tread lightly

Also tread care·ful·ly

[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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Word History and Origins

Origin of tread lightly¹

First recorded in 1990–95

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Dartmoor wild campers are being urged to "tread lightly and leave no trace", by the park authority after the ruling.

From

Just tread lightly if you’re feeding a crowd—spice tolerance can vary wildly.

From

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

From

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

From

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".

From

treadle treadmill

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