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Glite Dictionary
loose lips sink ships

loose lips sink ships

7.7
A warning that careless talk can cause trouble by revealing secrets
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : las bocas sueltas hunden barcos
  • Loose lips sink ships.

Examples

  • loose lips sink ships.

    National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)

  • The general warned the soldiers that loose lips sink ships, urging them to keep their plans confidential.

  • During the meeting, she emphasized that loose lips sink ships and advised everyone to avoid discussing sensitive information.

  • He often reminded his friends that loose lips sink ships, especially when it came to personal matters.

Synonyms

to keep one's mouth shut
vsloose lips sink ships
  • Informal
116 5.6

To say nothing to avoid trouble or keep a secret

warns that careless talk can cause danger by revealing sensitive information
to keep quiet
vsloose lips sink ships
90 2.5

To say nothing or not tell a secret

warns specifically that careless speech can lead to danger by revealing information
to keep a secret
vsloose lips sink ships
76 2.6

To not tell anyone private information

focuses on warning that careless talk causes trouble by revealing confidential information
mum's the word
vsloose lips sink ships
  • Informal
5 8.2

Keep quiet about a secret

is a general warning about careless speech causing danger rather than a direct instruction

Antonyms

silence
181 4.0

Not speaking about something when people ask you

discretion
57 4.6

Ability to make careful choices and keep private things secret

Surface Forms

loose lips sink ships main

Morphology

loose + lip + sink + ship

The constituents 'loose' (unrestrained) and 'lips' (speech) transparently point to careless talk, and 'sink ships' can be read as a metaphorical consequence (causing serious harm). However, the proverb’s specific wartime/secret-revealing nuance and the metaphorical mapping from literal sinking to causing danger are not fully predictable without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Loose lips sink ships comes from World War II posters that warned people not to talk about war plans. The image is simple: loose lips (people who talk too much) might give secrets that let enemies sink ships, so today it means 'careless talk' can 'cause danger'.