# What does ‘look before you leap’ mean?

To “look before you leap” means to think carefully before you act. Brewer's records this as a familiar English proverb, in print by the 14th century.

## What it means

- Brewer's records this as a familiar English proverb, in print by the 14th century.

## Action steps

1. Standard caution before a big decision.
2. Example: Read the contract fully — look before you leap.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

---
Canonical: https://bestidiomanswers.com/answers/look-before-you-leap
Author: Best Idiom Answers — https://bestidiomanswers.com
Publisher: Best Idiom Answers
Published: 2026-07-18T04:16:37.104782+00:00
Modified: 2026-07-18T04:16:37.104782+00:00
Last verified: 2026-07-18
License: Citation License 1.0 — https://bestexpertanswers.com/license
© Adolicious LLC