jeopardy
noun
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Did you know?
We'll start with the answer and you provide the question: A word meaning "danger" that inspired the title of a popular game show. Got it? If you buzzed in "what is jeopardy?" you are correct! Today’s word dates back to at least the 1300s, but its Middle English form can make it hard to spot: it appears in the phrase "in jupartie" with a meaning very much akin to the word's meaning in the modern phrase "in jeopardy"—that is, "in danger." The spellings of what we now render only as jeopardy were formerly myriad. The Oxford English Dictionary reports that between the late 14th and mid-17th centuries the word was spelled in a great variety of ways, among them ieupardyes (the spelling Chaucer used in The Canterbury Tales), iupertie, iupartye, ieoperdis, and juperti. Indeed, like the eponymous quiz show Jeopardy!, today’s word has a long history; we’d wager it has a long future, too.
Examples of jeopardy in a Sentence
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
The development adds another layer of legal jeopardy for the Tate brothers, who have become lightning rods for controversy over their online content and lifestyle brand.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 May 2025
The message to Indo-Pacific nations: Kowtow to us politically, or your economic well-being will be in serious jeopardy.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
There was strategic jeopardy in the race after F1 introduced a rule for the Monaco Grand Prix requiring that every driver must make at least two pit stops through the race, an attempt to spice up an event in which the narrow streets make overtaking difficult.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jeopardy
Cite this Entry
“Jeopardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jeopardy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jeopardy
noun
Legal Definition
jeopardy
noun
Note: Jeopardy attaches, or comes into effect for double jeopardy purposes, when a jury is sworn in or, in a non-jury trial, when the judge begins to hear evidence. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids double jeopardy for the same offense, and this applies whether the first trial ends in acquittal, conviction, or a mistrial. If a mistrial occurs due to a manifest necessity or if a defendant appeals a conviction, however, the rule against double jeopardy does not apply. The issue of manifest necessity is determined by the trial judge and, if necessary, by an appeals court.
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