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hazard 1 of 2

noun

ˈha-zərd How to pronounce hazard (audio)
Definition of hazardnext
1
as in threat
something that may cause injury or harm the tumbledown old barn was considered a fire hazard

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in luck
the uncertain course of events it was only by hazard and good fortune that we found our way back to the trail

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hazard

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to endanger
to place in danger just so the tourists could see the sea lions up close, the captain needlessly hazarded his ship

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to risk
to take a chance on was unwilling to hazard landing the plane on the small island, which didn't even have an airfield

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hazard
Noun
Such data would help track volcanic hazards and protect marine infrastructure. — Yook Ji Hun, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026 Primary storm hazards are frequent lightning, locally heavy rainfall and wind gusts up to 50 mph, according to NWS Melbourne. — Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
When asked to predict demand for a product that doesn’t exist yet, AI will hazard a guess based on the past. — Garth Friesen, Forbes.com, 18 Mar. 2026 Clothes Iron and Steamer Many cruise lines have policies forbidding the use of clothes irons and steamers and won’t allow these fire hazards onboard. — Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hazard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hazard
  1. threat
  2. luck
  3. endanger
  4. risk
  5. danger
  6. chance
  7. threaten
  8. accident
Noun
  • Days later, facing the credible threat of losing a third consecutive star on the eve of ticket sales opening, Boston moved, agreeing to a record $331 million deal.
    — Chris Koras, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • This perception of threat, intertwined with a harsh interpretation of religious morality, dominated 17th-century life, with the optimistic, protective and compassionate aspects of Christianity often overpowered by fear and a desire to judge.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of threat
Noun
  • Many arrived before the doors were open and had already tried the phone with no luck, said Jared Nordlund, the state director for UnidosUS in Florida, an advocacy group that provides assistance to people trying to navigate state agencies.
    — Sharmila Venkatasubban, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The grand luck in Wednesday’s major money Florida Lottery draw games — Florida Lotto, Powerball, Fantasy 5 — went to someone who chose their numbers and, for the second day in a row, a free Quick Pick ticket holder.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of luck
Verb
  • It is intended to help locate missing Black people who are considered endangered because of their age or the suspicious circumstances surrounding their disappearance.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier this month, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Thomas with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death and first-degree murder.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of endanger
Verb
  • African economies risk being left behind by an AI revolution built on data that does not adequately represent the continent, according to the Gates Foundation’s 2026 Goalkeepers report.
    — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Still, these institutions are already showing the limitations of what private institutions are willing to risk for the public realm.
    — Sam Lubell, Curbed, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of risk
Noun
  • The concern has reached Capitol Hill, where lawmakers held a briefing behind closed doors earlier this month about AI’s dangers.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The broader concept envisions robots entering dangerous areas after sensors identify a threat, reducing the need to expose soldiers to direct danger.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of danger
Noun
  • Sympathetic realism is at its wisest when novelists give readers the chance Lee offered in her first book— to love and dislike characters simultaneously.
    — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • There is also a chance of restitution up to $5,000 and revocation of all hunting and fishing privileges nationwide.
    — Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of chance
Verb
  • This is what extinction threatens, piece by piece, thread by thread, species by species.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Recent gains by Houthi militants threaten shipping in the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait and could further spike energy prices.
    — Antoni Slodkowski Reuters, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of threaten
Noun
  • The decision not to show Meadows’ death follows a public plea from his mother, Angela Meadows, who asked Discovery not to broadcast footage of her son’s fatal accident.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Mushrooms is the latest Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission, named for the Australian philanthropist and businessman Neil Balnaves, who died in a boating accident near Tahiti in 2022, aged 77.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of accident

Browse Nearby Words

haywire
hazard
hazarded
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Cite this Entry

“Hazard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hazard. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hazard

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