jeopardize
Americanverb (used with object)
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jeopardizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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jeopardized,
past participle, past
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jeopardizing
present participle
verb
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to risk; hazard
he jeopardized his job by being persistently unpunctual
-
to put in danger; imperil
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jeopardizesimple
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jeopardizessimple
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have jeopardizedperfect
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has jeopardizedperfect
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am jeopardizingprogressive
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are jeopardizingprogressive
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is jeopardizingprogressive
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have been jeopardizingperfect progressive
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has been jeopardizingperfect progressive
Past
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jeopardizedsimple
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had jeopardizedperfect
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was jeopardizingprogressive
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were jeopardizingprogressive
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had been jeopardizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jeopardize
First recorded in 1640–50; jeopard(y) + -ize
Explanation
Jeopardize means to put at risk or pose a threat. Jeopardize your career by posting silly pictures of yourself on Facebook. Jeopardize your friendships by posting silly pictures of your friends on Facebook. Jeopardize stems from the Old French jeu parti, which literally translates to a game with divided, or even, chances. An even chance of winning hardly seems a risky endeavor, but maybe our forefathers weren't big risk-takers. Whatever the reason, jeopardize has come to mean the act of putting yourself or something at risk, through circumstance or behavior. Think of double-jeopardy on the gameshow "Jeopardy" and you'll better understand what it means to jeopardize your savings.
Vocabulary lists containing jeopardize
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The Last Olympian
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This Week In Words: May 3–9, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We often hear, ‘I don’t want to jeopardize my retirement,’” said Jessica Ray, a Washington, D.C., senior growth adviser with Brighton Jones, a wealth-management firm.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons is taking his time searching for a new coach in a strategy that could jeopardize the team’s playoff chances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Seven minutes later, they changed the alert to a code signaling unlawful interference—used to describe attempts to jeopardize the safety of the airplane, like hijacking or hostage taking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
In that case, Kelley worried, even his “Take Me Instead” letter — in which he asked his senator to arrange for him to trade places with Jackson — might jeopardize his son’s naval career.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
“This is not helpful—you going round there, lying to him, provoking him. We’re in the middle of a murder investigation here. You need to understand that. You could jeopardize our progress, you could—” “What progress?”
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
If continuing to try to pitch jeopardizes Ohtani’s production with his bat, it may be in the team’s best interest to take pitching off the table for him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Apple and Google executives told Canadian lawmakers the bill jeopardizes privacy and digital security, potentially compelling product changes for surveillance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
As the nonprofit’s executive director, Aimee Huber, has pointed out, the subpoena is a threat to its First Amendment freedoms and jeopardizes its “ability to carry out its religious mission.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
“These are our anchors. This is our cultural heritage. Eliminating this funding jeopardizes the ability of communities to preserve their history,” Stein said.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2025
We ought never excuse violence or tolerate behavior that jeopardizes the safety and security of others.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
In 2023, a contract with Meta was jeopardized when researchers discovered the data Scale supplied had been written by ChatGPT, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The government injected billions into banks, insurance giant AIG and the automobile industry to prevent the collapse of individual companies that would have jeopardized the economy and the financial system writ large if they failed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Crowley, her attorneys say, revealed to the public that “budget cuts had weakened the department’s readiness and jeopardized public and firefighter safety.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Do not approach the Strait of Hormuz; otherwise, your security will be jeopardized," Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Had Harrison felt that I had in some way jeopardized his job?
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Cordova said via email that the hearing was also to determine if the Murphy drill site is jeopardizing public health or safety.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Pfizer’s move has sparked criticism from Poland and Romania’s air-navigation agencies, which accuse the company of jeopardizing air safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
A jump in the yen during the summer of 2024 rattled stock markets, with the unwind of the carry trade jeopardizing high-flying U.S. tech stocks in particular.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The entire Crace clan is resisting Susan’s nosing about, imperiling the brand and jeopardizing the Netflix deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The country was in peril; he was jeopardizing his traditional rights of freedom and independence by daring to exercise them.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
