jeopardize
verb
Did you know?
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
Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 11 July 2025
The Commanders have expressed concerns that the delays could derail their goal of opening a new stadium by 2030 and jeopardize their bid to host matches during the 2031 Federation Internationale de Football Association Women’s World Cup.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2025
Rapid construction, led by corporate developers, has jeopardized natural floodplains and critical biodiversity zones.
—Time, 7 July 2025
Your day job pays the bills—don't jeopardize it for freelance income.
—Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 5 July 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 14 Jul. 2025.
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