peril
Americannoun
-
exposure to injury, loss, or destruction; grave risk; jeopardy; danger.
They faced the peril of falling rocks.
-
something that causes or may cause injury, loss, or destruction.
verb (used with object)
noun
Related Words
See danger.
Other Word Forms
- multiperil adjective
- perilless adjective
Etymology
Origin of peril
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin perīculum “danger, test, trial,” from perī-, verb base meaning “try” (also found in the compound experīrī “to try, test”; experience ) + -culum -cle 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1999, student protests were a moment of peril, but they were put down.
From BBC
Instead, it became a cautionary tale about the perils of governing-by-influencer.
From Salon
Still, Mr. Turley observes, the newly independent Americans’ rage “would prove transformative for many framers in appraising the promise and the perils of democratic systems.”
He knew the perils that sports provide as a onetime Syracuse football teammate of Jim Brown and a third-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions.
Was it a relief for him to find the creature in peril located on his side of the river?
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
