verb phrase🎓 English idiom

bury the hatchet

to make peace and end a quarrel

What it means

To make peace and end a quarrel or conflict, agreeing to forgive past disagreements. It is used when former opponents decide to put their differences aside.

Examples

  • After years of rivalry, the two brothers finally buried the hatchet.
  • Let's bury the hatchet and start working together as a team.
  • The neighbours buried the hatchet over the long-running fence dispute.
  • It's time we buried the hatchet and forgot that old argument.

Where it comes from

The phrase comes from a Native American custom in which leaders literally buried weapons such as tomahawks to mark the end of hostilities and the start of peace.

Related idioms

#clear the air#water under the bridge#burn bridges#let sleeping dogs lie

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