danger

1 of 2

noun

dan·​ger ˈdān-jər How to pronounce danger (audio)
1
: 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
2
: a case or cause of danger
the dangers of mining
3
a
archaic : jurisdiction
You stand within his danger, do you not?Shakespeare
b
obsolete : reach, range
… out of the shot and danger of desire.Shakespeare
4
obsolete : harm, damage
… a sting in him that at his will he may do danger with.Shakespeare

danger

2 of 2

verb

dangered; dangering; dangers

Examples of danger in a Sentence

Noun 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 on the Web
Noun
Without this alloy, production of new cars ground to a halt, creating a serious crisis and highlighting the dangers of having only one supplier for a key component. Jochen Schwenk, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Pioneers of artificial intelligence have warned about the danger of AI surpassing human intelligence and losing control over the technology if government fails to act. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
Blink Twice captures how easily someone’s mind can grow numb to danger amid booze and bland conversations with strangers. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2024 But Spoo says this knowledge, and even a mastery of first aid techniques should not be used as an excuse for exposing your dog to danger. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 26 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for danger 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'danger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of danger was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near danger

Cite this Entry

“Danger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/danger. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

danger

noun
dan·​ger
ˈdān-jər
1
: the state of not being protected from injury, harm, or evil
2
: something that may cause injury or harm
the dangers of the jungle

More from Merriam-Webster on danger

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