give a wide berth

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.

It’s also home to elk, which you should give a wide berth if you’re lucky enough to see one.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2025

In medical devices, things are murkier—in encouraging innovation, the legal standards give a wide berth to people trying to develop technologies, with the understanding that sometimes even people trying their best will screw up.

From Slate • May 26, 2023

Then there was Universal's "Everest," which opted to give a wide berth to gangster rats and futuristic teens by opening in a special, Imax and premium format run.

From Reuters • Sep. 20, 2015

The menace of the man is still pronounced; his glowering presence is something you'd give a wide berth to on the night bus.

From The Guardian • Oct. 26, 2010

"All the same," said Mortimer in his even, dispassionate tone, "I should avoid the woods and orchards if I were you, and give a wide berth to the horned beasts on the farm."

From The Chronicles of Clovis by Saki