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.
serve as a guinea pig
[for someone or something] to be experimented on.
Try it on someone else! I don’t want to serve as a guinea pig!
set upon someone or something
to attack someone or something violently.
The dogs set upon the bear and chased it up a tree.
shaggy-dog story
a kind of funny story which relies for its humour on its length and its sudden ridiculous ending.
Don’t let John tell a shaggy-dog story. It’ll go on for hours.
show the white feather
to reveal fear or cowardice. (From the fact that a white tail-feather was a sign of inferior breeding in a fighting cock.)
Jim showed the white feather by refusing to fight with Jack.
snake in the grass
a low and deceitful person.
Sally said that Bob couldn’t be trusted because he was a snake in the grass.
swallow something hook, line, and sinker
to believe something completely. (Informal. These terms refer to fishing and fooling a fish into being caught.)
I made up a story about why I was so late. They all swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.
swan around
to go around in an idle and irresponsible way. (Informal.)
Mrs. Smith’s swanning around abroad while her husband’s in hospital here.
swan-song
the last work or performance of a playwright, musician, actor, etc., before death or retirement.
His portrayal of Lear was the actor’s swan-song.
tail wagging the dog
a situation where a small or minor part is controlling the whole thing.
John was just employed yesterday, and today he’s bossing everyone around. It’s a case of the tail wagging the dog.
try one’s wings
to try to do something one has recently become qualified to do. (Like a young bird uses its wings to try to fly.)
John just got his driver’s licence and wants to borrow the car to try his wings.
white elephant
something which is useless and which is either a nuisance or expensive to keep up. (From the gift of a white elephant by the Kings of Siam to courtiers who displeased them, knowing the cost of the upkeep would ruin them.)
Bob’s father-in-law has given him an old Rolls-Royce, but it’s a real white elephant. He has no place to park it and can’t afford the petrol for it.
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.
