definitions
  • synonyms

jeopardy

[ jep-er-dee ]
/ ˈdʒɛp ər di /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jeopardy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural jeop·ard·ies.

hazard or risk of or exposure to loss, harm, death, or injury: For a moment his life was in jeopardy.
peril or danger: The spy was in constant jeopardy of being discovered.
Law. the danger or hazard of being found guilty, and of consequent punishment, undergone by criminal defendants on trial.

RELATED CONTENT

IBMRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Outercourse And Other Trending Words On Dictionary.comFrom Final Jeopardy to toothbrushes made from panda's favorite snack, the trending words on dictionary.com took us all around the world and back again. Get ready, get set, go word-crazy!
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

peril, precariousness, accident, risk, liability, insecurity, vulnerability, hazard, endangerment, chance, venture, exposure

Nearby words

jeon, jeopard, jeopardise, jeopardize, jeopardous, jeopardy, jephthah, jequirity, jequitinhonha, jequié, jer

Origin of jeopardy

1200–50; Middle English j(e)uparti, joupardi(e), j(e)upardi(e) < Anglo-French, Old French: literally, divided game or play, hence, uncertain chance, problem (in chess or love), equivalent to j(e)u play, game (< Latin jocus joke) + parti, past participle of partir to divide; see party
ANTONYMS FOR jeopardy
1, 2 security.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR jeopardy ON THESAURUS.COM

Synonym study

1, 2. See danger.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jeopardy

British Dictionary definitions for jeopardy

jeopardy

/ (ˈdʒɛpədɪ) /

noun (usually preceded by in)

danger of injury, loss, death, etc; risk; peril; hazardhis health was in jeopardy
law danger of being convicted and punished for a criminal offenceSee also double jeopardy

Word Origin for jeopardy

C14: from Old French jeu parti, literally: divided game, hence uncertain issue, from jeu game, from Latin jocus joke, game + partir to divide, from Latin partīrī
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jeopardy

jeopardy

n.

c.1300, ioparde (13c. in Anglo-French), from Old French jeu parti, literally "a divided game, game with even chances," from jeu "a game" (from Latin iocus "jest;" see joke (n.)) + parti, past participle of partir "to divide" (see part (v.)). Originally "a stratagem;" sense of "danger, risk" is late 14c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper