noun
jeopardy
JEH-puh-dee
noun
1
A situation of serious risk of harm, failure, or loss.
"The team's playoff hopes are now in jeopardy after the loss."
"His reckless driving put everyone in the car in jeopardy."
How to Use Jeopardy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDanger — usually used in the fixed phrase "in jeopardy," meaning at risk.
Memory tip
Almost always follows "in": "in jeopardy," rarely used as a bare noun elsewhere.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
in jeopardy
put something in jeopardy
lives in jeopardy
Word Forms
jeopardied past tense, jeopardies plural, jeopardies singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “jeopardy”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The team's playoff hopes are now in _____ after the loss.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman giu parti, "a divided game" — originally a chess or gambling term for an even, uncertain contest, which by Middle English narrowed to mean simply "risk" or "danger."