don't tread on me

phrase

A slogan, associated during the American Revolutionary War with freedom from British rule, and in more recent years with libertarianism and anti-government sentiments.

OriginLate Latin nōlī mē tangere →
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Meanings

phrase

alternative dont tread on me

  1. USgovernmentA slogan, associated during the American Revolutionary War with freedom from British rule, and in more recent years with libertarianism and anti-government sentiments.

Origin

  1. Late Latinnōlī mē tangere
  2. Englishdon't tread on me

Calque of Late Latin nōlī mē tangere (literally “do not touch me”), from John 20:17 in the Bible. The phrase was initially rendered as dont tread on me, without apostrophe, as dont was then an accepted contraction of do not. In some later versions, due to standards for apostrophes becoming more strict since the 18th century, the first word was changed to don't.

More words from Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

don't tread on me. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/don't%20tread%20on%20me

MLA

“don't tread on me.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/don't%20tread%20on%20me. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “don't tread on me,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/don't%20tread%20on%20me.

Source: don't tread on me on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.