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
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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 want somewhere that feels warm and personal but without spending a fortune changing a flat or house owned by someone else and making alterations that put a deposit at risk.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The bigger risk for Meta and other social media companies is whether the deal opens the door for more legal settlements and product changes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
In meetings about the changes, managers have acknowledged the risk that some DeepMind employees may seek positions at other AI labs as a result, the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Continuing with the trial carried some risk for Meta because the company lost several child-safety cases this year, including one in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Then you risk him falling into the sea. Which?”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Not necessarily, according to Electrical Safety First, which has published a list of steps, external to help households reduce any risks before buying.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks at ICIMOD, warned of the potential for a second flood because of an ongoing blockage upstream.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The responsibility unit includes teams that work on testing Google’s AI models for nuclear, biological and chemical risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Life is like acting in that way. You’ve got to take risks. If you take big risks, it’s then up to you whether or not you pull it off.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
It all went around in my head for a few weeks: the pain, the risks, the uncertainty, and the awful, enticing thought of blending in.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
Notably, the measures announced stopped short of directly penalizing China, the main buyer of Iranian oil, a move that would have risked stoking tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
A DOJ spokeswoman said the agency’s settlement with Live Nation prioritized quick benefits to consumers over a yearslong legal battle that the department risked losing, and that the terms enable competition and lower prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
He said he finally received a court letter on 16 July saying he owed £458 and risked having his possessions seized by bailiffs or even ending up in prison if he did not pay.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The ICC expressed concern over those withdrawals, asserting that such countries risked undermining the collective pursuit of justice.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
She’d risked a lot to help him, and he couldn’t have escaped without her.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
So, the important question for investors is whether yields will continue to rise apace, risking a negative reaction from equities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
But he has said he cannot go any further without risking prison capacity.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
"If the entire colony was exposed, this could lead to decreased pollination effectiveness and reduced honey production, risking colony survival and long-term stability."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
It’s so meaningful to them that many are risking arrest.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
“And the women wouldn’t try to stop them, would they? No matter how long and hard they worked? No matter if they were risking their lives?”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
