flight risk

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablelegal

   A person thought likely to flee, especially someone accused of a crime who might escape before trial.

   Grammar: Countable: he is a flight risk, a flight risk.

   Patterns

   • be a flight risk
   • deem someone a flight risk

   The judge refused bail because she considered him a flight risk.

   Prosecutors argued that the man was a flight risk with several passports.

   Wealthy defendants are sometimes seen as a flight risk.

2. 2nouncountableinformalbusiness

   An employee or member who seems likely to leave a job or group soon.

   Grammar: Informal workplace use: she is a flight risk.

   Patterns

   • be a flight risk

   The manager worried that the new hire was a flight risk.

   After the layoffs, several staff became a flight risk.

   Employees who feel ignored often turn into a flight risk.

Word forms

Common combinations

deemed a flight risk

He was deemed a flight risk and held in custody.

considered a flight risk

She was considered a flight risk.

pose a flight risk

A defendant with no local ties may pose a flight risk.

high flight risk

The company has a high flight risk among new staff.

employee flight risk

The survey identifies employee flight risk.

Synonyms and how they differ

runaway risk

is a less common and less legal phrase for the same idea.

escape risk

is used for prisoners already held, not for someone awaiting trial.

likely leaver

is a workplace term and lacks the legal tone of flight risk.

Opposites

Word family

flight noun

the act of fleeing

risk noun

a chance of harm or loss

flee verb

to run away

fugitive noun

someone who runs from the law

Commonly confused: flight risk or flying risk?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “flight risk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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