Meanings
present singular third person endangers · participle present endangering · participle past endangered · past endangered · alternative endaunger · alternative indanger
- transitiveTo put (someone or something) in danger; to risk causing harm to.
1877, Louisa May Alcott, Under the Lilacs If you endanger other people's life and liberty in your pursuit of happiness, I shall have to confiscate your arms, boys.
3 more examples
I hold him but a fool that will endanger / His body [in a duel] for a girl that loves him not
c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)All the other difficulties of his reign only exercised without endangering him.
1757, Edmund Burke, The Abridgement of the History of EnglandAs he passed though the station, he slowed to yell to the signalman, Frank 'Sailor' Bridges: "Sailor - have you anything between here and Fordham? Where's the mail?" Gimbert knew the mail train was due, and he didn't want to endanger another train with his burning bomb wagon.
2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42
Synonyms & antonyms
verbpose a threat to; present a danger to
verbput in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From en- + danger. Displaced native Old English frēcnian.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian излагам на опасност
- излагам на опасност (izlagam na opasnost)to put someone or something in danger
Chinese Mandarin 危害, 危及
- 危害 (wēihài)to put someone or something in danger
- 危及 (wēijí)to put someone or something in danger
- 使受危險 /使受危险 (shǐ shòu wéixiǎn)to put someone or something in danger
Czech ohrozit
- ohrozitto put someone or something in danger
Dutch in gevaar brengen
- in gevaar brengento put someone or something in danger
Finnish vaarantaa, aiheuttaa vaaraa
- vaarantaato put someone or something in danger
- aiheuttaa vaaraato put someone or something in danger
French compromettre, mettre en danger
- compromettreto put someone or something in danger
- mettre en dangerto put someone or something in danger
German gefährden
- gefährdento put someone or something in danger
Hebrew סִכֵּן
- סִכֵּן (sikén)to put someone or something in danger
Hungarian veszélyeztet
- veszélyeztetto put someone or something in danger
Italian rischiare, compromettere
- rischiareto put someone or something in danger
- compromettereto put someone or something in danger
- mettere in pericoloto put someone or something in danger
Japanese 脅かす, 危うくする
- 脅かす (obiyakasu)to put someone or something in danger
- 危うくする (ayauku suru)to put someone or something in danger
Māori whakamōrea, whakamōrearea
- whakamōreato put someone or something in danger
- whakamōreareato put someone or something in danger
Polish zagrażać, zagrozić
- zagrażaćto put someone or something in danger
- zagrozićto put someone or something in danger
Portuguese perigar
- perigarto put someone or something in danger
Romanian compromite, periclita
- compromiteto put someone or something in danger
- periclitato put someone or something in danger
- riscato put someone or something in danger
- primejduito put someone or something in danger
Russian подверга́ть опа́сности, подве́ргнуть опа́сности
- подверга́ть опа́сности (podvergátʹ opásnosti)to put someone or something in danger
- подве́ргнуть опа́сности (podvérgnutʹ opásnosti)to put someone or something in danger
Spanish apeligrar
- apeligrarto put someone or something in danger
Swedish sätta i fara
- sätta i farato put someone or something in danger
Ukrainian наразити на небезпеку
- наразити на небезпеку (narazyty na nebezpeku)to put someone or something in danger
Cite this entry
endanger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endanger
“endanger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endanger. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “endanger,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endanger.
Source: endanger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.