Meaning & use
cross the Rubicon
Last updated
To take a decisive, irreversible action that commits one to a particular course.
See it in a sentence
Signing the contract meant she had crossed the Rubicon; there was no going back.
Once troops entered the neighboring country, the general had crossed the Rubicon.
A note on using this word
The phrase alludes to Julius Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BCE, an act of war against Rome that made retreat impossible.
Words with a similar meaning
pass the point of no return
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