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.
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 in mind of someone or something
to remind someone of someone or something.
Mary puts me in mind of her mother when she was that age.
put upon someone
to make use of someone to an unreasonable degree; to take advantage of someone for one’s own benefit. (Typically passive.)
My mother was always put upon by her neighbours. She was too nice to refuse their requests for help.
putty in someone’s hands
[someone who is] easily influenced by someone else; [someone who is] excessively willing to do what someone else wishes.
Bob’s wife is putty in his hands. She never thinks for herself.
quids in with someone
in an advantageous or favourable position with someone. (Informal.)
You’ll be quids in with Jean if you can charm her mother.
rally round someone or something
to come together to support someone or something.
The family rallied round Jack when he lost his job.
ride roughshod over someone or something
to treat someone or something with disdain or scorn.
Tom seems to ride roughshod over his friends.
rise and shine
to get out of bed and be lively and energetic. (Informal. Often a command.)
Come on, children! Rise and shine! We’re going to the seaside.
rub along with someone
to get along fairly well with someone. (Informal.)
Jack and Fred manage to rub along with each other, although they’re not best friends.
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.
run in the family
for a characteristic to appear in all (or most) members of a family.
My grandparents lived well into their nineties, and longevity runs in the family.
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.
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.
see something with half an eye
to see or understand very easily.
You could see with half an eye that the children were very tired.
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.
shades of someone or something
reminders of someone or something; reminiscent of someone or something.
When I met Jim’s mother, I thought “shades of Aunt Mary.”
shipshape (and Bristol fashion)
in good order; neat and tidy. (A nautical term. Bristol was a major British port.)
You had better get this room shipshape before your mother gets home.
shot-gun wedding
a forced wedding. (Informal. From the bride’s father having threatened the bridegroom with a shot-gun to force him to marry.)
Mary was six months pregnant when she married Bill. It was a real shot-gun wedding.
show one’s hand
to reveal one’s intentions to someone. (From card-games.)
I don’t know whether Jim’s intending to marry Jane or not. He’s not one to show his hand.
sink our differences
to forget or to agree to set aside disagreements of opinion, attitude, etc. (Also with their or your, as in the examples.)
We decided to sink our differences and try to be friends for Mary’s sake.
spend a penny
to urinate. (Informal. From the former cost of admission to the cubicles in public lavatories.)
Stop the car. The little girl needs to spend a penny.
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.
steal someone’s thunder
to prevent someone from receiving the public recognition expected upon the announcement of an achievement, by making the announcement in public before the intended receiver of the recognition can do so.
I stole Mary’s thunder by telling her friends about Mary’s engagement to Tom before she could do so herself.
sugar the pill and sweeten the pill
to make something unpleasant more pleasant. (From the sugar coating on some pills to disguise the bitter taste of the medicine.)
Mary’s parents wouldn’t let her go out and tried to sugar the pill by inviting some of her friends around.
swan around
to go around in an idle and irresponsible way. (Informal.)
Mrs. Smith’s swanning around abroad while her husband’s in hospital here.
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.
talk nineteen to the dozen
to talk a lot, usually quickly. (Informal.)
The old friends talk nineteen to the dozen when they meet once a year.
tarred with the same brush
having the same faults or bad points as someone else.
Jack and his brother are tarred with the same brush. They’re both crooks.
thin-skinned
easily upset or hurt; sensitive.
You’ll have to handle Mary’s mother carefully. She’s very thin-skinned.
tie the knot
to get married. (Informal.)
Well, I hear that you and John are going to tie the knot.
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.
