What does “risk” mean?
- 1
nounthe chance that something bad will happen
Smoking increases the risk of heart disease.
- 2
verbto do something even though something bad might happen
He risked his life to save the child.
Risk at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun & verb
- CEFR level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /rɪsk/ · RISK
How to use “risk” correctly
Say “take a risk”, not “make a risk”. After the verb “risk”, use -ing: “risk losing everything”.
Common phrases with “risk”
- take a risk
- at risk
- risk of
- reduce the risk
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- safety
Word family
- risky
“risk” is on these word lists
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