danger

1 of 2

noun

dan·​ger ˈdān-jər 

1

: exposure or liability to injury, pain, harm, or loss

a place where children could play without danger

was assured her job was not in danger

2

: a case or cause of danger

the dangers of mining

3

a

archaic : jurisdiction

You stand within his danger, do you not?

—Shakespeare

b

obsolete : reach, range

… out of the shot and danger of desire.

—Shakespeare

4

obsolete : harm, damage

… a sting in him that at his will he may do danger with.

—Shakespeare

danger

2 of 2

verb

dangered; dangering; dangers

transitive verb

archaic

: endanger

Synonyms

Noun

• risk
• jeopardy
• trouble

Examples of danger in a Sentence

Noun

I was unaware of the danger that lay ahead.

She was fearless in the face of danger.

The sign on the door read “Danger. Keep out.”

There's less danger that you'll lose your money if you have a wide variety of investments.

There's a danger that your apology will be taken as a sign of weakness.

The danger is that we'll become careless as the process becomes more familiar.

It's important to teach your children about the dangers of smoking.

Here is a list of possible dangers associated with the procedure.

We believe it poses a serious danger to our national security.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The real danger is the undermining of one of the last great advantages the United States had over many of its competitors: policy stability. —Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Removing and dismantling someone’s RV takes away their shelter from wind, rain and the dangers of the street, as well as their ability to store water and cook food. —Sean Geary, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025

Verb

Some in Congress have also expressed concern over earlier iterations of a location-sharing feature that could expose young Instagram users to danger, among other privacy issues. —Chris Dobstaff, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

The federal Department of Homeland Security has so far justified allowing masks and lack of any identifying markers during arrests – both individual and mass – by claiming that identification would expose agents and their families to danger. —Thomas Elias, Oc Register, 25 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English daunger, from Anglo-French dangier, dongier, from Vulgar Latin *dominiarium, from Latin dominium ownership

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing danger

• danger money
• danger pay
• in danger
• out of danger

Rhymes for danger

• changer
• manger
• ranger
• stranger
• arranger
• endanger
• exchanger

Kids Definition

danger

noun

dan·​ger

ˈdān-jər

1

: the state of not being protected from injury, harm, or evil

2

: something that may cause injury or harm

the dangers of the jungle