jeopardize
verb
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Jeopardize Has a Controversial History
Imagine you’re a contestant on a game show, and your task is to provide a question as a response to this statement from the host: “This word was once controversial, and in 1870 a grammarian called it ‘a foolish and intolerable word,’ a view shared by many 19th-century critics.” If you answered, “What is jeopardize?,” you might be going home with some money! The preferred word back then was jeopard, which first appeared in print in the 14th century. The upstart jeopardize didn’t arrive until the late 16th century, and took a while to catch on. In 1828, Noah Webster himself declared jeopardize to be “a modern word, used by respectable writers in America, but synonymous with jeopard, and therefore useless.” Unfortunately for the champions of jeopard, increased usage of jeopardize ultimately put the former word in jeopardy. Jeopard is now only rarely heard.
Examples of jeopardize in a Sentence
Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
In a joint letter sent to top lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, more than 50 aviation unions, trade groups, and stakeholders warned that halting federal operations would jeopardize safety and economic stability.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
But Trump’s TikTok ban could jeopardize that.
—Taylor Lorenz, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
These commercial realities have been coupled with costly and continued litigation threats from an opposing bidder that have jeopardized the project’s timeline and financing.
—Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jeopardize
Cite this Entry
“Jeopardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jeopardize. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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