jeopardize
verb
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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.
Synonyms
Examples of jeopardize in a Sentence
Joseph Wilson and Laurie Kellman, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2024
Jackson credited having white friends and allies on his side to stick up for him and keep him from doing anything that might have jeopardized his career or his life in the deeply segregated era.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 21 June 2024
However, sources said some funding buckets could be jeopardized if the budget runs late.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 18 June 2024
Per Schott’s reporting, local officials understand that attempting to rescue the coal plant could run afoul of federal regulations, jeopardizing L.A.’s efforts to replace it with a new facility running on fossil gas and green hydrogen — and throwing the region’s economic future into doubt.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for jeopardize 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jeopardize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Jeopardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jeopardize. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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