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.
all to the good
for the best; for one’s benefit.
He missed his train, but it was all to the good because the train had a crash.
best bib and tucker
one’s best clothing. (Informal.)
I always put on my best bib and tucker on Sundays.
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.
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.
carry all before one
to be exceptionally successful.
He carried all before him on school prize day.
climb down
to admit that one is wrong; to admit defeat.
They were sure they were in the right, but they climbed down when we proved them wrong.
cold comfort
no comfort or consolation at all.
She knows there are others worse off than her, but that’s cold comfort.
come a cropper
to have a misfortune; to fail. (Literally, to fall off one’s horse.)
Bob invested all his money in the shares market just before it fell. Did he come a cropper!
come down in the world
to lose one’s social position or financial standing.
Mr. Jones has really come down in the world since he lost his job.
come into something
to inherit something.
Jane came into a small fortune when her aunt died.
come off second-best
to be in second place or worse; to be the loser.
You can fight with your brother if you like, but you’ll come off second-best.
come to a bad end
to have a disaster, perhaps one which is deserved or expected; to die an unfortunate death.
I just know that the young man will come to a bad end.
come to grief
to fail or be unsuccessful; to have trouble or grief.
The artist wept when her canvas came to grief.
culture vulture
someone whom one considers to be excessively interested in the (classical) arts.
She won’t go to a funny film. She’s a real culture vulture.
curry favour (with someone)
to try to win favour from someone.
The solicitor tried to curry favour with the judge.
cut no ice
to have no effect; to make no sense; to have no influence.
That idea cuts no ice. It won’t help at all.
damp squib
something which fails to be as successful or exciting as it promised to be. (Informal.)
The charity ball was a bit of a damp squib.
dark horse
someone whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others. (From horse-racing.)
It’s difficult to predict who will win the prize—there are two or three dark horses in the tournament.
dead on one’s or its feet
exhausted; worn out; no longer effective or successful. (Informal.)
Ann is so tired. She’s really dead on her feet.
die of a broken heart
to die of emotional distress, especially grief over a lost love.
I was not surprised to hear of her death. They say she died of a broken heart.
dine out on something
to be asked to social gatherings because of the information one has.
She’s been dining out on the story of her promotion for months.
doubting Thomas
someone who will not easily believe something without strong proof or evidence. (From the biblical account of the apostle Thomas, who would not believe that Christ had risen from the grave until he had touched Him.)
Mary won’t believe that I have a dog until she sees him. She’s such a doubting Thomas.
drag one’s feet
to act very slowly, often deliberately.
The government are dragging their feet on this bill because it will lose votes.
dressed (up) to the nines
dressed in one’s best clothes. (Informal. Very high on a scale of one to ten.)
The applicants for the job were all dressed up to the nines.
dressing down
a scolding.
After that dressing down I won’t be late again.
escape someone’s notice
to go unnoticed; not to have been noticed. (Usually a way to point out that someone has failed to see or respond to something.)
I suppose my earlier request escaped your notice, so I’m writing again.
fall between two stools
to come somewhere between two possibilities and so fail to meet the requirements of either.
The material is not suitable for an academic book, and it is not suitable for a popular one either. It falls between two stools.
fall by the wayside
to give up and quit before the end (of something); not to succeed. (As if one became exhausted and couldn’t finish a foot-race.)
John fell by the wayside and didn’t finish college.
fall down on the job
to fail to do something properly; to fail to do one’s job adequately. (Informal.)
The team kept losing because the coach was falling down on the job.
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.
