the die is cast
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
An event has happened that cannot be changed.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The moment she spoke to Rachel the die would be cast, and she would have to go along the road of sensible health planning and operations and anxieties and reality.
The die was cast, then and there, and Hunt and Hesketh and company hit Monaco in style: yacht in the harbour, helicopter to hand and a March 731 to drive.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “the die is cast” mean?
An event has happened that cannot be changed.
Is “the die is cast” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.