peril
Americannoun
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perils
plural
-
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:
Does he want to do the same, and put his court in similar peril?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
His key judgement, however, will be a balance between extra financial and economic support and the peril of still elevated borrowing costs.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Joe Barrett chronicles Stafford’s unraveling and the growing peril of digital love traps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
"This sounds theoretical and naive but you know you destroy nature at your peril and I think we see around the world the consequences of nature degradation," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
‘I cannot say. He was saved from a great peril, but many lie before him still. He resolved to go alone to Mordor, and he set out: that is all that I can say.’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Conflict is ever-present in Morrison, who chooses to climb Everest despite its perils.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Attempts to combat militancy with more active army operations could come with its own perils too, Sheikh argues.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
She was also, in her own unique way, a dedicated revolutionary, rarely letting an opportunity pass to use her appearance to point out the perils and absurdity of stereotyping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Plus, China’s latest AI advances, always-on transcription and the perils of big AI contracts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The road ahead was full of perils, he knew, but what of it?
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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
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
One night last week an old dog periled the Earl's new job.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the plague of Alexandria, six hundred parabolani periled their lives to succour the dying and bury the dead.
From Valeria The Martyr of the Catacombs by William Henry Withrow
He exacted the utmost consideration for his men, and the officer who periled their safety, or disputed their efficiency, was quickly called to account.
From Robert Toombs Statesman, Speaker, Soldier, Sage by Pleasant A. Stovall
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
Too comfortable in his feelings to keep still, as indeed was indispensable to the most steady among us, he kept constantly lurching about, and periling us with a capsizing repeatedly.
From Forest Life and Forest Trees: comprising winter camp-life among the loggers, and wild-wood adventure. with Descriptions of lumbering operations on the various rivers of Maine and New Brunswick by John S. Springer
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
What!—already faint-hearted!—A miracle of beauty such as Darville described is well worth periling one's neck to gaze upon.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 by Various
When I found myself a prisoner, I thought I would try this door before periling the sleep of a patient in the small-pox.
From Weighed and Wanting by George MacDonald
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
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 Charles James Lever
I sincerely hope I have not perilled your journey; but I went to fetch you a rose.
From Luttrell Of Arran Complete by Charles James Lever
In that case," said Nina, quietly, "Mademoiselle has only perilled herself for nothing.
From The Daltons, Volume I (of II) Or,Three Roads In Life by Charles James Lever
Never before did so much seem to have been won, because never before did so much seem to have been perilled.
From The Coward A Novel of Society and the Field in 1863 by Henry Morford
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 Sir Walter Scott
She was perilling her own in order to accompany and assist his expedition.
From The Firebrand by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
I thought I was perilling my head by coming here, and you tell me I have saved it.
From Vera or, The Nihilists by Oscar Wilde
How should she separate these two beautiful faiths which had been enthroned as one in the happy depths of her guileless heart, without perilling her very trust in God!
From The Royal Pawn of Venice A Romance of Cyprus by Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull
One of these rocks—Longstone Island—Grace Darling rendered memorable by her intrepidity in perilling her life during the storm of September, 1838.
From England, Picturesque and Descriptive A Reminiscence of Foreign Travel by Joel Cook
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