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\ ˈrisk 
\
\Definition of risk
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : possibility of loss or injury : peril
2 : someone or something that creates or suggests a hazard
3a : the chance of loss or the perils to the subject matter of an insurance contract also : the degree of probability of such loss
b : a person or thing that is a specified hazard to an insurer
c : an insurance hazard from a specified cause or source
war risk
4 : the chance that an investment (such as a stock or commodity) will lose value
at risk
: in a state or condition marked by a high level of risk or susceptibility
patients at risk of infection
risk
verbrisked; risking; risks
Definition of risk (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to expose to hazard or danger
risked her life
2 : to incur the risk or danger of
risked breaking his neck
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Other Words from risk
Noun
riskless \ ˈrisk-ləs \ adjective
\ adjectiveVerb
risker noun
Examples of risk in a Sentence
Noun
I prefer not to expose my money to too much risk.
The degree of risk is minimal.
All investments have an element of risk.
The trip didn't seem like much of a risk.
I'm aware of the risks associated with this treatment.
There is a risk of liver damage with this medication.
Wearing a seatbelt greatly reduces the risk of injury or death in a car accident.
We feel that this product presents a significant risk to public health.
To me, skydiving is not worth the risk.
Smoking is a risk to your lungs. Verb
She risked her life to save her children.
He risked all his money on starting his own business.
He risked breaking his neck.
She's risking being considered too sentimental.
The country risked a war.
brave people who risked being killed to help others
I'm not willing to risk getting lost. I'm going to buy a map.
The company is risking the loss of millions of dollars.
It's not wise to risk traveling so soon after surgery.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In a 2011 interview with Financial Times, Fitzpatrick said the strategy takes into account human error, but eliminates the risk of speculation and irrational values so that mistakes aren’t disastrous.
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William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "A look at the University of Alabama’s biggest cash donors," 9 Feb. 2020 Researchers have demonstrated the risks of re-identification due to careless design.
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Lukasz Olejnik, Wired, "India's Data Protection Bill Threatens Global Cybersecurity," 8 Feb. 2020 Proper management of our forests, to include small prescribed burns, mechanical thinning, and other techniques, will improve forest health and reduce the risk of wildfires, while also helping curb the carbon emissions.
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Wes Siler, Outside Online, "Emails Show DOI Falsified Fire Data for Political Ends," 7 Feb. 2020 If that becomes the case, ask other employees in the firm about standard practices beforehand and reconsider your risks.
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Navneet Singh, Quartz India, "A freshers’ guide to decoding CTC and negotiating a better pay in India," 6 Feb. 2020 Their findings highlighted that as climate change causes temperatures and precipitation to increase beyond what bumblebees can tolerate, so does their risk for extinction.
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Kristen Rogers, CNN, "Bumblebees are going extinct because of the climate crisis, but there are easy ways to help," 6 Feb. 2020 For the first time, kids with peanut allergies have a treatment option that could help reduce their risk of allergic reactions.
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TheWeek, "February 6, 2020," 6 Feb. 2020 By studying 66 bumblebee species in North America and Europe, researchers from the University of Ottawa found that increasing temperatures and precipitation are also increasing the species' risk of extinction.
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Li Cohen, CBS News, "Climate change is killing the bumblebees, study says," 6 Feb. 2020 The researchers were more surprised to find that many experts were also concerned about the risk of light pollution, which was ranked as the second-greatest threat to fireflies, over factors like water pollution and climate change.
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Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, "Study Shines Light on Urgent Threats to Fireflies," 4 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Industrial facilities often don't patch, not wanting to risk any disruption to their services that introducing a software update might cause, points out Emily Crose, a penetration tester for industrial control system security firm Dragos.
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Andy Greenberg, Wired, "Inside the World's Highest-Stakes Industrial Hacking Contest," 23 Jan. 2020 At the same time, focusing on AVOD means [the company] doesn't risk cannibalizing its sister assets Comcast and Sky, which remain heavily embedded in traditional pay TV.
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Paul Bond, The Hollywood Reporter, "NBCUniversal's Peacock Unveiling: Analysts React," 17 Jan. 2020 Sanders would lose to Trump, complain the party hacks, which simply can't be risked.
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Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, "Is the media about to have a conniption fit over Bernie Sanders?," 17 Jan. 2020 Helm batted at the puck with his gloves, careful not to risk being assessed a penalty for closing his hand on the puck.
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Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "This is what Detroit Red Wings veteran Darren Helm has to endure on a penalty kill," 10 Nov. 2019 Roe saved women from the degradation and shame of back-alley abortions where women were forced to risk their lives in order to take control over their lives.
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Myra Macpherson, The New Republic, "The Forgotten Father of the Abortion Rights Movement," 7 Oct. 2019 But no team since the 2009 Colts has had to wrestle with the pursuit of history while risking the season's ultimate goal.
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Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star, "10 years ago, Colts gave up a chance for a perfect season. What players say about it now.," 12 Jan. 2020 But as that article made clear, skiing inbounds is never risk free.
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Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, "Just Because You're Inbounds Doesn't Mean You're Safe," 10 Jan. 2020 But for the budget-conscious, the extra time and not risking regret is worth it.
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oregonlive, "What to buy and what to skip in January," 4 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'risk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for risk
risk
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of risk
(Entry 1 of 2)
: the possibility that something bad or unpleasant (such as an injury or a loss) will happen
: someone or something that may cause something bad or unpleasant to happen
: a person or thing that someone judges to be a good or bad choice for insurance, a loan, etc.
risk
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of risk (Entry 2 of 2)
: to put (something) in a situation in which it could be lost, damaged, etc.
: to do something that could result in (something bad or unpleasant)
: to do (something that may have harmful or bad results)
See the full definition for risk in the English Language Learners Dictionary
risk
noun\ ˈrisk \
\Kids Definition of risk
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : possibility of loss or injury
This adventure involves risks.
2 : something or someone that may cause loss or injury
Smoking is a health risk.
risk
verbrisked; risking
Kids Definition of risk (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to expose to danger
He risked his life to save the children.
2 : to take the risk or danger of
I'm not willing to risk hurting myself.
risk
noun\ ˈrisk \
\Medical Definition of risk
1 : possibility of loss, injury, disease, or death
hypertension increases the risk of stroke
2 : a person considered in terms of the possible bad effects of a particular course of treatment
a poor surgical risk
at risk
: in a state or condition marked by a high level of risk or susceptibility
patients at risk of developing infections
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risk
nounLegal Definition of risk
1a : possibility of loss or injury
b : liability for loss or injury if it occurs
the risk of loss passes to the buyer when the goods are duly delivered to the carrier — Uniform Commercial Code the risk of personal injury and property damage should be placed with the manufacturer rather than the consumer — Case & Comment
2a : the chance of loss to the subject matter of an insurance contract : uncertainty with regard to loss also : the degree of probability of such loss — compare peril
b : a person or thing that is a specified hazard to an insurer
a poor risk for insurance
c : an insurance hazard from a specified cause or source
a war risk
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Comments on risk
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Time Traveler for risk
The first known use of risk was in 1655
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