danger

American  

[dayn-jer] / ˈdeɪn dʒər /

noun

• dangers
  plural

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

2. an instance or cause of peril; menace.

3. Obsolete. power; jurisdiction; domain.

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danger British  

/ 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

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Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superdanger
  noun
• dangerless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dangers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of danger

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 )

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Explanation

When you're in danger, it seems likely that you might get hurt. Your mom might warn you that if you don't wear your bicycle helmet, you're in danger of getting injured. A baby bird teetering on the edge of its nest is in danger, and a driver whose car stalls on railroad tracks is also in danger. When something unpleasant might happen, you can also use the word danger: "We were in danger of running out of guacamole before the party ended." Danger can also be a precarious or perilous place, as when you step up on the curb on a busy street, out of danger.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

danger dangers

Tensions across the Middle East remain elevated, with Saudi Arabia issuing alerts of potential danger in Red Sea oil export Yanbu, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

With that cool, rainy Halloween now a memory, Santa Ana winds are moving into Southern California starting Thursday, bringing escalating heat and critical fire danger in mountain areas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

But that does not mean the U.S. is out of danger.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

"It poses no danger at all," the Chinese embassy wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday, drawing skeptical comments.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

So at the first hint of danger, he’d be able to storm in and save Chip.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

For people living with rare, devastating genetic conditions, the benefits of gene therapy may clearly outweigh the potential dangers.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

At its core, all the talk about whether AI systems are, or could become, conscious is a distraction from the real dangers the technology and its features present to the world around us today.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

The country's main employers' organisation, quoted by the Belga news agency, warned meanwhile of the dangers of a political crisis when "markets are paying increasingly close attention to Belgium."

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

This isn’t to say that either of them is a raging narcissist who cares only about themselves, but there’s no doubt that their sport’s seismic, life-altering dangers are on full display, warts and all.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

Take him far from the dangers of this Court.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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Related Words

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

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