INDEX:
1. dangerous
2. to be likely to be dangerous to people or things
3. to be in a dangerous situation
4. to do something that may hurt or kill you
5. to put someone else in a dangerous situation
6. danger of death or serious harm
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ SAFE
see also
↑ RISK
↑ WARN
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1. dangerous
▷ dangerous /ˈdeɪndʒ ə rəs/ [adjective]
someone or something that is dangerous is likely to cause death or serious harm :
▪ Snow and ice are making driving conditions very dangerous.
▪ dangerous drugs such as heroin and crack
▪ It’s dangerous work but for men like Clement, summer firefighting is an important source of income.
highly/extremely dangerous
very dangerous
▪ Police described the three escaped prisoners as highly dangerous.
it is dangerous (for somebody) to do something
▪ The pilot says it’s too dangerous to try to land the plane in this weather.
▪ It’s too dangerous for the kids to play in the street.
dangerously [adverb]
▪ The plane was flying dangerously low.
▷ risky /ˈrɪski/ [adjective]
if you do something risky, it is easy to make a mistake that might cause death or serious harm - use this about things that you decide to do although you know they may be dangerous :
▪ He’ll have to land the aircraft in a field. It’s risky, but there’s no alternative.
▪ Personal insurance is expensive if you plan to take part in a risky sport such as parachuting.
risky to do something
▪ The State Department advised its employees that fighting near the borders made it too risky to leave the country.
risky business
something you do that is risky
▪ the risky business of putting a space vehicle into orbit
▷ poisonous /ˈpɔɪz ə nəs/ [adjective]
something that is poisonous will make you ill or kill you if you swallow it or breathe it :
▪ The boy died after eating poisonous berries.
▪ Many of our rivers are full of poisonous chemicals.
highly poisonous
▪ Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas.
▷ hazardous /ˈhæzəʳdəs/ [adjective] especially written
a hazardous activity or journey is one that is dangerous. Hazardous chemicals or substances are dangerous - used especially on warning signs :
▪ All of us knew that the expedition was likely to be extremely hazardous.
▪ Being the President’s bodyguard is obviously a hazardous occupation.
▪ In 1820, a voyage to Australia was a hazardous undertaking.
▪ Employees who were exposed to hazardous substances are now claiming compensation.
▷ high-risk /ˌhaɪ ˈrɪsk◂/ [adjective only before noun]
a high-risk job, situation, place, or type of behaviour is likely to be dangerous :
▪ A polio vaccine is recommended before travelling to high-risk areas.
▪ We are getting the message across to drug users that sharing needles is a high-risk behaviour.
▷ treacherous /ˈtretʃərəs/ [adjective]
places or conditions that are treacherous are very dangerous for anyone who is walking, driving, climbing etc in them :
▪ Strong winds and heavy rain are making driving conditions treacherous in some areas.
▪ There are treacherous underwater currents along this stretch of coast.
▷ perilous /ˈperɪləs, ˈperələs/ [adjective] written
a perilous journey, situation etc is very dangerous - used especially in literature :
▪ Refugees cross the rugged San Ysidro mountains, and it is always a perilous trip.
▪ Blondin soon became famous as a rope-dancer. Nothing was too perilous for him to attempt.
2. to be likely to be dangerous to people or things
▷ be a danger to somebody/something /biː ə ˈdeɪndʒəʳ tə somebody/something/
to be likely to harm other people or things :
▪ People who drink and drive are a danger to themselves and to others.
▪ The judge described Thomas as ‘a danger to the public’.
▪ Extreme nationalism is the single greatest danger to peace in the modern world.
▷ pose a threat /ˌpəʊz ə ˈθret/ [verb phrase] formal
if a situation or the existence of something poses a threat, it is dangerous to people :
▪ Supplies of food were so low that this posed a threat as serious as invasion.
pose a threat to
▪ Chemicals in our drinking water could pose a serious threat to public health.
pose no threat
▪ Scientists feel that present levels of radiation pose no threat.
▷ threaten /ˈθretn/ [transitive verb]
if an activity or a problem threatens something such as a place, animal, or way of life, it could cause it to no longer exist :
▪ Illegal hunting threatens the survival of the African elephant.
▪ By August, it was clear that the volcano could threaten the whole island.
▷ be a menace /biː ə ˈmenə̇s/ [verb phrase]
someone who is a menace behaves in a dangerous way, without thinking about the safety of other people :
▪ Drivers like that are a menace. They shouldn’t be allowed on the road.
be a menace to
▪ We consider drug trafficking to be a menace to the security of our nation.
▷ be a hazard /biː ə ˈhæzəʳd/ [verb phrase]
to be likely to kill people, cause accidents etc :
▪ Ice on the road is a major hazard at this time of the year.
be a hazard to
▪ The residents of Hollyhurst Road complained that cars parked there were a hazard to pedestrians.
be a fire/health/environmental etc hazard
▪ Garbage that is left uncollected becomes a serious health hazard.
▷ a fire risk/health risk /biː ə ˈfaɪəʳ ˌrɪsk, ˈhelθ ˌrɪsk/ [noun phrase]
a situation or object that is likely to cause a fire or to damage people’s health :
▪ Litter problems and a high fire risk mean that there is now restricted camping on the route.
▪ Cigarettes are acknowledged as a serious health risk and the main cause of lung cancer.
▷ death trap /ˈdeθ træp/ [countable noun] informal
if a building, road, car etc is a death-trap, it is very dangerous to enter or use, for example because it is in very bad condition, or is badly designed :
▪ Fire-safety inspectors described the basement night-club as a death trap.
▪ The ancient bridge was described as a potential death trap for the tourists that flock there.
3. to be in a dangerous situation
▷ be in danger /biː ɪn ˈdeɪndʒəʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ Mr and Mrs Watkins are worried that their daughter may be in danger.
be in danger of something
be in a situation when it is possible you may be killed or injured by something dangerous
▪ Some of the children were in danger of starvation.
somebody’s life is in danger
▪ Even a small accident in these mountains can mean that your life is in danger.
be in grave/serious danger
be in a very dangerous situation
▪ The ship was in grave danger of being sunk by enemy aircraft.
▷ be at risk /biː ət ˈrɪsk/ [verb phrase]
if someone is at risk, they are in a dangerous situation, especially because they are weak and are more likely to be harmed than other people :
▪ Accidents in the home are extremely common, and elderly people are most at risk.
be at risk from
▪ The vaccine is available for those who are most at risk from the flu epidemic.
be at risk of (doing) something
▪ The hospital refused to move her, implying she was still at risk of committing suicide.
▷ be in trouble /biː ɪn ˈtrʌb ə l/ [verb phrase]
to be in a dangerous and difficult situation, especially because of an unexpected problem :
▪ Scott said nothing, but I knew from his face that we were in trouble.
be in serious trouble
▪ It was clear from the storm reports that the fishing boat must be in serious trouble.
▷ be in peril /biː ɪn ˈperə̇l/ [verb phrase]
to be in a dangerous situation - used especially in literature :
be in great/grave peril
be in serious danger
▪ It soon became clear that the ship was in grave peril.
put somebody/something in peril
▪ Anything that slows down the operation, immediately puts the patient in peril.
4. to do something that may hurt or kill you
▷ risk your life /ˌrɪsk jɔːʳ ˈlaɪf/ [verb phrase]
to do something very dangerous, especially in order to help someone, when you know that you may get killed because of your action :
▪ Every day firefighters risk their lives in the course of their duty.
risk your life to do something
▪ She risked her life to save the drowning child.
▷ at your own risk /ət jɔːr ˌəʊn ˈrɪsk/ [adverb]
if you do something at your own risk, you must accept that it is dangerous and that it is your own fault if you are injured or killed :
▪ Anyone who swims in this part of the river does it at their own risk.
▷ risk your neck /ˌrɪsk jɔːʳ ˈnek/ [verb phrase] informal
to do something very dangerous in order to help someone - use this especially when you think the action is unnecessary :
▪ Don’t do it. It’s not worth risking your neck.
risk your neck to do something
▪ ‘Come back!’ Ned shouted. ‘You can’t risk your neck to save a dog!’
▷ play with fire /ˌpleɪ wɪð ˈfaɪəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to do something that could have a very dangerous or harmful result :
▪ Failure to stick to the safety rules is simply playing with fire.
▪ These men are criminals. If you get involved with them, you’ll be playing with fire.
▷ take your life in your hands /ˌteɪk jɔːʳ ˌlaɪf ɪn jɔːʳ ˈhændz/ [verb phrase] informal
to put yourself in a situation in which you may get killed, especially when it is a situation which you cannot control :
▪ The teenager took his life in his hands in trying to avoid being caught by police.
▪ You’ll be taking your life in your hands if you let Eric drive you home!
▷ dice with death /ˌdaɪs wɪð ˈdeθ/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately do something that is so dangerous that you may easily get killed, especially when you do it for excitement :
▪ When young people experiment with drugs, they’re dicing with death.
▷ at your peril /ət jɔːʳ ˈperə̇l/ [adverb] formal
if you warn someone that they do something at their peril, you mean that it would be very dangerous for them to do it :
▪ Any climber who neglects these simple precautions does so at their peril.
▪ Ignore this warning at your peril.
5. to put someone else in a dangerous situation
▷ endanger /ɪnˈdeɪndʒəʳ/ [transitive verb] formal
endanger someone’s life/health/safety etc
to put someone in a dangerous situation that would badly affect their health, safety etc :
▪ Smoking during pregnancy endangers your baby’s health.
▪ The city authorities complained that low-flying aircraft were endangering public safety.
▪ Any raid or rescue operation would endanger the lives of the hostages.
▷ put somebody’s life at risk /ˌpʊt somebodyˈs ˈlaɪf ət ˌrɪsk/ [verb phrase]
to put someone in a dangerous situation in which they could be killed, especially by not obeying safety rules :
▪ If an ambulance crew goes on strike, it is putting people’s lives at risk.
▪ By not dealing with the problem of radioactive waste, we are putting the lives of future generations at risk.
6. danger of death or serious harm
▷ danger /ˈdeɪndʒəʳ/ [countable noun usually plural]
the possibility that someone or something will be harmed or killed :
▪ Danger! Keep out.
▪ I stood at the side of the road and waved my arms to warn other drivers of the danger.
danger of
▪ The organization ran a national campaign about the dangers of cigarettes and other tobacco products.
▷ risk /rɪsk/ [countable/uncountable noun]
the possibility of serious harm if you do something dangerous - use this especially when you want to say how great the possibility is :
▪ How much risk is there with this kind of operation?
▪ A lot of children start smoking without realizing what the risks are.
risk of
▪ What exactly is the risk of an ordinary aircraft crashing?
high/low risk
▪ There is a high risk of injury in contact sports such as rugby.
▪ It is possible to get malaria in this area, but the risk is pretty low.
reduce/increase the risk
▪ Wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of serious injury.
risk to/for
▪ The disease affects cats but there is no risk to humans.
carry a risk
▪ Many of these beaches are not clean, and they carry a high risk of viral infection for swimmers.
▷ hazard /ˈhæzəʳd/ [countable noun]
something that may be dangerous, cause accidents etc :
▪ Flashing signs on the motorway warn drivers of hazards ahead.
hazard of
▪ Despite the hazards of working 50 storeys above the ground, my grandfather loved his job.
present/represent a hazard (to somebody)
▪ Steep stairs can present a particular hazard to older people.
▷ peril /ˈperɪl, ˈperəl/ [countable noun usually plural]
something that can cause danger, especially during a journey - used especially in literature :
▪ None of us who set off on that calm September morning could have foreseen the perils that lay ahead.
peril of
▪ the perils of a life at sea