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on the safe side

Idioms

Avoiding danger, with a margin for error, as in Just to be on the safe side, let's order another hundred chairs. This idiom was first recorded in 1811.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Businesses would therefore reduce their overall hiring to be on the safe side of things, until they see data that really points towards increased demand, or at least stabilization in the economy," he told AFP.

From Barron's • Oct. 30, 2025

Just to be on the safe side, Takeo also has a bug-free menu.

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2024

So to be on the safe side, it would be advisable to avoid raw milk products.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2024

“I felt we didn’t get enough time to think about it and read up on it. So I felt, to be on the safe side, ‘no, no’ — no change.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2024

I have to get up to use the tin can under my bed, which, to be on the safe side, has a rubber mat underneath in case of leaks.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023