# make a clean breast

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/make-a-clean-breast
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Often followed by of: to be honest about something; to confess.

## Examples

- It is time to make a clean breast of your mistake.
- I feel better now that I make a clean breast of my secret.
- Why don't you make a clean breast of the situation today?
- After hiding the truth for weeks, he decided to make a clean breast of his involvement in the accident.
- You should make a clean breast of your feelings before she moves to another city next month.
- The athlete decided to make a clean breast of his drug use to protect his teammates from rumors.
- If we make a clean breast of our errors now, the manager might help us fix the project.
- The employee finally chose to make a clean breast of the financial discrepancies, hoping that full disclosure would mitigate the inevitable disciplinary consequences.

## Origin

The idiom derives from the figurative notion that secrets are lodged within the heart, which is itself contained within the breast. To make a clean breast of a matter is to admit such secrets, thereby rendering the heart clean and pure.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.