endanger
Americanverb (used with object)
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endangers,
present (3rd person singular)
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endangered,
past participle, past
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endangering
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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endangersimple
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endangerssimple
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have endangeredperfect
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has endangeredperfect
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am endangeringprogressive
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are endangeringprogressive
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is endangeringprogressive
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have been endangeringperfect progressive
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has been endangeringperfect progressive
Past
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endangeredsimple
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had endangeredperfect
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was endangeringprogressive
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were endangeringprogressive
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had been endangeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of endanger
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at en- 1, danger
Explanation
To endanger someone is to put them in a dangerous position, or to threaten their safety. It would endanger your little brother if you encouraged him to jump off the garage roof into a pile of leaves. Texting while you drive is a good way to endanger yourself, as well as your passengers and anyone else nearby. Scientists warn that climate change will slowly begin to endanger many plant and animal species on Earth, possibly including humans. This 15th century word combines the prefix en-, "make or put in" with danger, from the Old French dangier, "power to harm."
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:
Managers at the newspaper also argued that her mention of “a white man” could endanger the physical safety of Post employees.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
After this month's raids, security chief Chris Tang said booksellers must ensure the items they sell "do not endanger national security".
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Third, federal funding agencies like NIH will be required to review funding proposals for potential risky research and flag any proposal with the potential to significantly endanger Americans’ health or security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Conventional logic would suggest that Iran should avoid actions that could endanger diplomacy.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
“There is even reason to think that her mother may have carried an illness that will endanger others — ” No!
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
Although it endangers his secret Traitor identity, he tries to protect Funches.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
The judge emphasized that Dobbs focused on a right to elective abortion, while Seyb’s case “tests how far Idaho may go when a woman’s pregnancy severely endangers her health.”
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
None of this endangers the mathematical theory of relativity or the empirical science that confirms it.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
It shows a "a dangerous desire to play with fire" that endangers stability in Germany, one government source charged.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Hublin says, “We are always acquiring, yes? All across the world, industrialization endangers mineral deposits. We collect as many types of minerals as exist. To a curator, none is superior to any other.”
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Kosovo's parliament has formally declared Obilic, sandwiched between two plants, an "environmentally endangered zone" because of persistent pollution.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Managed by the American Eagle Foundation, its rehabilitation and breeding work has won awards and in 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
For critically endangered animals, especially those facing intense pressure from poaching, understanding exactly which species lives where can be essential for conservation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
However, he said, “determining that the project is proposed on endangered species habitat was enough” to force the developer to go through the lengthy conventional approval process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Nor is it only the creatures that forage on the ground or those who prey on them that are endangered by the foliar spray ing of the elms.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
A jury in New Mexico previously ordered Meta to pay $375 million after it found the company liable for endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators on its platforms, among other harms.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Getting such a charter would give huge latitude to crypto banks, endangering unsophisticated investors, critics say.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Beijing has accused Min Zin of spying and endangering Chinese national security.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
In each series, a large sum of money has disappeared, endangering those who know or supposedly know where it is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
As if me being on this ship is endangering everyone on it.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions 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.
