peril

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈpɛrəl/ 🇺🇸 /ˈpɛrəl/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    Serious and immediate danger or risk of harm, loss, or destruction.; A source or cause of danger; a hazard.; In insurance, a specific risk or cause of loss covered by a policy, such as fire, flood, or theft.
  2. verb
    To expose to danger or risk; to endanger.
  3. noun
    A state of being in danger; jeopardy.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable / uncountable Plural: perils 3rd sing.: perils Past: periled, perilled Past part.: periled, perilled Pres part.: periling, perilling

Collocations

in perilat perilthe perils ofmortal perilgrave perilperil of one's life

Derivatives

perilousperilouslyperilousnessimperil

Synonyms

dangerhazardriskjeopardythreatmenace

Antonyms

safetysecurity

Commonly confused

jeopardy
EN: 'Jeopardy' is more abstract and often used in legal or figurative contexts; 'peril' suggests more immediate, serious physical danger.
hazard
EN: 'Hazard' refers to a source of potential danger (often environmental or occupational); 'peril' emphasizes the state of being in serious danger.

Spelling tips

EN: The verb forms accept both single-l (American: periled, periling) and double-l (British: perilled, perilling) spellings. Do not confuse 'perilous' (adjective) with 'peril' (noun/verb).

💬 Examples

  1. The climbers faced great peril as the storm intensified on the mountain.

  2. The perils of the sea have claimed many ships throughout history.

  3. The homeowner's insurance policy covers perils including fire, windstorm, and vandalism.

  4. The reckless decision periled the lives of everyone on board.

  5. The nation was in grave peril during the invasion.