jeopardize

verb jeop·ar·dize \ ˈje-pər-ˌdīz \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: jeopardize in a Sentence

Editor's Note: jeopardize Has a Controversial History

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

jeopardize was our Word of the Day on 05/25/2016. Hear the podcast!

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

Noticeably upgrading the roster without jeopardizing future flexibility is difficult.

— matthew glenesk, Indianapolis Star, "In rare twist, Indiana Pacers are NBA free agency winners for once," 9 July 2018
In 2009, Detroit pledged its casino tax revenue as collateral on the swaps, jeopardizing the city's most dependable source of cash.

— tresa baldas, Detroit Free Press, "Kwame Kilpatrick: Detroit bankruptcy wasn't my fault," 15 June 2018
Funding uncertainty nearly jeopardized the strides centers have made, Baker said.

— courant.com, "School-Based Mental Health Centers Play Vital Role For Hispanic, Black Students," 23 May 2018
His office also did not disclose several of the meetings altogether because doing so could jeopardize efforts to recruit companies to Chicago, Emanuel spokesman Grant Klinzman said.

— bill ruthhart, chicagotribune.com, "Who is in Asia with Emanuel? Campaign donors, lobbyists, developers, business heavyweights," 13 July 2018
And in Baltimore, Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen says taking steps toward an injection site without federal approval could jeopardize funding that the city can’t afford to lose.

— Washington Post, "‘It keeps us safe’: An NYC bathroom set up to stem overdoses," 13 July 2018
Carter had sought counseling from military mental health providers before his fourth tour, his mother recalls, yet worried that revealing too much to them could jeopardize his Army career.

— martin kuz, The Christian Science Monitor, "A plan to help veterans from 'the first minute' they leave the service," 27 June 2018
Two state regulatory agencies concluded that the project could jeopardize New Britain’s drinking water, former Alderman Suzanne Bielinski said.

— don stacom, Courant Community, "Residents Slam Tilcon Gravel Plan, But New Britain Supports It," 26 June 2018
Others, though, have raised concerns unauthorized repairs could jeopardize the security of data held on the devices.

— mike cherney, WSJ, "Apple Fined as Customers Win a Right-to-Repair Fight," 19 June 2018

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.