What does the idiom burning your bridges mean?


The idiom burning your bridges means do not do something that you may regret later. It is commonly used in the scenario when someone is quitting a job. If someone is quitting a job, someone else may say to that person 'Quit your job professionally and respectfully! Don't burn your bridges!'. Someone who burns their bridges risks that the people they worked with may never give them a positive professional reference nor want to hire them in a future opportunity.