risk
( risks plural & 3rd person present) ( risking present participle) ( risked past tense & past participle )
1 n-var If there is a riskof something unpleasant, there is a possibility that it will happen.
oft N of n, N that
There is a small risk of brain damage from the procedure..., In all the confusion, there's a serious risk that the main issues will be forgotten.
2 n-count If something that you do is a risk, it might have unpleasant or undesirable results.
You're taking a big risk showing this to Kravis...
3 n-count If you say that something or someone is a risk, you mean they are likely to cause harm.
usu with supp
It's being overfat that constitutes a health risk..., The restaurant has been refurbished<endash>it was found to be a fire risk...
4 n-count If you are considered a good risk, a bank or shop thinks that it is safe to lend you money or let you have goods without paying for them at the time.
supp N
Before providing the cash, they will have to decide whether you are a good or bad risk...
5 verb If you risk something unpleasant, you do something which might result in that thing happening or affecting you.
Those who fail to register risk severe penalties... V n/-ing
6 verb If you risk doing something, you do it, even though you know that it might have undesirable consequences.
The captain was not willing to risk taking his ship through the straits in such bad weather. V -ing/n
7 verb If you risk your life or something else important, you behave in a way that might result in it being lost or harmed.
She risked her own life to help a disabled woman... V n
8 To be at risk means to be in a situation where something unpleasant might happen.
♦
at risk phrase v-link PHR, oft PHR of n
Up to 25,000 jobs are still at risk...
9 If you do something at the risk of something unpleasant happening, you do it even though you know that the unpleasant thing might happen as a result.
♦
at the risk of sth phrase PHR n/-ing
At the risk of being repetitive, I will say again that statistics are only a guide...
10 If you tell someone that they are doing something at their own risk, you are warning them that, if they are harmed, it will be their own responsibility.
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at one's own risk phrase PHR after v
Those who wish to come here will do so at their own risk.
11 If you run the riskof doing or experiencing something undesirable, you do something knowing that the undesirable thing might happen as a result.
♦
run a risk phrase V and N inflect
The officers had run the risk of being dismissed...
12 →
to risk your neck →
neck
risk management
Risk management is the skill or job of deciding what the risks are in a particular situation and taking action to prevent or reduce them. n-uncount
risk-taking
Risk-taking means taking actions which might have unpleasant or undesirable results. n-uncount
...a more entrepreneurial climate, with positive encouragement of risk-taking and innovation.
security risk ( security risks plural ) If you describe someone as a security risk, you mean that they may be a threat to the safety of a country or organization. n-count