on the safe side

Idioms

Avoiding danger, with a margin for error, as in Just to be on the safe side, let's order another hundred chairs. This idiom was first recorded in 1811.

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.

Matthew Martin of Oxford Economics added that business would likely "reduce their overall hiring to be on the safe side," until they see data pointing to rising demand or a stabilization in the economy.

From Barron's

"Businesses would therefore reduce their overall hiring to be on the safe side of things, until they see data that really points towards increased demand, or at least stabilization in the economy," he told AFP.

From Barron's

“I’m seeing scores of people that I had relationships with a generation ago coming back just to be on the safe side,” says Michael Wildes, an immigration lawyer and managing partner at law firm Wildes and Weinberg.

From Slate

“Transportation is the one thing that keeps the world running. … We’re on the safe side.”

From Los Angeles Times

Just to be on the safe side, Takeo also has a bug-free menu.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023