been there, done that, got the T-shirt
Alternative form of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Don't tell me about heartbreak; I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt.”
“When my friend started complaining about his stressful new job, I just sighed and said, I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt.”
“She listened to the young entrepreneur's enthusiastic pitch with a weary smile, knowing she had been there, done that, and got the T-shirt years ago.”
The idiom arose from the commercial habit of issuing commemorative garments for physical presence or participation. It draws upon the practice of distributing T-shirts to athletes at sporting tournaments to mark an accomplishment, or the acquisition of similar clothing at tourist destinations to demonstrate to others that one has visited the location.
The phrase suggests that the experience in question has been completed so thoroughly that the speaker has moved past the event to the stage of souvenir ownership. The T-shirt serves as the final, tangible proof of an ordeal or excursion that no longer requires the speaker's attention.
- 01
all there
Mentally competent; not absent-minded or insane.
- 02
as if there were no tomorrow
To an excessive degree, oftentimes with little to no regard to future consequences; desperately; recklessly or wantonly; frantically; very quickly or very much.
- 03
as it gets
As it is possible to be.
- 04
be there
To be available to provide comfort and support for someone, especially in a period of difficulty.
- 05
been there, done that
An assertion that the speaker has personal experience or knowledge of a particular place or topic and is not too keen on revisiting or redoing it again.
- 06
been there, done that, bought the T-shirt
Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.
- 07
can't get enough
Greatly enjoys; likes a lot.
- 08
cat got someone's tongue
Why is someone not saying anything?
Last updated August 10, 2026