See burn one's bridges in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for burn one's bridges meaning in English (8.0kB)
{
"etymology_text": "Originally in 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”.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "burns one's bridges",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "burning one's bridges",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "burned one's bridges",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "burned one's bridges",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "burnt one's bridges",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "burnt one's bridges",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*",
"past2": "burnt one's bridges"
},
"expansion": "burn one's bridges (third-person singular simple present burns one's bridges, present participle burning one's bridges, simple past and past participle burned one's bridges or burnt one's bridges)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English predicates",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
"parents": [
"Terms with redundant transliterations",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "burn that bridge when one comes to it"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Even if you are dismissed from a job in the worst way, take care not to burn your bridges with unseemly comments on the way out, since you never know who you will meet again.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally."
],
"id": "en-burn_one's_bridges-en-verb-br8gN-jH",
"links": [
[
"destroy",
"destroy"
],
[
"path",
"path"
],
[
"connections",
"connections"
],
[
"reputation",
"reputation"
],
[
"opportunities",
"opportunities"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally."
],
"related": [
{
"word": "build bridges"
},
{
"word": "burn one's boats"
},
{
"word": "point of no return"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "cross the Rubicon"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "ḥaraqa s-sufun",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "حَرَقَ اَلسُّفُن"
},
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "qaṭaʕa l-jusūr",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "قَطَعَ اَلْجُسُور"
},
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "qaṭaʕa kull ʕalāqāt",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "قَطَعَ كُلّ عَلَاقَات"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "過河拆橋"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"english": "cross the river, tear down the bridge",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "guò hé chāi qiáo",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "过河拆桥"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"english": "smash the (cooking) pots and sink the boats",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "pòfǔchénzhōu",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "破釜沉舟"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to burn all bridges",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brænde alle broer"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to break all bridges",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryde alle broer"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to burn all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brænde alle broer bag sig"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to break all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryde alle broer bag sig"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "je schepen achter je verbranden"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "polttaa siltansa"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "faire sauter les ponts"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "couper les ponts"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brûler les ponts"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brûler ses vaisseaux"
},
{
"code": "de",
"english": "burn all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen"
},
{
"code": "is",
"english": "burn all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brenna allar brýr að baki sér"
},
{
"code": "is",
"english": "break all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brjóta allar brýr að baki sér"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bruciarsi i ponti alle spalle"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "il dado è tratto"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "passare il Rubicone"
},
{
"alt": "かんけいをたつ",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "kankei o tatsu",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "関係を絶つ"
},
{
"alt": "えんをきる",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "en o kiru",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "縁を切る"
},
{
"alt": "たいろをたつ",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "tairo o tatsu",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "退路を断つ"
},
{
"alt": "はいすいのじん",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "haisui no jin",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "背水の陣"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryte alle broer"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryte alle bruer"
},
{
"code": "nn",
"lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryte alle bruer"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "palić za sobą mosty"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "queimar as pontes"
},
{
"alt": "за собо́й",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "сжига́ть все мосты́"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "rvátʹ vse svjázi",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "рва́ть все свя́зи"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "quemar los puentes"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "quemar las naves"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bränna sina broar"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "riva alla broar"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bränna sina skepp"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bränna alla broar"
},
{
"code": "uz",
"lang": "Uzbek",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "muloqotni buzmoq"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-burn one's bridges.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/52/En-au-burn_one%27s_bridges.ogg/En-au-burn_one%27s_bridges.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/En-au-burn_one%27s_bridges.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "burn one's bridges"
}
{
"derived": [
{
"word": "burn that bridge when one comes to it"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Originally in 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”.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "burns one's bridges",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "burning one's bridges",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "burned one's bridges",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "burned one's bridges",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "burnt one's bridges",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "burnt one's bridges",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*",
"past2": "burnt one's bridges"
},
"expansion": "burn one's bridges (third-person singular simple present burns one's bridges, present participle burning one's bridges, simple past and past participle burned one's bridges or burnt one's bridges)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "build bridges"
},
{
"word": "burn one's boats"
},
{
"word": "point of no return"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English idioms",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English predicates",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English verbs",
"Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
"Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Even if you are dismissed from a job in the worst way, take care not to burn your bridges with unseemly comments on the way out, since you never know who you will meet again.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally."
],
"links": [
[
"destroy",
"destroy"
],
[
"path",
"path"
],
[
"connections",
"connections"
],
[
"reputation",
"reputation"
],
[
"opportunities",
"opportunities"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "cross the Rubicon"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-burn one's bridges.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/52/En-au-burn_one%27s_bridges.ogg/En-au-burn_one%27s_bridges.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/En-au-burn_one%27s_bridges.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "ḥaraqa s-sufun",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "حَرَقَ اَلسُّفُن"
},
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "qaṭaʕa l-jusūr",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "قَطَعَ اَلْجُسُور"
},
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "qaṭaʕa kull ʕalāqāt",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "قَطَعَ كُلّ عَلَاقَات"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "過河拆橋"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"english": "cross the river, tear down the bridge",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "guò hé chāi qiáo",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "过河拆桥"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"english": "smash the (cooking) pots and sink the boats",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "pòfǔchénzhōu",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "破釜沉舟"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to burn all bridges",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brænde alle broer"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to break all bridges",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryde alle broer"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to burn all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brænde alle broer bag sig"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "to break all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryde alle broer bag sig"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "je schepen achter je verbranden"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "polttaa siltansa"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "faire sauter les ponts"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "couper les ponts"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brûler les ponts"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brûler ses vaisseaux"
},
{
"code": "de",
"english": "burn all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen"
},
{
"code": "is",
"english": "burn all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brenna allar brýr að baki sér"
},
{
"code": "is",
"english": "break all bridges behind oneself",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "brjóta allar brýr að baki sér"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bruciarsi i ponti alle spalle"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "il dado è tratto"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "passare il Rubicone"
},
{
"alt": "かんけいをたつ",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "kankei o tatsu",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "関係を絶つ"
},
{
"alt": "えんをきる",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "en o kiru",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "縁を切る"
},
{
"alt": "たいろをたつ",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "tairo o tatsu",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "退路を断つ"
},
{
"alt": "はいすいのじん",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "haisui no jin",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "背水の陣"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryte alle broer"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryte alle bruer"
},
{
"code": "nn",
"lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bryte alle bruer"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "palić za sobą mosty"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "queimar as pontes"
},
{
"alt": "за собо́й",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "сжига́ть все мосты́"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "rvátʹ vse svjázi",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "рва́ть все свя́зи"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "quemar los puentes"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "quemar las naves"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bränna sina broar"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "riva alla broar"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bränna sina skepp"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "bränna alla broar"
},
{
"code": "uz",
"lang": "Uzbek",
"sense": "burn one's bridges",
"word": "muloqotni buzmoq"
}
],
"word": "burn one's bridges"
}
{
"called_from": "form_descriptions/2028",
"msg": "more than one value in \"alt\": sžigátʹ (za sobój) vse mostý vs. за собо́й",
"path": [
"burn one's bridges"
],
"section": "English",
"subsection": "verb",
"title": "burn one's bridges",
"trace": ""
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.