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.
(as) black as pitch
very black; very dark.
The night was as black as pitch.
(as) calm as a millpond
[for water to be] exceptionally calm. (Referring to the still water in a pond around a mill in contrast to the fast-flowing stream which supplies it.)
The English channel was calm as a millpond that day.
(as) fit as a fiddle
healthy and physically fit. (Informal.)
In spite of her age, Mary is as fit as a fiddle.
(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) near as dammit
very nearly. (Informal.)
He earns sixty thousand pounds a year as near as dammit.
(as) sound as a bell
in perfect condition or health; undamaged.
The doctor says the old man’s heart is as sound as a bell.
advanced in years
old; elderly.
My uncle is advanced in years and can’t hear too well.
all hours (of the day and night)
very late in the night or very early in the morning.
Why do you always stay out until all hours of the day and night?
asleep at the wheel
not attending to one’s assigned task; failing to do one’s duty at the proper time.
I should have spotted the error. I must have been asleep at the wheel.
at a rate of knots
very fast. (Informal.)
They’ll have to drive at a rate of knots to get there on time.
at first glance
when first examined; at an early stage.
At first glance, the problem appeared quite simple. Later we learned just how complex it really was.
at large
free; uncaptured. (Usually said of criminals running loose.)
At midday the day after the robbery, the thieves were still at large.
at loggerheads (with someone)
in opposition; at an impasse; in a quarrel.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones have been at loggerheads with each other for years.
at the eleventh hour
at the last possible moment. (Biblical.)
She always handed her term essays in at the eleventh hour.
back to the drawing-board
[it is] time to start over again; [it is] time to plan something over again, especially if it has gone wrong. (Also with old as in the examples.)
The scheme didn’t work. Back to the drawing-board.
bag and baggage
with one’s luggage; with all one’s possessions. (Informal.)
Sally showed up at our door bag and baggage one Sunday morning.
be getting on for something
to be close to something; to be nearly at something, such as a time, date, age, etc. (Informal.)
It’s getting on for midnight.
be old hat
to be old-fashioned; to be outmoded. (Informal.)
That’s a silly idea. It’s old hat.
beat about the bush
to avoid answering a question or discussing a subject directly; to stall; to waste time.
Let’s stop beating about the bush and discuss this matter.
bide one’s time
to wait patiently.
I’ve been biding my time for years, just waiting for a chance like this.
bite someone’s head off
to speak sharply and angrily to someone. (Informal.)
There was no need to bite Mary’s head off just because she was five minutes late.
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.
breathe down someone’s neck
to keep close watch on someone, causing worry and irritation; to watch someone’s activities, especially to try to hurry something along. (Informal. Refers to standing very close behind a person.)
I can’t work with you breathing down my neck all the time. Go away.
breathe one’s last
to die; to breathe one’s last breath.
Mrs. Smith breathed her last this morning.
burn the candle at both ends
to exhaust oneself by doing too much, for example by working very hard during the day and also staying up very late at night.
No wonder Mary is ill. She has been burning the candle at both ends for a long time.
burn the midnight oil
to stay up working, especially studying, late at night. (Refers to working by the light of an oil-lamp.)
I have to go home and burn the midnight oil tonight.
bury the hatchet
to stop fighting or arguing; to end old resentments.
All right, you two. Calm down and bury the hatchet.
busman’s holiday
leisure time spent doing something similar to what one does at work.
Tutoring pupils in the evening is too much of a busman’s holiday for our English teacher.
by return post
by a subsequent immediate posting (back to the sender). (A phrase indicating that an answer is expected soon, by mail.)
Since this bill is overdue, would you kindly send us your cheque by return post?
by virtue of something
because of something; owing to something.
She’s permitted to vote by virtue of her age.
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.
