jeopardy
Americannoun
-
hazard or risk of or exposure to loss, harm, death, or injury.
For a moment his life was in jeopardy.
- Antonyms:
- security
-
peril or danger.
The spy was in constant jeopardy of being discovered.
- Antonyms:
- security
-
Law. the danger or hazard of being found guilty, and of consequent punishment, undergone by criminal defendants on trial.
noun
-
danger of injury, loss, death, etc; risk; peril; hazard
his health was in jeopardy
-
law danger of being convicted and punished for a criminal offence See also double jeopardy
Synonym Usage
See danger.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
To be in jeopardy is to be in danger. Eating three plates of nachos a day may improve your chances of winning your office's nacho-eating contest; unfortunately, it could also put your health in jeopardy. Jeopardy is a state of being, so this word is almost always preceded by the preposition "in." The phrase "in jeopardy" is just one of several ways to convey that someone is in trouble. You can also try "at risk," "in danger," or — if you're into idioms — "on thin ice," "out on a limb," or "up the creek without a paddle."
Vocabulary lists containing jeopardy
The Bill of Rights
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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.
There is not so much jeopardy for Argentina, with only Gonzalo Montiel at risk of missing a last-four date with England or Norway.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
That episode was more a testament to the Anthropic’s models’ abilities than any flaw that could put it in lasting political jeopardy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
Lau and require border officers interviewing green-card holders to have clear and convincing evidence of a crime before putting their legal permanent resident status in jeopardy.
From Slate • Jul. 6, 2026
To be sure, the Clarity Act was already in jeopardy before this week.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
While the fire no longer posed an immediate threat, their lives were still in jeopardy.
From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy
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.
