build bridges
English
editPronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /bɪld ˈbɹɪd͡ʒɪz/
Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪdʒɪz
- Hyphenation: build bridg‧es
Verb
editbuild bridges (third-person singular simple present builds bridges, present participle building bridges, simple past and past participle built bridges)
- (intransitive, idiomatic) Often followed by between or to: to establish friendly relations or links.
- Antonym: burn one's bridges
- to build bridges between China and the West
- 2021 November 29, Nicola Sturgeon, “Nicola Sturgeon’s Full Speech to #SNP21 Conference”, in Scottish National Party[1], archived from the original on 9 May 2022:
- The Tories appear to have embarked on permanent conflict with the European Union. Instead of building bridges they are burning them.
Derived terms
editRelated terms
edit- build a bridge and get over it
- burn that bridge when one comes to it
- cross that bridge when one comes to it
Translations
editto establish friendly relations or links
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Further reading
edit- “to build bridges, v.” under “build, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2020.
- “build bridges, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.