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) bold as brass
brazen; very bold and impertinent.
She went up to her lover’s wife, bold as brass.
(as) cold as charity
very cold; icy.
The room was as cold as charity.
(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.
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.
any port in a storm
a phrase indicating that when one is in difficulties one must accept any way out, whether one likes the solution or not.
I don’t want to live with my parents, but it’s a case of any port in a storm. I can’t find a flat.
at a loose end
restless and unsettled; unemployed. (Informal.)
Just before school starts, all the children are at a loose end.
at death’s door
near death. (Euphemistic.)
I was so ill that I was at death’s door.
at sixes and sevens
disorderly; completely disorganized. (Informal.)
Mrs. Smith is at sixes and sevens since the death of her husband.
bag and baggage
with one’s luggage; with all one’s possessions. (Informal.)
Sally showed up at our door bag and baggage one Sunday morning.
bed of roses
a situation or way of life that is always happy and comfortable.
Living with Pat can’t be a bed of roses, but her husband is always smiling.
believe it or not
to choose to believe something or not.
Believe it or not, I just got home from work.
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?
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.
blue blood
the blood [heredity] of a noble family; aristocratic ancestry.
The earl refuses to allow anyone who is not of blue blood to marry his son.
break someone’s heart
to cause someone emotional pain.
It just broke my heart when Tom ran away from home.
break the news (to someone)
to tell someone some important news, usually bad news.
The doctor had to break the news to Jane about her husband’s cancer.
bring something home to someone
to cause someone to realize the truth of something.
Seeing the starving refugees on television really brings home the tragedy of their situation.
burn one’s boats and burn one’s bridges (behind one)
to go so far in a course of action that one cannot turn back; to do something which makes it impossible to return to one’s former position.
I don’t want to emigrate now, but I’ve rather burned my boats by giving up my job and selling my house.
burn the midnight oil
to stay up working, especially studying, late at night. (Refers to working by the light of an oil-lamp.)
I have to go home and burn the midnight oil tonight.
by leaps and bounds and in leaps and bounds
rapidly; by large movements forward.
Our garden is growing by leaps and bounds.
by the same token
in the same way; reciprocally.
Tom must be good when he comes here, and, by the same token, I expect you to behave properly when you go to his house.
champ at the bit
to be ready and anxious to do something; to be impatient. (Originally said about horses.)
The children were champing at the bit to get into the swimming-pool.
chance one’s arm
to do something risky or dangerous.
He certainly chanced his arm when he was rude to the boss’s wife.
change hands
[for something] to be sold. (Refers to the changing of owners.)
How many times has this house changed hands in the last ten years?
chip off the old block
a person (usually a male) who behaves in the same way as his father or resembles his father. (Usually informal.)
John looks like his father—a real chip off the old block.
cloud-cuckoo-land
an imaginary perfect world.
He thinks that he will be able to buy a house easily, but he is living in cloud-cuckooland.
come full circle
to return to the original position or state of affairs.
The family sold the house generations ago, but the wheel has come full circle and one of their descendants lives there now.
come home to roost
to return to cause trouble (for someone).
As I feared, all my problems came home to roost.
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.
