peril

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A state of serious danger in which harm, loss or death is likely.

   Grammar: Mostly a mass noun in phrases like in peril or at your peril.

   Patterns

   • in peril
   • at your peril
   • be in peril of something

   The hikers were in great peril when the storm closed in.

   Ignore the warning at your peril.

   The whole region faced peril as the river rose.

2. 2nouncountable

   A particular thing that threatens harm, often one of several within a risky situation.

   Grammar: Usually plural when listing hazards: the perils of sailing.

   Patterns

   • the perils of something
   • a peril to something

   Pirates were one of the many perils of sea travel.

   The guide warned us about the perils of crossing the glacier.

   Every investor should understand the perils of borrowing heavily.

Word forms

Common combinations

in mortal peril

The climbers were in mortal peril after the rope snapped.

at your peril

Underestimate this opponent at your peril.

the perils of

The book describes the perils of arctic exploration.

face peril

Journalists often face peril in war zones.

grave peril

The species is in grave peril because its habitat is vanishing.

Synonyms and how they differ

danger

Danger is the ordinary word for any risk, while peril sounds graver and more dramatic.

jeopardy

Jeopardy stresses that something valuable could be lost, as in being put in jeopardy, rather than the threat itself.

hazard

Hazard names a specific source of risk, such as ice on a road, and is less dramatic than peril.

Opposites

Word family

perilous adjective

full of danger

perilously adverb

in a dangerous way, as in perilously close

imperil verb

to put in danger

Commonly confused: peril or parole?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “peril”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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