live dangerously

Idioms  

1. Take numerous risks, be daring, as in Bill never knows if he'll have enough money to pay the next month's rent—he likes to live dangerously. This expression figured in the work of such 19th-century German writers as Nietzsche, who regarded it as an admirable course of action. Today it is often used with mildly humorous effect, as in the example. [c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

Many communities live dangerously close to the volcanoes in order to cultivate the fertile soil they provide.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2024

Having always lived by the rules, she wants to live dangerously.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2024

The Cardinals continue to live dangerously on offense with ill-timed fumbles and some tough third-down penalties.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2021

And for those who prefer to live dangerously, Uber has a new feature to make spontaneous curbside pickups less hectic.

From The Verge • Oct. 6, 2021

There is no need to try to live dangerously, and no sense in going about tweaking the nose of death to show what a deuce of a fellow you are.

From Leaves in the Wind by Gardiner, A. G. (Alfred George)