imperil

verb

im·​per·​il im-ˈper-əl 

-ˈpe-rəl

imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling

transitive verb

: to bring into peril : endanger

a reckless act that imperiled us all

a list of imperiled species

imperilment

im-ˈper-əl-mənt 

-ˈpe-rəl-

noun

Synonyms of imperil

• 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

Saudi Arabia and Qatar warned Thursday that Israel’s strikes in Gaza imperiled a shaky ceasefire. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 20 Nov. 2025

Fitzpatrick's findings Monday are among numerous legal threads that have imperiled the Comey prosecution. —Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

But, according to this paper, AI is imperiling those climate goals. —Emily Kwong, NPR, 14 Nov. 2025

The Cabinet-Yaak grizzly bear recovery zone is one of six recovery zones in the lower 48 states, and is among the most imperiled, with only about 50 bears remaining, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 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