Meaning & use
burned bridges
Last updated
“burned bridges” is a form of “burn bridges”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
Destroyed your relationships or chances with people, so you can no longer go back or ask for help.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase (usually "burn bridges") or as a noun phrase ("burned bridges") after verbs like have or leave.
Patterns
- burn bridges with someone
- have burned bridges
- leave burned bridges behind
He burned bridges with his old boss and now needs a reference.
Quitting that way left her with burned bridges all over the industry.
Don't burn bridges — you may work with these people again.
phraseidiomfigurative
A situation in which past actions have made returning to an earlier job, place, or relationship impossible.
Grammar: Often appears in the fixed phrase "burned bridges behind you," meaning no way back.
Patterns
- burned bridges behind you
- too many burned bridges
After the argument, there were burned bridges on both sides.
She moved abroad with burned bridges behind her.
Word forms
| base form | burn bridges |
|---|---|
| third person singular | burns bridges |
| present participle | burning bridges |
| past tense | burned bridges |
| British past tense | burnt bridges |
Common combinations
- burn bridges with someone
- Try not to burn bridges with your colleagues.
- burn your bridges behind you
- He burned his bridges behind him when he left the company.
- leave burned bridges
- The manager left burned bridges after the failed project.
- have burned bridges
- I have burned bridges in that office, so I can't go back.
- rebuild burned bridges
- It took years to rebuild the burned bridges between the two families.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cut ties
- Cutting ties means ending a connection; burning bridges adds the idea that you cannot return.
- alienate people
- This focuses on making people unfriendly toward you, not on losing your own way back.
Opposites
Word family
- bridge-burning adjective
- describing an action that permanently damages relationships
Commonly confused: burned bridges or burned out?
burned bridges vs burned out
"Burned out" means exhausted from overwork; "burned bridges" is about ruined relationships.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means damaging relationships, as in losing a reference. The other options use "bridges" literally or with the wrong meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “burned bridges”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.