1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

imperiling 1 of 2

adjective

variants or imperilling
as in hazardous

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

imperiling

2 of 2

verb

variants or imperilling
present participle of imperil
as in endangering
to place in danger a single mistake could imperil the lives of everyone involved in the military operation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of imperiling
Verb
In response, some farmers trimmed their fertilizer use, potentially imperiling next year’s harvests. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 The two sides were also in touch on monitoring a barrier lake that risks flooding and imperiling rescue workers. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 Central Florida Congressman Cory Mills faces dwindling campaign funds and growing opposition from members of his own party, potentially imperiling his re-election bid with less than a week to go before the primary. — Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026 Its screenshots have circulated with ferocity this past week as proof that Grande is in danger, and imperiling others with her. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026 Between 2 and 5 inches of rain could fall in different sections of New England, potentially imperiling a handful of places already drenched by previous storms in recent days. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 29 July 2026 Trump officials went on to largely dismantle PEPFAR, imperiling many of the 20 million people the program has supplied with lifesaving therapies. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026 The company’s stock closed under $150 yesterday, its first day in the Nasdaq 100, for the first time since its June 12 IPO, possibly imperiling Elon Musk’s title as the world’s first trillionaire. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 July 2026 But the abilities bring out the darker sides of some, imperiling the world as the kids know it. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperiling
  1. hazardous
  2. endangering
  3. dangerous
  4. threatening
  5. damaging
  6. risking
  7. perilous
  8. detrimental
Adjective
  • These include dynamic proton radiography, materials science, neutron scattering, and nuclear physics, all operating at a facility authorized to use hazardous materials and handle classified data.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In regards to what is happening on the streets of NYC — Kaporos — thousands of young Cornish chickens are kept in the streets in crates, in hazardous and dangerous conditions.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of hazardous
Verb
  • Ferrari was charged with injuries to a police dog, recklessly endangering another person and inflicting injury to a domestic animal, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Steppach, 49, was the owner of Tim’s Tavern on Edison Avenue, where people protested daily in December after Steppach pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.
    — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of endangering
Adjective
  • Never mix vinegar with bleach, as the combination can create dangerous chlorine gas.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 20 Sep. 2026
  • As the news of the helicopter crash spread, media crews from the bus accident scene began rushing to the helicopter site and were told by law enforcement to evacuate because the situation was too dangerous, NBC4 footage showed.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Verb
  • In its premiere, this was a Korean Cherry Orchard performed in Korean for audiences that needed no primer on its setting, the rapidly changing globalized city where the characters’ home is threatening to disappear.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • He was accused of threatening to terminate those contracts if he wasn't paid.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of threatening
Adjective
  • Analysts who have followed Saab’s relationship with Maduro have said his testimony could be particularly damaging if prosecutors call him as a witness at Maduro’s narcoterrorism trial in New York.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The storms carry a limited damaging wind risk of up to 60 mph, officials said.
    — Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of damaging
Verb
  • The other has been hidden by banning media coverage, so the world has seen nothing but cell phone videos made by Palestinian journalists risking their lives to record them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • That comes as oil prices have already risen sharply due to the Middle East conflict, risking higher energy costs, weaker currencies and elevated interest rates combined for some economies.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of risking
Adjective
  • Nesting is always perilous, but the moment when the male and female trade places is especially so, as the incubating bird’s movement may catch the attention of a predator.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Michael Steele/Getty Images That window was dominated by Newcastle’s perilous PSR (the Premier League’s former profitability and sustainability rules) situation and the upheaval caused by Paul Mitchell’s appointment as sporting director.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of perilous
Adjective
  • But more than the cost of removing mold and mildew, this bacteria can be detrimental to your health as well.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026
  • But those pressures were nonetheless, for the most part, detrimental to Dunham personally, to her artistic development, and to the inspirations that made the series so exciting at first.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of detrimental

Browse Nearby Words

imperiled
imperiling
imperilment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Imperiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperiling. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All