in danger

Question

He refused to put his life in danger/in harm's way.Are the two choices equal in meaning?Thanks.

Optilang · Accepted Answer

New2grammarHe refused to put his life in danger/in harm's way.
Are the two choices equal in meaning?
Thanks.

Danger, to me seems to be more threatening than in harm's way, but that's just my feeling.

RayH · Answer

They do mean the same thing but "in harm's way" is almost always used in reference to soldiers in combat or in referring to someone who is fighting for a cause greater than himself.

I don't think it would be used for just any old dangerous situation like miners, linemen working on high tension lines, construction workers high up on the superstructure of a building, etc. Even though these people are in danger when they are on the job they are not often, if ever, said to be in "harm's way."

Now that I think about it I guess the term "in harm's way" is pretty much reserved for situations where you are at risk of someone killing you, or trying to, while you are engaged in fighting for a good cause.

New2grammar · Answer

Thank you, Optilang and RayH.

Optilang · Answer

Keep out of harm's way is also used to mean: keep/stay out trouble.

Let him play with on computer this afternoon - it'll keep him out of harm's way.

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