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:
A woman was cleared of possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and perverting the course of justice.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“Those who escalate chaos and endanger officers will be held accountable. Today’s sentence reflects our commitment to protecting the men and women sworn to keep our communities safe.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
A blocked street can delay an ambulance or endanger someone whose emergency has nothing to do with immigration enforcement.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The safety concern is that, during an outage, this auxiliary electricity source could endanger electricians or utility workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“Which will both slow us down and endanger us.”
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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
Pope Leo XIV may be right in the long-term that artificial intelligence endangers humanity, but investors are ignoring him in the short-term as they try cashing in on Wall Street’s hottest theme.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
None of this endangers the mathematical theory of relativity or the empirical science that confirms it.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 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
His principal legislative interest has been to delist the gray wolf as a federal endangered species.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
In “Lifelines,” this pertains to biodiversity as well as human languages and kinds of knowledge, such as indigenous heritage, that are also endangered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"We focus our efforts on the species that are the most endangered, that really need out support," Biddle said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
But a Cal Fire firefighter stepped in on Tuesday, escorting a staff member to the property so she could release the critically endangered birds back into the wild.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
She and Uncle Lou came over for dinner a couple of nights ago, and we talked about everything from women's rights in India to the environment to preservation of endangered tigers.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
A teenager accused of endangering the lives of 165 migrants by allegedly piloting a record-breaking dinghy crossing of the English Channel is to stand trial.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Getting such a charter would give huge latitude to crypto banks, endangering unsophisticated investors, critics say.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
But when the salt company shuttered in 2013, the pumping that maintained the basins stopped, endangering the environment the birds have come to rely on.
From Barron's ● 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
"Didn't you know you were endangering the school?"
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
