What does jeopardise mean?
Jeopardise means to put a person, organisation, plan, or outcome at risk of harm, loss, damage, or failure. It is a formal but widely used transitive verb: speakers say that an action or decision jeopardises a person’s safety, a relationship, an agreement, or someone’s chances. The word often conveys a serious and potentially lasting danger rather than a minor inconvenience. For example, inadequate funding may jeopardise a project, while careless conduct may jeopardise lives. Jeopardise is especially frequent in public affairs, business, law, journalism, and safety discussions, where the consequences of a decision are significant. Its vocabulary ultimately comes from “jeopardy,” the state of being exposed to danger. Although jeopardy remains a common noun, jeopardise is the corresponding verb, and British English conventionally spells it with -ise while American English uses jeopardize.
verbTo put someone or something at risk of harm, loss, damage, or failure.
- To expose someone or something to danger, loss, damage, or the risk of failure.
"The decision to cut essential funding could jeopardise the future of the entire programme."
"Passengers were warned not to open the door, as doing so would jeopardise the safety of everyone on board."
"The newspaper argued that the proposed regulations could jeopardise the agreement between the two countries."
"A single careless remark can jeopardise years of trust."
Jeopardise comes from a family of words whose ancestor, “jeopardy,” originally referred to a divided game—a contest whose outcome could put everything at stake.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does jeopardise come from?
Jeopardise was formed from “jeopardy” by adding the verb-forming suffix -ise; the related American spelling is jeopardize. Jeopardy entered English through Middle English from Old French jeu parti, literally “a divided game,” a term associated with contests whose stakes or chances were divided. Older English derivatives include the now-obsolete verb jeopard and the adjective jeopardous.
Related word forms
How jeopardise is actually used
The verb is transitive and is normally followed by the thing being put at risk. It is especially common in journalism, politics, business, law, and safety-related contexts. British English uses the -ise spelling, while American English uses jeopardize.
Easily confused with jeopardise
To jeopardise something is to put it at risk, whereas jeopardy is the danger or risk itself.