What does imperilling mean?
“Imperilling” means putting someone or something in danger, especially of injury, destruction, or serious loss. It is the present-participle form of the formal verb “imperil” and is commonly used in phrases such as “imperilling lives” or “imperilling national security.” The word carries a serious, sometimes dramatic tone and suggests that the danger is immediate or substantial rather than merely hypothetical. In everyday speech, “endanger” is usually more natural, while “jeopardize” is often used when something valuable, such as a plan or reputation, is at risk. Nevertheless, “imperilling” is useful in formal writing, speeches, and descriptions of events that threaten lives, safety, peace, or stability.
verbTo put someone or something in danger of harm or loss. It is a formal word meaning to endanger.
- To put a person, thing, or situation in danger of harm, damage, or loss.
"The decision to ignore the warnings imperilled the lives of the entire crew."
"The outbreak imperilled communities across the region."
"She warned that ignoring the warning would imperil the entire project."
“Imperilling” gives a formal voice to the moment when a possibility becomes a genuine threat: what was merely risky now stands in peril.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does imperilling come from?
The word belongs to the English family of “imperil,” “peril,” and “perilous,” which were borrowed from French forms connected with Latin vocabulary for danger and risk. Over time, the English family developed separate uses for the noun “peril,” the adjective “perilous,” and the verb “imperil.” “Imperilling” is the modern present-participle form of that verb, formed in the usual English way by adding “-ing” to the base verb.
Related word forms
How imperilling is actually used
Formal and literary in tone; in ordinary use, “endanger” or “jeopardize” is more common. The form is normally transitive and takes a person, thing, or situation as its object.
Easily confused with imperilling
“Imperil” is the base verb, while “imperilling” is its present-participle form, used in progressive constructions such as “is imperilling.”