peril

[per-uh l]

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.

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

Related Words for peril

uncertainty, insecurity, jeopardy, vulnerability, hazard, menace, pitfall, endangerment, liability, openness, exposure

Examples from the Web for peril

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of peril

But nevertheless he could not leave it behind since it was for this he had incurred his present peril.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"He would do so at the peril of his life, then," said the captain, fiercely.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Her mind is set on taking it down, yet she will not peril her husband.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
If peril could bring about unity God could bring it about even more effectively.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
The peril about him was growing—growing, and it was a deadly peril!
Within the Law
Marvin Dana

British Dictionary definitions for peril

peril

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

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.)).