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
Related Words
See danger.
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.
Sustained jeopardy for this all-conquering England, more rivals and less certainty, would boost those figures once more.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
After four straight wins, weighing in at an average of nine tries and a 41-point winning margin, England will run into physicality and very real jeopardy against France in Bordeaux on Sunday.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
But new economic realities, especially contraction and consolidation within the film industry itself, have put future gains in jeopardy.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
“I don’t think the California redistricting commission has ever been in greater jeopardy than it is right now,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
He had already learned the lesson he would teach me that day: that his body was in constant jeopardy.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
