, star-telegram, "‘Dunkirk’ isn’t your average war film, but it is the most explosive movie of the summer," 19 July 2017
D. Tom Fields, Fields is frank in discussing the dangers F-35 test pilots had in at least two incidents, one a daytime refueling by a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker and another a nighttime landing on the amphibious warship USS America.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "New Footage Shows the Perils of F-35 Flight Testing," 12 July 2017
But conservatives are now in danger of overcorrecting toward nationalism.

— nicholas m. gallagher, National Review, "America Needs to Reconcile Its Id and Superego," 11 July 2017
The finance industry, which contributes 7% of GDP, is in danger of decamping.

— The Economist, "A spat about seafood shows the compromises that Brexit will force," 5 July 2017
North Korea has always been a country on the danger to travel list.

— Cincinnati.com, "Ch@troom: Response for Warmbier? Not so fast," 5 July 2017
But the organization may be in danger as Republicans in Washington continue to push to defund Planned Parenthood .

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "Young Thug Just Donated ALL of The Proceeds From His Latest Concert To Planned Parenthood," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'danger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of danger

Middle English daunger, from Anglo-French dangier, dongier, from Vulgar Latin *dominiarium, from Latin dominium ownership

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

danger

verb dan·ger

Definition of danger

archaic

transitive verb
: endanger

Recent Examples of danger from the Web

But the proximity to danger in Taesung is mixed with an odd sense of security.

— motoko rich, New York Times, "As North Korea Tensions Rise, Farming in the Demilitarized Zone Goes On," 20 Apr. 2017

Origin and Etymology of danger

see ¹danger

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

DANGER Defined for English Language Learners

danger

play

noun

Definition of danger for English Language Learners

: the possibility that you will be hurt or killed
: the possibility that something unpleasant or bad will happen
: a person or thing that is likely to cause injury, pain, harm, or loss

DANGER Defined for Kids

danger

play

noun dan·ger \ˈdān-jər\

Definition of danger for Students

1 : the state of not being protected from harm or evil : peril With my cat around, the mice are in danger.
2 : something that may cause injury or harm Astronauts brave the dangers of space travel.