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.
(all) at sea (about something)
confused; lost and bewildered.
Mary is all at sea about the process of getting married.
(all) Greek to me
unintelligible to me. (Usually with some form of be.)
I can’t understand it. It’s Greek to me.
(as) black as pitch
very black; very dark.
The night was as black as pitch.
(as) bold as brass
brazen; very bold and impertinent.
She went up to her lover’s wife, bold as brass.
(as) bright as a button
very intelligent; extremely alert.
The little girl is as bright as a button.
(as) calm as a millpond
[for water to be] exceptionally calm. (Referring to the still water in a pond around a mill in contrast to the fast-flowing stream which supplies it.)
The English channel was calm as a millpond that day.
(as) cold as charity
very cold; icy.
The room was as cold as charity.
(as) fit as a fiddle
healthy and physically fit. (Informal.)
In spite of her age, Mary is as fit as a fiddle.
(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) happy as a sandboy and (as) happy as Larry; (as) happy as the day is long
very happy; carefree.
Mary’s as happy as a sandboy now that she is at home all day with her children.
(as) hungry as a hunter
very hungry.
I’m as hungry as a hunter. I could eat anything!
(as) large as life (and twice as ugly)
an exaggerated way of saying that a person or a thing actually appeared in a particular place. (Informal.)
The little child just stood there as large as life and laughed very hard.
(as) near as dammit
very nearly. (Informal.)
He earns sixty thousand pounds a year as near as dammit.
(as) plain as a pikestaff
very obvious; clearly visible. ( Pikestaff was originally packstaff, a stick on which a pedlar’s or traveller’s pack was supported. The original reference was to the smoothness of this staff, although the allusion is to another sense of plain: clear or obvious.)
The ‘no parking’ sign was as plain as a pikestaff. How did he miss it?
(as) pleased as Punch
very pleased or happy. (From the puppetshow character, who is depicted as smiling gleefully.)
The little girl was pleased as Punch with her new dress.
(as) quiet as the grave
very quiet; silent.
The house is as quiet as the grave when the children are at school.
(as) safe as houses
completely safe.
The children will be as safe as houses on holiday with your parents.
(as) sound as a bell
in perfect condition or health; undamaged.
The doctor says the old man’s heart is as sound as a bell.
(as) thick as thieves
very close-knit; friendly; allied. (Informal.)
Mary, Tom, and Sally are as thick as thieves. They go everywhere together.
(as) thick as two short planks
very stupid. (Informal.)
Jim must be as thick as two short planks, not able to understand the plans.
(as) thin as a rake
very thin; too thin.
Mary’s thin as a rake since she’s been ill.
(come) rain or shine
no matter whether it rains or the sun shines. (Informal.)
Don’t worry. I’ll be there come rain or shine.
(every) Tom, Dick, and Harry
everyone without discrimination; ordinary people. (Not necessarily males.)
The golf club is very exclusive. They don’t let any Tom, Dick, or Harry join.
(fresh fields and) pastures new
new places; new activities. (From a line in Milton’s poem Lycidas.)
I used to like living here, but it’s fresh fields and pastures new for me now.
(in) single file
queued up, one behind the other; in a queue that is one person or one thing wide. ( In can be replaced with into. See comment at in a jam and the examples below.)
Have you ever seen ducks walking in single file?
(sitting) on top of the world
feeling wonderful; glorious; ecstatic.
Wow, I feel on top of the world.
(skating) on thin ice
in a risky situation.
If you try that you’ll really be on thin ice. That’s too risky.
above one’s station
higher than one’s social class or position in society.
He has been educated above his station and is now ashamed of his parents’ poverty.
above someone’s head
too difficult or clever for someone to understand.
The children have no idea what the new teacher is talking about. Her ideas are way above their heads.
according to one’s (own) lights
according to the way one believes; according to the way one’s conscience or inclinations lead one.
People must act on this matter according to their own lights.
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.
