take the high road

[teyk thuh hahy rohd]

idiom

1. to take a more honorable or ethical course of action.

   The moderator is hoping that candidates will take the high road on debate night and stick to discussing the issues instead of flinging mud at each other.

Word History and Origins

Origin of take the high road¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

“Rather than going back and forth, we decided to take the high road,” says Seager, his manager.

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Neither was Marc Maron, who admitted during a recent live show, “It’s kind of easy for me to take the high road on this one. Easy to maintain your integrity when no one’s offering to buy it.”

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Evans asked her if there was ever a moment in which she didn’t want to take the high road.

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The host of the “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast, which is ending this fall after 16 years, went on to say that because he wasn’t asked to perform, “it’s kind of easy for me to take the high road on this one.”

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I would like to report that her critics take the high road of focusing on her job as spokesperson for a wannabe dictator, but mostly it's just about how weird and annoying she is.

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