endanger
Americanverb (used with object)
-
endangers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
endangered,
past participle, past
-
endangering
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
endangersimple
-
endangerssimple
-
have endangeredperfect
-
has endangeredperfect
-
am endangeringprogressive
-
are endangeringprogressive
-
is endangeringprogressive
-
have been endangeringperfect progressive
-
has been endangeringperfect progressive
Past
-
endangeredsimple
-
had endangeredperfect
-
was endangeringprogressive
-
were endangeringprogressive
-
had been endangeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of endanger
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at en- 1, danger
Explanation
To endanger someone is to put them in a dangerous position, or to threaten their safety. It would endanger your little brother if you encouraged him to jump off the garage roof into a pile of leaves. Texting while you drive is a good way to endanger yourself, as well as your passengers and anyone else nearby. Scientists warn that climate change will slowly begin to endanger many plant and animal species on Earth, possibly including humans. This 15th century word combines the prefix en-, "make or put in" with danger, from the Old French dangier, "power to harm."
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.
See Examples For:
At least nine companies sell pricey pesticide treatments or natural oil sprays for the backyard that are supposed to repel deer, or ticks, sparking an angry debate over whether they also endanger pets and pollinators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
It applies to monuments and architecture, but also works of art and books, requiring states to safeguard and respect cultural property and refrain from any actions that might endanger it.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Yet a series of hikes could hurt the bull market in stocks or endanger the U.S. economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Don’t force them to flout congressional intent or endanger lives in doing so.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
“The last person I told ended up turned. And I'm not about to endanger another Miss Preston's girl.”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Although it endangers his secret Traitor identity, he tries to protect Funches.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
The judge emphasized that Dobbs focused on a right to elective abortion, while Seyb’s case “tests how far Idaho may go when a woman’s pregnancy severely endangers her health.”
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
Pope Leo XIV may be right in the long-term that artificial intelligence endangers humanity, but investors are ignoring him in the short-term as they try cashing in on Wall Street’s hottest theme.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
An emissions proposal from the International Maritime Organization endangers the industry—and all of commercial shipping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
What’s free about it, they reasoned, when the law forces you to educate your children and then endangers their lives to get them into school?
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Before 2016 pandas were considered endangered but are now listed as "vulnerable" by wildlife advocates, and an estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026
Stóra Dímun might be a window into the history of the Faroe Islands, but this book highlights how endangered Faroese culture has become.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
That’s what Ossoff sensed last fall, when he was considered to be the nation’s most endangered Democrat.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026
Species such as curlew, mountain bumblebee, lapwing and other wading birds have made it their home with endangered red squirrels finding safety in the woods.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
We are no longer the Tigers because the name shows “shocking disrespect” for an endangered creature.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
In March, a jury in that case ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding the company liable for endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators on its platforms, among other harms.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Jemal Abdela, 32, was sentenced after pleading guilty to the offence of endangering others during a sea crossing to the UK without valid entry clearance on July 25.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Compounding the problem: Drought, heat waves and an unusually strong El Niño weather pattern are also endangering harvests around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Without collecting race and ethnicity data in the census, these estimates could not be produced, needlessly wasting resources and endangering lives.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
I wanted to scream, No! and leap to his rescue, but I knew it would be suicide, and I knew that I would be endangering all our lives.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
