imperil

verb im·per·il \ im-ˈper-əl , -ˈpe-rəl \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of imperil

imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling

transitive verb

: to bring into peril : endanger

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imperilment

play \im-ˈper-əl-mənt, -ˈpe-rəl-\ noun

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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 of imperil from the Web

Indictments could imperil Dougherty’s allies, sap the mayor’s political capital, and reshape organized labor in one of the last remaining cities in the country where unions are a powerful force.

— andrew seidman, Philly.com, "Philly labor leader John 'Johnny Doc' Dougherty, under federal scrutiny, raises more campaign money than ever," 15 Apr. 2018
If Shulkin was indeed fired, Trump's decision to replace him with Wilkie instead of following VA's line of succession, could imperil any decisions Wilkie makes while serving at VA in an acting capacity.

— juana summers, CNN, "Shulkin says he was fired. The White House said he resigned. Here's why it matters.," 2 Apr. 2018
This frustrating back and forth has lasted all season, and that debilitating personality disorder has seriously imperiled the Longhorns’ NCAA tournament chances.

— nick moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "With NCAA tournament status imperiled, Texas needs to find its spirit," 8 Feb. 2018
Most states, however, have declined to take constructive action, imperiling U.S. 5G leadership.

— robert mcdowell, WSJ, "Local Laws Imperil 5G Innovation," 2 Apr. 2018
That reaction would further depress response rates, forcing the Census Bureau to spend more money on follow-up and imperiling the accuracy of the count.

— jeffrey mervis, Science | AAAS, "2020 census gets huge budget boost, but addition of citizenship question worries critics," 27 Mar. 2018
If many other people followed this path—which is admittedly unlikely—Trump wouldn’t face the widespread resistance which has imperiled his presidency.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "The Delusions of Trump-Era Escapism," 19 Mar. 2018
Heller is one of the nation’s most vulnerable Republican senators in a year when Trump’s unpopularity has imperiled many GOP incumbents.

— michael finnegan, latimes.com, "Republicans catch a break as Trump supporter quits Nevada Senate race," 16 Mar. 2018
After two years, cross-linking became available in the United States, in time to strengthen Williams’s cornea before keratoconus truly imperiled his livelihood.

— childs walker, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams seeing more clearly after surgery to combat eye condition," 14 Mar. 2018

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