ENGLISH
REFERENCE

jeopardize

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈdʒɛpɝˌdaɪz// jeop·ar·dize Dialect

v. to put something important at risk. You use this when an action might cause a plan, a job, or a relationship to fail.

v. to expose to loss, damage, or failure; to place in a situation where there is a risk of harm.


SIMPLE

Drinking too much coffee might jeopardize your sleep tonight.

CONTEXTUAL

The athlete knew that missing another practice session would jeopardize her chances of making the Olympic team.

COMPLEX

The CEO warned that any further leaks of confidential data would jeopardize the merger and lead to immediate legal action against those responsible.

Synonyms
Origin

From jeopardy + -ize.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, typically an abstract noun like 'safety', 'future', or 'career'.

Pitfall

jeopardize about the projectjeopardize the projectJeopardize is a transitive verb and does not take a preposition before its object.

© 2026 English Reference