What does endanger mean?
Word: Endanger
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Endanger means to put someone or something in danger of harm, damage or being lost.
Synonyms: threaten, harm, risk
Antonyms: protect, save
How do you spell endanger?
Syllables: en - dan - ger
Tricky part: It is en + danger, with the full word danger kept and no change at the join. The prefix is en, not in.
Watch out for: indanger, endangar, endenger
Memory tip: En means 'put into': to endanger is to put into danger, just as to enrich is to make rich.
Endanger in a sentence
Example 1: Loud fireworks can endanger birds nesting in the trees.
Example 2: Plastic bags in the sea endanger turtles that mistake them for jellyfish.
Example 3: The new dam may endanger the homes of river dolphins.
Fun Fact
The Great Indian Bustard, a tall bird of the Thar desert, is critically endangered; recent counts suggest only about 130 remain in the wild.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
graendne
a) to make a person, animal or place less safe
b) to bring something back to full health
c) to make a sound louder and clearer
d) to share something out in equal parts
Show answer
a) to make a person, animal or place less safe. The eight letters rearrange into endanger, which is what plastic does to the turtles that swallow it.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. praise 2. endanger 3. include a. exclude b. criticise c. safeguard
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. To criticise is the reverse of praising, safeguarding undoes endangering, and excluding is the opposite of including.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) endanger
b) threaten
c) habbitat
d) protect
Show answer
c) habbitat. Habitat has a single b; endanger, threaten and protect are all spelt correctly.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the sentence?
Plastic waste and oil spills endanger the coral reefs near the Andaman Islands, so divers colect litter from the sea bed each month.
a) 0
b) 2
c) 3
d) 1
Show answer
d) 1. Only collect is misspelt: it has a double l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these could endanger a forest?
a) dropping a lit match in dry grass
b) counting the birds in it
c) planting young saplings
d) putting up a signboard
Show answer
a) dropping a lit match in dry grass
2. An endangered animal is one that ___.
a) has only just been discovered
b) is found almost everywhere
c) may soon disappear from the wild
d) lives only in people's homes
Show answer
c) may soon disappear from the wild
