err on the side of

idiom

: to use or show more of (something) than may be needed so that one can be sure that he or she is using or showing enough of it

It's better to err on the side of generosity than to appear too stingy.

We chose to err on the side of caution when planning our investments.

Examples of err on the side of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The wines are global, and err on the side of bizarre. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023

The Court would probably rather err on the side of protecting human rights than not granting provisional measures in genocide and other human rights cases. —Jill Goldenziel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

Any public-health authority would have to weigh these odds in the face of a six-case cluster, and surely almost every statewide health authority would choose to err on the side of caution. —Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2024

The key, when cooking them, is to err on the side of less water, so your grains end up pearly and distinct. —Emily Horton, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

Until then, districts will continue to 'err on the side of caution' as they have been told to do at the expense of our children's education. —Li Cohen, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2024

Antitrust overreach is hurting American competitiveness Khan openly admits to preferring to err on the side of overly aggressive enforcement rather than too-passive enforcement. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2023

My tendency is to err on the side of national security. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Dec. 2023

But law enforcement agencies err on the side of caution. —Faith Karimi, CNN, 30 Oct. 2023