play it safe

phrase

: 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

When Malnati stood on the first tee, his caddie suggested leaving the driver in his bag to play it safe and set up a solid start. — CBS News, 31 July 2026

Traditional reviews encourage employees to play it safe, focusing on quotas and deadlines rather than innovation. — Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

In practice, this means resisting the instinct to play it safe simply because a brand is already big and well distributed. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 July 2026

Russell Wilson proved that classic tailoring doesn’t have to play it safe. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 16 July 2026

Rhymes for play it safe

• chafe
• waif
• unsafe
• vouchsafe