at a venture
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ven·ture
(vĕn′chər)n.
1. An undertaking that is dangerous, daring, or of uncertain outcome.
2. A business enterprise involving some risk in expectation of gain.
3. Something, such as money or cargo, at hazard in a risky enterprise.
v. ven·tured, ven·tur·ing, ven·tures
v.tr.
1. To expose to danger or risk: ventured her entire fortune on a single stock.
2. To brave the dangers of: ventured the high seas in a small boat.
3. To express at the risk of denial, criticism, or censure: "I would venture to guess that Anon., who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman" (Virginia Woolf).
v.intr.
Idiom: 1. To take a risk; dare.
2. To proceed despite possible danger or risk: ventured into the wilderness.
at a venture
By mere chance or fortune; at random.
[Middle English, chance, short for aventure, adventure; see adventure.]
ven′tur·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.