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on the safe side

Idioms  

  1. 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.

"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 • Oct. 30, 2025

So to be on the safe side, it would be advisable to avoid raw milk products.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2024

To be on the safe side, Ubisoft Montpellier has put out a free demo of The Lost Crown.

From New York Times • Jan. 17, 2024

Police apparently intervened to be on the safe side, because the boy had identified a time and place.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2023

When that door closed she forced herself to wait a few more seconds, just to be on the safe side.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

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.