put one's ass on the line

verb

To take a big risk.

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Meanings

verbput one's ass on the line (third-person singular simple present puts one's ass on the line, present participle putting one's ass on the line, simple past and past participle put one's ass on the line)

present singular third person puts one's ass on the line · participle present putting one's ass on the line

  1. idiomaticvulgarTo take a big risk.

    I put my ass on the line to get you here, and all I expect is a little cooperation!

    1990, Predator 2
    2 more examples

    They thought everyone was afraid. Only they would risk their lives. Once people saw that we put our asses on the line, everything changed...

    2002, Mitchell Geoffrey Bard, From Tragedy to Triumph: The politics behind the rescue of Ethiopian Jewry

    He put his ass on the line for his country and his family during the Second World War, but nobody seems to care about that anymore.

    2005, Frederick K. Van Patten, Reluctant Seeker
Cite this entry
APA

put one's ass on the line. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20one's%20ass%20on%20the%20line

MLA

“put one's ass on the line.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20one's%20ass%20on%20the%20line. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put one's ass on the line,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20one's%20ass%20on%20the%20line.

Source: put one's ass on the line on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.