60 Idioms for Forgiveness

Idioms are fun phrases where the words together mean something totally different from what they say one by one. People use them to make talking and writing more colorful, exciting, and full of life. Today, you are going to learn a bunch of helpful idioms that all have to do with forgiveness and making peace.

In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms for forgiveness that mean letting go of anger and forgiving someone. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.

Idioms for Forgiveness

1. Bury the hatchet

Meaning: To stop fighting or arguing and forgive each other to make peace.

For Example: After their silly argument over the board game, the two friends decided to bury the hatchet. / It is always best to bury the hatchet and be kind to your classmates.

Other Ways to Say: Make peace / Stop fighting

2. Let bygones be bygones

Meaning: To forgive past mistakes and decide not to worry about them anymore.

For Example: We shook hands after the soccer match and agreed to let bygones be bygones. / You cannot change yesterday, so let bygones be bygones and smile.

Other Ways to Say: Forgive and forget / Move on

3. Wipe the slate clean

Meaning: To forget past mistakes and start fresh with a clean record.

For Example: The teacher told the class she would wipe the slate clean for the new semester. / Apologizing for the broken vase helped everyone wipe the slate clean.

Other Ways to Say: Fresh start / Start over

4. Turn the other cheek

Meaning: To choose not to fight back when someone hurts you, showing kindness instead.

For Example: When the boy teased him on the playground, he decided to turn the other cheek. / It takes a lot of strength to turn the other cheek and walk away.

Other Ways to Say: Stay calm / Show grace

5. Clear the air

Meaning: To talk about a disagreement so that everyone feels better and can forgive.

For Example: They sat down together after class to clear the air about the missing crayons. / Clearing the air makes everyone feel much happier and relaxed.

Other Ways to Say: Talk it out / Resolve issues

6. Kiss and make up

Meaning: To forgive each other after a quarrel and become friends again.

For Example: The little siblings argued over the toy truck, but soon they kissed and made up. / After saying sorry, it is time to shake hands and make up.

Other Ways to Say: Make peace / Forgive each other

7. Let it go

Meaning: To stop holding onto anger or hurt feelings and forgive.

For Example: It was just an accidental bump in the hallway, so she decided to let it go. / When someone apologizes sincerely, it is best to let it go.

Other Ways to Say: Move on / Drop it

8. Water under the bridge

Meaning: Past problems or arguments that are forgiven and no longer important.

For Example: Losing our first game of the season is water under the bridge now. / Their old disagreement is just water under the bridge today.

Other Ways to Say: In the past / History now

9. Extend an olive branch

Meaning: To offer a sign of peace or forgiveness to someone you fought with.

For Example: She extended an olive branch by sharing her lunch with her classmate. / Offering a kind note is a great way to extend an olive branch.

Other Ways to Say: Offer peace / Make an overture

10. Give a second chance

Meaning: To forgive someone for a mistake and let them try again.

For Example: The coach decided to give the player a second chance after he missed practice. / Everyone deserves a second chance when they learn from an error.

Other Ways to Say: Pardon / Grant leniency

11. Give the benefit of the doubt

Meaning: To choose to believe someone is being honest and forgive a mistake.

For Example: Even though the homework was late, she gave him the benefit of the doubt. / We should give our friends the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong.

Other Ways to Say: Trust them / Believe the best

12. Patch things up

Meaning: To fix a broken friendship or relationship through forgiveness.

For Example: The two best friends worked hard to patch things up after their big fight. / It feels wonderful when you manage to patch things up with your sibling.

Other Ways to Say: Mend fences / Fix relations

13. Mend fences

Meaning: To repair a friendly relationship after a disagreement or misunderstanding.

For Example: He tried to mend fences by bringing a handmade card to his neighbor. / Taking time to listen helps neighbors mend fences quickly.

Other Ways to Say: Patch things up / Make peace

14. Clear your conscience

Meaning: To confess a mistake and seek forgiveness to feel better inside.

For Example: He felt much better after telling the truth and clearing his conscience. / Apologizing helps clear your conscience so you can sleep peacefully.

Other Ways to Say: Ease your mind / Confess

15. Rise above it

Meaning: To forgive and choose not to react to mean words or actions.

For Example: Instead of getting mad at the teasing, she decided to rise above it. / You show true maturity when you rise above petty arguments.

Other Ways to Say: Stay calm / Be the bigger person

16. Be the bigger person

Meaning: To act maturely, forgive, and be kind even when someone else was wrong.

For Example: He chose to be the bigger person and apologize first after the dispute. / Being the bigger person means letting go of your pride to make peace.

Other Ways to Say: Take the high road / Rise above

17. Take the high road

Meaning: To choose a kind, forgiving, and honorable way to handle a problem.

For Example: She took the high road and refused to spread rumors back. / Taking the high road always brings peace in the end.

Other Ways to Say: Act maturely / Be honorable

18. Ease up

Meaning: To stop being harsh or angry and show a little forgiveness.

For Example: The teacher decided to ease up on the homework rules for Friday. / You should ease up on your brother since he said he was sorry.

Other Ways to Say: Calm down / Relax rules

19. Let bygones remain bygones

Meaning: To leave past hurts in the past and move forward together.

For Example: Let bygones remain bygones and start our club project with a smile. / They agreed to let bygones remain bygones after the game.

Other Ways to Say: Leave the past / Forgive and forget

20. Off the hook

Meaning: To be forgiven or excused from blame or punishment.

For Example: When he explained what happened, the teacher let him off the hook. / Cleaning my room got me off the hook for forgetting to feed the cat.

Other Ways to Say: Pardoned / Excused

21. Forgive and forget

Meaning: To completely pardon someone and wipe the memory of the hurt away.

For Example: Real friends know how to forgive and forget after a small disagreement. / Grandma always said the secret to happiness is to forgive and forget.

Other Ways to Say: Let it go / Pardon fully

22. Clean slate

Meaning: A fresh start where all past mistakes are fully forgiven.

For Example: Walking into art class felt like a clean slate to create something new. / The manager gave the team a clean slate for the second half.

Other Ways to Say: Fresh start / New beginning

23. Put the past behind you

Meaning: To leave old arguments behind and look forward with forgiveness.

For Example: It is time to put the past behind you and enjoy the sunny afternoon. / She put the past behind her and welcomed her new schoolmates.

Other Ways to Say: Move on / Look forward

24. Kiss the hurt away

Meaning: A gentle way of showing love and forgiveness to someone who is upset.

For Example: The mother hugged her crying child to kiss the hurt away. / A warm hug can almost kiss the hurt away after a fall.

Other Ways to Say: Comfort / Soothe

25. Let bygones slide

Meaning: To ignore minor past troubles and forgive easily.

For Example: Let bygones slide so we can enjoy our weekend camping trip. / Good friends learn to let bygones slide instead of holding grudges.

Other Ways to Say: Overlook / Let it pass

26. Wipe away the past

Meaning: To erase old bad feelings and start over with a kind heart.

For Example: They hugged to wipe away the past and became partners for the project. / A sincere apology can wipe away the past in seconds.

Other Ways to Say: Clear the record / Forgive

27. Grant a pardon

Meaning: To officially forgive someone for an error or rule break.

For Example: The principal decided to grant a pardon for the late arrivals due to traffic. / She asked her brother to grant a pardon for knocking over his tower.

Other Ways to Say: Excuse / Forgive

28. Give quarter

Meaning: To show mercy and forgiveness to someone in a contest or argument.

For Example: The winning team decided to give quarter and let everyone share the prize. / A kind champion will always give quarter to a struggling opponent.

Other Ways to Say: Show mercy / Be generous

29. Show mercy

Meaning: To treat someone with kindness and forgiveness instead of punishing them.

For Example: The referee showed mercy and gave only a warning instead of a penalty. / Please show mercy on my messy room and help me clean it.

Other Ways to Say: Be lenient / Forgive

30. Bury the old ghosts

Meaning: To stop letting past mistakes haunt your friendships and forgive.

For Example: We need to bury the old ghosts of our school rivalry and play together. / Burying the old ghosts makes room for wonderful new memories.

Other Ways to Say: Forget past hurts / Move on

31. Let sleeping dogs lie

Meaning: To leave old settled arguments alone instead of bringing them up again.

For Example: We had a fight last month, but it is better to let sleeping dogs lie. / Don’t bring up yesterday’s mistake; just let sleeping dogs lie.

Other Ways to Say: Leave it alone / Don’t stir trouble

32. Drop the matter

Meaning: To stop talking about a disagreement and forgive and forget.

For Example: Mom told us to drop the matter about who got the bigger piece of pie. / Once he said sorry, we decided to drop the matter completely.

Other Ways to Say: Let it go / Stop arguing

33. Clear the slate

Meaning: To erase past troubles and start fresh with a clean page.

For Example: Let us clear the slate and work as a team on the science model. / Clearing the slate helps everyone feel peaceful and happy.

Other Ways to Say: Start over / Fresh beginning

34. Start with a clean slate

Meaning: To begin again with complete forgiveness and no bad feelings.

For Example: Moving to a new neighborhood gave our family a chance to start with a clean slate. / The new club officers wanted to start with a clean slate.

Other Ways to Say: Fresh start / Brand new beginning

35. Make allowances

Meaning: To understand someone’s mistakes and forgive them easily.

For Example: We should make allowances for the new students who are still learning the rules. / The teacher made allowances because the bus arrived late.

Other Ways to Say: Be understanding / Show patience

36. Show understanding

Meaning: To be kind and forgiving when someone makes a human error.

For Example: My mom showed understanding when I accidentally dropped my juice cup. / It helps to show understanding when your friends make mistakes.

Other Ways to Say: Be patient / Forgive

37. Open your heart

Meaning: To let go of anger and welcome forgiveness and love.

For Example: She decided to open her heart and forgive her cousin for the misunderstanding. / Opening your heart makes it much easier to make peace.

Other Ways to Say: Be forgiving / Welcome love

38. Let love rule

Meaning: To choose kindness and forgiveness over anger in every situation.

For Example: When siblings fight, it is always best to let love rule and make up. / Our classroom motto is to let love rule during disagreements.

Other Ways to Say: Choose kindness / Be forgiving

39. Extend grace

Meaning: To treat someone with kindness, patience, and forgiveness they did not earn.

For Example: The coach decided to extend grace to the player who missed curfew. / It is wonderful to extend grace to others when they are having a hard day.

Other Ways to Say: Show kindness / Pardon

40. Look past a mistake

Meaning: To forgive an error and focus on the person’s good qualities instead.

For Example: A true friend will always look past a small mistake you made. / The art teacher looked past the messy paint spill and praised the creativity.

Other Ways to Say: Overlook / Forgive

41. Overlook a fault

Meaning: To choose not to punish or judge someone for a minor error.

For Example: Dad decided to overlook a fault when I forgot to hang up my coat. / It is wise to overlook a fault in others when they are trying their best.

Other Ways to Say: Excuse / Ignore minor errors

42. Turn over a new leaf

Meaning: To start fresh with better behavior and leave old mistakes behind.

For Example: He promised to turn over a new leaf and turn in his homework early. / The class decided to turn over a new leaf and listen quietly.

Other Ways to Say: Start fresh / Improve behavior

43. Begin anew

Meaning: To forgive the past and start life or a project all over again.

For Example: After the rain stopped, the garden seemed to begin anew in the sun. / We apologized to each other so we could begin anew.

Other Ways to Say: Start over / Fresh start

44. Start fresh

Meaning: To wipe away past problems and begin again with forgiveness.

For Example: Let us put the messy puzzle away and start fresh tomorrow morning. / Starting fresh helps everyone feel happy and motivated.

Other Ways to Say: Begin anew / Clean slate

45. Give a clean bill

Meaning: To clear someone of blame and forgive past worries.

For Example: The mechanic gave our old family car a clean bill of health. / After the test review, the teacher gave everyone a clean bill for participation.

Other Ways to Say: Clear / Pardon

46. Let bygones rest

Meaning: To leave old quarrels alone and let them be forgotten.

For Example: We decided to let bygones rest and enjoy the party games. / Letting bygones rest brings peace to the whole family.

Other Ways to Say: Leave the past / Forgive

47. Wipe away the slate

Meaning: To completely clear away past errors so everyone is equal again.

For Example: The referee wiped away the slate after a confusing penalty call. / We wiped away the slate and started our board game over.

Other Ways to Say: Clear record / Fresh start

48. Let the past go

Meaning: To stop thinking about old hurts and choose forgiveness.

For Example: It feels so freeing to let the past go and smile at your neighbor. / She learned to let the past go and focus on her art.

Other Ways to Say: Move on / Forgive

49. Drop the grudge

Meaning: To stop feeling angry at someone and offer forgiveness.

For Example: It is time to drop the grudge and invite him to play basketball. / Dropping the grudge made everyone feel welcome in the clubhouse.

Other Ways to Say: Let go of anger / Forgive

50. Free from blame

Meaning: To forgive someone and remove all responsibility for an accident.

For Example: The teacher declared us free from blame when the wind blew our papers away. / He felt relieved to be free from blame after explaining the mix-up.

Other Ways to Say: Pardoned / Excusable

51. Give absolution

Meaning: A formal way to say granting total forgiveness for a wrong deed.

For Example: The kind grandmother gave absolution to her grandson for breaking the vase. / Offering a sincere apology often brings instant absolution.

Other Ways to Say: Full pardon / Forgiveness

52. Grant amnesty

Meaning: To forgive a group of people for past rule breaks.

For Example: The principal announced a rule amnesty for anyone who returned lost library books. / The game master granted amnesty so everyone could rejoin the match.

Other Ways to Say: Group pardon / Forgiveness

53. Excuse the error

Meaning: To forgive someone for a simple mistake without getting upset.

For Example: Please excuse the error in my math calculation on the board. / The teacher was happy to excuse the error because he tried hard.

Other Ways to Say: Pardon / Forgive

54. Pardon the interruption

Meaning: A polite way to ask for forgiveness when breaking into a conversation.

For Example: Pardon the interruption, but the library books are ready for pickup. / He raised his hand to say pardon the interruption before asking a question.

Other Ways to Say: Excuse me / Sorry for interrupting

55. Give a pass

Meaning: To forgive or excuse someone from a rule or mistake just this once.

For Example: Mom gave me a pass on doing the dishes because I had extra homework. / The referee gave our team a pass for the minor foul.

Other Ways to Say: Excuse / Let off

56. Let off easy

Meaning: To give someone a very light punishment or full forgiveness for a mistake.

For Example: The officer let the speeding cyclist off easy with just a friendly warning. / My dad let me off easy when I accidentally tracked mud inside.

Other Ways to Say: Show mercy / Pardon

57. Wash away the past

Meaning: To cleanse away old hurts and start over with complete forgiveness.

For Example: The spring rain felt like it helped wash away the past winter blues. / A heartfelt apology can wash away the past and heal friendships.

Other Ways to Say: Clean slate / Forgive completely

58. Heal the breach

Meaning: To repair a broken relationship and restore peace through forgiveness.

For Example: They worked hard to heal the breach between the two reading clubs. / Talking honestly can help heal the breach in any friendship.

Other Ways to Say: Mend fences / Patch things up

59. Close the book on

Meaning: To finish an argument or past conflict and forgive and forget.

For Example: It is time to close the book on our old school rivalry. / We closed the book on the disagreement and started a new club.

Other Ways to Say: Finish / Move on

60. Bury the past

Meaning: To hide old hurts away forever and live in peace and forgiveness.

For Example: The neighbors decided to bury the past and invite each other to dinner. / Burying the past is the best way to build a happy future.

Other Ways to Say: Forget the past / Move on

Exercise to Practice

1. After their silly argument over the board game, the two friends decided to ________.
2. We shook hands after the soccer match and agreed to ________.
3. The teacher told the class she would ________ for the new semester.
4. When the boy teased him on the playground, he decided to ________.
5. They sat down together after class to ________ about the missing crayons.
6. The little siblings argued over the toy truck, but soon they ________.
7. It was just an accidental bump in the hallway, so she decided to ________.
8. Losing our first game of the season is ________ now.
9. She extended an olive branch by ________ with her classmate.
10. The coach decided to ________ the player after he missed practice.
11. Even though the homework was late, she gave him ________.
12. The two best friends worked hard to ________ after their big fight.
13. He tried to ________ by bringing a handmade card to his neighbor.
14. He felt much better after telling the truth and ________.
15. Instead of getting mad at the teasing, she decided to ________.

Answer Key

1. bury the hatchet
2. let bygones be bygones
3. wipe the slate clean
4. turn the other cheek
5. clear the air
6. kissed and made up
7. let it go
8. water under the bridge
9. sharing her lunch
10. give a second chance
11. the benefit of the doubt
12. patch things up
13. mend fences
14. clearing his conscience
15. rise above it

Conclusion

Learning idioms about forgiveness helps you understand stories, poems, and everyday conversations much better. When you know what these colorful phrases mean, you can use them to make your own writing and speaking much kinder and more encouraging.

Try using a few of these expressions the next time you want to make peace with a friend or start fresh. Practicing them out loud is a great way to remember them and make your communication sound awesome.