danger

[deyn-jer]

noun

1. liability or exposure to harm or injury; risk; peril.

2. an instance or cause of peril; menace.

3. Obsolete.,  power; jurisdiction; domain.

danger

/ ˈdeɪndʒə /

noun

1. the state of being vulnerable to injury, loss, or evil; risk

2. a person or thing that may cause injury, pain, etc

3. obsolete,  power

4. liable to

5. critically ill in hospital

Other Word Forms

• dangerless adjective
• superdanger noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of danger¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English da(u)nger, from Anglo-French, Old French dangier, alteration of dongier (by influence of dam damage ), from Vulgar Latin domniārium (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin domini(um) dominion + -ārium (neuter of -ārius -ary )

Word History and Origins

Origin of danger¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Wales will hope the return of star wing Louis Rees-Zammit will help avoid four defeats and a danger of dropping out of the top 12 sides in the world.

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Swarthmore, a selective college in Pennsylvania, is in danger of losing its AAA rating from S&P as debt mounts and expenses rise due to inflation and increased salary costs.

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She urged parents to speak to their children and warn them of the dangers of playing with fire.

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Jordan understood the danger of a common identity versus free will, and how the barriers of a state-sanctioned identity are both disastrous and dangerous to humanity’s evolution.

Read more on Salon

He said: "A couple of them behaved very, very badly. If you don't have integrity and trust within a team then you're in danger of becoming like all the other parties."

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Related Words

• crisis 
• emergency 
• exposure 
• insecurity 
• instability 
• jeopardy 
• menace 
• peril 
• pitfall 
• possibility 
• probability 
• risk 
• threat 
• uncertainty 
• vulnerability