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
Maria Williams, USA Today, 24 May 2025
To keep the cub from forming bonds with people that could jeopardize his return to the wild, staff members charged with his care are dressing up in bear costumes, including a mask, fur coat and leather gloves.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
But recent budget and staffing cuts by the Trump administration could jeopardize this progress, experts previously told ABC News.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 May 2025
Its declining levels could potentially jeopardize municipal water supplies, agricultural irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 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 3 Jun. 2025.
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