peril

[ per-uh l ]

/ ˈpɛr əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR peril ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

exposure to injury, loss, or destruction; grave risk; jeopardy; danger: They faced the peril of falling rocks.

something that causes or may cause injury, loss, or destruction.

verb (used with object), per·iled, per·il·ing or (especially British) per·illed, per·il·ling.

to expose to danger; imperil; risk.

Nearby words

perigyny, perihelion, perihepatitis, perijejunitis, perikaryon, peril, peril point, perilabyrinthitis, perilaryngitis, perilla, perilla oil

Origin of peril

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin perīculum trial, test, danger, equivalent to perī-, verb base meaning “try” (found in the compound experīrī; see experience) + -culum -cle²

Related formsper·il·less, adjectivemul·ti·per·il, adjective, noun

Synonym study

1. See danger.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for peril

We separate the search for justice from the search for truth at our peril.
Bill de Blasio’s Tea Party Problem|Will Cain|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Facts have weight and mass, and we ignore them or abuse them at our own peril.
The Facts About Ferguson Matter, Dammit|Doug McIntyre|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was lost, fresh back from Vietnam, searching, maybe, for a peril the equivalent of war but aimed in the direction of life.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now poaching is on the rise and wildlife conservation in peril.
Ebola Could Deal a Death Blow to Africa’s Wildlife|Brandon Presser|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Rick must shepherd his newborn daughter, Judith, through this world of peril.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"This sounds as if I were to peril my life," my father said.
Havelok The Dane|Charles Whistler
Pray to God to deliver us from this peril; we cannot escape, if He do not take pity on us.'
The Arabian Nights|Unknown
The only possibility of peril which reason suggested was through the agency of that stranger.
With Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga|W. Bert Foster
Moreover, their zeal was not so ardent as to make them eager to risk the dangers of an arrest that was likely to be full of peril.
The Shadow of a Crime|Hall Caine
Or, this affirmation you make and give upon the peril of the penalty of perjury.
A short history of Rhode Island|George Washington Greene

British Dictionary definitions for peril

peril

/ (ˈpɛrɪl) /

noun

exposure to risk or harm; danger or jeopardy

Word Origin for peril

C13: via Old French from Latin perīculum

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 peril

peril

c.1200, from Old French peril "danger, risk" (10c.), from Latin periculum "an attempt, trial, experiment; risk, danger," with instrumentive suffix -culum and element also found in experiri "to try," cognate with Greek peria "trial, attempt, experience," empeiros "experienced," Old Irish aire "vigilance," Gothic ferja "watcher," Old English fær "danger, fear" (see fear (n.)).

peril

noun

verb (used with object), per·iled, per·il·ing or (especially British) per·illed, per·il·ling.

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Nearby words

Origin of peril

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for peril

British Dictionary definitions for peril

peril

noun

Word Origin for peril

Word Origin and History for peril

peril