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.
make the fur fly and make the feathers fly
to cause a fight or an argument. (Informal.)
When your mother gets home and sees what you’ve done, she’ll really make the fur fly.
mend (one’s) fences
to restore good relations (with someone). (Also used literally.)
I think I had better get home and mend my fences. I had an argument with my daughter this morning.
middle-of-the-road
half-way between two extremes, especially political extremes.
Jane is very left-wing, but her husband is politically middle-of-the-road.
money for jam and money for old rope
payment for very little; money very easily obtained. (Informal.)
Baby-sitting is money for jam if the child does not wake up.
near the bone and near the knuckle
(Informal.) 1. coming too close to mentioning something which should not be mentioned, for example because it might hurt or offend someone.
Jack’s remark about prisons was a bit near the bone. Jane’s father is on trial just now.
not in the same league as someone or something
not nearly as good as someone or something.
John isn’t in the same league as Bob and his friends. He is not nearly as talented.
of the old school
holding attitudes and ideas that were popular and important in the past, but are no longer considered relevant or in line with modern trends.
Grammar was not taught much in my son’s school, but fortunately he had a teacher of the old school.
old enough to be someone’s mother and old enough to be someone’s father
as old as someone’s parents. (Usually a way of saying that one person is much older than the other, especially when the difference in age is considered inappropriate.)
You can’t go out with Bill. He’s old enough to be your father!
on a first-name basis (with someone) and on first-name terms (with someone)
knowing someone very well; good friends with someone. (Refers to using a person’s given name rather than a surname or title.)
I’m on a first-name basis with John.
one in a thousand and one in a hundred; one in a million
unique; one of a very few.
He’s a great friend. He’s one in a million.
open one’s heart (to someone)
to reveal one’s most private thoughts to someone.
I always open my heart to my wife when I have a problem.
open secret
something which is supposed to be secret, but which is known to a great many people.
Their engagement is an open secret. Only their friends are supposed to know, but in fact, the whole town knows.
pack someone off (to somewhere)
to send someone away to somewhere, often with the suggestion that one is glad to do so.
His parents packed him off to boarding-school as soon as possible.
paddle one’s own canoe
to do (something) by oneself; to be alone.
I’ve been left to paddle my own canoe since I was a child.
par for the course
typical; about what one could expect. (This refers to a golf-course.)
So he went off and left you? Well, that’s about par for the course. He’s no friend.
parrot-fashion
without understanding the meaning of what one has learnt, is saying, etc.
The child learnt the poem by heart and repeated it parrot-fashion.
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.
pigs might fly
a saying indicating that something is extremely unlikely to happen.
Pam might marry Tom, but there again, pigs might fly.
pile in(to something)
to climb in or get in roughly. (Informal.)
Okay, children, pile in!
play both ends (against the middle)
[for one] to scheme in a way that pits two sides against each other (for one’s own gain). (Informal.)
I told my brother that Mary doesn’t like him. Then I told Mary that my brother doesn’t like her. They broke up, so now I can have the car this week-end. I succeeded in playing both ends against the middle.
play someone up
to annoy someone.
That child played me up. He was naughty all day.
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.
power behind the throne
the person who controls the one who is apparently in charge.
Mr. Smith appears to run the shop, but his brother is the power behind the throne.
praise someone or something to the skies
to give someone much praise.
He wasn’t very good, but his friends praised him to the skies.
presence of mind
calmness and the ability to act sensibly in an emergency or difficult situation.
Jane had the presence of mind to phone the police when the child disappeared.
pride of place
the best or most important place or space.
Jack’s parents gave pride of place in their living-room to his sports trophy.
pull a face and make a face
to twist one’s face into a strange expression, typically to show one’s dislike, to express ridicule, or to make someone laugh. (Also plural: pull faces, make faces.)
The comedian pulled faces to amuse the children.
pull the rug out from under someone(’s feet)
to do something suddenly which leaves someone in a weak position; to make someone ineffective.
The news that his wife had left him pulled the rug out from under him.
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 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.
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.
