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.
go off at tangents
.)
Please stick to one subject and don’t go off at a tangent.
go over someone’s head
[for the intellectual content of something] to be too difficult for someone to understand.
All that talk about computers went over my head.
go over something with a fine-tooth comb and go through something with a fine-tooth comb; search something with a fine-tooth comb
to search through something very carefully. (As if one were searching for something very tiny which is lost in some kind of fibre.)
I can’t find my calculus book. I went over the whole place with a fine-tooth comb.
go over the top
to do something in an exaggerated or excessive way; to overreact.
Jane really went over the top with the dinner she prepared for us. It took her hours to prepare.
go round in circles
to keep going over the same ideas or repeating the same actions, often resulting in confusion, without reaching a satisfactory decision or conclusion.
We’re just going round in circles discussing the problems of the fête. We need to consult someone else to get a new point of view.
go sky-high
to go very high. (Informal.)
Prices go sky-high whenever there is inflation.
go so far as to say something
to put something into words; to risk saying something.
I think that Bob is dishonest, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s a thief.
go the distance and stay the distance
to do the whole amount; to play the entire game; to run the whole race. (Informal. Originally sports use.)
That horse runs fast. I hope it can go the distance.
go the whole hog
to do everything possible; to be extravagant. (Informal.)
Let’s go the whole hog. Order steak and lobster.
go through the motions
to make a feeble effort to do something; to pretend to do something.
Jane isn’t doing her best. She’s just going through the motions.
go through the proper channels
to proceed by consulting the proper persons or offices.
If you want an answer to your question, you’ll have to go through the proper channels.
go to Davy Jones’s locker
to go to the bottom of the sea; to drown. (Thought of as a nautical expression.)
My uncle was a sailor. He went to Davy Jones’s locker during a terrible storm.
go to hell and go to the devil
to go away and stop bothering (someone). (Informal. Use caution with both phrases, and especially with hell. )
He told her to go to hell, that he didn’t want her.
go to rack and ruin
to become ruined or destroyed, especially due to neglect.
That lovely old house on the corner is going to go to rack and ruin.
go to someone’s head
to make someone conceited; to make someone overly proud.
You did a fine job, but don’t let it go to your head.
go to the limit
to do as much as is possible to do.
Okay, we can’t afford it, but we’ll go to the limit.
go to the toilet and go to the loo
to eliminate bodily wastes through defecation or urination. ( Loo is an informal word meaning “toilet.”)
The child needed to go to the toilet.
go to the wall
to be defeated; to fail in business. (Informal.)
During the recession, many small companies went to the wall.
go to town
to make a great effort; to work with energy or enthusiasm. (Informal.)
They really went to town on cleaning the house. It’s spotless.
go to waste
to be wasted; to be unused (and therefore thrown away).
Eat your potatoes! Don’t let them go to waste.
good enough for someone or something
adequate or fine for someone or something.
This seat is good enough for me. I don’t want to move.
good-for-nothing
a worthless person.
Tell that good-for-nothing to go home at once.
hail from somewhere
[for someone] to come originally from somewhere. (Informal.)
I’m from Edinburgh. Where do you hail from?
hard-and-fast rule
a strict rule.
It’s a hard-and-fast rule that you must be home by midnight.
have a go (at something)
to give something a try. (Informal.)
I’ve never fished before, but I’d like to have a go at it.
have another think coming
to have to rethink something because one was wrong the first time. (Informal.)
She’s quite wrong. She’s got another think coming if she wants to walk in here like that.
have half a mind to do something
to have almost decided to do something, especially something unpleasant. (Informal.)
I have half a mind to go off and leave you here.
have one’s finger in the pie
to be involved in something.
I like to have my finger in the pie so I can make sure things go my way.
have something on one’s hands
to be burdened with something.
I run a record shop. I sometimes have a large number of unwanted records on my hands.
hit a snag
to run into a problem. (Informal.)
We’ve hit a snag with the building project.
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.
