Phrase guide

let bygones be bygones

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /lɛt ˈbaɪɡɒnz biː ˈbaɪɡɒnz/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /lɛt ˈbaɪˌɡɑnz bi ˈbaɪˌɡɑnz/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence (when dealing with another individual).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: forgive and forget

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From bygone (“event that happened in the past”).

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: fer creu i ratlla — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 既往不咎 (jì wǎng bù jiù) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 讓過去過去吧 /让过去过去吧 (ràng guòqù guòqu ba) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Czech: co bylo, bylo — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Dutch: geen oude koeien uit de sloot halen — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Dutch: zand erover — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Finnish: antaa menneiden olla menneitä — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Finnish: sitä tikulla silmään joka vanhoja muistelee — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • French: passer l'éponge — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • German: Schwamm drüber — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Greek: περασμένα ξεχασμένα (perasména xechasména) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Hungarian: ami elmúlt, elmúlt — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Hungarian: a múlt legyen a múlté — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Hungarian: ami volt, elmúlt — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Hungarian: ami történt, megtörtént — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Hungarian: borítsunk fátylat a múltra — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Hungarian: fátylat rá — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Hungarian: spongyát rá — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Icelandic: láta hið liðna vera gleymt — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Icelandic: strika yfir fortíðina — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Indonesian: masa lalu biarlah masa lalu — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Irish: an rud atá thart bíodh sé thart — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Italian: acqua passata non macina più — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Japanese: 過去のことは水に流せ (kako no koto wa mizu ni nagase) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Japanese: 既往は咎めず (kiō wa togamezu) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Korean: 과거를 묻지 마세요 (gwageoreul mutji maseyo) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Polish: puszczać w niepamięć — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Polish: puścić w niepamięć — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Portuguese: águas passadas não movem moinhos — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Russian: кто ста́рое помя́нет, тому́ глаз вон (kto stároje pomjánet, tomú glaz von) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Russian: что бы́ло, то прошло́ и быльём поросло́ (što býlo, to prošló i bylʹjóm porosló) — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Spanish: borrón y cuenta nueva — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Spanish: el pasado, pasado está — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Spanish: lo pasado, pisado — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Spanish: pelillos a la mar — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Spanish: agua pasada no mueve molino — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence
  • Welsh: peidiwn â dal dig — to disregard or ignore a past difficulty in a relationship or an offence