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) quiet as the grave
very quiet; silent.
The house is as quiet as the grave when the children are at school.
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.
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.
at a loose end
restless and unsettled; unemployed. (Informal.)
Just before school starts, all the children are at a loose end.
busman’s holiday
leisure time spent doing something similar to what one does at work.
Tutoring pupils in the evening is too much of a busman’s holiday for our English teacher.
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.
by the seat of one’s pants
by sheer luck and very little skill. (Informal. Especially with fly. )
I got through school by the seat of my pants.
by the skin of one’s teeth
just barely; by an amount equal to the thickness of the (imaginary) skin on one’s teeth. (Informal.)
I got through that exam by the skin of my teeth.
carry all before one
to be exceptionally successful.
He carried all before him on school prize day.
catch someone on the hop
to find someone unprepared or defenceless. (Informal.)
The unexpected exam caught some of the pupils on the hop.
clip someone’s wings
to restrain someone; to reduce or put an end to someone’s privileges or freedom.
You had better learn to get home on time, or your father will clip your wings.
dead and buried
gone forever. (Refers literally to persons and figuratively to ideas and other things.)
Now that Uncle Bill is dead and buried, we can read his will.
double Dutch
language or speech that is difficult or impossible to understand.
This book on English grammar is written in double Dutch. I can’t understand a word.
everything but the kitchen sink
almost everything one can think of.
When Sally went off to college, she took everything but the kitchen sink.
fall between two stools
to come somewhere between two possibilities and so fail to meet the requirements of either.
The material is not suitable for an academic book, and it is not suitable for a popular one either. It falls between two stools.
fall by the wayside
to give up and quit before the end (of something); not to succeed. (As if one became exhausted and couldn’t finish a foot-race.)
John fell by the wayside and didn’t finish college.
fall from grace
to cease to be held in favour, especially because of some wrong or foolish action.
He was the teacher’s prize pupil until he fell from grace by failing the history exam.
fit someone in(to something)
to succeed with difficulty in putting someone into a schedule.
The doctor is busy, but I can try to fit you into the appointment book.
get someone’s number
to find out about a person; to learn the key to understanding a person. (Informal. Also with have. See the note at get a black eye. )
I’m going to get your number if I can. You’re a real puzzle.
get the hang of something
to learn how to do something; to learn how something works. (Informal. Also with have. See the note at get a black eye. )
As soon as I get the hang of this computer, I’ll be able to work faster.
get the last laugh
to laugh at or ridicule someone who has laughed at or ridiculed you; to put someone in the same bad position that you were once in. (Also with have. See the note at get a black eye. )
John laughed when I got a D on the final exam. I got the last laugh, though. He failed the course.
go over something with a fine-tooth comb and go through something with a fine-tooth comb; search something with a fine-tooth comb
to search through something very carefully. (As if one were searching for something very tiny which is lost in some kind of fibre.)
I can’t find my calculus book. I went over the whole place with a fine-tooth comb.
have a down on someone
to treat someone in an unfair or hostile way; to have hostile feelings towards someone; to resent and oppose someone.
That teacher’s had a down on me ever since I was expelled from another school.
have a good head on one’s shoulders
to have common sense; to be sensible and intelligent.
Mary doesn’t do well in school, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders.
have a snowball’s chance in hell
to have no chance at all. (A snowball would melt in hell. Use hell with caution.)
He has a snowball’s chance in hell of passing the test.
have a thin time (of it)
to experience a difficult or unfortunate time, especially because of a shortage of money.
Jack had a thin time of it when he was a student. He didn’t have enough to eat.
have eyes in the back of one’s head
to seem to be able to sense what is going on beyond one’s vision.
My teacher seems to have eyes in the back of her head.
have none of something
to tolerate or endure no amount of something.
I’ll have none of your talk about leaving school.
have one’s head in the clouds
to be unaware of what is going on.
“Bob, do you have your head in the clouds?” said the teacher.
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.
