risk

[ risk ]

/ rɪsk /

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See synonyms for: risk / risking / risks / riskless on Thesaurus.com

noun

exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance: It's not worth the risk.

Insurance.

the hazard or chance of loss.
the degree of probability of such loss.
the amount that the insurance company may lose.
a person or thing with reference to the hazard involved in insuring him, her, or it.
the type of loss, as life, fire, marine disaster, or earthquake, against which an insurance policy is drawn.

verb (used with object)

to expose to the chance of injury or loss; hazard: to risk one's life.

to venture upon; take or run the chance of: to risk a fall in climbing; to risk a war.

OTHER WORDS FOR risk

1 venture, peril, jeopardy.

3 imperil, endanger, jeopardize.

4 chance.

See synonyms for risk on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about risk

at risk,

in a dangerous situation or status; in jeopardy: families at risk in the area of the weakened dam.
under financial or legal obligation; held responsible: Are individual investors at risk for the debt part of the real estate venture?

take / run a risk, to expose oneself to the chance of injury or loss; put oneself in danger; hazard; venture.

Origin of risk

1655–65; <French risque<Italian risc(hi)o, of obscure origin

OTHER WORDS FROM risk

risker, nounriskless, adjectiveun·risked, adjective

Words nearby risk

rising hinge, rising rhythm, rising sign, rising star, rising trot, risk, risk-averse, risk aversion, risk-benefit, risk capital, risk factor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use risk in a sentence

Along with deforestation, climate change also plays a role in increasing fire risk in the Amazon and Pantanal.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common|Lili Pike|September 17, 2020|Vox
That won’t lessen the current level of risk, but it could at least limit how much worse things get.
Suppressing fires has failed. Here’s what California needs to do instead.|James Temple|September 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Water customers in Imperial Beach and Coronado were at risk of a suspect pricing mechanism, according to a ratepayer watchdog, until state regulators stepped in late last month.
Environment Report: State Throws Cold Water on Pricing Scheme|MacKenzie Elmer|September 14, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Some groups are subject to disproportionate risks so that other groups reap disproportionate benefits.
Why Coming Up With Effective Interventions To Address COVID-19 Is So Hard|Neil Lewis Jr. (nlewisjr@cornell.edu)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

When nothing else is predictable, brands can afford to take risks.
Deep Dive: How the Summer of 2020 forced brand marketing to change for the better|jim cooper|September 14, 2020|Digiday
Obsessive exercising and inadequate nutrition can, over time, put people at high risk for overuse injuries like stress fractures.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Together, the teams are working 24 hours a day for a product that promises much higher risk than it does profit.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Politicians who openly associated with Duke, or his hard-core associates, did so at their own risk.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Advanced maternal age dramatically increases the risk of maternal mortality as well as birth defects like Down Syndrome.
Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women|Samantha Allen|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It denotes the person that puts on the badge, puts on the blue uniform, and goes into the streets to put their life at risk.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But a lawyer who needed the wherewithal finally condescended to risk the task, and into it he plunged.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
If the Duke de Ripperda be found, he must be taken alive, at the risk of those who seek him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Assuredly, this was an occasion when the sacrifice of a few minutes might avoid the grave risk of a breakdown after daybreak.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The hospitals in the capital were crowded with wounded soldiers, brought in at great risk from the rural districts.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
We find these figures in “Chance,”‌ which by Concurrence describes the risk they ran.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

British Dictionary definitions for risk

risk

/ (rɪsk) /

noun

the possibility of incurring misfortune or loss; hazard

insurance

chance of a loss or other event on which a claim may be filed
the type of such an event, such as fire or theft
the amount of the claim should such an event occur
a person or thing considered with respect to the characteristics that may cause an insured event to occur

at risk

vulnerable; likely to be lost or damaged
social welfare vulnerable to personal damage, to the extent that a welfare agency might take protective responsibility

no risk Australian informal an expression of assent

take a risk or run a risk to proceed in an action without regard to the possibility of danger involved in it

verb (tr)

to expose to danger or loss; hazard

to act in spite of the possibility of (injury or loss)to risk a fall in climbing

Derived forms of risk

risker, noun

Word Origin for risk

C17: from French risque, from Italian risco, from rischiare to be in peril, from Greek rhiza cliff (from the hazards of sailing along rocky coasts)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with risk

risk

In addition to the idiom beginning with risk

risk life and limb

also see:

at risk
calculated risk
run a risk

risk

OTHER WORDS FOR risk

Idioms about risk

Origin of risk

OTHER WORDS FROM risk

Words nearby risk

Words related to risk

How to use risk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for risk

Derived forms of risk

Word Origin for risk

Other Idioms and Phrases with risk