# put the cork back in the bottle

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/put-the-cork-back-in-the-bottle
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To revert a situation.

## Examples

- The argument started, and now we cannot put the cork back in the bottle.
- Once the secret was leaked to the press, the company realized they could not put the cork back in the bottle.
- The political reforms triggered a wave of public unrest that the government found impossible to contain, as if they could no longer put the cork back in the bottle.

---

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.