imperil
verb
im·per·il
im-ˈper-əl 
-ˈpe-rəl
imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling
: to bring into peril : endanger
a reckless act that imperiled us all
a list of imperiled species
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
The world is a safer place when Iran is no longer able to threaten the Middle East, and beyond, with missiles nor imperil the world with its nascent nuclear bombs.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Then the studio structured trailers and marketing around an unspecified, unspeakable disclosure by Zendaya’s character that derails the wedding plans (and imperils the characters’ romantic union) to stoke maximum curiosity.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
Last June, after intense pushback on the policy’s potential to imperil hundreds of ongoing clinical trials, the NIH created another path for research involving human subjects.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 27 Mar. 2026
The last-minute impasse imperiled the likelihood of a swift end to the DHS shutdown, which has upended airport security across the country.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperil
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Then the studio structured trailers and marketing around an unspecified, unspeakable disclosure by Zendaya’s character that derails the wedding plans (and imperils the characters’ romantic union) to stoke maximum curiosity.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
Last June, after intense pushback on the policy’s potential to imperil hundreds of ongoing clinical trials, the NIH created another path for research involving human subjects.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 27 Mar. 2026
The last-minute impasse imperiled the likelihood of a swift end to the DHS shutdown, which has upended airport security across the country.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperil
Cite this Entry
“Imperil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperil. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
imperil
verb
im·per·il
im-ˈper-əl
imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling
: to place in great danger : endanger
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