burn one's bridges
English · Thesaurus
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burn one's bridges
Where it comes from
Originally in the military sense of intentionally cutting off one's own retreat (burning a bridge one has crossed) to commit oneself to a course of action, later used primarily to mean alienate former friends.
verb burns one's bridges · burning one's bridges · burned one's bridges · burnt one's bridges
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To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally.
Don't you burn your bridges behind you / You might wanna turn and come back again / The bridge you burn today, you may need it again for tomorrow / Might bring sorrow
Similar: cross the Rubicon
Translations
Every language
verb burn one's bridges
| Español | quemar los puentes, quemar las naves |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 関係を絶つ kankei o tatsu, 縁を切る en o kiru, 退路を断つ tairo o tatsu, 背水の陣 haisui no jin |
| 中文 | 過河拆橋 /过河拆桥 guò hé chāi qiáo, 破釜沉舟 pòfǔchénzhōu |
| Português | queimar as pontes |
| Français | faire sauter les ponts, couper les ponts, brûler les ponts, brûler ses vaisseaux |
| Deutsch | alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen |
| Italiano | bruciarsi i ponti alle spalle, il dado è tratto, passare il Rubicone |
| Русский | сжига́ть все мосты́, рва́ть все свя́зи rvátʹ vse svjázi |
| العربية | حَرَقَ اَلسُّفُن ḥaraqa s-sufun, قَطَعَ اَلْجُسُور qaṭaʕa l-jusūr, قَطَعَ كُلّ عَلَاقَات qaṭaʕa kull ʕalāqāt |
Talk about this word "burn one's bridges." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/burn%20one's%20bridges. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. burn one's bridges. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/burn%20one's%20bridges "burn one's bridges." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/burn%20one's%20bridges.Cite this
@misc{burn_one_s_bridges_2026,
title = {burn one's bridges},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/burn%20one's%20bridges},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
