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
Sarah Botstein, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
In a letter, Ben’Ary warned that such politicization jeopardizes national security and undermines public trust in law enforcement.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
At many of these hospitals, flooding from heavy storms has the potential to jeopardize patient care, block access to emergency rooms, and force evacuations.
—CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Affordable Care Act tax credits are set to expire in December, potentially jeopardizing coverage for up to 245,000 Tennesseans.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Oct. 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 15 Oct. 2025.
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