jeopardize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to risk; hazard
he jeopardized his job by being persistently unpunctual
-
to put in danger; imperil
Other Word Forms
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
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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The Last Olympian
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This Week In Words: May 3–9, 2020
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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.
The third meeting of the committee was in the 1990s, when it considered exempting from the Endangered Species Act multiple timber sales in Oregon and Washington that would likely jeopardize the northern spotted owl.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
I know you want to inherit the house, but you can’t jeopardize your own savings to keep it.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
In his message on Sunday, Trump also referred to another operation inside Iran to rescue "another brave pilot ... which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation."
From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026
Stephen Ubl, president of the drug industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said: “Tariffs on cutting-edge medicines will increase costs and could jeopardize billions in U.S. investments announced in the last year.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
She once said that Paul never let himself lose his temper when it might jeopardize PIH’s mission, but I saw tonight that he might lose it to make a mission happen.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
