play it safe
idiom
: to be careful and avoid risk or danger
I decided to play it safe and leave early so that I would be sure to arrive on time.
Examples of play it safe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That set up an Adrian vs. Will vote, and when Vince and Zach decided to play it safe and switch their votes to avoid any possible house wrath, Adrian’s fate was sealed.
—
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The drive to Koman is windy and narrow, so many choose to play it safe and do the full-day trip from Shkodër.
—AFAR Media, 9 July 2025
Natanael Cano isn’t one to play it safe, and neither is Anuel AA.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 25 July 2025
Big teams often play it safe during the race’s flat opening week and ride in the peloton, saving valuable energy for the mountainous second and third weeks.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for play it safe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The drive to Koman is windy and narrow, so many choose to play it safe and do the full-day trip from Shkodër.
—AFAR Media, 9 July 2025
Natanael Cano isn’t one to play it safe, and neither is Anuel AA.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 25 July 2025
Big teams often play it safe during the race’s flat opening week and ride in the peloton, saving valuable energy for the mountainous second and third weeks.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for play it safe
Cite this Entry
“Play it safe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20it%20safe. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share