tempt fate

1. Also, tempt the fates. Take a severe risk, as in It's tempting fate to start up that mountain so late in the day, or Patrice thought driving that old car was tempting the fates; it was sure to break down. This expression uses tempt in the sense of “test in a way that involves risk or danger.” Earlier idioms with a similar meaning were tempt God, dating from the 1300s, and tempt fortune, first recorded in 1603, with fate appearing about 1700.

Example Sentences

Instead it will tempt fate — and the weather gods — by playing the final at open-air MetLife.

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Of Crumb’s more generalized racist depictions, Nadel writes: “Essentially it’s both racist and excoriating. Robert indicts himself, the reader, and the entire culture. He can’t help but tempt fate in order to prove a point. No happy endings or pat lessons in Crumb Land.”

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I don't want to tempt fate by saying we are going to win it, and I also think it depends a lot on how we do in the next couple of weeks.

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With California's population near 40 million, the need for housing has prompted builders to tempt fate by erecting homes in fire-prone areas.

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“We didn’t want to tempt fate,” Dickson said, laughing as he recalled the March 7 incident.

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