arriesgar

To risk or put something at stake — money, one's life, a reputation — used both transitively (arriesgar algo) and reflexively (arriesgarse a hacer algo, "to take the risk of doing something"). It's the verb behind the well-known proverb about risk and reward.

• No quiero arriesgar mis ahorros en eso. — I don't want to risk my savings on that.
• Se arriesgó a perderlo todo por seguir su sueño. — He risked losing everything to follow his dream.
• Arriesgaron sus vidas para salvar al niño. — They risked their lives to save the child.

Confusing the transitive and reflexive forms — arriesgar algo means to put something at risk, while arriesgarse a hacer algo means to take the risk of doing something yourself; dropping the a before the infinitive in the reflexive form is a common slip.

• expression "Quien no arriesga, no gana" — A widely used Spanish-language proverb (from an originally Tuscan/Italian saying) meaning "nothing ventured, nothing gained" — used across the Spanish-speaking world to encourage taking calculated risks.