Word.ws English Dictionary

burning that bridge when one comes to it

burning that bridge when one comes to it is the present participle and gerund of burn that bridge when one comes to it.

Meaning of burn that bridge when one comes to it

Verb

burn that bridge when one comes to it (third-person singular simple present burns that bridge when one comes to it, present participle burning that bridge when one comes to it, simple past and past participle burned that bridge when one came to it or burnt that bridge when one came to it)

  1. (idiomatic) To anticipate dealing with a problem or situation either by acting in a manner that alienates or cuts ties with others, or merely with the expectation of encountering trouble.
    • That takes care of Kay. As for the man, I'll burn that bridge when I come to it.1941, Frank Leslie eds. et al., The American Magazine, volume 132, page 44

Questions about burning that bridge when one comes to it

What is burning that bridge when one comes to it the present participle and gerund of?
Burning that bridge when one comes to it is the present participle and gerund of burn that bridge when one comes to it.

Words near burning that bridge when one comes to it in the dictionary

  1. burning questions
  2. burning rubber
  3. burning someone at the stake
  4. burning someone's ass
  5. burning someone's ears
  6. burning that bridge when one comes to it
  7. burning the candle at both ends
  8. burning the coal
  9. burning the midnight oil
  10. burning the roof
  11. burning the water

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: burning that bridge when one comes to it (page history and authors); burn that bridge when one comes to it (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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