hazard

hazard — noun

1. something in the environment that could cause injury, damage, or loss — for exam

1.nounB1
Definition

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.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • fire hazard
  • health hazard
  • safety hazard
  • natural hazard
  • environmental hazard
  • occupational hazard
  • hazard to health
  • hazard to safety
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • safeguard

    something that protects against hazards

  • protection

    a measure that removes or reduces a hazard

Grammar Patterns

hazard + to + noun phrase

compound noun: [adjective] + hazard

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

Smoking is a hazard for your health.
Smoking is a hazard to your health.
Use 'to' (not 'for') when specifying what is endangered.
The broken glass is a hazard.' (too vague)
The broken glass is a safety hazard in the kitchen.
Adding a compound label like 'safety hazard' or 'health hazard' makes the warning more precise.

2. in the game of golf, a tricky feature that requires extra skill to play from, li

2.nounB2
Definition

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.

Example

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)

Common collocations
  • water hazard
  • sand hazard
  • deep hazard
  • fairway hazard
  • cross the hazard
  • avoid the hazard
Synonyms
  • obstacle

    the general term; hazard is the specific golf term for certain types of obstacles

  • bunker

    a sand hazard specifically; not all hazards are bunkers

Grammar Patterns

[type] + hazard

hazard + on + golf course

Usage Note

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

Word family

  • hazardous
    adjectiveB2
  • hazardously
    adverbC1
  • hazardousness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe possible harm, but they differ in how they frame it. Hazard points to a specific source or condition that could cause harm — a loose wire is a fire hazard. Danger is the broadest word, covering any situation where harm is possible. Risk emphasises the probability or exposure to harm: you take a risk, but a hazard is the thing that creates the risk. Threat suggests an intentional or directed danger, as in 'a threat to national security'. Peril is the most dramatic and formal, used for immediate, serious danger. In everyday speech, 'danger' and 'risk' are most common; 'hazard' appears often in safety and health writing; 'peril' is reserved for literary or warning contexts. For example: 'Smoking is a health hazard' (specific source), 'Smoking increases your risk of cancer' (probability), 'Smoking is a danger to everyone nearby' (general harm).

hazard ↗danger ↗risk ↗threat ↗peril

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • hazard to health
  • hazard to safety
  • risk of hazard

Prepositions

Etymology

ArabicOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'hazard' entered English from Old French 'hasard', meaning a game of dice. That French word probably came from Arabic 'az-zahr', meaning 'the die' (the cube used in gambling). Because dice games involve luck and uncertainty, 'hazard' gradually took on the broader meaning of 'chance' or 'risk', and eventually came to mean any source of danger or potential harm. The golf meaning developed in the 1800s as the sport's rulebook needed a term for obstacles that add risk to each shot.