Dictionary.com
definitions

danger

[ deyn-jer ]
/ ˈdeɪn dʒər /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR danger ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

liability or exposure to harm or injury; risk; peril.
an instance or cause of peril; menace.
Obsolete. power; jurisdiction; domain.

RELATED CONTENT

Awkward! Famous Phrases We’ve All Been Using WrongRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
When Did “Chemical” Become Such A Toxic Word?When people see the word chemical, it tends to inspire fear, but should it?
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

peril, risk, probability, exposure, insecurity, jeopardy, uncertainty, emergency, possibility, threat, vulnerability, instability, menace, crisis, pitfall, precariousness, venture, exigency, precipice, endangerment

Nearby words

  1. danelagh,
  2. danelaw,
  3. danewort,
  4. dang,
  5. danged,
  6. danger angle,
  7. danger cave,
  8. danger man,
  9. danger money,
  10. dangerous

Origin of danger

1175–1225; Middle English da(u)nger < Anglo-French; Old French dangier, alteration of dongier (by influence of dam damage) < Vulgar Latin *domniārium, equivalent to Latin domini(um) dominion + -ārium, neuter of -ārius -ary
Related formsdan·ger·less, adjectivesu·per·dan·ger, noun

Synonym study

1. Danger, hazard, peril, jeopardy imply harm that one may encounter. Danger is the general word for liability to all kinds of injury or evil consequences, either near at hand and certain, or remote and doubtful: to be in danger of being killed. Hazard suggests a danger that one can foresee but cannot avoid: A mountain climber is exposed to many hazards. Peril usually denotes great and imminent danger: The passengers on the disabled ship were in great peril. Jeopardy, a less common word, has essentially the same meaning as peril, but emphasizes exposure to the chances of a situation: To save his friend he put his life in jeopardy.

Definition for danger (2 of 2)

dang

[ dang ]
/ dæŋ /

verb (used with object), adjective, noun

damn (used euphemistically).

Origin of dang

First recorded in 1780–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for danger

British Dictionary definitions for danger (1 of 2)

danger

/ (ˈdeɪndʒə) /

noun

the state of being vulnerable to injury, loss, or evil; risk
a person or thing that may cause injury, pain, etc
obsolete power
in danger of liable to
on the danger list critically ill in hospital
Derived Formsdangerless, adjective

Word Origin for danger

C13: daunger power, hence power to inflict injury, from Old French dongier (from Latin dominium ownership) blended with Old French dam injury, from Latin damnum

British Dictionary definitions for danger (2 of 2)

dang

/ (dæŋ) /

interjection, adverb, adjective

a euphemistic word for damn (def. 1), damn (def. 2), damn (def. 3), damn (def. 4)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012