peril

American  

[per-uhl] / ˈpɛr əl /

noun

1. exposure to injury, loss, or destruction; grave risk; jeopardy; danger.

   They faced the peril of falling rocks.

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

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verb (used with object)

periled, periling, perilled, perilling

1. to expose to danger; imperil; risk.

peril British  

/ ˈpɛrɪl /

noun

1. exposure to risk or harm; danger or jeopardy

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Related Words

See danger.

Other Word Forms

• multiperil adjective
• perilless adjective

Etymology

Origin of peril

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin perīculum “danger, test, trial,” from perī-, verb base meaning “try” (also found in the compound experīrī “to try, test”; experience ) + -culum -cle ²

Example Sentences

A slew of marketers have spoken recently about the perils of becoming over-reliant on discounting to draw consumer sales.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Underrate him at your peril…No chance he is going to go away unless a credible proposal is put on the table for a political transition.”

From The Wall Street Journal

King Felipe VI called on Spaniards to protect "democratic coexistence" against the perils of polarisation in a Christmas message on Wednesday.

From Barron's

But in addition to water damage and liability protection, it doesn’t cover such common perils as theft and the damage caused by trees falling on a house.

From Los Angeles Times

Whitney books, and he was very well-read about the perils of Whitney.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hazard
• insecurity
• jeopardy
• menace
• pitfall
• uncertainty
• vulnerability