imperil

verb

im·​per·​il im-ˈper-əl How to pronounce imperil (audio)
-ˈpe-rəl
imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling

transitive verb

: to bring into peril : endanger
imperilment
im-ˈper-əl-mənt How to pronounce imperil (audio)
-ˈpe-rəl-
noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
President Donald Trump on May 1 signed an executive order to pull federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, imperiling America’s largest public broadcasters and hundreds of associated local and regional radio and television channels. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 3 May 2025 And though recent cuts to the NIH, CDC, USAID, EPA, and the National Parks Service have rightly been in the spotlight for imperiling public health, diplomacy, and the environment, these smaller cuts to smaller agencies are devastating in their own right. Sarah Blomeley, Time, 25 Apr. 2025 Disparate-impact liability imperils the effectiveness of civil rights laws by mandating, rather than proscribing, discrimination. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025 The United States has also slapped large-scale tariffs on almost all European imports, imperiling the continent’s economic growth. Ismet Fatih Cancar, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for imperil

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of imperil was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Imperil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperil. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

imperil

verb
im·​per·​il im-ˈper-əl How to pronounce imperil (audio)
imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling
: to place in great danger : endanger
imperilment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on imperil

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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