hazard

Everyday

1. A hazard is something that could hurt you or cause damage, a danger. tree →
2. To hazard a guess means to make a guess when you are not sure. tree →
3. "At all hazards" means whatever the risk or cost, no matter what happens. tree →

In the lessons

In safety lessons, pupils spot hazards at home, at school, on the road and in the science lab: wet floors, sharp objects, hot liquids, chemicals, electricity, traffic. Hazard signs and symbols (often yellow triangles) warn of danger. «Hazard lights» on a car flash to warn other drivers. In golf, a hazard is a sand trap or water. Phrases: fire hazard, health hazard, safety hazard, hazard warning, hazard a guess.

Examples

• A wet floor is a hazard, so walk carefully. tree →
• Toys left on the stairs are a trip hazard. tree →
• Piles of paper near a heater are a fire hazard. tree →
• Smoking is a hazard to your health. tree →
• The yellow sign on the bottle shows it is a chemical hazard. tree →
• The car stopped with its hazard lights flashing. tree →
• I don't know the answer, but I'll hazard a guess. tree →
• All at once she remembered that it would be death to this poor officer if he lost the letter, and that at all hazards she must put it back again. tree →

Note

Countable: hazards. Adjective: «hazardous» (dangerous). A hazard is the thing that could hurt you; a «risk» is how likely it is to hurt you. The verb is mostly used in «hazard a guess».