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

But the Yankees may want to play it safe with the left-hander. — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 4 July 2026

But even strong teams tend to play it safe when their experience of psychological safety is inconsistent. — Amee Desjourdy, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Restaurants used to play it safe, defaulting to fish tacos and relying on rooftop views to bring in crowds. — Amber Gibson, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026

What’s more, the less dominant squirrels were more likely to play it safe. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026

Rhymes for play it safe

• chafe
• waif
• unsafe
• vouchsafe