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
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Byers argued public release of details surrounding Rivas’ death could jeopardize the homicide investigation and had to be protected, The Times reported.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Lawmakers from California and Florida warned new offshore drilling would hurt coastal economies, jeopardize national security, ravage coastal ecosystems, and put the health and safety of millions of people at risk.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
But that approach could jeopardize the authentic feel that drives users to the platform in the first place.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 22 Nov. 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 1 Dec. 2025.
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