peril


Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Wikipedia.

per·il

 (pĕr′əl)
n.
1.
a. Imminent danger: a sign warning of the peril of falling rocks.
b. Exposure to the risk of harm or loss: in peril of losing his savings.
2. Something that endangers or involves risk: couldn't avoid the perils of the desert.
tr.v. per·iled, per·il·ing, per·ils also per·illed or per·il·ling Archaic
To expose to danger or the chance of injury; imperil.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin perīculum; see per- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

peril

(ˈpɛrɪl)
n
exposure to risk or harm; danger or jeopardy
[C13: via Old French from Latin perīculum]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

per•il

(ˈpɛr əl)

n., v. -iled, -il•ing (esp. Brit.) -illed, -il•ling. n.
1. exposure to injury, loss, or destruction; grave risk; jeopardy.
2. something that causes or may cause injury, loss, or destruction.
v.t.
3. to imperil.
[1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin perīculum trial, test, danger]
syn: See danger.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.peril - a source of dangerperil - a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune; "drinking alcohol is a health hazard"
danger - a cause of pain or injury or loss; "he feared the dangers of traveling by air"
health hazard - hazard to the health of those exposed to it
moral hazard - (economics) the lack of any incentive to guard against a risk when you are protected against it (as by insurance); "insurance companies are exposed to a moral hazard if the insured party is not honest"
occupational hazard - any condition of a job that can result in illness or injury
sword of Damocles - a constant and imminent peril; "the possibility hangs over their heads like the sword of Damocles"
2.peril - a state of danger involving risk
danger - the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury; "you are in no danger"; "there was widespread danger of disease"
speculativeness - financial risk; "he rejected stocks that didn't pay dividends because of their speculativeness"
3.peril - a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury; "he saw the rewards but not the risks of crime"; "there was a danger he would do the wrong thing"
venture - any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
chance - a risk involving danger; "you take a chance when you let her drive"
crapshoot - a risky and uncertain venture; "getting admitted to the college of your choice has become a crapshoot"
gamble - a risky act or venture
Verb1.peril - pose a threat toperil - pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops"
exist, be - have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?"
2.peril - put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position
affect, bear upon, impact, bear on, touch on, touch - have an effect upon; "Will the new rules affect me?"
compromise - expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute; "The nuclear secrets of the state were compromised by the spy"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

peril

noun
1. danger, risk, threat, hazard, menace, jeopardy, perilousness sailors in peril on the sea
2. (often plural) pitfall, problem, risk, hazard the perils of starring in a TV commercial
pitfall security, safety, certainty, surety, invulnerability, impregnability
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

peril

noun
Exposure to possible harm, loss, or injury:
verb
To subject to danger or destruction:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
nebezpečíohrožení
farerisiko
hætta, háski
rizikinga situacija
briesmasrisks
nevarnost
büyük tehlike

peril

[ˈperɪl] Nriesgo m, peligro m
to be in perilestar en or correr peligro
she was in peril of her lifesu vida estaba en peligro, corría el riesgo or peligro de perder la vida
do it at your perilhágalo por su cuenta y riesgo
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

peril

[ˈpɛrəl] npéril m
to do sth at one's peril → faire qch à ses risques et périls
Anyone who breaks the law does so at their peril → Quiconque enfreint la loi le fait à ses risques et périls.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

peril

nGefahr f; he is in great periler schwebt in großer Gefahr; to be in peril of one’s lifein Lebensgefahr sein; the cliff is in peril of collapsinges besteht die Gefahr, dass die Klippen einstürzen; do it at your (own) perilauf Ihre eigene Gefahr
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

peril

[ˈpɛrɪl] npericolo
at your peril → a tuo rischio e pericolo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

peril

(ˈperil) noun
great danger. You are in great peril; The explorers knew they would face many perils.
ˈperilous adjective
very dangerous. a perilous journey.
ˈperilousness noun
ˈperilously adverb
dangerously. He came perilously close to death.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

peril

n. peligro, riesgo.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
It is a service of peril, and even more so at present than formerly, for the Indians, since they have got into the habit of trafficking peltries with the traders, have learned the value of the beaver, and look upon the trappers as poachers, who are filching the riches from their streams, and interfering with their market.
He thus answered the Bee: "You shall have your request, but it will be at the peril of your own life.
And although ancient histories may be full of examples, I do not wish to leave this recent one of Pope Julius the Second, the peril of which cannot fail to be perceived; for he, wishing to get Ferrara, threw himself entirely into the hands of the foreigner.
So saying, and commending himself with all his heart to his lady Dulcinea, imploring her to support him in such a peril, with lance in rest and covered by his buckler, he charged at Rocinante's fullest gallop and fell upon the first mill that stood in front of him; but as he drove his lance-point into the sail the wind whirled it round with such force that it shivered the lance to pieces, sweeping with it horse and rider, who went rolling over on the plain, in a sorry condition.
There were the sober garb, the general severity of mien, the gloomy but undismayed expression, the scriptural forms of speech, and the confidence in Heaven's blessing on a righteous cause, which would have marked a band of the original Puritans, when threatened by some peril of the wilderness.
With all her might she crowds all sail off shore; in so doing, fights 'gainst the very winds that fain would blow her homeward; seeks all the lashed sea's landlessness again; for refuge's sake forlornly rushing into peril; her only friend her bitterest foe!
I sat upon the mountain-side and watched A tiny barque that skimmed across the lake, Drifting, like human destiny upon A world of hidden peril; then she sailed From out my ken, and mingled with the blue Of skies unfathomed, while the great round sun Weakened towards the waves.
Her arms had dropped along the table, and she sat with her face abandoned to his gaze as if in the recklessness of a desperate peril. The face exposed her as much as if it had been her whole person, with the soul behind it: Archer stood dumb, overwhelmed by what it suddenly told him.
It is to the other peril, indicated in my last letter, that he has fallen a victim--the peril of disease.
We were mounted upon very small donkeys, as a measure of safety; in time of peril we could straighten our legs and stand up, and let the donkey walk from under.
Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.
Of the perils that attend the lonely trapper, the reader will have sufficient proof, when he comes, in the after part of this work, to learn the hard fortunes of these poor fellows in the course of their wild peregrinations.