How do you say “Burn your bridges” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen, which literally means “to tear down all bridges behind oneself”. English speakers use burn your bridges to mean to destroy a relationship or opportunity so thoroughly that you cannot return to it. German uses 'abbrechen' (to tear down or dismantle) rather than 'verbrennen' (to burn). It is an established, completely natural idiom shared across all registers. It is neutral, informal and common in everyday German.
Closest natural German
alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen
[ˈalə ˈbʁʏkn̩ ˈhɪntɐ zɪç ˈapˌbʁɛçn̩]
- Literal meaning
- “to tear down all bridges behind oneself”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
98 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
The German expression 'alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen' is the exact conceptual equivalent of 'to burn your bridges'. Both idioms stem from ancient military strategy, where an advancing or retreating army would destroy a river crossing to prevent retreat and compel soldiers to fight forward. While English emphasizes fire ('burn'), German emphasizes physical dismantling or demolition ('abbrechen').
In practical usage, the German idiom covers the exact same semantic territory: cutting off ties with an employer, an ex-partner, or a former network so decisively that a return is impossible. It is widely used in both professional conversations and casual speech without sounding overly dramatic or archaic.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
alle Zelte abbrechen
Literally: “to strike all tents”
Refers specifically to permanently leaving a place, career, or former life behind to start fresh elsewhere.
sich jeden Rückweg verbauen
Literally: “to block every way back for oneself”
Focuses on making retreat impossible, often through careless or impulsive decisions.
Don't translate it literally
seine Brücken verbrennen
This is a direct word-for-word calque of the English idiom. While understood, native speakers almost universally say 'abbrechen'.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in German, not as expressions.
In context
English
Be polite during your exit interview; there's no reason to burn your bridges.
German
Sei beim Abschlussgespräch höflich; es gibt keinen Grund, alle Brücken hinter dir abzubrechen.
English
By insulting his former business partners, he completely burned his bridges in the industry.
German
Indem er seine ehemaligen Geschäftspartner beleidigte, hat er alle Brücken hinter sich in der Branche abgebrochen.
Related expressions
- What “Burn your bridges” means in English
- Water under the bridge, A past problem that no longer matters.
- Call it a day, To stop for the day, or stop altogether.
Last reviewed 2026-09-11