Idioms

water under the bridge | water over the dam

This page is about the idiom water under the bridge | water over the dam

Meaning

You can say a problem or an experience is water under the bridge, or water over the dam, if it happened in the past and it no longer affects the present to a degree that is worth worrying about.

For example

  • I wish people would stop talking about my problems with the law. It all happened a long time ago and it's water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned.

  • Rhonda says her marriage to Mark is water over the dam and it's time to move on with her life.

Quick Quiz

Sam says some things are water under the bridge and he doesn't want to talk about them, such as

a. what happened in his childhood

b. what he's doing these days

c. his plans for the future
a) what happened in his childhood b) what he's doing these days c) his plans for the future
water under the bridge | water over the dam

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Common English Idioms

Contributor: Matt Errey