TREAD LIGHTLY Definition & Meaning

tread lightly

[ tred lahyt-lee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

idiom

to act or speak with care and tactfulness in order to avoid words or behavior that could be offensive or upsetting to others:
There are certain issues we have to tread lightly on if we have any hope of helping these kids.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of tread lightly¹

First recorded in 1990–95

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Two senior White House officials told me that they must tread lightly when discussing Musk, or anything else Trump finds problematic.

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For the South Korean conservatives, impeachment is their exposed nerve, and they have reason to tread lightly.

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Speaking at the summit, Sir Keir said the new UK target would be "difficult" but "achievable", and he wanted government to "tread lightly on people's lives".

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“But you have to play the game. ‘I’m a Black man and I have to tread lightly.’”

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They warned each other that he could be argumentative and to tread lightly around him.

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