risk
Americannoun
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risks
plural
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exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance.
It's not worth the risk.
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Insurance.
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the hazard or chance of loss.
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the degree of probability of such loss.
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the amount that the insurance company may lose.
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a person or thing with reference to the hazard involved in insuring him, her, or it.
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the type of loss, as life, fire, marine disaster, or earthquake, against which an insurance policy is drawn.
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verb (used with object)
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risks,
present (3rd person singular)
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risked,
past participle, past
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risking
present participle
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to expose to the chance of injury or loss; hazard.
to risk one's life.
- Synonyms:
- jeopardize, endanger, imperil
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to venture upon; take or run the chance of.
to risk a fall in climbing;
to risk a war.
- Synonyms:
- chance
idioms
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take / run a risk, to expose oneself to the chance of injury or loss; put oneself in danger; hazard; venture.
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at risk,
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in a dangerous situation or status; in jeopardy.
families at risk in the area of the weakened dam.
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under financial or legal obligation; held responsible.
Are individual investors at risk for the debt part of the real estate venture?
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noun
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the possibility of incurring misfortune or loss; hazard
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insurance
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chance of a loss or other event on which a claim may be filed
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the type of such an event, such as fire or theft
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the amount of the claim should such an event occur
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a person or thing considered with respect to the characteristics that may cause an insured event to occur
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-
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vulnerable; likely to be lost or damaged
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social welfare vulnerable to personal damage, to the extent that a welfare agency might take protective responsibility
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informal an expression of assent
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to proceed in an action without regard to the possibility of danger involved in it
verb
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to expose to danger or loss; hazard
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to act in spite of the possibility of (injury or loss)
to risk a fall in climbing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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risksimple
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riskssimple
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have riskedperfect
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has riskedperfect
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am riskingprogressive
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are riskingprogressive
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is riskingprogressive
-
have been riskingperfect progressive
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has been riskingperfect progressive
Past
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riskedsimple
-
had riskedperfect
-
was riskingprogressive
-
were riskingprogressive
-
had been riskingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of risk
First recorded in 1655–65; from French risque, from Italian rischio, risco, of obscure origin
Explanation
A risk is an action that holds a chance of danger or failure. Although it's fun jump around on glaciers, the risk of falling down a crack into a freezing lake might deter you from ice climbing. Risk comes from the French for danger. As nouns, risk and danger are close synonyms. The verb risk means to run a danger, in hopes of reward. So risk is similar to gamble. If you're very ill, you might risk a dangerous surgery. We also use risk for money or security. You can risk your good health by working with infected patients without sterile equipment. Or you can risk your life savings on the stock market.
Vocabulary lists containing risk
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Too Young to Drive?" and "Rules of the Road"
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Week 1: Meeting a Need
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That guaranteed the teams with revenue, with brokers benefiting from a markup for popular games but taking the risk that tickets to less popular games would sell at a loss, or not at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The calculations are different for people who don’t have the same obesity-related risk factors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Sir Jim warned that low gas storage levels in Europe posed a risk to the UK in the months ahead.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The other study indicating that crash risk is not currently elevated was conducted by Robin Greenwood and Andrei Shleifer of Harvard University and Yang You of the University of Hong Kong.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
But that was why he couldn’t risk it.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order ramping up the state’s oversight of artificial-intelligence systems and their safety and security risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
She knows if her granddaughter comes to visit, she risks struggling to return home.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Besides downside risks associated with autocallables, investors should also know that when the reference assets rise to a certain level ahead of their maturity, then they may be called away.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The National Park is overseeing salvage efforts, with Coast Guard personnel assessing potential pollution risks and the need for debris removal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
They first had to carefully weigh all the difficulties and risks, though Miep was ready to set off immediately with me in tow.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Like the groves and gardens, houses built foolhardily near the dry summertime river risked being pulled off their foundations and washed away by the winter torrents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
She knew kids risked being sent home when classes resumed in late August — a scenario that would disrupt not just their learning but create a logistical nightmare for working families.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
Pezeshkian also warned Tuesday that a return by the United States to "a policy of pressure and threats" risked derailing diplomatic efforts to end the war.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
In doing so, he may have risked the ire of the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is generally disdainful of governments that make major announcements outside of Parliament.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
He wanted to know if they supported this plan, which risked escalating tensions with the Soviet Union and China.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
“We are risking losing many more people to Ebola.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Sayers said: "Seals need sleep just like we do... When they're disturbed, they can panic, stampede across a beach or throw themselves into the sea, risking serious injury."
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
As those cost buffers fade, manufacturers may have to choose between raising prices, accepting lower profit margins, or risking weaker demand, it adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The Friedkin Group, Everton's American owners, will be risking the fury of their own fanbase should they agree to the sale of Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
“However, we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of wizards and witches risking their own safety to protect Muggle friends and neighbors, often without the Muggles’ knowledge.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
