Meaning & use
change the scenery
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To go somewhere different or alter your surroundings, usually to feel refreshed or less bored.
Grammar: Used as an intransitive phrase; it does not take an object.
After months of working from home, I needed to change the scenery, so I rented a cabin by the lake.
They decided to change the scenery and spend the weekend in the mountains instead of the city.
Sometimes just changing the scenery can help you think more clearly.
Common combinations
- need to change the scenery
- I need to change the scenery after staring at the same four walls all week.
- decide to change the scenery
- We decided to change the scenery and take a short trip.
- a change of scenery
- A change of scenery would do you good.
Synonyms and how they differ
- get away
- Focuses on escaping your usual environment, often for a holiday; 'change the scenery' is broader and can mean a temporary or permanent change.
- shake things up
- Means to make significant changes to a routine or situation, not necessarily physical surroundings.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: change the scenery or change the scene?
change the scenery vs change the scene
This is not a common fixed phrase; 'change the scenery' is the standard idiom.
Practice
After working in the same office for five years, Maria felt she needed to ___ and asked for a transfer to another city.
Choose one answer.
'Change the scenery' is the correct fixed phrase meaning to alter your surroundings for a fresh feeling. 'Change the scene' is not a standard idiom, and 'change scenery' or 'change a scenery' are grammatically incomplete or incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “change the scenery”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.