grain of salt
noun phrase
variants
or less commonly pinch of salt
: a skeptical attitude
—used in the phrase take (something) with a grain/pinch of salt
I take the guidebooks with a grain of salt, preferring to follow my instincts.—
Daisann McLane
Daisann McLaneThe malleability of memory … is the first reason why autobiographies should be taken with a grain of salt.—Judith Rich Harris
Judith Rich HarrisExamples of grain of salt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The bottom line: Take price-only CEF charts, which are the norm on screeners like Google Finance and Yahoo! Finance, with a grain of salt.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
Here are three reasons why polling now should be taken with a grain of salt.
—Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Aug. 2024
Data from both of these sources should be taken with a grain of salt (Statcounter says that usage of Windows 8.1 rose from 1 percent to 6 percent between October 2023 and January 2024 before suddenly falling back to 1 percent in February of 2024, which seems... unlikely).
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 4 Apr. 2024
Again, take any research results with a grain of salt.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grain of salt 
Brett Owens, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
Here are three reasons why polling now should be taken with a grain of salt.
—Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Aug. 2024
Data from both of these sources should be taken with a grain of salt (Statcounter says that usage of Windows 8.1 rose from 1 percent to 6 percent between October 2023 and January 2024 before suddenly falling back to 1 percent in February of 2024, which seems... unlikely).
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 4 Apr. 2024
Again, take any research results with a grain of salt.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grain of salt
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grain of salt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grain of salt
Cite this Entry
“Grain of salt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grain%20of%20salt. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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