tempt fate

Idioms  

1. Also, tempt the fates. Take a severe risk, as in It's tempting fate to start up that mountain so late in the day, or Patrice thought driving that old car was tempting the fates; it was sure to break down. This expression uses tempt in the sense of “test in a way that involves risk or danger.” Earlier idioms with a similar meaning were tempt God, dating from the 1300s, and tempt fortune, first recorded in 1603, with fate appearing about 1700.

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Example Sentences

With California's population near 40 million, the need for housing has prompted builders to tempt fate by erecting homes in fire-prone areas.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2025

He’s going to tempt fate and make the unconventional decisions, and we should be used to that.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023

"And because the U.S. has yet to display the growth infirmities of the rest of the world, the U.S. stands apart, and the Fed has signalled that it can tempt fate."

From Reuters • Sep. 25, 2023

We don’t need to tempt fate any more than we do; thanks to the Seattle Freeze, we already have a reputation for avoiding eye contact, after all.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 22, 2023

You don’t tempt fate, you ignore it completely.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee