"cross that bridge when one comes to it" meaning in English

See cross that bridge when one comes to it in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-cross that bridge when one comes to it.ogg Forms: crosses that bridge when one comes to it [present, singular, third-person], crossing that bridge when one comes to it [participle, present], crossed that bridge when one came to it [participle, past], crossed that bridge when one came to it [past]
Etymology: A metaphor for an idea being like a train of thought and the problem being like the bridge. Head templates: {{en-verb|cross<> that bridge when one comes<comes,comes,came> to it}} cross that bridge when one comes to it (third-person singular simple present crosses that bridge when one comes to it, present participle crossing that bridge when one comes to it, simple past and past participle crossed that bridge when one came to it)
  1. (idiomatic) To deal with a problem or situation only if and when it arises. Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: cross that bridge when one gets there, cross that bridge when one gets to it Derived forms: burn that bridge when one comes to it Related terms: take something as it comes Translations (deal with something only when it arises): 船到橋頭自然直 (Chinese Cantonese), 船到桥头自然直 (syun⁴ dou³ kiu⁴ tau⁴ zi⁶ jin⁴ zik⁶) (Chinese Cantonese), 船到橋頭自然直 (Chinese Mandarin), 船到桥头自然直 (chuán dào qiáotóu zì rán zhí) (Chinese Mandarin), ratkaistaan se ongelma vasta sitten, kun se tulee eteen (Finnish), voir le moment venu (French), kommt Zeit, kommt Rat (German), alles zu seiner Zeit (German), כְּשֶׁנַּגִּיעַ לַגֶּשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר אוֹתוֹ (kshenagí'a lagésher na'avór otó) (Hebrew), (majd) akkor kelünk át a folyón/hídon, amikor odaérünk (Hungarian), nie martwić się na zapas (Polish), den dagen, den sorgen (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "cross a bridge before one comes to it"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A metaphor for an idea being like a train of thought and the problem being like the bridge.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "crosses that bridge when one comes to it",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "crossing that bridge when one comes to it",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "crossed that bridge when one came to it",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "crossed that bridge when one came to it",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "cross<> that bridge when one comes<comes,comes,came> to it"
      },
      "expansion": "cross that bridge when one comes to it (third-person singular simple present crosses that bridge when one comes to it, present participle crossing that bridge when one comes to it, simple past and past participle crossed that bridge when one came to it)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with placeholder \"it\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "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": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Cantonese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hebrew translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "burn that bridge when one comes to it"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "It's possible we'll eventually have more books than available space for them, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To deal with a problem or situation only if and when it arises."
      ],
      "id": "en-cross_that_bridge_when_one_comes_to_it-en-verb-L2udk2pV",
      "links": [
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
        [
          "arises",
          "arises"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To deal with a problem or situation only if and when it arises."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "take something as it comes"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "cross that bridge when one gets there"
        },
        {
          "word": "cross that bridge when one gets to it"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "船到橋頭自然直"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "syun⁴ dou³ kiu⁴ tau⁴ zi⁶ jin⁴ zik⁶",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "船到桥头自然直"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "船到橋頭自然直"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "chuán dào qiáotóu zì rán zhí",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "船到桥头自然直"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "ratkaistaan se ongelma vasta sitten, kun se tulee eteen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "voir le moment venu"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "kommt Zeit, kommt Rat"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "alles zu seiner Zeit"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "kshenagí'a lagésher na'avór otó",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "כְּשֶׁנַּגִּיעַ לַגֶּשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר אוֹתוֹ"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "(majd) akkor kelünk át a folyón/hídon, amikor odaérünk"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "nie martwić się na zapas"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
          "word": "den dagen, den sorgen"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-cross that bridge when one comes to it.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/05/En-au-cross_that_bridge_when_one_comes_to_it.ogg/En-au-cross_that_bridge_when_one_comes_to_it.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/En-au-cross_that_bridge_when_one_comes_to_it.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cross that bridge when one comes to it"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "cross a bridge before one comes to it"
    }
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "burn that bridge when one comes to it"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A metaphor for an idea being like a train of thought and the problem being like the bridge.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "crosses that bridge when one comes to it",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "crossing that bridge when one comes to it",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "crossed that bridge when one came to it",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "crossed that bridge when one came to it",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "cross<> that bridge when one comes<comes,comes,came> to it"
      },
      "expansion": "cross that bridge when one comes to it (third-person singular simple present crosses that bridge when one comes to it, present participle crossing that bridge when one comes to it, simple past and past participle crossed that bridge when one came to it)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "take something as it comes"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with placeholder \"it\"",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Cantonese translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Hebrew translations",
        "Terms with Hungarian translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Swedish translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "It's possible we'll eventually have more books than available space for them, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To deal with a problem or situation only if and when it arises."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
        [
          "arises",
          "arises"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To deal with a problem or situation only if and when it arises."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-cross that bridge when one comes to it.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/05/En-au-cross_that_bridge_when_one_comes_to_it.ogg/En-au-cross_that_bridge_when_one_comes_to_it.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/En-au-cross_that_bridge_when_one_comes_to_it.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "cross that bridge when one gets there"
    },
    {
      "word": "cross that bridge when one gets to it"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "船到橋頭自然直"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "syun⁴ dou³ kiu⁴ tau⁴ zi⁶ jin⁴ zik⁶",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "船到桥头自然直"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "船到橋頭自然直"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "chuán dào qiáotóu zì rán zhí",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "船到桥头自然直"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "ratkaistaan se ongelma vasta sitten, kun se tulee eteen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "voir le moment venu"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "kommt Zeit, kommt Rat"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "alles zu seiner Zeit"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "kshenagí'a lagésher na'avór otó",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "כְּשֶׁנַּגִּיעַ לַגֶּשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר אוֹתוֹ"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "(majd) akkor kelünk át a folyón/hídon, amikor odaérünk"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "nie martwić się na zapas"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "deal with something only when it arises",
      "word": "den dagen, den sorgen"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cross that bridge when one comes to it"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). 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.

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