risk
Americannoun
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risks
plural
-
exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance.
It's not worth the risk.
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Insurance.
-
the hazard or chance of loss.
-
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
-
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
-
-
-
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
-
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
-
is riskingprogressive
-
have been riskingperfect progressive
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has been riskingperfect progressive
Past
-
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
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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:
"If Bangladesh fails to strike free-trade agreements after the end of the preferential trade regime, the country may risk losing competitiveness," said Dhaka University professor Selim Raihan.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo, said the lack of clarity about how to lower inflation pushed yields higher “because there is now a risk that it may take longer or involve a policy mistake.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
This is a particular risk for small banks that use interest payments to attract deposits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“It’s only fair to ensure that companies that place our environmental and public health at risk are held accountable and contribute to funding these recovery tools,” Supervisor Hilda Solis, the measure’s sponsor, said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
“I hope this isn’t a mistake to let you go with him. It’s a big risk to be seen with a boy. You have to be . . . modest.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
And IG Markets' Tony Sycamore said "the balance of risks appears to be becoming more skewed back to the upside".
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Senate bill to regulate the digital currency needs changes to reduce risks to the financial system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
They listed their ideas on hedging those risks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The rules standardise interactions between humans and machines to "prevent risks of misuse or abuse", the ministry said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Those are big fat tail risks that caught us hard, right.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
People who have repeatedly risked their lives to reclaim their country aren’t waiting for the first chance to abandon it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Det Ch Sup Emma Bond, who leads policing in the area, said those arrested risked a criminal record, and called on parents and guardians "to take responsibility" for knowing where their children were.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
For his part, during his by-election campaign, Burnham warned voters that Britain risked drifting towards the "polarised, poisonous politics" of the United States, where "people in communities don't work together any more".
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
The expense would have risked putting the project over budget — but it turned out there was another option.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
“He risked his life. We should be grateful.”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Putting her career and reputation on the line, and risking more surveillance, Smith chose to place the safety and well-being of others first, and often paid the price.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Absent any other convenient alternative, the Chinese aspire to export their excess domestic capacity rather than risking a debt-deflation spiral at home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
For Southern California, it would mean a higher chance of above-average rainfall, risking a winter of flash floods and landslides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited Italy's Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
After a while she said, ‘If it had been me, I’d have thought twice about leaving the snow cave. You were risking the Nanuak.’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
