peril
Americannoun
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perils
plural
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exposure to injury, loss, or destruction; grave risk; jeopardy; danger.
They faced the peril of falling rocks.
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something that causes or may cause injury, loss, or destruction.
verb (used with object)
noun
Synonym Usage
See danger.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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”; see experience) + -culum -cle 2
Explanation
If you realize mid-climb that your rock climbing rope is frayed, you might be in peril. The word peril means imminent danger to life and limb. Peril comes from the Latin peric(u)lum, meaning danger. Today it's often used in tandem with the word mortal, which relates to death. For example, you're in mortal peril when you're flying down a cliff-side trail on your mountain bike and you hit loose gravel. Peril can also describe dangers of a less physical sort, though it's less common. If your employer sinks your 401K into what turns out to be a Ponzi scheme, he's put your retirement in peril.
Vocabulary lists containing peril
"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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:
"Wildfire risk has so far accounted for only a relatively small share of insured losses in Europe. Yet it is the fastest-growing weather peril globally," the company said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Let’s play along with the former for the sake of the cast, who are deeply committed, to their own peril.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
GM and the broader U.S. industry still face potential peril.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Hedonists care too much about immediate pleasure, thrill-seekers enjoy a deadline at their own peril and zigzaggers switch too often between tasks.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Believe rather that it is so ordered that we, who sit here, and none others, must now find counsel for the peril of the world.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
But that same episode illustrated the perils of trusting markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Even so, as he described to me in his office, perils remain, especially for Muslim candidates.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
The perils of leaving a five-star review on a wing and a prayer.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
“ProPublica’s reporting shows the perils of not having this law,” Rubin said.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
They exhausted their resource base, began to die of starvation and thirst, and fled their cities en masse, leaving them as silent warnings of the perils of ecological hubris.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Whether Franklin Roosevelt consciously led the U.S. to war, or hoped to keep the U.S. out by a daring support of its periled friends, will be historians' debating ground for years to come.
From Time Magazine Archive
One night last week an old dog periled the Earl's new job.
From Time Magazine Archive
We all realize that we live in periled times, and our nation must be prepared to defend itself at a moment's notice.
From Time Magazine Archive
Let us, the Living, rather dedicate Ourselves to the unfinished work, which they Thus far advanced so nobly on its way, And saved the periled State!
From The Poets' Lincoln Tributes in Verse to the Martyred President by Osborn H. (Osborn Hamiline) Oldroyd
The greatest caution was necessary in doing this, for he periled his own life by the manifestation of any sympathy for the accused.
From Josephine Makers of History by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
Justice Department attorneys respond that fears about Snepp's being a loose cannon periling the First Amendment rights of all sorts of people are greatly exaggerated.
From Time Magazine Archive
But her periling her life to save him from an unjust accusation, and her desire to shield her brother's pride from ridicule, is altogether praiseworthy and extraordinary.
From The Heritage of Dedlow Marsh and Other Tales by Bret Harte
It was the unhandsome treatment of himself and reckless periling of the character and interests of his Expedition in order to shield others, that raised his indignation.
From The Personal Life of David Livingstone by William Garden Blaikie
He was still holding fast his faith in General McClellan, and this was steadily widening the breach between him and Congress, and periling the success of the war.
From Political Recollections 1840 to 1872 by George W. Julian
No one could then manifest any sympathy with the proscribed without periling life.
From Josephine Makers of History by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
But a monarch of the forest flung his head in furious rage, Naught he cared for sovereign sahib, sought some foe now to engage; While the crowd in panic parted, perilled pundits sought a sage.
From Time Magazine Archive
He perilled everything, while they staked only their lives and their property.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865 by Various
I perilled my life a dozen times to save his; I followed him blindly upon a hundred terrible ventures; I lived but for his service.
From Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer A Romance of the Spanish Main by Will Crawford
It is wonderful how truth has been perilled by passion.
From The Limits Of Atheism Or, Why should Sceptics be Outlaws? by George Jacob Holyoake
Directly he seemed to have the end in his hand, and they saw him stretch the left arm as if to throw it around the body of the perilled man.
From The Coward A Novel of Society and the Field in 1863 by Henry Morford
Ten of these were serving in the Union army perilling their lives to maintain that national fabric, which their illustrious ancestor had done so much to establish.
From Benjamin Franklin A Picture of the Struggles of Our Infant Nation One Hundred Years Ago American Pioneers and Patriots Series by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
However much her demagogues may have exerted their oratorical powers at home, they carefully avoided perilling either life or limb in the cause of the revolution.
From Pius IX. And His Time by Æneas MacDonell Dawson
He had been thinking more of her through that wild ride than of the friend whose life he was perilling his own to save.
From Round Anvil Rock A Romance by Nancy Huston Banks
God forbid I should think of my own safety, when so many of the faithful are perilling theirs!
From The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic — Volume 2 by William Hickling Prescott
But what was to be done with my dear wounded friend, who had saved my life by perilling his own?
From Working in the Shade Lowly Sowing brings Glorious Reaping by Theodore P. Wilson
Definitions 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.
