Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Don't lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen

Cultural  

  1. It's foolish to take precautions after the damage they would have prevented has already been done. Another version of this saying is “Don't close the barn door after the horse runs away.”

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training