What does "hazard" mean?
The chance of suffering harm; danger, peril, risk of loss.
Hazard
/ˈhæzəd/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The chance of suffering harm; danger, peril, risk of loss.
- Grammar: hazard is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: luck, peril, risk, accident.
- Useful contrasts: chemical substance safety, electrical safety, protective system.
- Usage evidence: This is a hazard to your health.
How to use "hazard"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hazard" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hazard" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hazard" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hazard" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hazard" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "luck" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hazard", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The chance of suffering harm; danger, peril, risk of loss. countable, uncountable
"He encountered the enemy at the hazard of his reputation and life."
- 2 an obstacle on a golf course wordnet
- 3 An obstacle or other feature which causes risk or danger; originally in sports, and now applied more generally. countable, uncountable
"The video game involves guiding a character on a skateboard past all kinds of hazards."
- 4 an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another wordnet
- 5 An obstacle or other feature that presents a risk or danger that justifies the driver in taking action to avoid it. countable, uncountable
"Risk behavior in driving consists in hazard detection, threat appraisal, action selection and implementation. Hazard perception tests often include the task to react quickly to hazards within traffic scenarios."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune wordnet
- 7 A sand or water obstacle on a golf course. countable, uncountable
- 8 The act of potting a ball, whether the object ball (winning hazard) or the player's ball (losing hazard). countable, uncountable
- 9 A game of chance played with dice, usually for monetary stakes; popular mainly from 14th c. to 19th c. countable, historical, uncountable
"[T]here's Harry diets himself—for gaming and is now under a hazard Regimen."
- 10 Chance. countable, uncountable
"I will stand the hazard of the die."
- 11 Anything that is hazarded or risked, such as a stake in gambling. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"But if you please To shoot another arrow that self way Which you did shoot the first, I do not doubt, As I will watch the aim, or to find both Or bring your latter hazard back again And thankfully rest debtor for the first."
- 12 The side of the court into which the ball is served. countable, uncountable
- 13 A problem with the instruction pipeline in CPU microarchitectures when the next instruction cannot execute in the following clock cycle, potentially leading to incorrect results. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To expose to chance; to take a risk.
"to be consistent, you ought to be a Chriſtian in temper and practice; for you hazard nothing by a course of evangelical obedience"
- 2 put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation wordnet
- 3 To risk (something); to venture, incur, or bring on.
"I'll hazard a guess."
- 4 take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome wordnet
- 5 put at risk wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A home rule city, the county seat of Perry County, Kentucky, United States. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"This is a hazard to your health."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hazard"?
Common synonyms include: luck, peril, risk, accident, adventure, adventure.
How do you use "hazard" in a sentence?
This is a hazard to your health.
How do you pronounce "hazard"?
Pronounced /ˈhæzəd/.
Etymology
From Middle English hasard, from Old French hasart (“a game of dice”) (noun), hasarder (verb), from Arabic اَلزَّهْر (az-zahr, “the dice”). Compare Spanish azar, Portuguese azar.