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.
lead someone up the garden path
to deceive someone.
Now, be honest with me. Don’t lead me up the garden path.
leave no stone unturned
to search in all possible places. (As if one might find something under a rock.)
Don’t worry. We’ll find your stolen car. We’ll leave no stone unturned.
let the grass grow under one’s feet
to do nothing; to stand still.
Mary doesn’t let the grass grow under her feet. She’s always busy.
like a bolt out of the blue
suddenly and without warning. (Refers to a bolt of lightning coming out of a clear blue sky.)
The news came to us like a bolt out of the blue.
like a fish out of water
awkward; in a foreign or unaccustomed environment.
At a formal dance, John is like a fish out of water.
like water off a duck’s back
without any apparent effect.
Insults rolled off John like water off a duck’s back.
make a mountain out of a molehill
to make a major issue out of a minor one; to exaggerate the importance of something.
Come on, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. It’s not that important.
make someone’s mouth water
to make someone hungry (for something); to make someone desirous of something. (Informal.)
That beautiful salad makes my mouth water.
move heaven and earth to do something
to make a major effort to do something.
“I’ll move heaven and earth to be with you, Mary,” said Bill.
no trespassing
do not enter. (Usually seen on a sign. Not usually spoken.)
The sign on the tree said “No Trespassing.” So we didn’t go in.
not able to see the wood for the trees
allowing many details of a problem to obscure the problem as a whole. ( Not able to is often expressed as can’t.)
The solution is obvious. You missed it because you can’t see the wood for the trees.
not hold water
to make no sense; to be illogical. (Said of ideas or arguments. Like a vessel or container that leaks, the idea has flaws or “holes” in it.)
Your argument doesn’t hold water.
of the first water
of the finest quality.
This is a very fine pearl— a pearl of the first water.
once in a blue moon
very rarely.
I seldom go to the cinema— maybe once in a blue moon.
over the hill
over age; too old to do something. (Informal.)
Now that Mary’s forty, she thinks she’s over the hill.
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.
pie in the sky
a supposed future reward which one is not likely to get. (From “You’ll get pie in the sky when you die,” a line from a song by U.S. radical labour organizer Joe Hill.)
The firm have promised him a large reward, but I think it’s just pie in the sky.
play the field
to date many different people rather than going steady with just one. (Informal.)
Tom wanted to play the field, so he said goodbye to Ann.
pour cold water on something and throw cold water on some-thing
to discourage doing something; to reduce enthusiasm for something.
When my father said I couldn’t have the car, he poured cold water on my plans.
pour oil on troubled waters
to calm things down. (If oil is poured on to rough seas during a storm, the water will become more calm.)
That was a good thing to say to John. It helped to pour oil on troubled waters. Now he looks happy.
rock the boat
to cause trouble; to disturb a situation which is otherwise stable and satisfactory. (Often negative.)
Look, Tom, everything is going fine here. Don’t rock the boat!
rough it
to live in discomfort; to live in uncomfortable conditions without the usual amenities. (Informal.)
The students are roughing it in a shack with no running water.
ruffle someone’s feathers
to upset or annoy someone. (A bird’s feathers become ruffled if it is angry or afraid.)
You certainly ruffled Mrs. Smith’s feathers by criticizing her garden.
run someone or something to earth
to find something after a search. (From a fox-hunt chasing a fox into its hole.)
Jean finally ran her long-lost cousin to earth in Paris.
salt of the earth
the most worthy of people; a very good or worthy person. (A biblical reference.)
Mrs. Jones is the salt of the earth. She is the first to help anyone in trouble.
set upon someone or something
to attack someone or something violently.
The dogs set upon the bear and chased it up a tree.
snake in the grass
a low and deceitful person.
Sally said that Bob couldn’t be trusted because he was a snake in the grass.
through hell and high water
through all sorts of severe difficulties. (Informal.)
I came through hell and high water to get to this meeting. Why don’t you start on time?
tip the scales at something
to weigh some amount.
Tom tips the scales at nearly 14 stone.
touch wood
a phrase said to cancel out imaginary bad luck.
My stereo has never given me any trouble—touch wood.
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.
