# dance with the devil

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/dance-with-the-devil
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To engage in risky and immoral behavior.

## Examples

- If you cheat on the test, you are dancing with the devil.
- He knew that borrowing money from dangerous people was dancing with the devil, but he felt he had no other choice.
- By choosing to ignore the legal warnings and continue his illicit operations, the executive was effectively dancing with the devil, inviting a ruinous investigation upon his firm.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.