Library / English Dictionary

HAZARD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An obstacle on a golf course

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("hazard" is a kind of...):

obstacle (an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hazard"):

bunker; sand trap; trap (a hazard on a golf course)

water hazard (hazard provided by ponds of water that the golfer must avoid)

Holonyms ("hazard" is a part of...):

golf course; links course (course consisting of a large landscaped area for playing golf)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

Example:

we ran into each other by pure chance

Synonyms:

chance; fortune; hazard; luck

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("hazard" is a kind of...):

phenomenon (any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hazard"):

bad luck; mischance; mishap (an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate)

even chance; toss-up; tossup (an unpredictable phenomenon)

Derivation:

hazard (put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

Example:

drinking alcohol is a health hazard

Synonyms:

endangerment; hazard; jeopardy; peril; risk

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("hazard" is a kind of...):

danger (a cause of pain or injury or loss)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hazard"):

health hazard (hazard to the health of those exposed to it)

moral hazard ((economics) the lack of any incentive to guard against a risk when you are protected against it (as by insurance))

occupational hazard (any condition of a job that can result in illness or injury)

sword of Damocles (a constant and imminent peril)

Derivation:

hazard (take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome)

hazard (put at risk)

hazardous (involving risk or danger)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation

Example:

I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong

Synonyms:

guess; hazard; pretend; venture

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "hazard" is one way to...):

speculate (talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "hazard"):

anticipate; call; forebode; foretell; predict; prognosticate; promise (make a prediction about; tell in advance)

surmise; suspect (imagine to be the case or true or probable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

hazard (an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

Example:

When you buy these stocks you are gambling

Synonyms:

adventure; chance; gamble; hazard; risk; run a risk; take a chance; take chances

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "hazard" is one way to...):

assay; attempt; essay; seek; try (make an effort or attempt)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "hazard"):

go for broke (risk everything in one big effort)

luck it; luck through (act by relying on one's luck)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

hazard (a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Put at risk

Example:

I will stake my good reputation for this

Synonyms:

adventure; hazard; jeopardize; stake; venture

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "hazard" is one way to...):

lay on the line; put on the line; risk (expose to a chance of loss or damage)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

hazard (a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The device poses no known hazards resulting from exposure to any MR environment.

(Magnetic Resonance Safe, NCI Thesaurus)

Healthcare workers are exposed to many job hazards.

(Occupational Health for Healthcare Providers, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)

Getting rid of tripping hazards in your home and wearing nonskid shoes may also help.

(Falls, NIH: National Institute on Aging)

Usually, this individual has received instruction as to the proper operation of the machinery and is knowledgeable about the performance and hazards associated with the activity.

(Equipment Operator, NCI Thesaurus)

The device problem was traced back to the design specifications (e.g. in the requirements, testing processes, hazard analysis, implementation strategy).

(Device Design Deficiency Evaluation Conclusion, Food and Drug Administration)

A coded value specifying the type of hazard or threat associated with the device.

(Device Risk Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

A coded value specifying the type of hazard or threat associated with the drug.

(Drug Risk Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

Health hazards at home, in the work place, or in nature (e.g., infectious agents, irritants, respiratory fibrotic agents, asphyxiants, allergens, metabolic poisons, physical agents, mutagens, teratogens, and carcinogens).

(Environmental Risk Factor, NCI Thesaurus)

Now and then I hazarded some remark to break the monotony of the journey, but the colonel answered only in monosyllables, and the conversation soon flagged.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Cautious, very cautious,” thought Emma; “he advances inch by inch, and will hazard nothing till he believes himself secure.”

(Emma, by Jane Austen)