water over the dam

noun

An event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.

Similar
water under the bridge
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Meanings

nounwater over the dam (uncountable)
  1. idiomaticuncountableAn event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.

    'Anybody could have fallen for that note. Anyway, it's all water over the dam,' he added cheerfully.

    1953, Ian Fleming, “Vesper”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 154
    1 more example

    I have two other philosophies. One is: Do the best you can with what you have. The other is: Don't worry about water over the dam.

    1942 December 7, “One Year of War”, in Time

    Synonyms: water under the bridge

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.

Similar
water under the bridge
Also see
water under the bridge
Cite this entry
APA

water over the dam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20over%20the%20dam

MLA

“water over the dam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20over%20the%20dam. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “water over the dam,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20over%20the%20dam.

Source: water over the dam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.