Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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.

See Examples For:

It shows a "a dangerous desire to play with fire" that endangers stability in Germany, one government source charged.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

When you play with fire, you normally get burnt.

From BBC ● May 11, 2024

The statement warned Mr. Stewart not to play with fire on the Taiwan issue, saying, “Those who play with fire will burn.”

From New York Times ● May 7, 2023

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

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 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.

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training