Meaning & use
spread your wings
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To start to do new, more independent things and try out your abilities, especially after a sheltered time.
Grammar: Your agrees with the subject: she spread her wings.
Patterns
- spread your wings and do something
- spread your wings in something
- spread your wings and fly
After graduating, she moved abroad to spread her wings.
The new role lets him spread his wings and lead a team.
Children need room to spread their wings.
Word forms
| third person singular | spreads your wings |
|---|---|
| past tense | spread your wings |
| -ing form | spreading your wings |
Common combinations
- ready to spread your wings
- You are ready to spread your wings.
- spread your wings and fly
- It is time to spread your wings and fly.
- chance to spread your wings
- The job gave her a chance to spread her wings.
- spread your wings abroad
- He spread his wings abroad for a year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- branch out
- Branch out suggests trying new areas of work or interest, while spread your wings stresses gaining freedom.
- leave the nest
- Leave the nest focuses on leaving the family home, whereas spread your wings is about growing independent skills.
- strike out on your own
- Strike out on your own means acting independently, with a note of risk.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: spread your wings or clip someone's wings?
spread your wings vs clip someone's wings
Clip someone's wings is the opposite idea, meaning to limit someone's freedom.
Practice
After years at home, Maya finally decided to ___ her wings and travel alone.
Choose one answer.
Spread your wings is the idiom for becoming independent. Clip would mean to limit freedom, and the others do not form the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spread your wings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.