endanger
Americanverb (used with object)
-
endangers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
endangered,
past participle, past
-
endangering
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
endangersimple
-
endangerssimple
-
have endangeredperfect
-
has endangeredperfect
-
am endangeringprogressive
-
are endangeringprogressive
-
is endangeringprogressive
-
have been endangeringperfect progressive
-
has been endangeringperfect progressive
Past
-
endangeredsimple
-
had endangeredperfect
-
was endangeringprogressive
-
were endangeringprogressive
-
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:
Rees, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was convicted in January at Woolwich Crown Court of causing an explosion likely to endanger life.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Yet a series of hikes could hurt the bull market in stocks or endanger the U.S. economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Mr. Mitchell also warns, without providing evidence of precedents, that disclosure could endanger dissidents or their families.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Lana warned against approaching Anak Krakatoa saying materials ejected from the volcano could endanger those within the exclusion zone.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
Many faced the same stark decision: Staying would endanger their health and that of others who had escaped the tsunami.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
“It puts the small businesses and nonprofits that put on shows every night at risk. And, it endangers fans’ economic well-being.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Unions and construction trade groups are warning that limiting construction endangers thousands of building-related jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
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
I will attempt to eat at the table, or read the newspaper there, but it’s so small and rickety that any wrong movement endangers the house.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Another challenge also looms: federal regulations aimed at protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales, which migrate along the East Coast and risk entanglement in the vertical lines from lobster traps to surface buoys.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Lions and white rhinos are listed as threatened, while black rhinos and tigers are endangered species.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
And firm names with a long list of partners are increasingly endangered; one or two names are in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The purpose-built two-acre reserve is home to Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
But every day, conservation scientists and experts and volunteers around the globe desperately work to save thousands of vulnerable and endangered species.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
When we see Ho-seok scolded at a grueling new job for endangering himself, he mutely absorbs it and shuffles to the side.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
"They shouldn't have done that and this is not journalism, this is endangering us."
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Without collecting race and ethnicity data in the census, these estimates could not be produced, needlessly wasting resources and endangering lives.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
As “laboratories of democracy,” the 50 states can each implement novel economic and social policies without endangering the entire country if they fail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
I wanted to scream, No! and leap to his rescue, but I knew it would be suicide, and I knew that I would be endangering all our lives.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
