‘Take It With A Grain of Salt’: Definition, Meaning and Examples

Has someone told you to ‘take it with a grain of salt’? Are you wondering what they meant by that? Below, we’ll go over the meaning and origin and provide examples of how to use them in a sentence.

In short:

• ‘Take it with a grain of salt’ means not completely believing something you’re being told because it might not be true.

Essentially, it means to be careful about where you’re getting your information because it might turn out to be false information.

What Does ‘Take it With a Grain of Salt’ Mean?

‘Take it with a grain of salt’ is a common American expression that people use to warn someone not to believe every word someone else says. You might hear someone use the idiom when it comes to several things, but especially gossip.

• If someone isn’t being honest with you, a friend might tell you to take what they say with a grain of salt.

It’s used to mean that someone might not trust or believe what another person is saying about them or something else.

Sometimes, the phrase is shortened to ‘grain of salt’ because it’s so common, most people just know what you’re talking about.

In season 15, episode 4 of Grey’s Anatomy, when Meredith is trying to make sense of something her mother has said.

Her voiceover narration says:

When I was little, I once asked my mother, ‘How do you tell people such bad news?’ ‘You tell them the truth,’ she said, ‘But you tell them the best version of the truth you can come up with.’ My mother also never told me I had a little sister. So, grain of salt.

Meredith is wondering whether she should take that advice from her mother because of the many secrets she kept from Meredith, the biggest one being that she had a little sister she was never told about.

Where Does ‘Take it With a Grain of Salt’ Come From?

The phrase ‘take it with a grain of salt’ comes from an antidote for poison that comes from Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia around 77 A.D in ancient Rome.

• In this recipe, the antidote for the poison was a grain of salt.

From then on, threats involving the poison were supposed to be taken ‘with a grain of salt’ and, therefore, taken less seriously.

• Other sources say that it comes from the fact that food is more easily swallowed if taken with a small amount of salt.

Examples of ‘Take it With a Grain of Salt’ in Sentences 

How would you use ‘take it with a grain of salt’ in a sentence?

Let’s see some examples:

• My co-worker, Patricia, is known for spreading vicious gossip about everyone in the office. And a lot of the time, it’s not even true. Whatever she says, I take it with a grain of salt.
• I’m cautious of people that have nothing good to say about anyone else. Those are the people who you have to watch out for, and whatever they say, take it with a grain of salt.
• Once my grandpa’s memory started to go, we had to take what he said with a grain of salt. He just couldn’t remember things like he used to.
• I chose to take what my sister said with a grain of salt since she’s biased on the whole situation. She has no idea how hard this is going to be for her, with her husband away.
• Listen, you can’t really trust Preston. He likes to make stuff up to get girls to go out with him, so whatever he says, take it with a grain of salt.
• Take what Mara says with a grain of salt. She’s been lying since the moment she got here, and I don’t even think that’s her real name.
• Whenever I get a compliment, I take it with a grain of salt. I know what I look like, and I don’t see what other people see when they say I’m beautiful.
• I can accept that you don’t like my approach to my work, but I’m taking your feedback with a grain of salt. I can’t be sure it’s not because I turned you down for a date.

Other Ways to Say ‘Take it With a Grain of Salt’

What other words and phrases convey the same meaning as ‘take it with a grain of salt’?

Let’s see some examples:

• Disbelieve
• Mistrust
• Distrust
• Doubt
• Give no credit to
• Discredit
• Discount
• Wondered about
• Have misgivings about
• Taken with a pinch of salt
• Had no confidence in
• Smelt a rat
• Suspected
• Questioned
• Not believed
• Looked askance at

Concluding Thoughts on ‘Take it with a Grain of Salt’

To recap, we learned the following:

• ‘Take it with a grain of salt’ means not completely believing something you’re being told because it might not be true.

Essentially, it means to be careful about where you’re getting your information because it might turn out to be false information.

If you ever get stuck on anything, feel free to come back to review what you learned. We’ve also got a ton of other content on idioms that you might find helpful as you’re learning the language. Go check it out anytime.