imminent harm
Threat approaching fast
Imminent harm is danger that is about to occur—not distant or speculative, but immediate and credible.
The phrase appears most often in legal, medical, and ethical contexts where someone must decide whether to intervene: The therapist determined the patient posed imminent harm to himself.
A threat of imminent harm justifies actions that would otherwise be prohibited—breaking confidentiality, using force, or detaining someone against their will.
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
- evacuation planEmergency departure procedure
- hazardSource of potential harm
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- injuryPhysical or psychological harm
duty of care · peril · restraining order · red flag law · accident · safety protocol · self-defense · emotional abuse · disaster · liability · danger zone · danger signs · physical threat · catastrophe · protective gear · collision · risk assessment · worst case scenario
- legal defensesself-defense, alibi, affirmative defense, insanity defense, insanity
- legal necessitynecessity, legal justification, justification, legal excuse, duress