close the barn door after the horse has bolted

Like this video? Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day!

close the barn door after the horse has bolted

To try to prevent or rectify a problem after the damage has already been done. It isn't worth replacing the oil filter on the engine now—you can't close the barn door after the horse has bolted.

See also: after, barn, bolt, close, door, horse

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Isabella	ee-zah-BEL-lah (Italian), iz-ə-BEL-ə (English)	Italian, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian
Ahoth	-	Biblical Latin
Aod	-	Biblical Greek
Delia (2)	-	English
Joelle	-	English
Kahurangi	-	Maori