minimize the risk

USAGE SUMMARY

"minimize the risk" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is typically used when suggesting ways to avoid potential danger or adverse consequences. For example, "We must take the necessary precautions to minimize the risk of a data breach."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"You try to minimize the risk".

The New York Times

How can people minimize the risk of being hit?

The New York Times

This approach could minimize the risk of politicizing the process.

The New York Times

"People want to know where they're going, and how they can minimize the risk".

The New York Times

There are effective treatments that enable people with vision loss to minimize the risk of falls.

The New York Times

Here's how to minimize the risk: *Have the chimney inspected and, if needed, cleaned every year.

The New York Times - Health

"We intend to do everything that we can to minimize the risk".

The New York Times

"We want to minimize the risk that this treaty poses to public safety".

The New York Times

It said the targets were selected to minimize the risk to Syrian civilians.

The New Yorker

"What Charles does," Cauvy continued, "is minimize the risk of having the wrong intuition prevail".

The New Yorker

Both withdrawals, made early Friday, appeared to be organized efforts to minimize the risk of bombardment, rather than panicked retreats.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming to persuade, provide concrete steps that will "minimize the risk" to enhance credibility and demonstrate a practical approach.

Common error

Avoid claiming complete elimination of risk. Instead of saying "this will eliminate the risk", acknowledge that you are taking measures to "minimize the risk".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "minimize the risk" functions as a verb phrase, where "minimize" acts as a transitive verb taking "the risk" as its direct object. As demonstrated by Ludwig AI, this phrase is frequently used to express the action of reducing potential negative outcomes.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

41%

Science

38%

Formal & Business

9%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "minimize the risk" is a versatile phrase used to describe actions taken to reduce potential harm across various contexts. As indicated by Ludwig AI, its grammatical structure is correct, and its usage is very common, particularly in "News & Media" and "Science". While alternatives like "reduce the hazard" or "mitigate the danger" exist, "minimize the risk" provides a clear and widely understood way to express the goal of reducing potential negative consequences. When using this phrase, focus on providing concrete steps and avoid overstating the degree of risk reduction.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

reduce the hazard

Replaces "minimize" with "reduce" and "risk" with "hazard", altering the specific terminology while preserving the overall intent.

mitigate the danger

Uses "mitigate" instead of "minimize" and "danger" instead of "risk", shifting the tone to a more formal register.

lessen the probability

Substitutes "minimize" with "lessen" and "risk" with "probability", quantifying the negative outcome.

decrease the likelihood

Employs "decrease" instead of "minimize" and "likelihood" instead of "risk", focusing on the chance of occurrence.

curtail the peril

Replaces "minimize" with "curtail" and "risk" with "peril", introducing a sense of urgency and severity.

diminish the threat

Uses "diminish" instead of "minimize" and "threat" instead of "risk", highlighting the potential for harm.

lower the exposure

Replaces "minimize the risk" with "lower the exposure", changing the focus from the probability of something bad happening to the level of vulnerability.

shrink the vulnerability

Uses "shrink the vulnerability" to convey reducing the potential for harm, focusing on weaknesses.

safeguard against potential issues

Employs broader terms for "risk", referring to "potential issues", and replaces "minimize" with the more encompassing "safeguard against".

guard against adverse events

This alternative uses "guard against" instead of "minimize" and "adverse events" instead of "risk", broadening the scope to any negative occurrences.

FAQs

How can I use "minimize the risk" in a sentence?

You can use "minimize the risk" when describing actions taken to reduce potential harm or negative outcomes, such as, "The company implemented new safety protocols to "minimize the risk" of workplace accidents".

What are some alternatives to "minimize the risk"?

Some alternatives include "reduce the hazard", "mitigate the danger", or "decrease the likelihood", depending on the specific context.

Is it better to say "minimize risk" or "reduce risk"?

Both "minimize risk" and "reduce risk" are acceptable and often interchangeable. "Minimize" implies reducing to the smallest possible amount, while "reduce" simply means to make smaller. Choose the term that best fits the tone and context of your writing.

What is the difference between "minimize the risk" and "eliminate the risk"?

"Minimize the risk" implies reducing the risk as much as possible, while acknowledging that some risk may still exist. "Eliminate the risk" means removing the risk completely, which is often not feasible. Therefore, it's usually more accurate to aim to "minimize the risk" rather than attempting to eliminate it entirely.