Idioms help you sound more natural in English. They make your speaking clear, strong, and confident. This dictionary is made for idioms learners. You can search any idiom easily. You can also learn idioms from A to Z. Topics are simple too, such as daily life, work, money, time, emotions, relationships, health, travel, nature, and weather.
Each idiom has a simple meaning. It also has a clear definition. You will also see an easy sentence for real conversation. The goal is not to memorize everything at once. Learn a few idioms daily. Read the sentence. Understand the meaning. Then try to use the idiom when you speak.
This dictionary helps you build better vocabulary. It also helps you understand English expressions faster. Use it daily and improve your idioms step by step.
(as) happy as a lark
visibly happy and cheerful. (Note the variations in the examples.)
Sally walked along whistling, as happy as a lark.
(as) hungry as a hunter
very hungry.
I’m as hungry as a hunter. I could eat anything!
act the goat
deliberately to behave in a silly or eccentric way; to play the fool. (Informal.)
He was asked to leave the class because he was always acting the goat.
as a duck takes to water
easily and naturally. (Informal.)
She took to singing just as a duck takes to water.
beard the lion in his den
to face an adversary on the adversary’s home ground.
I went to the solicitor’s office to beard the lion in his den.
before you can say Jack Robinson
almost immediately.
And before you could say Jack Robinson, the bird flew away.
black sheep (of the family)
a member of a family or group who is unsatisfactory or not up to the standard of the rest; the worst member of the family.
Mary is the black sheep of the family. She’s always in trouble with the police.
break one’s duck
to have one’s first success at something. (From a cricketing expression meaning “to begin scoring.”)
At last Jim’s broken his duck. He’s got a girl to go out with him.
bull in a china shop
a very clumsy person around breakable things; a thoughtless or tactless person. ( China is fine crockery.)
Look at Bill, as awkward as a bull in a china shop.
buy a pig in a poke
to purchase or accept something without having seen or examined it. ( Poke means “bag.”)
Buying a car without test driving it is like buying a pig in a poke.
Cat got your tongue?
Why don’t you speak?; Speak up and answer my question! (Informal.)
Answer me! What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?
chew the cud
to think deeply. (Informal. From the cow’s habit of bringing food back from the first stomach into the mouth to chew it, called chewing the cud.)
I can’t decide where to go on holiday. I’ll have to chew the cud.
cock a snook at someone
to show or express defiance or scorn at someone.
He cocked a snook at the traffic warden and tore up the ticket.
cock of the walk
someone who acts in a more important manner than others in a group.
The deputy manager was cock of the walk until the new manager arrived.
cock-and-bull story
a silly, made-up story; a story which is untrue.
Don’t give me that cock-and-bull story.
come a cropper
to have a misfortune; to fail. (Literally, to fall off one’s horse.)
Bob invested all his money in the shares market just before it fell. Did he come a cropper!
cook someone’s goose
to damage or ruin someone. (Informal.)
I cooked my own goose by not showing up on time.
cry wolf
to cry out for help or to complain about something when nothing is really wrong.
Pay no attention. She’s just crying wolf again.
dark horse
someone whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others. (From horse-racing.)
It’s difficult to predict who will win the prize—there are two or three dark horses in the tournament.
do a double take
to react with surprise; to have to look twice to make sure that one really saw correctly. (Informal.)
When the boy led a goat into the park, everyone did a double take.
dog in the manger
one who prevents others from enjoying a privilege that one does not make use of or enjoy oneself. (From one of Aesop’s fables in which a dog—which cannot eat hay—lay in the hay-rack [manger] and prevented the other animals from eating the hay.)
Jane is a real dog in the manger. She cannot drive, but she will not lend anyone her car.
donkey-work
hard or boring work. (Informal.)
His wife picks flowers, but he does all the donkey-work in the garden.
donkey’s ages and donkey’s years
a very long time. (Informal.)
The woman hasn’t been seen for donkey’s ages.
doubting Thomas
someone who will not easily believe something without strong proof or evidence. (From the biblical account of the apostle Thomas, who would not believe that Christ had risen from the grave until he had touched Him.)
Mary won’t believe that I have a dog until she sees him. She’s such a doubting Thomas.
draw blood
to hit or bite (a person or an animal) and make a wound that bleeds.
The dog chased me and bit me hard, but it didn’t draw blood.
eagle eye
careful attention; an intently watchful eye. (From the sharp eyesight of the eagle.)
The pupils wrote their essays under the eagle eye of the headmaster.
early bird
someone who gets up or arrives early or starts something very promptly, especially someone who gains an advantage of some kind by so doing.
The Smith family are early birds. They caught the first ferry.
eat like a bird
to eat only small amounts of food; to peck at one’s food.
Jane is very slim because she eats like a bird.
eat like a horse
to eat large amounts of food. (Informal.)
No wonder he’s so fat. He eats like a horse.
fine kettle of fish and pretty kettle of fish
a real mess; an unsatisfactory situation.
The dog has eaten the steak we were going to have for dinner. This is a fine kettle of fish!
How To Use Idioms Dictionary
- You can use this dictionary in different ways. Start with the idioms you hear often in movies, conversations, or online posts. Search them here and understand their real meaning. Then read the example sentence and try to speak your own sentence.
- You can also learn idioms by topic. Choose daily life idioms for normal conversation. Choose work and business idioms for office English. Choose money, time, emotion, relationship, health, travel, nature, and weather idioms to improve your topic-based vocabulary.
- A good way to learn is to save your favorite idioms in a notebook. Write the idiom, its meaning, and your own sentence. Review them after a few days. This will help you remember them better.
- Do not use idioms everywhere. Use them only when they fit the situation. The goal is to sound natural, not forced.
- Keep learning slowly. A few useful idioms daily can improve your English speaking a lot.
Here’s a separate section for kids: 100 Common Idioms for Kids
FAQs about Idioms Dictionary
An idiom is a group of words with a special meaning. You cannot always understand it by translating each word.
Type the full idiom or any main word in the search box. The dictionary will show matching idioms with meaning and sentence.
Start with a few idioms daily. Read the meaning, understand the sentence, and try to make your own sentence.
Yes. You can learn idioms by topics like daily life, work, money, time, emotions, relationships, health, travel, nature, and weather.
Yes. The meanings and sentences are written in simple English, so beginners can understand and practice easily.
Idioms help you sound more natural in English. Use them in the right situation to make your speaking more confident.
No. Use idioms only when they fit the situation. The goal is to sound natural, not forced.
