jeopardize
verb
Did you know?
Jeopardize Has a Controversial History
It may be hard to believe that jeopardize was once controversial, but in 1870 a grammarian called it "a foolish and intolerable word," a view shared by many 19th-century critics. The preferred word was jeopard, which first appeared in print in the 14th century. (The upstart jeopardize didn't arrive until the late 16th century.) In 1828, Noah Webster himself declared jeopardize to be "a modern word, used by respectable writers in America, but synonymous with jeopard, and therefore useless." Unfortunately for the champions of jeopard, jeopardize is now much more popular.
Examples of jeopardize in a Sentence
Paul Klein, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Trump ordered that much of the USAID staff be put on leave and more than 80% of its grants be terminated, upending global humanitarian relief efforts and jeopardizing vaccination programs.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
This will also jeopardize their physical and mental health.
—Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
The terminations of civil servants jeopardizes not just the workers’ livelihoods but the wellbeing of the entire community, Patterson Hazley said.
—Jonathan Shorman and, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jeopardize
Cite this Entry
“Jeopardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jeopardize. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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