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
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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:
“You’re not getting compensated in the classic sense for going out on the risk spectrum.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
If it doesn’t re-enter service, the aircraft will be treated as written off by insurers and factored into their aviation risk profile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Areas west of the 405 Freeway have received essentially no rain and are at the highest risk for wildfire, said Daniel Swain, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources climate scientist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
As part of the testing, it was revealed that she had gene mutations that increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
There was absolutely no way she could risk it.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
A key to Apple’s success under Cook is how it has limited capital spending, juicing the company’s returns for investors and greatly reducing the risks of its business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
A medical evacuation helicopter crash off Catalina Island that left three dead highlights the many risks of emergency transport to the mainland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
While the Fed controls short-term rates, longer-dated yields reflect how bond investors feel about things like inflation risks and economic growth in the not-so-distant future.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Microsoft president Brad Smith called for regulation saying industry and governments must "act with urgency" to create "real and effective safety standards" to contain the risks linked to artificial intelligence.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
I knew that the risks were grave, but there was no reason to wait any longer.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
She argued it risked regurgitating yesterday's arguments with little prospect of success.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The expert warned that the country of around 50 million people risked becoming "a society of inheritors" in which home ownership depends on parents passing property to their children.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Russell named multiple constitutional limitations, but Shanmugam still claimed on rebuttal that there was “no limit,” and that they risked lawsuits from at least “90,000 municipalities.”
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
A man who risked his own life to rescue a stranger from drowning 30 years ago is trying to track him down.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
If Rolf had risked his own safety to tell us about Harry’s transport, perhaps he should work with us.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
In the developing world, he added, governments are being forced to make the "impossible" choice between cutting support for their poorest citizens or risking their entire development agenda.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
You’re right that standing up all day is tough, even if you’re not lugging boxes to and from the warehouse or climbing ladders and risking your health to help a customer or to restock shelves.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
“He thinks L.A. should be better run and should be more multimodal ... that you should be able to ride your bike or take a walk without risking your life.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Celtic are 'little bit broken' - but is change of shape 'worth risking'?
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Could you do the makeup? I forgot to bring a mirror, and I’m not risking a run to the bathroom.”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
