jeopardize

verb jeop·ar·dize \ ˈje-pər-ˌdīz \

Definition of jeopardize

jeopardized; jeopardizing

transitive verb

:to expose to danger or risk :imperil

a decision that could jeopardize her career

laws jeopardizing freedom of speech

See jeopardize defined for English-language learners

See jeopardize defined for kids

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Examples of jeopardize in a Sentence

His health has been jeopardized by poor nutrition.
don't do anything that will jeopardize your place on the advisory board

Recent Examples of jeopardize from the Web

Federal prosecutors have opposed disclosing such information, arguing doing so could jeopardize investigations and put lives at risk.

— Washington Post, "Lawyer says Trump Tower in Russia considered during campaign," 28 Aug. 2017
On Thursday, District 2 Commissioner Connie Hudson complained that the situation was hampering development of next year's county budget and could jeopardize spending on raises and other planned actions.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "County commissioner asks for legal options in rent dispute with city," 14 Aug. 2017
Gov. Dan Patrick, the upper chamber’s presiding officer — says such legislation would put transgender people at risk and jeopardize the economy.

— ralph k.m. haurwitz, star-telegram, "‘Bathroom bill’ would likely affect Texas’ 2-year colleges," 7 Aug. 2017
Such controversial uses of CRISPR may jeopardize the success of its less fraught applications.

— james kath, Scientific American Blog Network, "Brave New World? Not Even Close," 2 Aug. 2017
Cashman has spent the past few years building a strong farm system that’s particularly well-stocked with outfielders, allowing him to part with Rutherford without jeopardizing the future.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Yankee Trade Upgrades Lineup and Bullpen, Screws the Red Sox," 19 July 2017
The federal government is planning to slash science funding by nearly 40% in 2018, jeopardizing major projects including Brazil’s participation in world-class telescope facilities, ScienceInsider has learned.

— herton escobar, Science | AAAS, "Cuts imperil Brazil’s stake in astronomy observatories," 17 July 2017
Two of Kansas’ largest prisons are struggling to find enough workers, costing taxpayer dollars for overtime pay and, some say, jeopardizing security at the facilities.

— jonathan shorman and hunter woodall, kansascity, "Short-staffed Kansas prisons raise safety fears, cost taxpayers for overtime," 14 July 2017
But Senate aides and health-care experts believe that provision could make the CBO score far worse, jeopardizing the support of moderates.

— russell berman, The Atlantic, "Why the Senate Health-Care Bill Might Never Get a Final Vote," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jeopardize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

jeopardize Has a Controversial History

It may be hard to believe that jeopardize was once controversial, but in 1870 a grammarian called it "a foolish and intolerable word," a view shared by many 19th-century critics. The preferred word was jeopard, which first appeared in print in the 14th century. (The upstart jeopardize turned up in 1582.) 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, jeopardize is now much more popular.