Meanings
present singular third person burns one's bridges · participle present burning one's bridges · participle past burned one's bridges · past burned one's bridges · participle past burnt one's bridges · past burnt one's bridges
- idiomaticTo 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
1974, Ecstasy, Passion & Pain, “Don't Burn Your Bridges Behind You”, in Ecstasy, Passion & PainSynonyms: cross the Rubicon
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَرَقَ اَلسُّفُن, قَطَعَ اَلْجُسُور
- حَرَقَ اَلسُّفُن (ḥaraqa s-sufun)burn one's bridges
- قَطَعَ اَلْجُسُور (qaṭaʕa l-jusūr)burn one's bridges
- قَطَعَ كُلّ عَلَاقَات (qaṭaʕa kull ʕalāqāt)burn one's bridges
Chinese Mandarin 過河拆橋 /过河拆桥, 破釜沉舟
- 過河拆橋 /过河拆桥 (guò hé chāi qiáo)burn one's bridges
- 破釜沉舟 (pòfǔchénzhōu)burn one's bridges
Danish brænde alle broer, bryde alle broer
- brænde alle broerburn one's bridges
- bryde alle broerburn one's bridges
- brænde alle broer bag sigburn one's bridges
- bryde alle broer bag sigburn one's bridges
Dutch je schepen achter je verbranden
- je schepen achter je verbrandenburn one's bridges
Finnish polttaa siltansa
- polttaa siltansaburn one's bridges
French faire sauter les ponts, couper les ponts
- faire sauter les pontsburn one's bridges
- couper les pontsburn one's bridges
- brûler les pontsburn one's bridges
- brûler ses vaisseauxburn one's bridges
German alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen
- alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechenburn one's bridges
Icelandic brenna allar brýr að baki sér, brjóta allar brýr að baki sér
- brenna allar brýr að baki sérburn one's bridges
- brjóta allar brýr að baki sérburn one's bridges
Italian bruciarsi i ponti alle spalle, il dado è tratto
- bruciarsi i ponti alle spalleburn one's bridges
- il dado è trattoburn one's bridges
- passare il Rubiconeburn one's bridges
Japanese 関係を絶つ, 縁を切る
- 関係を絶つ (kankei o tatsu)burn one's bridges
- 縁を切る (en o kiru)burn one's bridges
- 退路を断つ (tairo o tatsu)burn one's bridges
- 背水の陣 (haisui no jin)burn one's bridges
Norwegian Bokmål bryte alle broer, bryte alle bruer
- bryte alle broerburn one's bridges
- bryte alle bruerburn one's bridges
Polish palić za sobą mosty
- palić za sobą mostyburn one's bridges
Portuguese queimar as pontes
- queimar as pontesburn one's bridges
Russian сжига́ть все мосты́, рва́ть все свя́зи
- сжига́ть все мосты́burn one's bridges
- рва́ть все свя́зи (rvátʹ vse svjázi)burn one's bridges
Spanish quemar los puentes, quemar las naves
- quemar los puentesburn one's bridges
- quemar las navesburn one's bridges
Swedish bränna sina broar, riva alla broar
- bränna sina broarburn one's bridges
- riva alla broarburn one's bridges
- bränna sina skeppburn one's bridges
- bränna alla broarburn one's bridges
Cite this entry
burn one's bridges. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20bridges
“burn one's bridges.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20bridges. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “burn one's bridges,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20bridges.
Source: burn one's bridges on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.