English-grammar-lessons.co.uk

menu

Water under the Bridge

What Does "Water under the Bridge" Mean?

homeidiomsWater under the Bridge
"Water under the bridge" is an English idiom. It means "past events, especially conflicts or mistakes, that are considered to be no longer important or worth discussing."

Examples in Sentences

Here are three examples of the idiom "water under the bridge" used in a sentence:
  • I know we had our differences, but that's all water under the bridge now.
  • He said that the old feud was water under the bridge and that it was time to move on.
  • We had our disagreements, but let's consider that water under the bridge and work together.
meaning for water under the bridge

What Is an Idiom?

An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. In other words, if you were to translate "Water under the Bridge" word for word, there is no guarantee the translation would help you to understand the meaning.

An idiom often includes a cultural or historical context that makes it difficult for non-native English speakers to understand. A phrase is classified as an idiom when a direct translation of the words does not reveal the meaning. Most idioms rely on shared knowledge or experiences known only to a specific community.

A Quick Test

You now know what "water under the bridge" means, but are you good at English idioms? Let's see!
gold cup
Gold

gold cup
Silver

gold cup
Bronze

  • This test has questions.
  • A correct answer is worth 5 points.
  • You can get up to 5 bonus points for a speedy answer.
  • Some questions demand more than one answer. You must get every part right.
  • Beware! Wrong answers score 0 points.
  • 🏆 If you beat one of the top 3 scores, you will be invited to apply for the Hall of Fame.
Scoring System

Guru (+)
Hero (+)
Captain (+)
Sergeant (+)
Recruit (+)
Help Us To Improve English Grammar Lessons
  • Do you disagree with something on this page?
  • Did you spot a typo?
Please tell us using this form.
Do you know your English idioms? idioms test

Take Our Test.

search icon

Search our idioms database. (We have 10,000+ idioms!)