give a wide berth
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They can, of course, give a wide berth to controversial topics in their songs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
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
You should probably give a wide berth to the Twitter mentions of critics sceptical about Avengers: Endgame.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 26, 2019
"I suppose her skipper thinks he's got plenty uv water under his keel and wants ter give a wide berth ter the other vessel," explained the captain.
From The Boy Scouts of the Eagle Patrol by John Henry Goldfrap
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.
