Meaning & use
playing with fire
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
Doing something risky that could cause serious trouble or harm.
Grammar: Used as a fixed phrase, most often after be or as a comment on someone's action.
Patterns
- be playing with fire
- playing with fire by doing something
Driving that fast in the rain is playing with fire.
She knew that lying to the boss was playing with fire, but she did it anyway.
You're playing with fire if you ignore those warnings.
phraseidiomfigurative
Taking a dangerous interest in something powerful that is likely to hurt you.
Grammar: Often used about money, politics, or other people's anger.
Patterns
- playing with fire when someone does something
Investing all his savings in one company was playing with fire.
He was playing with fire by teasing the dog while it was eating.
Common combinations
- be playing with fire
- If you keep skipping class, you're playing with fire.
- like playing with fire
- Arguing with her when she's tired is like playing with fire.
- know you're playing with fire
- He knew he was playing with fire when he opened that email.
- accuse someone of playing with fire
- Critics accused the company of playing with fire by cutting safety checks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- risky
- An adjective meaning 'dangerous'; use it to describe the action itself, not as a fixed phrase.
- asking for trouble
- A similar idiom that stresses you will probably bring problems on yourself.
- tempting fate
- Close in meaning, but it usually suggests challenging luck or destiny rather than danger.
Opposites
Word family
- play with fire phrase
- The base form of the same idiom, used with a full subject.
Commonly confused: playing with fire or fireplay?
playing with fire vs fireplay
Not a common English word; learners sometimes invent it from 'playing with fire', but the correct idiom is 'playing with fire'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is 'playing with fire', so option An is correct. Option B adds 'the', which breaks the fixed phrase; option C drops 'with'; option D uses the wrong verb form after 'is'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “playing with fire”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.