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Glite Dictionary
to imperil

to imperil

9 7.8
Put someone or something in danger
  • verb
  • /ɪmˈpɛrəl/
translation icon : poner en peligro
  • The reckless driver could imperil the lives of others on the road.
  • imperil life
  • imperil the future
  • imperil democracy

And a just peace where the sovereignty of this great nation is never again imperiled.

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Examples

  • Neither the United States nor any other power saw its vital interests imperiled by the conflict.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Archaeological sites are still imperiled by looters, as well as by hastily planned reconstruction.

    Academic text (2005)

  • You will imperil your soul for a few more years of life!

    Lady Jane (1986)

  • Rid yourself of this man, who has imperiled the life of the empire.

    The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)

  • I think any other outcome, voting down the deal will add to the chaos and confusion and does by necessity imperil Brexit itself.

  • The species listed under the ESA all became imperiled despite existing state and federal management systems.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Milord Essex has imperiled the kingdom.

    What Price Hollywood? (1932)

  • The country's air, water, and land are imperiled by overuse and pollution.

    Academic text (1998)

  • No outside powers threaten Thai sovereignty, and no internal insurgency imperils domestic stability.

    Academic text (1995)

  • In the event that Ibn Saud was deposed, it would imperil our oil concessions and air base rights.

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

to threaten
vsto imperil
∞ 3.0

To be likely to cause harm or damage

implies actually placing into danger rather than only being likely
to jeopardize
vsto imperil
  • US
191 6.3

Put someone or something in danger of harm

focuses on causing danger rather than risk of loss or failure
to endanger
vsto imperil
124 3.7

To put someone or something in danger of harm

is the chosen headword naming that same action here
to menace
vsto imperil
19 4.6

To threaten people or places with harm

means to put into danger rather than only to signal possible harm
to peril
vsto imperil
8.2

To put a person or thing in serious danger

is used here with the same basic meaning rather than extra nuance

Antonyms

to protect
∞ 1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

to safeguard
45 3.7

To protect someone or something from harm

How Dangerous

to imperil
9 7.8
to endanger
124 3.7
to threaten
∞ 3.0
to expose
479 3.2
to risk
∞ 3.0

Surface Forms

imperil infinitive
imperiled past
imperiled past participle
imperiling present participle
imperils third person singular

Morphology

imperil = peril (transparent) = im + peril

The verb is formed by the productive English prefix 'im-' (variant of in-) + 'peril', yielding the clear meaning 'to put into danger'.

Etymology

The word imperil comes from the prefix im- meaning 'in' and the word peril, from Latin periculum meaning 'danger', so to imperil someone or something is to put them 'into' danger.