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 brand of fearlessness seems par for the course for Collins, whose Flight Risk, released earlier this year on Sony Music Nashville, doesn’t play it safe.
—
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
Trump’s administration could be trying to play it safe ahead of the president’s April meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, hoping not to jeopardize any deals or negotiations, Sacks posited.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
Stained with turmeric and run through with heavy-handed additions of dairy, these potatoes don’t play it safe.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025
Some lauded Coppola for his ambition and refusal to play it safe, but the praise was exceeded by criticism, with the movie being called incoherent and self-indulgent.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 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.
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
Trump’s administration could be trying to play it safe ahead of the president’s April meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, hoping not to jeopardize any deals or negotiations, Sacks posited.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
Stained with turmeric and run through with heavy-handed additions of dairy, these potatoes don’t play it safe.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025
Some lauded Coppola for his ambition and refusal to play it safe, but the praise was exceeded by criticism, with the movie being called incoherent and self-indulgent.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 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 24 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share