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) hungry as a hunter
very hungry.
I’m as hungry as a hunter. I could eat anything!
apple of someone’s eye
someone’s favourite person or thing.
Tom is the apple of Mary’s eye. She thinks he’s great.
be thankful for small mercies
to be grateful for any small benefits or advantages one has, especially in a generally difficult situation.
We have very little money, but we must be grateful for small mercies. At least we have enough food.
bite someone’s head off
to speak sharply and angrily to someone. (Informal.)
There was no need to bite Mary’s head off just because she was five minutes late.
bite the hand that feeds one
to do harm to someone who does good things for you.
I’m your mother! How can you bite the hand that feeds you?
bring home the bacon
to earn a salary. (Informal.)
I’ve got to get to work if I’m going to bring home the bacon.
change horses in mid-stream
to make major changes in an activity which has already begun; to choose someone or something else after it is too late.
I’m already baking a cherry pie. I can’t bake an apple pie. It’s too late to change horses in mid-stream.
cheese-paring
mean; niggardly.
He was too cheese-paring to eat properly.
cry over spilled milk
to be unhappy about having done something which cannot be undone. ( Spilled can also be spelled spilt. )
I’m sorry that you broke your bicycle, Tom. But there is nothing that can be done now. Don’t cry over spilled milk.
cupboard love
affection shown to someone just because of the things, such as food or clothes, they supply.
She doesn’t love her husband. It’s just cupboard love.
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.
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.
eat humble pie
to act very humbly, especially when one has been shown to be wrong; to accept humiliation.
I think I’m right, but if I’m wrong, I’ll eat humble pie.
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.
eat one’s hat
a phrase telling the kind of thing that one would do if a very unlikely event were actually to happen.
I’ll eat my hat if you get a rise.
eat one’s heart out
to be very sad (about someone or something).
Bill spent a lot of time eating his heart out after his divorce.
eat one’s words
to have to take back one’s statements; to confess that one’s predictions were wrong.
You shouldn’t say that to me. I’ll make you eat your words.
eat out of someone’s hands
to do what someone else wants; to obey someone eagerly. (Often with have.)
Just wait! I’ll have everyone eating out of my hands. They’ll do whatever I ask.
eat someone out of house and home
to eat a lot of food (in someone’s home); to bring someone to the point of financial ruin by eating all the food in the person’s house. (Informal.)
Billy has a huge appetite. He almost eats us out of house and home.
feel fit
to feel well and healthy.
If you want to feel fit, you must eat the proper food and get enough rest.
fit for a king
splendid; of a very high standard.
What a delicious meal. It was fit for a king.
food for thought
something to think about.
I don’t like your idea very much, but it’s food for thought.
foot the bill
to pay the bill; to pay (for something).
Let’s go out and eat. I’ll foot the bill.
forget oneself
to forget one’s manners or training. (Said in formal situations in reference to bad table manners or bad taste.)
Sorry, Mother, I forgot myself. I didn’t mean to use a swear-word.
get something under one’s belt
(Informal. Also with have. See the note at get a black eye. ) 1. to eat or drink something.
I’d feel a lot better if I had a cool drink under my belt.
go begging
to be unwanted or unused. (As if a thing were begging for an owner or a user.)
There is still food left. A whole lobster is going begging. Please eat some more.
go by the board
to get ruined or lost. (This is a nautical expression meaning to fall or be washed overboard.)
I hate to see good food go by the board. Please eat up so we won’t have to throw it out.
go Dutch
to share the cost of a meal or some other event with someone.
I’ll go out and eat with you if we can go Dutch.
go to waste
to be wasted; to be unused (and therefore thrown away).
Eat your potatoes! Don’t let them go to waste.
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.
