imperil

verb

im·​per·​il im-ˈper-əl 

-ˈpe-rəl

imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling

transitive verb

: to bring into peril : endanger

imperilment

im-ˈper-əl-mənt 

-ˈpe-rəl-

noun

Synonyms

• adventure
• compromise
• endanger
• gamble (with)
• hazard
• jeopard
• jeopardize
• menace
• peril
• risk
• venture

Examples of imperil in a Sentence

The toxic fumes imperiled the lives of the trapped miners.

The financial health of the company was imperiled by a string of bad investments.

a list of imperiled species

Recent Examples on the Web

If that imperils his clearance, there's a process for all of that. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Nobody is imperiled — nobody who is important to the plot anyway. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024

If the Yankees’ pursuit of a 28th title may be imperiled by a dodgy bullpen and miserable offensive showings at short and in left field, the odds favor New York securing one of the AL’s two postseason byes. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 22 Sep. 2024

In northern Gaza, the vaccination push was briefly imperiled Monday when the U.N. said one of its convoys was halted at gunpoint and staffers detained. —Bilal Shbair, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English inperiled, from in- in- entry 2 + peril peril entry 1 + -ed -ed entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

imperil

verb

im·​per·​il im-ˈper-əl 

imperiled or imperilled; imperiling or imperilling

: to place in great danger : endanger

imperilment

-əl-mənt 

noun