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Better safe than sorry
Better safe than sorryIt is better to act cautiously beforehand than to suffer afterward.
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better safe than sorry
better safe than sorryBeing careful may avoid disaster, as in I'm not taking any short-cuts—better safe than sorry. This cautionary phrase appeared as better sure than sorry in 1837.
Better safe than sorry
CulturalExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Better safe than sorry, dive teams and boats were on standby in case of emergency.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2021
Better safe than sorry, as the saying goes, and even in a democracy better ignorant than sorry, too.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2017
The alligator mindset is: Better safe than sorry.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2016
Better safe than sorry will remain the plan with sidelined Ducks players Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2014
Many people take a bit of this, and a bit of that, so better safe than sorry.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 19, 2023
Since your emergency may not come with a forecast and time to prepare, better safe than sorry.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2022
“A lot of people feel strongly about being better safe than sorry, myself included.”
From Washington Post ● Feb. 10, 2022
"So it strikes me as kind of a better safe than sorry decision."
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2021
Finding his way back would probably be no problem, but better safe than sorry.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.