Provokes risks, losing head (6)
I believe the answer is:
angers
'provokes' is the definition.
(angering is a kind of provoking)
'risks losing head' is the wordplay.
'risks' becomes 'dangers' ('danger' can be a synonym of 'risk').
'losing head' means to remove the first letter.
'dangers' with its initial letter taken off is 'ANGERS'.
(Other definitions for angers that I've seen before include "Irritates" , "home of French citizens" , "Maddens" , "Outrages" , "Bugs" .)