Idioms are fun phrases that mean something different from the literal words you say. People use them every day to make talking and writing much more colorful and exciting. In this lesson, you will learn a wonderful collection of idioms related to letting go, moving on, and releasing past worries.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms for letting go that mean leaving the past behind, dropping worries, and moving forward. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Letting Go
1. Let it go
Meaning: This idiom means stopping yourself from worrying about or holding onto a past issue.
For Example: We had a tiny disagreement about the game rules, but decided to let it go. / Forgive the minor mistake and just let it go.
Other Ways to Say: Move on / Stop caring
2. Water under the bridge
Meaning: This idiom means past problems or disagreements that are finished and no longer matter.
For Example: Arguing over who got the toy yesterday is water under the bridge now. / Let’s forget our minor disagreement because it is water under the bridge.
Other Ways to Say: Past history / Forgotten trouble
3. Turn the page
Meaning: This idiom means starting a fresh new chapter and moving forward in life.
For Example: After finishing the difficult school year, she was ready to turn the page and enjoy summer. / It is time to turn the page and try a brand new hobby.
Other Ways to Say: Move forward / Start fresh
4. Wipe the slate clean
Meaning: This idiom means forgetting past mistakes and starting over with a completely fresh record.
For Example: Apologizing to your sibling helps everyone wipe the slate clean at home. / Turning in all missing homework let him wipe the slate clean.
Other Ways to Say: Start over / Fresh beginning
5. Bury the hatchet
Meaning: This idiom means stopping an argument and making peace with someone.
For Example: After their silly disagreement, the two friends decided to bury the hatchet and share snacks. / It is always better to bury the hatchet than stay mad.
Other Ways to Say: Make peace / End a fight
6. Move on
Meaning: This idiom means leaving a past situation behind to focus on the future.
For Example: Losing the game was sad, but the team knew they had to move on to next week. / Dry your tears and move on to fun activities.
Other Ways to Say: Progress / Advance
7. Drop the subject
Meaning: This idiom means stopping a conversation about something that causes worry or argument.
For Example: When mom asked about the broken vase, he begged her to drop the subject. / Let’s drop the subject and talk about our favorite books instead.
Other Ways to Say: Stop talking about it / End the discussion
8. Wash your hands of
Meaning: This idiom means ending your involvement with a troublesome situation or problem.
For Example: After trying to organize the messy closet twice, I decided to wash my hands of it. / He chose to wash his hands of the complicated club dispute.
Other Ways to Say: Walk away / Quit involvement
9. Kiss and make up
Meaning: This idiom means forgiving each other after an argument and becoming friends again.
For Example: The siblings hugged, kissed and made up after fighting over crayons. / It’s best to apologize, kiss and make up quickly.
Other Ways to Say: Forgive and forget / Reconcile
10. Clear the air
Meaning: This idiom means having an honest conversation to remove tension and past misunderstandings.
For Example: Having a friendly chat helped clear the air after our initial awkward argument. / Talking honestly helps clear the air.
Other Ways to Say: Remove tension / Talk openly
11. Bite the bullet
Meaning: This idiom means accepting an unavoidable, difficult task or reality and moving forward.
For Example: Cleaning his messy bedroom wasn’t fun, but he had to bite the bullet and start. / She bit the bullet and apologized for her mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Face reality / Accept difficulty
12. Cross that bridge when you come to it
Meaning: This idiom means not worrying about a future problem until it actually happens.
For Example: Don’t stress about next week’s test right now; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. / Worrying early is useless; let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.
Other Ways to Say: Deal with things later / Wait and see
13. Let bygones be bygones
Meaning: This idiom means forgiving past mistakes and deciding not to hold grudges.
For Example: Let bygones be bygones and start playing soccer together again. / Forgiving your friends means letting bygones be bygones.
Other Ways to Say: Forgive past faults / Forget old arguments
14. Clear the slate
Meaning: This idiom means wiping away past errors to start a task or relationship anew.
For Example: The teacher gave everyone a chance to clear the slate for the new semester. / Apologizing helps clear the slate between friends.
Other Ways to Say: Start over / Fresh slate
15. Shed past worries
Meaning: This idiom means dropping old anxieties and feeling light and free.
For Example: Walking outside in the sunshine helped her shed past worries. / Vacation time lets you shed past worries easily.
Other Ways to Say: Release anxiety / Drop stress
16. Put behind you
Meaning: This idiom means forgetting a past trouble and refusing to let it bother you.
For Example: Put the bad test grade behind you and focus on studying for the next quiz. / He managed to put the argument behind him.
Other Ways to Say: Forget past issues / Leave behind
17. Shake it off
Meaning: This idiom means ignoring a minor setback or hurt feeling and continuing forward.
For Example: Falling off the skateboard hurts, but you just have to shake it off and try again. / Shake off the bad mood and enjoy recess.
Other Ways to Say: Recover quickly / Ignore setback
18. Brush it off
Meaning: This idiom means treating a worry or minor insult as unimportant and letting it go.
For Example: He knew the comment was silly, so he decided to brush it off. / Tripping over a shoelace is funny, just brush it off.
Other Ways to Say: Ignore / Dismiss easily
19. Cast aside
Meaning: This idiom means throwing away or letting go of something you no longer need.
For Example: He decided to cast aside his old toys to make room for books. / Cast aside doubts and try your best.
Other Ways to Say: Discard / Release
20. Free yourself
Meaning: This idiom means releasing yourself from the burden of anger or past worries.
For Example: Forgiving someone helps free yourself from anger. / Letting go of grudges helps free yourself.
Other Ways to Say: Release burden / Unburden
21. Throw caution to the wind
Meaning: This idiom means letting go of fear and taking a brave new chance.
For Example: She decided to throw caution to the wind and try out for the school play. / Throw caution to the wind and audition for the talent show.
Other Ways to Say: Take a risk / Be brave
22. Drop it
Meaning: This idiom means stopping an argument or conversation immediately.
For Example: When mom said no, she realized she had to drop it and walk away. / Let’s drop it and play a board game instead.
Other Ways to Say: Stop arguing / End it
23. Cast away
Meaning: This idiom means getting rid of unwanted items or negative thoughts.
For Example: Cast away your fears and jump into the swimming pool. / The sailors had to cast away damaged supplies.
Other Ways to Say: Throw away / Discard
24. Leave well enough alone
Meaning: This idiom means stopping interference with a situation that is already fine.
For Example: The puzzle looks great, so let’s leave well enough alone and not change pieces. / Stop trying to fix what isn’t broken and leave well enough alone.
Other Ways to Say: Stop interfering / Keep it as is
25. Put to bed
Meaning: This idiom means finishing a difficult project or settling an old argument permanently.
For Example: We finally managed to put to bed the debate about the club rules. / Let’s put this argument to bed and eat snacks.
Other Ways to Say: Finish / Settle finally
26. Break ties
Meaning: This idiom means ending a relationship or connection with someone or something.
For Example: He decided to break ties with his old video game habit to study more. / Breaking ties with negative habits improves your mood.
Other Ways to Say: Cut connection / End relationship
27. Walk away
Meaning: This idiom means leaving a frustrating argument or place instead of staying angry.
For Example: When the game got too heated, it was smart to walk away and cool down. / Sometimes the best choice is to walk away from drama.
Other Ways to Say: Leave / Depart
28. Cut your losses
Meaning: This idiom means stopping an activity that is failing so you don’t lose more.
For Example: When the puzzle proved too broken to fix, we decided to cut our losses and start a new one. / It’s wise to cut your losses and try a different game.
Other Ways to Say: Stop failing effort / Quit early
29. Turn over a new leaf
Meaning: This idiom means starting fresh with better habits and leaving bad ones behind.
For Example: After missing homework, he promised to turn over a new leaf this semester. / Turning over a new leaf helps you study better.
Other Ways to Say: Start fresh / Change habits
30. Clean slate start
Meaning: This idiom means beginning again with zero past mistakes weighing you down.
For Example: Apologizing gives everyone a clean slate start at home. / A clean slate start makes school much more enjoyable.
Other Ways to Say: Fresh beginning / New start
31. Breathe a sigh of relief
Meaning: This idiom means feeling relaxed after letting go of a huge worry.
For Example: Hearing that the test was postponed made us all breathe a sigh of relief. / Completing chores lets you breathe a sigh of relief.
Other Ways to Say: Feel relieved / Relax
32. Weight off your shoulders
Meaning: This idiom means feeling much better after finally telling the truth or resolving a worry.
For Example: Confessing the mistake felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. / Finishing homework removes a heavy weight off your shoulders.
Other Ways to Say: Relief / Burden lifted
33. Clear your mind
Meaning: This idiom means letting go of stressful thoughts to feel calm.
For Example: Taking a walk in the park helps clear your mind before studying. / Close your eyes and clear your mind.
Other Ways to Say: Relax thoughts / Empty brain
34. Off your chest
Meaning: This idiom means sharing a secret or worry so you don’t have to hold it in anymore.
For Example: Telling mom what happened got the secret off my chest. / Sharing your worries gets them off your chest.
Other Ways to Say: Confess / Share burden
35. Unburden
Meaning: This idiom means releasing emotional weight or worries by talking about them.
For Example: Talking to a trusted friend helps unburden your mind. / Writing in a journal helps unburden your feelings.
Other Ways to Say: Relieve / Free from worry
36. Let off steam
Meaning: This idiom means releasing pent-up anger or energy through play or exercise.
For Example: Playing soccer after school is a great way to let off steam. / Running around the yard helps children let off steam.
Other Ways to Say: Release energy / Vent
37. Cast off
Meaning: This idiom means releasing ropes on a boat, or letting go of bad habits.
For Example: The sailors shouted hooray as they prepared to cast off into the lake. / Cast off negative thoughts and smile.
Other Ways to Say: Release / Let go
38. Untie the knot
Meaning: This idiom means solving a complicated problem or releasing a difficult situation.
For Example: Working together helped us untie the knot of confusing rules. / Taking deep breaths helps untie the knot of stress.
Other Ways to Say: Solve trouble / Unravel complexity
39. Free as a bird
Meaning: This idiom describes feeling completely relaxed and free from responsibilities.
For Example: Finishing the final exam left her feeling as free as a bird for summer. / Weekend mornings make you feel as free as a bird.
Other Ways to Say: Completely free / Unburdened
40. Lift a burden
Meaning: This idiom means helping someone let go of their worries or heavy tasks.
For Example: Helping carry the groceries helped lift a burden from dad’s arms. / Kind friends help lift a burden during tough times.
Other Ways to Say: Remove worry / Help out
41. Put it behind you
Meaning: This idiom means forgetting a past mistake and refusing to look back.
For Example: Drop the past error and put it behind you for good. / He put the soccer loss behind him and trained harder.
Other Ways to Say: Forget past / Leave behind
42. Drop the matter
Meaning: This idiom means deciding to stop talking about or investigating a topic.
For Example: When the missing marker was found under the desk, we decided to drop the matter. / Let’s drop the matter and play outside.
Other Ways to Say: Stop discussing / End issue
43. Cut the cord
Meaning: This idiom means becoming independent and letting go of constant reliance on others.
For Example: Learning to tie your own shoes means you are ready to cut the cord on help. / Growing up means cutting the cord on old habits.
Other Ways to Say: Become independent / Release reliance
44. Set free
Meaning: This idiom means releasing an animal, object, or bad thought from restraint.
For Example: We opened the jar and set the butterfly free into the garden. / Set free your worries and enjoy the game.
Other Ways to Say: Release / Let go
45. Give up the ghost
Meaning: This idiom can mean a machine stopping working, or giving up on a lost cause.
For Example: The old bicycle tire finally gave up the ghost during our ride. / When the puzzle proved impossible, we let it go and gave up the ghost.
Other Ways to Say: Stop trying / Quit
46. Kiss goodbye to
Meaning: This idiom means accepting that you have lost something or letting it go forever.
For Example: Leaving my favorite hat on the bus meant I had to kiss goodbye to it. / Kiss goodbye to bad habits and start fresh.
Other Ways to Say: Say farewell / Abandon hope
47. Wipe clean
Meaning: This idiom means erasing past marks, mistakes, or memories entirely.
For Example: The rain helped wipe clean the dusty playground slide. / We wiped clean the chalkboard for the next lesson.
Other Ways to Say: Erase / Clean thoroughly
48. Let slip
Meaning: This idiom means letting go of a secret accidentally, or letting an opportunity pass.
For Example: Be careful not to let slip the birthday party secret. / Don’t let slip this wonderful chance to join the club.
Other Ways to Say: Reveal accidentally / Miss chance
49. Let go of the past
Meaning: This idiom means stopping yourself from dwelling on old memories or mistakes.
For Example: True peace comes when you learn to let go of the past. / Stop worrying about yesterday and let go of the past.
Other Ways to Say: Forget old times / Move forward
50. Turn your back on
Meaning: This idiom means walking away from a bad habit, place, or situation.
For Example: He decided to turn his back on video games during school nights. / Turning your back on bad choices makes you wiser.
Other Ways to Say: Abandon / Walk away from
51. Ease up
Meaning: This idiom means relaxing your strictness or letting go of intense pressure.
For Example: The teacher told us to ease up on studying and take a recess break. / Ease up on yourself when you make a tiny mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Relax / Slow down
52. Lighten up
Meaning: This idiom means stopping yourself from being too serious and letting go of stress.
For Example: Lighten up and enjoy the funny movie with us. / Don’t worry so much; just lighten up.
Other Ways to Say: Relax / Stop worrying
53. Unwind
Meaning: This idiom means relaxing and letting go of tension after a busy day.
For Example: Listening to quiet music helps me unwind after a long school day. / Reading a book is a great way to unwind.
Other Ways to Say: Relax / De-stress
54. Chill out
Meaning: This idiom means calming down and letting go of nervous energy or anger.
For Example: Take a deep breath and chill out after running the race. / Sit on the porch and chill out for a while.
Other Ways to Say: Calm down / Relax
55. Breathe easy
Meaning: This idiom means feeling safe and relaxed after a worry has ended.
For Example: Once the big presentation was over, we could finally breathe easy. / Passing the test let her breathe easy.
Other Ways to Say: Feel relieved / Relax
56. Shake off the dust
Meaning: This idiom means leaving a sluggish or unsuccessful moment behind to start fresh.
For Example: After losing the first round, the team shook off the dust and won the next. / Shake off the dust of laziness and start chores.
Other Ways to Say: Start fresh / Recover
57. Drop the baggage
Meaning: This idiom means letting go of emotional worries and past grudges.
For Example: Stop carrying old arguments and drop the baggage today. / Leaving school lets you drop the baggage of homework until tomorrow.
Other Ways to Say: Release stress / Drop worries
58. Move past
Meaning: This idiom means advancing beyond an obstacle or past mistake in life.
For Example: We need to move past this disagreement and work as a team. / Moving past mistakes helps you grow smarter.
Other Ways to Say: Progress beyond / Overcome
59. Say goodbye to
Meaning: This idiom means parting ways with someone or letting go of a habit.
For Example: It was time to say goodbye to summer vacation and hello to school. / Say goodbye to eating junk food every day.
Other Ways to Say: Farewell / Leave behind
60. Release control
Meaning: This idiom means stopping yourself from trying to control every tiny detail.
For Example: Sometimes you just have to release control and let teamwork happen naturally. / Learning to release control brings inner peace.
Other Ways to Say: Let go / Stop micromanaging
Exercise to Practice
- We had a tiny disagreement about the game rules, but decided to ________.
- Arguing over who got the toy yesterday is ________ now.
- After finishing the difficult school year, she was ready to ________ and enjoy summer.
- Apologizing to your sibling helps everyone ________ at home.
- After their silly disagreement, the two friends decided to ________ and share snacks.
- Losing the game was sad, but the team knew they had to ________.
- When mom asked about the broken vase, he begged her to ________.
- When the game got too heated, it was smart to ________ and cool down.
- After missing homework, he promised to ________ this semester.
- Hearing that the test was postponed made us all ________.
- Confessing the mistake felt like a huge ________.
- Taking a walk in the park helps ________ before studying.
- Telling mom what happened got the secret ________.
- Playing soccer after school is a great way to ________.
- Once the big presentation was over, we could finally ________.
Answer Key
- let it go
- water under the bridge
- turn the page
- wipe the slate clean
- bury the hatchet
- move on
- drop the subject
- walk away
- turn over a new leaf
- breathe a sigh of relief
- weight off your shoulders
- clear your mind
- off your chest
- let off steam
- breathe easy
Conclusion
Learning idioms for letting go makes expressing release and moving forward more meaningful. These expressions help you describe leaving worries, habits, or difficult situations behind in a clear and creative way. They can make stories and everyday conversations more relatable and engaging. Try using these phrases when chatting with friends or writing stories at school. With practice, you can make your language more natural, expressive, and enjoyable.
