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Synonyms

play with fire

Idioms  

  1. Take part in a dangerous undertaking, as in You're playing with fire if you go behind his back and commit his department. Although the idea behind this metaphor is ancient, it was first recorded only in 1655.

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.

“If you’re going to play with fire that way, then you need to own the burn.”

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2024

Yes, if you play with fire, you might get burned.

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2022

In these moments, “Athena” shows it likes to play with fire, though mainly because of how cool it looks.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2022

"Those who play with fire will perish by it," Beijing warned in a statement.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2022

Old enough, I thought, to know better than to play with fire.

From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler

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.