Definition

Verb: 1. To put something or someone at risk of harm, loss, or failure: To expose to danger or to a situation where something valuable might be damaged or destroyed.

Usage

The verb "jeopardise" (also spelled "jeopardize") is used to describe the action of causing something to be in a perilous or vulnerable position. It is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (the thing being put at risk). - It is often used in formal or serious contexts concerning safety, security, plans, or success. - The thing being risked can be concrete (like a life, a project, a relationship) or abstract (like trust, reputation, or chances).

Examples

• Verb:
  • Revealing the secret would jeopardise the entire mission. (The action of revealing puts the mission at risk of failure.)
  • His reckless driving jeopardised the lives of everyone in the car. (The driving exposed the passengers to danger.)
  • The company did not want to jeopardise its relationship with its biggest client. (The company wanted to avoid damaging the valuable relationship.)

Advanced Usage

• "to jeopardise one's chances": to risk reducing the likelihood of success.
  • Arriving late for the interview could jeopardise your chances of getting the job.
• "to jeopardise one's health": to engage in behavior that risks physical well-being.
  • Smoking seriously jeopardises your health.

Variants and Related Words

• Jeopardy (noun): The state of being in danger or at risk.
  • The patient's life was in jeopardy.
• Jeopardous (adjective, archaic): Dangerous, perilous. (Rarely used in modern English.)

Synonyms

• Endanger: To expose to danger. (Often used interchangeably with "jeopardise".)
• Imperil: To put into peril. (Slightly more formal/literary.)
• Threaten: To be a source of danger to.
• Risk: To expose to the chance of injury or loss.
• Compromise: To expose or make vulnerable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute.

Phrasal Verbs

Note: "Jeopardise" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The action is typically expressed by the single verb.

Related Idioms

• "To put something in jeopardy": This is the noun form equivalent of the verb "to jeopardise".
  • The scandal put the minister's career in jeopardy. (This has the same meaning as "The scandal jeopardised the minister's career.")

Verb

1. pose a threat to; present a danger to
   • The pollution is endangering the crops