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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
Even if October passes without another conflagration, November brings its own hazards. — Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026 This week, the National Weather Service cautioned about beach hazards along the Southern California coast. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 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
  • Beyond the immediate threat to crude supplies, damage to refining infrastructure could pose a more persistent challenge to global energy markets.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has repeated threats to take out power plants and other infrastructure.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of threat
Noun
  • The prince didn’t have any luck in blocking Kelce, which comes as little surprise given the Chiefs star knows how to avoid defensive players.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Halloween fireballs Our last pick is going to take a great deal of patience, and a good amount of luck!
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of luck
Verb
  • The money will go to conservation groups and local partners working on species the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies as endangered, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Delron Pickens, of Independence, was charged with one count of vehicle hijacking and one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child in Jackson County Circuit Court on Sunday.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of endanger
Verb
  • To keep returns low, Daunt shops often placed tiny initial orders, a wan show of confidence that risked seeping down to the fragile economy of the writing life.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Michael Platt, a professor of marketing, psychology and neuroscience at the Wharton School, says the answer may lie in how the brain responds to risk, excitement and the promise of a big win.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of risk
Noun
  • Earlier this week, missiles fired by the Houthis struck a residential area in Taiz, killing two teenage girls and renewing attention on the dangers faced by civilians.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Gigantic Fantastic also explores the development of steroids themselves, their physiological effects, as well as other image and performance-enhancing drugs and their dangers.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of danger
Noun
  • The loss thwarted Cleveland’s chance at a World Series championship, extending its drought to 78 years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Afternoon highs on Friday are expected to be a much cooler 57 degrees as a 40% chance of rainfall lingers in the area.
    — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of chance
Verb
  • Last year, a Senatobia officer threatened a Black woman with a Taser, pulling her from her car and onto the ground and arresting her during a confrontation over an accessible parking space in the same Walmart lot where Kohen was shot.
    — SOPHIE BATES, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The bank still calls Nvidia the sector’s best risk-reward opportunity but warns that financing pressures, power shortages, and concentrated customers could threaten the buildout.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of threaten
Noun
  • The crash came three weeks after 17 people died in another accident along the same highway linking the capital, Nairobi, with the coastal city of Mombasa.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • An accident in the Chihuahua mountains On April 19, the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office reported the dismantling of a synthetic drug lab in the municipality of Morelos, in the mountains of that state.
    — María Verza, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 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 26 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hazard

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