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Synonyms

give a wide berth

Idioms  

  1. Avoid, as in After Jane told on them, they gave her a wide berth. This expression alludes to giving a vessel enough room to swing at anchor so as to avoid a collision. [Mid-1800s]

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.

It’s also home to elk, which you should give a wide berth if you’re lucky enough to see one.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2025

In medical devices, things are murkier—in encouraging innovation, the legal standards give a wide berth to people trying to develop technologies, with the understanding that sometimes even people trying their best will screw up.

From Slate • May 26, 2023

Then there was Universal's "Everest," which opted to give a wide berth to gangster rats and futuristic teens by opening in a special, Imax and premium format run.

From Reuters • Sep. 20, 2015

The menace of the man is still pronounced; his glowering presence is something you'd give a wide berth to on the night bus.

From The Guardian • Oct. 26, 2010

"Devils of any sort ought to be give a wide berth, an' devilfish is worser ner sea serpents."

From The Sea Fairies by Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank)

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.