hazard

noun haz·ard \ ˈha-zərd \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: hazard in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of hazard

1 : a game of chance like craps played with two dice

2 : a source of danger

hazards on the roadway

3 a : the effect of unpredictable and unanalyzable forces in determining events : chance, risk

the hazards involved in owning your own business

men and women danced together, women danced together, men danced together, as hazard had brought them together
—Charles Dickens

b : a chance event : accident

looked like a fugitive, who had escaped from something in clothes caught up at hazard
—Willa Cather

4 obsolete : stake 3a

5 : a golf-course obstacle (such as a bunker or a pond)

— at hazard

: at stake

See hazard defined for English-language learners

See hazard defined for kids

Examples of hazard in a Sentence

the tumbledown old barn was considered a fire hazard
it was only by hazard and good fortune that we found our way back to the trail

Recent Examples of hazard from the Web

This is why Americans often think of tapeworms as a hazard for international travelers.

— maria masters, Health.com, "Every Question You Were Afraid to Ask About Tapeworms, Answered," 24 May 2018
Bush fires have also been reported, Johnson said, adding smoke to the airborne health hazards.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Lava, acid rain, vog, sulfur dioxide and now 'laze:' New deadly threat emerges from Hawaii volcano," 21 May 2018
The causes of the accidents are as varied as human error to animal hazards.

— New York Times, "Bus Driver in India Is Distracted by Music, and 13 Children Die," 26 Apr. 2018
Early clues point to an unexpected hazard in the deadly midair engine rupture and emergency landing of Southwest Flight 1380: the engine cover.

— andy pasztor, WSJ, "Fan Blade, Engine Cover Are Factors in Southwest Flight 1380 Engine Failure," 19 Apr. 2018
Endemic hummingbird species confined to niches of habitat are particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards.

— National Geographic, "Inside the Black Market Hummingbird Love Charm Trade," 18 Apr. 2018
That storm season helped raise the profile of landslides as a hazard in the Northwest, Burns said.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "Study finds 37,000 Multnomah County residents live in landslide zones," 12 Apr. 2018
Flying an airplane with ice on it adds to its weight and ice on the wings reduces its lift, both of which amount to a clear safety hazard.

— steve vockrodt, kansascity, "Delta followed the rules but left answering questions after 12-hour KCI tarmac delay | The Kansas City Star," 22 Feb. 2018
Officers booked Styles with child desertion because his actions exposed the toddler to a hazard or danger, which fits the definition of the state statute, Lloyd explained.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "Driver fired at car on West Bank Expressway after argument: Gretna police," 21 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hazard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

At first hazard was a game of chance played with dice. The English word comes from medieval French, in which the game was called hasard. This French word was probably borrowed from Arabic az-zahr, meaning “the dice” or “one of the dice.” The game was borrowed from the French by the English, and within a few centuries what had been a chance taken on the outcome of a throw of the dice could be any venture or risk. Now “chance” or “venture” and “risk” or “peril” are the usual meanings of hazard. The verb hazard emerged in the 16th century.

Origin and Etymology of hazard

Middle English, from Anglo-French hasard, from Old Spanish azar, from Arabic al-zahr the die

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

hazard Synonyms

Synonyms

accident, chance, circumstance, luck;

Near Antonyms

intent, intention, purpose;

design, outline, plan, scheme;

fluke, happenchance, happenstance;

destiny, doom, fate, fortune, lot;

danger, peril, risk;

hazard

verb

Definition of hazard

hazarded; hazarding; hazards

transitive verb

: to offer or present at a risk : venture

hazard a guess as to the outcome

See hazard defined for English-language learners

Examples of hazard in a Sentence

His friend asked him to hazard a small sum in a business venture.
just so the tourists could see the sea lions up close, the captain needlessly hazarded his ship

Recent Examples of hazard from the Web

Researchers have hazarded several theories for what happened in Havana.

— josh chin, WSJ, "U.S. Evacuates Workers From China After Complaints of Mystery Illness," 7 June 2018
The greatest ongoing hazard stems from the lava flows and the hot, toxic gases spewing from open fissure vents close to homes and critical infrastructure, said Charles Mandeville of the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano hazards program.

— CBS News, "Hawaii lava flow ramps up as new magma mixes with old," 20 May 2018
The greatest ongoing hazard stems from the lava flows and the hot, toxic gases spewing from open fissure vents close to homes and critical infrastructure, said Charles Mandeville of the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano hazards program.

— Fox News, "Hawaii officials warn residents about latest lava flow," 19 May 2018
Benson is accused of negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and hazarding a vessel, and recently waived his right to an Article 32 hearing, a public airing of the facts that had been scheduled for May 21 at the Washington Navy Yard.

— dan lamothe, Washington Post, "Navy ‘callous’ in how it describes deadly USS Fitzgerald collision, attorneys allege," 16 May 2018
The greatest ongoing hazard stems from the lava flows and the hot, toxic gases spewing from open fissure vents close to homes and critical infrastructure, said Charles Mandeville of the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano hazards program.

— CBS News, "Hawaii lava flow ramps up as new magma mixes with old," 20 May 2018
The greatest ongoing hazard stems from the lava flows and the hot, toxic gases spewing from open fissure vents close to homes and critical infrastructure, said Charles Mandeville of the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano hazards program.

— Fox News, "Hawaii officials warn residents about latest lava flow," 19 May 2018
The greatest ongoing hazard stems from the lava flows and the hot, toxic gases spewing from open fissure vents close to homes and critical infrastructure, said Charles Mandeville of the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano hazards program.

— caleb jones and sophia yan, chicagotribune.com, "Scientists unsure when Hawaii's Kilauea volcano will quiet," 18 May 2018
The president’s budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 requested about $13 million less for the federal government’s earthquake hazards program, including $10.2 million for the earthquake early warning program.

— rong-gong lin ii, latimes.com, "Trump again seeks to end funding for earthquake early warning system," 20 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of hazard

see ¹hazard

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1601

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

hazard Synonyms

Synonyms

adventure, chance, gamble (on), risk, tempt, venture;

compromise, endanger, imperil, jeopardize, menace;

expose, subject;

bet (on), wager;

Phrases

run the risk of;

HAZARD Defined for English Language Learners

hazard

noun

Definition of hazard for English Language Learners

: a source of danger
golf : something on a golf course (such as a pond or an area of sand) that makes hitting the ball into the hole more difficult

hazard

verb

Definition of hazard for English Language Learners

: to risk losing (something, such as money) in an attempt to get, win, or achieve something
: to offer (something, such as a guess or an opinion) even though you may be wrong

HAZARD Defined for Kids

hazard

noun haz·ard \ ˈha-zərd \

Definition of hazard for Students

: a source of danger

a fire hazard

History for hazard

English hazard was originally the name of a game of chance played with dice. The English word was taken from a medieval French word hasard, which in turn came by way of Spanish from an Arabic phrase az zahr, “the die” (that is, “one of the dice”).

hazard

verb

Definition of hazard for Students

hazarded; hazarding

: to offer something (such as a guess or an opinion) at the risk of being wrong

Law Dictionary

hazard

noun haz·ard \ ˈha-zərd \

legal Definition of hazard

: a condition that tends to create or increase the possibility of loss —used especially in insurance law

Learn More about hazard

See words that rhyme with hazard Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hazard Spanish Central: Translation of hazard Nglish: Translation of hazard for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hazard for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hazard

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hazard

Definition of hazard

Examples of hazard in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of hazard

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HAZARD Defined for English Language Learners

hazard

Definition of hazard for English Language Learners

hazard

Definition of hazard for English Language Learners

HAZARD Defined for Kids

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hazard

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hazard

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