tread lightly

idiom

: to proceed carefully

If you're thinking about asking for a raise, I advise you to tread lightly.

Examples of tread lightly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Schools will have to tread lightly to implement responsive curricula that do not provoke backlash. —Morgan Polikoff, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024

Be Careful If There's No Direct Correlation To Your Company Unless the topic has a direct correlation with your industry or business, tread lightly. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

But Deputy City Manager Gina Montes effectively told councilmembers to tread lightly, reminding them Phoenix already has an anti-camping ban and that federal court requirements prevent the city from enforcing it unless there are available shelter beds or alternative space. —Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024

Mike Pence, who had long tread lightly in criticizing Trump, started attacking him more forcefully after releasing a memoir in 2022 describing his experience during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. —Leah Askarinam, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2023

Because electoral politics is supposed to be insulated from law enforcement absent evidence that a serious crime or perilous threat to national security is afoot, the FBI is expected to tread lightly, especially in the invocation of its foreign counterintelligence powers. —The Editors, National Review, 16 May 2023

Putin had hoped that the fear of nuclear attack would compel Ukraine to tread lightly and make its supporters back off. —Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 7 Dec. 2022

Crabs have claws for a reason, so tread lightly around a scorned Cancer rising. —Lisa Stardust, Women's Health, 5 Mar. 2023

Surveyors tread lightly when asking questions, Martin said. —Stacy Ryburn, Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2023