What does "danger" mean?
Exposure to likely harm; peril.
Danger
/ˈdeɪn.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Exposure to likely harm; peril.
- Grammar: danger is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: peril, risk, hazard, adventure.
- Useful contrasts: chemical substance safety, electrical safety, french sécurité.
- Usage evidence: Are you saying my life is in danger?
How to use "danger"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "danger" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "danger" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "danger" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "danger" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "danger" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "peril" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "danger", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Exposure to likely harm; peril. countable, uncountable
"There's plenty of danger in the desert."
- 2 a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury wordnet
- 3 An instance or cause of likely harm. countable, uncountable
"1st September 1884, William Gladstone, Second Midlothian Speech Two territorial questions […] unsettled […] each of which was a positive danger to the peace of Europe."
- 4 a dangerous place wordnet
- 5 Mischief. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"We put a Sting in him, / That at his will he may doe danger with."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury wordnet
- 7 The stop indication of a signal (usually in the phrase "at danger"). countable, uncountable
"The north signal was at danger because of the rockslide."
- 8 a cause of pain or injury or loss wordnet
- 9 Ability to harm; someone's dominion or power to harm or penalise. See in one's danger, below. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"You stand within his danger, do you not?"
- 10 Liability. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Thou shalt not kyll. Whosoever shall kyll, shalbe in daunger of iudgement."
- 11 Difficulty; sparingness; hesitation. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"They of Coloyne made grete daunger to lete passe the oost thrughe the Cite at brydge."
- 12 A contemptible person, especially one seen as perverted or mentally ill. UK, countable, derogatory, uncountable
"Pineapple and pizza. ONLY JOKING YOU FUCKING DANGER."
Verb
- 1 To claim liability. obsolete
- 2 To imperil; to endanger. obsolete
"The sides o'th' world may danger. Much is breeding"
- 3 To run the risk. obsolete
Antonyms
chemical substance safetyelectrical safetyfrench sécuritéprotective system
Example
"Are you saying my life is in danger?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "danger"?
Common synonyms include: peril, risk, hazard, adventure, be serious, beware.
How do you use "danger" in a sentence?
Are you saying my life is in danger?
How do you pronounce "danger"?
Pronounced /ˈdeɪn.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
From Middle English daunger (“power, dominion, peril”), from Anglo-Norman dangier, from Old French dangier, alteration of Old French dongier (due to association with Latin damnum (“damage”)) from Vulgar Latin *dominārium (“authority, power”) from Latin dominus (“lord, master”). Displaced native Old English frēcennes.