thin end of the wedge

noun

Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.

“The MP told parliament that legalising cannabis would be the thin end of the wedge.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounthe thin end of the wedge

alternative small end of the wedge · alternative thin edge of the wedge

  1. idiomaticSomething that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.

    The MP told parliament that legalising cannabis would be the thin end of the wedge.

    1 more example

    This is known as the 'thin end of the wedge' argument raised by people who don't want to lose the protection of restrictive covenants. The 'thin end of the wedge' means that when you drive a wedge into something, you use the thin end first because it's easier than using the thick end.

    2018 August 14, April Stroud, Making Sense of Land Law, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
slippery slope
Cite this entry
APA

thin end of the wedge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thin%20end%20of%20the%20wedge

MLA

“thin end of the wedge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thin%20end%20of%20the%20wedge. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thin end of the wedge,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thin%20end%20of%20the%20wedge.

Source: thin end of the wedge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.