putting the toothpaste back in the tube

A form of put the toothpaste back in the tube — To revert a situation; to put things back as they were before something (usually an unwelcome thing) became a reality.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of put the toothpaste back in the tube
Cite this entry
APA

putting the toothpaste back in the tube. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/putting%20the%20toothpaste%20back%20in%20the%20tube

MLA

“putting the toothpaste back in the tube.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/putting%20the%20toothpaste%20back%20in%20the%20tube. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “putting the toothpaste back in the tube,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/putting%20the%20toothpaste%20back%20in%20the%20tube.

Source: putting the toothpaste back in the tube on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.