burn one's boats

verb

To cut oneself off from all chance of retreat; to stake everything on success.

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Meanings

verbburn one's boats (third-person singular simple present burns one's boats, present participle burning one's boats, simple past and past participle burned one's boats or burnt one's boats)

present singular third person burns one's boats · participle present burning one's boats · participle past burned one's boats · past burned one's boats · participle past burnt one's boats · past burnt one's boats

  1. idiomaticTo cut oneself off from all chance of retreat; to stake everything on success.

Origin

* Perhaps in reference to Tariq Ibn Ziyad, who gave the order to burn his own ships when he landed in Gibraltar, beginning the Islamic conquest of Spain in 711. * Perhaps in reference to Hernán Cortés, who gave the order to destroy his own ships (in reality, by sinking them) when he landed in Veracruz to begin his conquest in 1519.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

burn one's boats. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20boats

MLA

“burn one's boats.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20boats. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “burn one's boats,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20boats.

Source: burn one's boats on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.