peril
Americannoun
-
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)
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:
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
People fleeing persecution because of their political beliefs, gender or sexuality, and how they pray will face certain peril.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Scotland's hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time are in significant peril with calamitous defending allowed Brazil to win 3-0 in Miami and finish top of Group C.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
There was no peril here, or desire for escape.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Just a couple of days before that now-infamous blog post, the firm inadvertently provided a different, no-less-perfect example of the perils of mass digitization.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
The perils of leaving a five-star review on a wing and a prayer.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
What could they teach us about the power and perils of hero worship in a community that has produced too few figures of Chávez’s stature?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
“ProPublica’s reporting shows the perils of not having this law,” Rubin said.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
Into what deadly perils he had gone alone I dared not guess.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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
I have periled my life for it as have you all.
From The Eagle of the Empire A Story of Waterloo by Brady, Cyrus Townsend
Whitman periled every thing and lost his life to save the country.
From A History of Oregon, 1792-1849 Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information by Gray, William Henry
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
And you, sir, a citizen of high standing and repute, were detected in the act of transferring many of these important papers to a spy, thus periling the safety of the nation.
From Mary Louise by Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank)
Their generous hostess, periling her own life for them, daily supplied them with food.
From Madame Roland, Makers of History by Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
Was it because the bent of Miss Shirley was so academic that she was periling upon tomboyishness without knowing it in this primal inspiration of hers?
From Fennel and Rue by Howells, William Dean
He had informed Butler's agent; he had watched day and night; had given the Unionists plans of the grounds; was now periling his own rescue to bring the arch-traitor to his doom.
From The Iron Game A Tale of the War by Keenan, Henry F. (Henry Francis)
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
They feared God, and perilled their lives for freedom, in the high places of the field.
From The Genius of Scotland or Sketches of Scottish Scenery, Literature and Religion by Turnbull, Robert
Rica's connection with Corrigan suggested to Linton's inventive mind the possibility of succeeding to that estate for which already he had perilled so much.
From Roland Cashel Volume II (of II) by Lever, Charles James
We must not condemn the popular scrupulousness of 1789 as puerile and foolish, until we too have perilled life and fortune in the cause of liberty and equality.
From Homes of American Statesmen With Anecdotical, Personal, and Descriptive Sketches by Various
As she bowed slightly to him, she lifted her glass to her eye, and then dropped it suddenly with a gentle simper, as though to say that another glance would have perilled her gravity.
From The Daltons, Volume II (of II) Or,Three Roads In Life by Lever, Charles James
Humbly and earnestly I sought to the God of wisdom and light to guide me; and I never felt for a moment that I was perilling my salvation.
From Autobiography and Letters of Orville Dewey, D.D. Edited by his Daughter by Dewey, Mary Elizabeth
And I," said William with the Long Sword, Earl of Salisbury, "protest in my turn against my royal brother perilling his life, which is the property of the people of England, in such a cause.
From The Talisman by Scott, Walter, Sir
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 Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
Another great objection to the income tax now is that it would have the effect of perilling the reduction of the 3 per cents.
From A Political Diary 1828-1830, Volume II by Ellenborough, Edward Law, Earl of
"Ay, but methinks the Soldan might regard it as too unequal a mode of perilling the chance of a royal bride and the event of a great war," said the Emir.
From The Talisman by Scott, Walter, Sir
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.
