weigh up the risks

Meaning

This expression means to carefully consider and evaluate the potential disadvantages, dangers, or negative outcomes of a decision before taking action. It is often paired with looking at the benefits ('weigh up the risks and benefits'). The tone is cautious, analytical, and professional, common in strategic planning.

Examples

• Before investing in the new market, we must carefully weigh up the risks.

  Before investing in the new market, we must carefully weigh up the risks.

• The board spent hours trying to weigh up the risks of the proposed merger.

  The board spent hours trying to weigh up the risks of the proposed merger.

• It is important to weigh up the risks against the potential rewards.

  It is important to weigh up the risks against the potential rewards.

• We decided not to proceed after we weighed up the risks involved.

  We decided not to proceed after we weighed up the risks involved.

• As a manager, you have to weigh up the risks of every major decision.

  As a manager, you have to weigh up the risks of every major decision.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to weight up the risks of this project.

  ✓ We need to weigh up the risks of this project.

  'Weigh' is the verb meaning to measure or evaluate, while 'weight' is a noun.

• ✗ He spent days weighing the risks up.

  ✓ He spent days weighing up the risks.

  While 'weigh the risks up' is grammatically possible, keeping 'weigh up' together before the object is much more idiomatic in business.

Related Expressions

Practice

• You shouldn't sign the contract until you ___.

  💡 Consider the potential negative consequences.

  Show answer

  weigh up the risks

• Our legal team is helping us ___ associated with the new software.

  💡 Evaluate the possible dangers.

  Show answer

  weigh up the risks