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.
play with fire
to do something very risky or dangerous.
The teacher was playing with fire by threatening a pupil.
pull one’s socks up
to make an effort to improve one’s behaviour or performance.
If you don’t want to be expelled from school, you’ll have to pull your socks up.
pull out all the stops
to use all one’s energy and effort in order to achieve something. (From the stops of a pipe-organ. The more that are pulled out, the louder it gets.)
You’ll have to pull out all the stops if you’re going to pass the exam.
put one through one’s paces
to make one demonstrate what one can do; to test someone’s abilities or capacity.
The teacher put the children through their paces before the exam.
put paid to something
to put an end to something; to prevent someone from doing something; to prevent something from happening. (From the practice of book-keepers of writing “paid” in the account book when a bill has been settled.)
Jean’s father’s objections put paid to John’s thoughts of marrying her.
put someone through the wringer
to give someone a difficult or exhausting time. (Informal.)
They are really putting me through the wringer at school.
put someone to the test
to test someone; to see what someone can achieve.
I think I can jump that far, but no one has ever put me to the test.
put something on paper
to write something down.
You have a great idea for a novel. Now put it on paper.
rack one’s brains
to try very hard to think of something.
I racked my brains all afternoon, but couldn’t remember where I put the book.
read between the lines
to infer something (from something). (Usually figurative. Does not necessarily refer to written or printed information.)
After listening to what she said, if you read between the lines, you can begin to see what she really means.
read someone like a book
to understand someone very well.
I’ve got John figured out. I can read him like a book.
read someone the Riot Act
to give someone a severe scolding. (Under the Riot Act of 1715, an assembly of people could be dispersed by magistrates reading the act to them.)
The manager read me the Riot Act for coming in late.
read someone’s mind
to guess what someone is thinking.
You’ll have to tell me what you want. I can’t read your mind, you know.
read something into something
to attach or attribute a new or different meaning to something; to find a meaning that is not intended in something.
This statement means exactly what it says. Don’t try to read anything else into it.
redbrick university
one of the universities built in England in the late nineteenth century, contrasted with Oxford and Cambridge Universities. (Derogatory.)
John’s tutor ridicules the redbrick universities.
ring true
to sound or seem true or likely. (From testing the quality of metal or glass by striking it and listening to the noise made.)
The pupil’s excuse for being late doesn’t ring true.
rub someone’s nose in it
to remind one of something one has done wrong; to remind one of something bad or unfortunate that has happened. (From a method of house-training animals.)
When Bob failed his exam, his brother rubbed his nose in it.
sacred cow
something that is regarded by some people with such respect and veneration that they don’t like it being criticized by anyone in any way. (From the fact that the cow is regarded as sacred in India.)
University education is a sacred cow in the Smith family. Fred is regarded as a failure because he left school at sixteen.
sail through something
to finish something quickly and easily. (Informal.)
The test was not difficult. I sailed through it.
saved by the bell
rescued from a difficult or dangerous situation just in time by something which brings the situation to a sudden end. (From the sounding of a bell marking the end of a round in a boxing match.)
James didn’t know the answer to the question, but he was saved by the bell when the teacher was called away from the room.
scrimp and save
to be very thrifty; to live on very little money, often to save up for something.
We had to scrimp and save to send the children to college.
send someone to Coventry
to refuse to speak to or associate with someone or a group of people as a punishment.
The other children sent Tom to Coventry for telling tales to the teacher.
shot across the bows
something acting as a warning. (A naval term.)
The student was sent a letter warning him to attend lectures, but he ignored the shot across the bows.
sink or swim
fail or succeed.
After I’ve studied and learned all I can, I have to take the test and sink or swim.
smell of the lamp
[for a book] to show signs of being revised and researched carefully and to lack spontaneity.
I preferred her earlier spontaneous novels. The later ones smell of the lamp.
spoon-feed
to treat someone with too much care or help; to teach someone with methods that are too easy and do not stimulate the learner to independent thinking.
The teacher spoon-feeds the pupils by dictation notes on the novel instead of getting the children to read the books themselves.
start (off) with a clean slate
to start out again afresh; to ignore the past and start over again.
James started off with a clean slate when he went to a new school.
straw in the wind
an indication or sign of what might happen in the future.
The student’s argument with the lecturer was a straw in the wind in terms of student-teacher relations. The students are planning a strike.
survival of the fittest
the idea that the most able or fit will survive (while the less able and less fit will perish). (This is used literally as a part of the theory of evolution.)
In college, it’s the survival of the fittest. You have to keep working in order to survive and graduate.
take a leaf out of someone’s book
to behave or to do something in the way that someone else would; to use someone as an example.
Take a leaf out of your brother’s book and work hard.
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.
