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.
pass the hat round
to attempt to collect money for some (charitable) project.
Bob is passing the hat round to collect money to buy flowers for Ann.
past someone’s or something’s best and past someone’s or something’s sell-by date; past it
less good or efficient now than someone or something was before. ( Past it and past someone’s or something’s sell-by date are informal.)
Joan was a wonderful singer, but she’s past her best now.
pay an arm and a leg (for something) and pay through the nose (for something)
to pay too much money for something. (Informal.)
I hate to have to pay an arm and a leg for a tank of petrol.
pay lip-service (to something)
to express loyalty, respect, or support for something insincerely.
You don’t really care about politics. You’re just paying lip-service to the candidate.
pay one’s debt to society
to serve a sentence for a crime, usually in prison.
The judge said that Mr. Simpson had to pay his debt to society.
pay one’s dues
to pay the fees required to belong to an organization.
If you haven’t paid your dues, you can’t come to the club picnic.
pay someone a back-handed compliment
to give someone an apparent compliment that is really an insult.
John said that he had never seen me looking better. I think he was paying me a backhanded compliment.
pay someone a compliment
to compliment someone.
Sally thanked me for paying her a compliment.
pay the earth
to pay a great deal of money for something. (Informal. Compare with cost the earth.)
Bob paid the earth for that ugly old sideboard.
pay the piper
to provide the money for something and so have some control over how the money is spent. (From the expression “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”)
The parents at a fee-paying school pay the piper and so should have a say in how the school is run.
pinch and scrape
to live on very little money, sometimes to save money.
Bob has to pinch and scrape all the time because of his low wages.
pipe-dream
a wish or an idea which is impossible to achieve or carry out. (From the dreams or visions induced by the smoking of an opium pipe.)
Going to the West Indies is a pipe-dream. We’ll never have enough money.
play on something
to make use of something for one’s own ends; to exploit something; to manage something for a desired effect. (The on can be replaced by upon. )
The shop assistant played on my sense of responsibility in trying to get me to buy the book.
play the market
to invest in the shares market. (As if it were a game or as if it were gambling.)
Would you rather put your money in the bank or play the market?
point the finger at someone
to blame someone; to identify someone as the guilty person.
Don’t point the finger at me! I didn’t take the money.
pound for pound
considering the amount of money involved; considering the cost. (Often seen in advertising.)
Pound for pound, you cannot buy a better car.
pound the streets
to walk through the streets looking for a job. (Informal.)
I spent two months pounding the streets after the factory I worked for closed.
pour money down the drain
to waste money; to throw money away.
What a waste! You’re just pouring money down the drain.
push one’s luck
to expect continued good fortune; to expect to continue to escape bad luck. (Informal.)
You’re okay so far, but don’t push your luck.
put a brave face on it
to try to appear happy or satisfied when faced with misfortune or danger.
We’ve lost all our money, but we must put a brave face on it for the sake of the children.
put all one’s eggs in one basket
to risk everything at once; to depend entirely on one plan, venture, etc. (Often negative.)
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You shouldn’t invest all your money in one business.
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 your money where your mouth is!
a command to stop talking or boasting and make a bet, or to stop talking and provide money for something which one claims to support.
I’m tired of your bragging about your skill at betting. Put your money where your mouth is!
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.
