to put our differences behind us
1
5.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
dejar nuestras diferencias atrás
- A new president was in office; Democrats and Republicans came together to put their differences behind them and passed major legislation.
Examples
-
Right now, we need to put our differences behind us for the sake of our team.
-
We just have to put our differences behind us and work together as friends again.
-
Shall we put our differences behind us and focus on what we can achieve together?
Synonyms
38
5.1
To become friendly again after a disagreement
12
3.5
To stop feeling angry about a past event and be friendly again
10
5.3
Forgive past fights so they do not affect the present
5
3.4
To find a fair way to end a disagreement between people
Antonyms
- Informal
42
4.8
To feel angry at someone for something they did in the past that hurt you
How Reconciled
- Informal
12
3.7
89
3.4
- Informal
1
5.1
25
3.5
- Informal
2
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
put + our + difference + behind + us
The meaning is directly inferable from composing 'put' (to place or bring into a state) with 'differences' and the spatial metaphor 'behind us' (leaving something in the past); together they convey placing disagreements out of current concern. This spatial-past metaphor is common cross-linguistically and follows standard compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will very likely understand the intended sense.
Etymology
The phrase put our differences behind us gives a simple picture: you put your differences behind you so you cannot see them and can move forward together. That's why it means 'to stop arguing or disagreeing and move on'.