make a clean break
Cut ties decisively
To make a clean break is to end a relationship, situation, or phase of life completely and decisively, without lingering attachments or unfinished business.
The emphasis is on clarity and finality—no gradual fading, no going back: After the divorce, she wanted to make a clean break and moved across the country.
The phrase suggests that messier endings leave things unresolved.
- quittingCeasing an activity
- relocationPermanent change of residence
- closureSense of emotional resolution
- letting goReleasing one's grasp
- severanceTermination pay or disconnection
rebirth · detachment · burning bridges · walking away · estrangement · migration · reinvention · turning the page · disconnection · independence · reform · clarity · liberation · detoxification · departure · abstinence · escape · exodus
make a clean breakslow fade
Imperceptible decrease over time
phase out · taper off · ease out · linger · string along
make a clean breakstay connected
hold on · cling to · hang on · keep coming back · on-again off-again
make a clean breakunfinished business
Incomplete matters requiring attention
muddy the waters · go back and forth · on-again off-again · blur the lines · yo-yo
make, makes, making, maker, makers, clean, cleans, cleaned, cleaning