hazard
/ˈhæzəd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhæzərd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈha-zərd/ (ame, mw) · /ˈhæz.əd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhæz.ɚd/ (ame, ipa)
hazard — noun
- hazardsingular
- hazardsplural
1. something in the environment that could cause injury, damage, or loss — for exam
something in the environment that could cause injury, damage, or loss — for example, a loose wire that could start a fire, or a slippery floor that could make someone fall.
Tamar reported the loose railing as a safety hazard to the building manager.
compound noun: safety hazard
Chemical spills in the lab create a serious health hazard for students and staff.
compound noun: health hazard
Rafael warned his neighbours that the broken fence was a hazard to children playing nearby.
During winter, icy sidewalks become a common hazard for elderly pedestrians.
- danger
more general and common than hazard; hazard often implies a specific source with a known potential to cause harm
- risk
focuses on the possibility of harm rather than the source itself; you take a risk, but a hazard is the thing that creates the risk
- threat
suggests an intentional or directed danger, whereas a hazard is usually an unintended condition
- peril
a more formal and dramatic word for immediate serious danger
- safeguard
something that protects against hazards
- protection
a measure that removes or reduces a hazard
文法句型
hazard + to + noun phrase
compound noun: [adjective] + hazard
用法筆記
Often appears in compound nouns such as fire hazard, health hazard, safety hazard, and natural hazard. These label specific categories of danger rather than describing a single dangerous event.
常見錯誤
2. in the game of golf, a tricky feature that requires extra skill to play from, li
in the game of golf, a tricky feature that requires extra skill to play from, like a water area or a sandy pit with strict rules.
Mei's ball landed in a water hazard near the eighth green during the tournament.
compound: water hazard
The sand bunker is the most difficult hazard on the back nine of this course.
compound: sand bunker (hazard type)
Tanvi carefully studied the hazard before choosing which club to use for her shot.
Vinícius lost two strokes after his ball stopped in a deep hazard near the green.
文法句型
[type] + hazard
hazard + on + golf course
用法筆記
In golf, hazards include sand bunkers (also called traps) and water features such as ponds, lakes, or streams. Players may not ground their club or touch the ground or water in a hazard before making a stroke.
hazard — verb
- hazardpresent simple I / you / we / they
- hazards3rd person singular
- hazarding-ing form
- hazardedpast simple
1. to say or suggest something, such as a guess or opinion, knowing that it might b
to say or suggest something, such as a guess or opinion, knowing that it might be wrong — for example, hazarding a guess at the answer when you are not sure.
"The answer might be forty-two," Felix hazarded, looking at the complex equation.
direct speech + hazarded as reporting verb
Élise hazarded a guess that the old building was built around nineteen-twenty.
pattern: hazard + a guess + that-clause
Noor decided to hazard an opinion during the team meeting despite feeling nervous.
"Maybe it is a type of antique clock," Rachid hazarded, examining the object carefully.
- state confidently
hazarding implies doubt; stating confidently implies certainty
文法句型
hazard + a guess/opinion/suggestion
hazard + that-clause
用法筆記
Frequently appears in the fixed expression 'hazard a guess'. This sense is moderately formal and more typical of written English or careful speech than casual conversation. The speaker acknowledges uncertainty.
常見錯誤
2. to put something valuable — such as your health, safety, reputation, or career —
to put something valuable — such as your health, safety, reputation, or career — in a position where it could be harmed or lost, usually by taking an unnecessary risk.
Tuan refused to hazard his family's savings on a business he did not trust.
pattern: hazard + possession/asset
The firefighter would not hazard the lives of her team in such dangerous conditions.
pattern: hazard + lives/safety of people
Ryan knew that cutting corners on safety could hazard the entire construction project.
Madison would not hazard her reputation by associating with dishonest business partners.
- risk
the simpler, more common alternative; 'hazard' is more formal and often implies a moral judgment about the risk being unwise
- endanger
focuses specifically on putting lives or safety at risk; stronger and more urgent in tone
- jeopardize
emphasizes the potential for losing something valuable, especially abstract things like a career or relationship
文法句型
hazard + noun phrase (health/safety/reputation/career)
用法筆記
More formal than the everyday verb 'risk'. This sense often appears in contexts where the thing put at risk is abstract — reputation, health, safety, or prospects — rather than a concrete object. Typically used in negative or cautious statements.