imperil

verb

im·​per·​il im-ˈper-əl 

-ˈpe-rəl

imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling

transitive verb

: to bring into peril : endanger

imperilment

im-ˈper-əl-mənt 

-ˈpe-rəl-

noun

Synonyms

• endanger
• threaten

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

Reuters reports that these MAHA supporters warn that allowing the appropriations bill to proceed could imperil Republicans’ House majority in upcoming elections . —Chloe Sorvino, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Without these funds in place, a lot of the new music discovery and support apparatus is imperiled. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025

If workers whose jobs are imperiled decide to leave the city en masse, its housing market could be in serious trouble. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025

Access to stores and restaurants could be imperiled. —Russ Wiles, USA Today, 31 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English inperiled, from in- in- entry 2 + peril peril entry 1 + -ed -ed entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for imperil

• carbaryl
• glyceryl
• beryl
• feral
• karel
• peril
• seral
• sterile
• sterol
• cholesteryl
• sitosterol
• tocopherol

Kids Definition

imperil

verb

im·​per·​il im-ˈper-əl 

imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling

: to place in great danger : endanger

imperilment

-əl-mənt 

noun