jeopardize
Americanverb (used with object)
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jeopardizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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jeopardized,
past participle, past
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jeopardizing
present participle
verb
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to risk; hazard
he jeopardized his job by being persistently unpunctual
-
to put in danger; imperil
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jeopardizesimple
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jeopardizessimple
-
have jeopardizedperfect
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has jeopardizedperfect
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am jeopardizingprogressive
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are jeopardizingprogressive
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is jeopardizingprogressive
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have been jeopardizingperfect progressive
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has been jeopardizingperfect progressive
Past
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jeopardizedsimple
-
had jeopardizedperfect
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was jeopardizingprogressive
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were jeopardizingprogressive
-
had been jeopardizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jeopardize
First recorded in 1640–50; jeopard(y) + -ize
Explanation
Jeopardize means to put at risk or pose a threat. Jeopardize your career by posting silly pictures of yourself on Facebook. Jeopardize your friendships by posting silly pictures of your friends on Facebook. Jeopardize stems from the Old French jeu parti, which literally translates to a game with divided, or even, chances. An even chance of winning hardly seems a risky endeavor, but maybe our forefathers weren't big risk-takers. Whatever the reason, jeopardize has come to mean the act of putting yourself or something at risk, through circumstance or behavior. Think of double-jeopardy on the gameshow "Jeopardy" and you'll better understand what it means to jeopardize your savings.
Vocabulary lists containing jeopardize
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The Last Olympian
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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:
As a result, senior officials have repeatedly played down the significance of Chinese aid to Iran, avoiding criticism of Beijing that could jeopardize the meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
In that case, Kelley worried, even his “Take Me Instead” letter — in which he asked his senator to arrange for him to trade places with Jackson — might jeopardize his son’s naval career.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
But if the conversation about the ad continues throughout the golf season, it could jeopardize brand perception and partnerships in the sport.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
“This has more red flags than a May Day parade,” an industry insider said, speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to jeopardize his professional relationships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
And they have the laws and the means to enforce their views....I am sure that their attitude is indefensible, but I do not wish to jeopardize my liberty in proving that it is.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Health executives say worker churn also jeopardizes patient safety, intensifying the risk of patient falls, medical errors and missed cues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
“It threatens the livelihoods of the people who live and work here, undermines the region’s fragile ecosystems, and jeopardizes the long-term health of our state’s water infrastructure.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
“This is an issue that jeopardizes the reliability, resilience and public safety of our communications infrastructure.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
“These are our anchors. This is our cultural heritage. Eliminating this funding jeopardizes the ability of communities to preserve their history,” Stein said.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2025
We ought never excuse violence or tolerate behavior that jeopardizes the safety and security of others.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The government injected billions into banks, insurance giant AIG and the automobile industry to prevent the collapse of individual companies that would have jeopardized the economy and the financial system writ large if they failed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Crowley, her attorneys say, revealed to the public that “budget cuts had weakened the department’s readiness and jeopardized public and firefighter safety.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Do not approach the Strait of Hormuz; otherwise, your security will be jeopardized," Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
In 2023, the show went on pause for a summer while Yang took a different kind of break; exhausted from juggling simultaneous filming for Wicked and SNL, he said his mental health had become jeopardized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
But he was worried, because what he had just seen jeopardized the scheme he had in mind.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
But so many back-to-back ignitions are jeopardizing the ecosystem’s long-term viability — and making it even more fire-prone as invasive plants squeeze out native species.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
But so many back-to-back ignitions are jeopardizing the ecosystem’s long-term viability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The banking industry’s advocates argued that arrangements like Coinbase’s could lead to a massive deposit flight, jeopardizing their ability to lend and keep the economy humming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Pfizer’s move has sparked criticism from Poland and Romania’s air-navigation agencies, which accuse the company of jeopardizing air safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
“I complained that it was jeopardizing the whole matter of the information I was getting from Fuchs,” he said.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
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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.
