Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use risk in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Risk means the probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event. Example: “There is risk of being brutalized, arrested, imprisoned and tortured, all because I want you to know the truth about this matter.”

Examples of risk by meaning

nounThe probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event.

  • There is risk of being brutalized, arrested, imprisoned and tortured, all because I want you to know the truth about this matter.
  • What crop(s) to plant, how much area to devote to each crop, and how much risk to take with respect to rainfall during the season are some of the decisions that must be made.1994, S. I. Bhuiyan, On-farm Reservoir Systems for Rainfed Ricelands, page 36
  • Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.2012 January, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, page 60

nounThe magnitude of possible loss consequent to a decision or event.

  • Will they find the prospect of greater risk a cause for concern, rather than a gift from the right?2004 April 23, “American Families at Risk”, in The American Prospect
  • The decision was also unlawful in disregarding the prospect of greater risk of sexual or physical abuse to girls at a co-educational residential school2012 December 12, “Hekia Parata will not appeal Salisbury decision”, in Manawatu Standard
  • SEAC acknowledged that their recommendation was a somewhat uneasy compromise between the desire to protect the public from a small chance of a big risk and the desire not to ruin an industry, probably unnecessarily.2006, R. Packer, The Politics of BSE, page 196

nounThe potential negative effect of an event, determined by multiplying the likelihood of the event occurring with its...

  • If there is a 25% chance of running over schedule, costing you a $100 out of your own pocket, that might be a risk you are willing to take.2002, Decisioneering Inc website, What is risk? read at http://www.decisioneering.com/risk-analysis.html on 14 May 2006

nounA thing (from the perspective of how likely or unlikely it is to cause an adverse effect).

  • That man is going to be a big risk once he's out of prison.
  • Those stairs are a major risk.
  • There was also a "degree of complacency" that the weather in the country was not good enough to present a health risk.2006, BBC News website, Farmers warned over skin cancer read at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4764525.stm on 14 May 2006

nounA borrower (such as a mortgage-holder or person with a credit card).

  • A good credit rating indicates the customer is a desirable risk.

nounA financial product (typically an investment).

  • Subprime mortgages are poor risks; especially for a pension scheme.

verbTo incur risk of (an unwanted or negative outcome).

  • These people are putting themselves in danger by physically being on or near to the railway lines and risking serious injury.2006, Transportation Alternatives website, Rail delays as thieves cut power read at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4972476.st...

verbTo incur risk of harming or jeopardizing.

  • England captain David Beckham has warned Wayne Rooney not to risk his long-term future by rushing his return from injury.2006, BBC Sport website, Beckham wary over Rooney comeback read at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/england/476...

More sentences with risk

  • The burn will reduce the risk of a forest fire in the fall.From the entry burn
  • People are less willing to take a risk to make a gain than to avoid a loss.From the entry loss
  • People are more willing to take a risk to avoid a loss than to make a gain.From the entry gain
  • It's not worth risking your life for the sake of getting there a few minutes earlier.From the entry sake
  • To reduce cancer risk, it is best that you neither chew nor smoke.From the entry chew
  • A care transition often involves a change in venue, which presents a risk of missed follow-up.From the entry venue
  • The recent deaths should serve as a wake-up call to others at risk.From the entry wake-up call
  • I'm inclined to give up smoking after hearing of the risks to my health.From the entry incline
  • To call this decision a calculated bet understates the risk; it is a Hail Mary pass.From the entry understate
  • It was his job to survey buildings in order to determine their value and risks.From the entry survey
  • Monarchies where partition isn't prohibited risk weakening through parcellation and civil wars between the heirs.From the entry partition
  • If the forest fire is not contained soon the town will be at risk!From the entry forest fire
  • He took senseless risks, not even aware of the danger he was in.From the entry senseless
  • He bumped into the wall. I guess that's a risk you take when you read while walking.From the entry bump into
  • Some leaders only talk the talk but aren't prepared to take any risks.From the entry talk the talk
  • Using the same logon for different systems can be a security risk.From the entry logon
  • While no investment is risk-free, some have less risk involved than others.From the entry risk-free
  • I decided to geno insects because of the risk of swarms in the early game.From the entry geno
  • Taking microbreaks while typing can reduce the risk of keyboard-related injuries.From the entry microbreak
  • I'd like to go home early rather than risk(ing) the roads later.From the entry rather than
  • Any unrecalled hazardous products continue to pose a risk to the public.From the entry unrecalled
  • The editor decided that repunctuating Shakespeare's sonnets risked damaging their meaning.From the entry repunctuate
  • The court took flight risk into consideration when deciding bail for Mr Smith.From the entry flight risk
  • The court refused to grant Mr Smith bail as he was considered a flight risk.From the entry flight risk
  • The servicification of legacy enterprise solutions simplifies ongoing integration and significantly mitigates risk.From the entry servicification
  • Overcurrent can lead to excessive heat generation and the risk of fire or damage to equipment.From the entry overcurrent

Meaning of risk

  1. noun The probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event.
  2. noun The magnitude of possible loss consequent to a decision or event.
  3. noun The potential negative effect of an event, determined by multiplying the likelihood of the event occurring with its magnitude should it occur.

Full definition of risk

Questions about risk in a sentence

How do you use risk in a sentence?
Risk is used as a noun and verb. For example: “There is risk of being brutalized, arrested, imprisoned and tortured, all because I want you to know the truth about this matter.”
What is a short sentence with risk?
“Those stairs are a major risk.”
What does risk mean?
Risk means the probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: risk (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use risk in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/risk. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.