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.
(all) at sea (about something)
confused; lost and bewildered.
Mary is all at sea about the process of getting married.
(as) bold as brass
brazen; very bold and impertinent.
She went up to her lover’s wife, bold as brass.
(as) bright as a button
very intelligent; extremely alert.
The little girl is as bright as a button.
(as) happy as a sandboy and (as) happy as Larry; (as) happy as the day is long
very happy; carefree.
Mary’s as happy as a sandboy now that she is at home all day with her children.
(as) large as life (and twice as ugly)
an exaggerated way of saying that a person or a thing actually appeared in a particular place. (Informal.)
The little child just stood there as large as life and laughed very hard.
(as) pleased as Punch
very pleased or happy. (From the puppetshow character, who is depicted as smiling gleefully.)
The little girl was pleased as Punch with her new dress.
(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 sixes and sevens
disorderly; completely disorganized. (Informal.)
Mrs. Smith is at sixes and sevens since the death of her husband.
at the expense of someone or something
to the detriment of someone or something; to the harm or disadvantage of someone or something.
He had a good laugh at the expense of his brother.
baptism of fire
a first experience of something, usually something difficult or unpleasant.
My son’s just had his first visit to the dentist. He stood up to the baptism of fire very well.
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.
beggar description
to be impossible to describe well enough to give an accurate picture; to be impossible to do justice to in words.
Her cruelty to her child beggars description.
beyond one’s ken
outside the extent of one’s knowledge or understanding.
Why she married him is beyond our ken.
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?
bitter pill to swallow
an unpleasant fact that has to be accepted.
It was a bitter pill for her brother to swallow when she married his enemy.
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.
born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth
born with many advantages; born to a wealthy family; born to have good fortune.
Sally was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
Box and Cox
two people who keep failing to meet. (Although they both sometimes go to the same place, they are never there at the same time. From characters in a nineteenth-century play, one of whom rented a room by day, the other the same room by night.)
Since her husband started doing night-shifts, they are Box and Cox. She leaves for work in the morning before he gets home.
break one’s duck
to have one’s first success at something. (From a cricketing expression meaning “to begin scoring.”)
At last Jim’s broken his duck. He’s got a girl to go out with him.
break someone’s fall
to cushion a falling person; to lessen the impact of a falling person.
When the little boy fell out of the window, the bushes broke his fall.
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.
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.
chink in one’s armour
a weakness or vulnerable point that provides an opportunity for attacking or impressing someone who is otherwise invulnerable.
His love for his child is the chink in his armour.
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.
