Meanings
present singular third person puts the genie back in the bottle · participle present putting the genie back in the bottle
- idiomaticTo revert a situation; to put things back as they were before something (usually an unwelcome thing) became a reality.
Near-synonym: unring a bell
1 more example
People are very worried about artificial intelligence, but there's no way now to put the genie back in the bottle.
Synonyms: put the cork back in the bottle, put the toothpaste back in the tube, unring a bell
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo revert a situation; to put things back as they were before something (usually an unwelcome thing) became a reality.
Cite this entry
put the genie back in the bottle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20the%20genie%20back%20in%20the%20bottle
“put the genie back in the bottle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20the%20genie%20back%20in%20the%20bottle. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put the genie back in the bottle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20the%20genie%20back%20in%20the%20bottle.
Source: put the genie back in the bottle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.