Jeopardy means serious danger or risk, especially the possibility of losing something important. When something is in jeopardy, it's threatened and might be lost or destroyed. A student who stops studying puts their good grades in jeopardy. A soccer team that's losing by three goals with five minutes left has its championship hopes in jeopardy.

The word suggests more than everyday risks. You wouldn't say your snack is in jeopardy because your brother is hungry. But you might say a friendship is in jeopardy after a serious argument, or that a school play is in jeopardy when the lead actor gets sick the day before opening night.

In law, jeopardy has a specific meaning related to being on trial for a crime. The Constitution protects people from double jeopardy, which means you can't be tried twice for the same crime if you've already been found not guilty. This protection prevents the government from putting someone on trial over and over for the same crime, hoping to eventually get a conviction.

When something you value is in jeopardy, the outcome hangs in the balance.