ENGLISH
REFERENCE

compromised

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈkɑmpɹəˌmaɪzd// UK //kˈɒmpɹəmˌaɪzd// com·pro·mised

v. to settle a disagreement by having each side give up something they wanted. It can also mean to put something in danger by making it weak or less safe.

v. to settle a dispute by mutual concession, or to weaken or expose something to danger by making it vulnerable. Often used in technical contexts to describe a security breach or a weakened immune system.


SIMPLE

They compromised on the price and agreed to meet in the middle.

CONTEXTUAL

The hackers compromised the company's database, exposing the personal information of thousands of customers.

COMPLEX

The structural integrity of the bridge was compromised after years of neglect, forcing the city to close it for emergency repairs.

Synonyms
Origin

From compromise + -ed.

Usage

The verb is transitive when it means to endanger something, but often intransitive when it means to reach an agreement.

Pitfall

they compromised to a pricethey compromised on a priceWhen reaching an agreement, the verb takes the preposition 'on' to indicate the subject of the deal.

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