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jeopardy

[ jep-er-dee ]
/ ˈdʒɛp ər di /
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See synonyms for: jeopardy / jeopardies 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.
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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 jocusjoke) + parti, past participle of partir to divide; see party

synonym study for jeopardy

1, 2. See danger.

Words nearby jeopardy

Jensenism, jeon, jeopard, jeopardize, jeopardous, jeopardy, Jephthah, Jequié, jequirity, Jequitinhonha, jer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to jeopardy

peril, accident, chance, endangerment, exposure, hazard, insecurity, liability, precariousness, risk, venture, vulnerability, on the line, on the spot, out on a limb

How to use jeopardy in a sentence

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
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