hazard

[ haz-erd ]

noun

1. an unavoidable danger or risk, even though often foreseeable:

   The job was full of hazards.

   Antonyms: safety

2. something causing unavoidable danger, peril, risk, or difficulty:

   The many hazards of the big city did nothing to convince her to leave.

3. the absence or lack of predictability; chance; uncertainty:

   There is an element of hazard in the execution of the most painstaking plans.

   Synonyms: fortuitousness, fortuity, accident

4. Golf. a bunker, sand trap, or the like, constituting an obstacle.
5. the uncertainty of the result in throwing a die.
6. a game played with two dice, an earlier and more complicated form of craps.
7. Court Tennis. any of the winning openings.
8. (in English billiards) a stroke by which the player pockets the object ball winning hazard or their own ball after contact with another ball losing hazard.

verb (used with object)

1. to offer (a statement, conjecture, etc.) with the possibility of facing criticism, disapproval, failure, or the like; venture:

   He hazarded a guess, with trepidation, as to her motives in writing the article.

2. to put to the risk of being lost; expose to risk:

   In making the investment, he hazarded all his savings.

   Synonyms: imperil, peril, endanger, stake

3. to take or run the risk of (a misfortune, penalty, etc.):

   Thieves hazard arrest.

4. to venture upon (anything of doubtful issue):

   to hazard a dangerous encounter.

hazard

/ ˈhæzəd /

noun

1. exposure or vulnerability to injury, loss, evil, etc
2. at hazard
   at risk; in danger
3. a thing likely to cause injury, etc
4. golf an obstacle such as a bunker, a road, rough, water, etc
5. chance; accident (esp in the phrase by hazard )
6. a gambling game played with two dice
7. real tennis
   1. the receiver's side of the court
   2. one of the winning openings
8. billiards a scoring stroke made either when a ball other than the striker's is pocketed ( winning hazard ) or the striker's cue ball itself ( losing hazard )

verb

1. to chance or risk
2. to venture (an opinion, guess, etc)
3. to expose to danger

Derived Forms

• ˈhazard-ˌfree, adjective
• ˈhazardable, adjective

Other Word Forms

• hazard·a·ble adjective
• hazard·er noun
• hazard·less adjective
• pre·hazard adjective
• un·hazard·ed adjective
• un·hazard·ing adjective
• well-hazard·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hazard¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English hasard from Old French, perhaps from Arabic al-zahr “the die”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hazard¹

C13: from Old French hasard, from Arabic az-zahr the die

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at hazard, at risk; at stake; subject to chance:

   His reputation was at hazard in his new ventures.

Synonym Study

See danger.

Example Sentences

Ms Balan claimed she was worried the carpets were curling underneath some pedals in Tesla models, creating a safety hazard.

From BBC

"We are grateful to our expert contractors for warning us of this hazard so swiftly, allowing us to act before anyone was harmed."

From BBC

Of course, a direct bodily hit isn’t the only hazard of falling space junk.

From Salon

"We are also consulting key stakeholders about setting standards for social landlords' response to damp, mould and other hazards which may have serious health consequences."

From BBC

Today, wild donkeys teem in areas of San Bernardino County, where they have become a safety hazard on local roads.

From Los Angeles Times