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Better safe than sorry

Cultural  

  1. It is better to act cautiously beforehand than to suffer afterward.

better safe than sorry Idioms  

  1. Being 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.

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.

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

Most amateur grillers look for visual doneness, have a set amount of time they trust, go with "better safe than sorry" or just wing it when deciding when to pull the meat.

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2022

“A lot of people feel strongly about being better safe than sorry, myself included.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2022

Finding his way back would probably be no problem, but better safe than sorry.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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.