jeopardy
Americannoun
plural
jeopardies-
hazard or risk of or exposure to loss, harm, death, or injury.
For a moment his life was in jeopardy.
- Antonyms:
- security
-
peril or danger.
The spy was in constant jeopardy of being discovered.
- Antonyms:
- security
-
Law. the danger or hazard of being found guilty, and of consequent punishment, undergone by criminal defendants on trial.
noun
-
danger of injury, loss, death, etc; risk; peril; hazard
his health was in jeopardy
-
law danger of being convicted and punished for a criminal offence See also double jeopardy
Related Words
See danger.
Etymology
Origin of jeopardy
1200–50; Middle English j ( e ) uparti, joupardi ( e ), j ( e ) upardi ( e ) < Anglo-French, Old French: literally, divided game or play, hence, uncertain chance, problem (in chess or love), equivalent to j ( e ) u play, game (< Latin jocus joke ) + parti, past participle of partir to divide; party
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.
But the Coinbase approach may be in legal jeopardy.
From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026
News that the studio’s clay supply was in jeopardy spread quickly from newspapers to Reddit fan forums.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said clubs have chosen a system which "prioritises jeopardy in competition".
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
But the sustainability of those efforts is in jeopardy.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
“You put yourself in jeopardy keeping those,” says the second policeman.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
