What does endanger mean?
To endanger is to expose a person, thing, or situation to the possibility of harm, damage, or destruction. It is a transitive verb: one endangers something, whether it be lives, health, security, or an entire species. The word carries a serious, often urgent tone, which accounts for its prominence in journalism, law, and environmental discourse — phrases such as "endanger public safety" and "endangered species" are firmly established. Its derivatives are equally important: "endangered" describes anything whose survival is at risk, while "endangerment" names the act or state of putting something at risk and appears frequently in legal contexts. Though closely related to the noun "danger," endanger is distinct in function, converting the abstract notion of risk into deliberate action. It entered English in the sixteenth century, built on "danger" with the prefix "en-", and remains a precise, forceful choice whenever the stakes of harm must be made explicit.
verbTo put someone or something at risk of harm, damage, or destruction.
- To expose someone or something to the possibility of harm, injury, or loss.
- To threaten the survival or continued existence of something (used especially in formal, legal, and conservation contexts).
"The oil spill threatened to endanger the entire coastal ecosystem."
"Reckless driving endangers not only the driver but everyone on the road."
"Habitat loss continues to endanger thousands of plant and animal species worldwide."
The word "danger" originally meant the power of a lord — so to endanger something is literally to place it under a tyrant's control.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of endanger
"Endanger" was formed in English during the late sixteenth century by adding the prefix "en-" (from French and Latin, meaning "to put into or cause to be") to the existing noun "danger." The word "danger" itself derives from Old French "dongier" or "daungier", ultimately from Latin "dominarium", meaning power or lordship, from "dominus" (lord). This makes "endanger" etymologically related to words like "dominion," "domain," and "dominate," all tracing back to the same Latin root concerning ownership or mastery.
Related word forms
How endanger is actually used
"Endanger" is largely neutral to formal in register and appears frequently in legal, scientific, and journalistic writing. The adjective "endangered" is especially common in conservation contexts, as in "endangered species," a fixed term of art under laws such as the US Endangered Species Act.
Easily confused with endanger
"Danger" is a noun meaning the risk itself, while "endanger" is a verb meaning to expose something to that risk.