Forgiveness is a powerful act that can heal relationships and bring peace. Understanding idioms that describe forgiveness can help you express this noble act more vividly in your conversations. Here are 20 idioms related to forgiveness, each with a short meaning and example sentence.
Idioms That Describe Forgiveness
1. Bury the Hatchet
Meaning: Make peace.
Example: They decided to bury the hatchet and move on.
2. Forgive and Forget
Meaning: Stop feeling angry and forget the wrong done.
Example: She chose to forgive and forget the past.
3. Let Bygones Be Bygones
Meaning: Forget past offenses.
Example: They let bygones be bygones after the argument.
4. Turn the Other Cheek
Meaning: Respond to injury without revenge.
Example: He decided to turn the other cheek after the insult.
5. Mend Fences
Meaning: Repair a relationship.
Example: They are trying to mend fences after their dispute.
6. Make Amends
Meaning: Compensate for a wrongdoing.
Example: He wanted to make amends for his mistakes.
7. A Clean Slate
Meaning: Start anew without past grievances.
Example: They started with a clean slate after the apology.
8. Patch Things Up
Meaning: Resolve a conflict.
Example: They patched things up and became friends again.
9. Extend an Olive Branch
Meaning: Offer peace or reconciliation.
Example: She extended an olive branch to her colleague.
10. Kiss and Make Up
Meaning: Reconcile after a fight.
Example: They decided to kiss and make up after the argument.
11. Water Under the Bridge
Meaning: Something in the past that is no longer important.
Example: Their old quarrel is now water under the bridge.
12. Peace Offering
Meaning: A gesture to show a desire for peace.
Example: He brought a peace offering to resolve the issue.
13. Give Someone a Second Chance
Meaning: Allow someone another opportunity.
Example: She decided to give him a second chance.
14. Eat Humble Pie
Meaning: Admit an error and apologize.
Example: He had to eat humble pie and apologize to her.
15. Turn Over a New Leaf
Meaning: Start behaving better.
Example: He promised to turn over a new leaf after the fight.
16. Rebuild Bridges
Meaning: Restore a relationship.
Example: They are working hard to rebuild bridges.
17. Shake Hands
Meaning: Agree to forget past disagreements.
Example: They shook hands and agreed to move forward.
18. Forgive the Sins
Meaning: Pardon the wrongdoings.
Example: He chose to forgive the sins of his brother.
19. Be the Bigger Person
Meaning: Show more maturity in forgiving.
Example: She decided to be the bigger person and forgave him.
20. Make Peace
Meaning: Resolve a conflict and reconcile.
Example: They decided to make peace after their disagreement.
