know when to fold 'em
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To exercise sound judgment in a situation that is precarious and uncertain.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Biết khi nào nên dừng lại trong tình huống nguy hiểm
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Register: informal, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “know when to fold 'em” mean?
To exercise sound judgment in a situation that is precarious and uncertain.
Is “know when to fold 'em” formal or informal?
know when to fold 'em is generally informal, slang.