been/gone down this/that road before

phrase

—used to say that someone has done the same kind of thing before or had the same experience before

They had been down that road before and knew the kinds of problems it involved.

Examples of been/gone down this/that road before in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Democratic Party has been down this road before, appealing to the loudest progressive voices over the persuadable voters who decide national elections. — Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2026

Companies have been down this road before — often unsuccessfully. — Alain Sherter, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2025

Pulling another dangerous move a minute later and then showing no remorse is not an impressive look for someone who has been down this road before. — Patrick Iversen, The Athletic, 5 July 2024

She's been down this road before with her mother, who often left at a moment's notice to care for other people in the middle of the night. — Lincee Ray, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2022

Challice, which has been a majority shareholder in Mulberry since 2002, has been down this road before with Frasers. — Samantha Conti, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019