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) 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) thick as thieves
very close-knit; friendly; allied. (Informal.)
Mary, Tom, and Sally are as thick as thieves. They go everywhere together.
(come) rain or shine
no matter whether it rains or the sun shines. (Informal.)
Don’t worry. I’ll be there come rain or shine.
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.
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.
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 pinch
if absolutely necessary.
At a pinch, I could come tomorrow, but it’s not really convenient.
at a rate of knots
very fast. (Informal.)
They’ll have to drive at a rate of knots to get there on time.
at liberty
free; unrestrained.
You’re at liberty to go anywhere you wish.
at the drop of a hat
immediately and without urging.
John was always ready to go fishing at the drop of a hat.
at the end of one’s tether
at the limits of one’s endurance.
I’m at the end of my tether! I just can’t go on this way!
beard the lion in his den
to face an adversary on the adversary’s home ground.
I went to the solicitor’s office to beard the lion in his den.
believe it or not
to choose to believe something or not.
Believe it or not, I just got home from work.
blow up in someone’s face
[for something] suddenly to get ruined or destroyed while seeming to go well.
All my plans blew up in my face when she broke off the engagement.
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 one’s word
not to do what one said one would; not to keep one’s promise.
Don’t say you’ll visit your grandmother if you can’t go. She hates for people to break their word.
break someone’s heart
to cause someone emotional pain.
It just broke my heart when Tom ran away from home.
bring home the bacon
to earn a salary. (Informal.)
I’ve got to get to work if I’m going to bring home the bacon.
bring something home to someone
to cause someone to realize the truth of something.
Seeing the starving refugees on television really brings home the tragedy of their situation.
bring something to a head
to cause something to come to the point when a decision has to be made or action taken.
The latest disagreement between management and the union has brought matters to a head. There will be an all-out strike now.
burn one’s boats and burn one’s bridges (behind one)
to go so far in a course of action that one cannot turn back; to do something which makes it impossible to return to one’s former position.
I don’t want to emigrate now, but I’ve rather burned my boats by giving up my job and selling my house.
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.
buy a pig in a poke
to purchase or accept something without having seen or examined it. ( Poke means “bag.”)
Buying a car without test driving it is like buying a pig in a poke.
by the same token
in the same way; reciprocally.
Tom must be good when he comes here, and, by the same token, I expect you to behave properly when you go to his house.
call it a day
to leave work and go home; to say that a day’s work has been completed; to bring something to an end; to stop doing something. (Informal.)
I’m tired. Let’s call it a day even though it’s only three o’clock.
call of nature
the need to go to the lavatory. (Humorous.)
Stop the car here! I have to answer the call of nature.
cheek by jowl
side by side; close together.
The walkers had to walk cheek by jowl along the narrow streets.
chew the cud
to think deeply. (Informal. From the cow’s habit of bringing food back from the first stomach into the mouth to chew it, called chewing the cud.)
I can’t decide where to go on holiday. I’ll have to chew the cud.
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.
