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.
do someone’s heart good
to make someone feel good emotionally. (Informal.)
It does my heart good to hear you talk that way.
do the trick
to do exactly what needs to be done; to be satisfactory for a purpose. (Informal.)
Push the car just a little more to the left. There, that does the trick.
dog in the manger
one who prevents others from enjoying a privilege that one does not make use of or enjoy oneself. (From one of Aesop’s fables in which a dog—which cannot eat hay—lay in the hay-rack [manger] and prevented the other animals from eating the hay.)
Jane is a real dog in the manger. She cannot drive, but she will not lend anyone her car.
done to a turn
cooked just right.
Yummy! This meat is done to a turn.
donkey-work
hard or boring work. (Informal.)
His wife picks flowers, but he does all the donkey-work in the garden.
donkey’s ages and donkey’s years
a very long time. (Informal.)
The woman hasn’t been seen for donkey’s ages.
dose of one’s own medicine
the same kind of, usually bad, treatment which one gives to other people. (Often with get or have. )
Sally is never very friendly. Someone is going to give her a dose of her own medicine someday and ignore her.
double Dutch
language or speech that is difficult or impossible to understand.
This book on English grammar is written in double Dutch. I can’t understand a word.
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.
down at heel
shabby; run-down; [of a person] poorly dressed.
The tramp was really down at heel.
down in the mouth
sad-faced; depressed and unsmiling.
Ever since the party was cancelled, Barbara has been looking down in the mouth.
down on one’s luck
without any money; unlucky. (Euphemistic for poor or penniless. )
Can you lend me twenty pounds? I’ve been down on my luck lately.
down to earth
practical; realistic; not theoretical; not fanciful.
Her ideas for the boutique are always very down to earth.
drag one’s feet
to act very slowly, often deliberately.
The government are dragging their feet on this bill because it will lose votes.
draw a blank
to get no response; to find nothing. (Informal.)
I asked him about Tom’s financial problems, and I just drew a blank.
draw a line between something and something else
to separate two things; to distinguish or differentiate between two things. (The a can be replaced with the. )
It’s necessary to draw a line between bumping into people and striking them.
draw a red herring
to introduce information which diverts attention from the main issue. (See also red herring. )
The accountant drew several red herrings to prevent people from discovering that he had embezzled the money.
draw blood
to hit or bite (a person or an animal) and make a wound that bleeds.
The dog chased me and bit me hard, but it didn’t draw blood.
dream come true
a wish or a dream which has become a reality.
Going to Hawaii is like having a dream come true.
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.
drive a hard bargain
to work hard to negotiate prices or agreements in one’s own favour.
All right, sir, you drive a hard bargain. I’ll sell you this car for £12,450.
drive someone up the wall
to annoy or irritate someone. (Informal.)
Stop whistling that tune. You’re driving me up the wall.
drop a bombshell
to announce shocking or startling news. (Informal.)
They really dropped a bombshell when they announced that the president had cancer.
drop back
to go back or remain back; to fall behind.
As the crowd moved forward, the weaker ones dropped back.
drop in one’s tracks
to stop or collapse from exhaustion; to die suddenly.
If I keep working this way, I’ll drop in my tracks.
drop someone
to stop being friends with someone, especially with one’s boyfriend or girlfriend. (Informal.)
Bob finally dropped Jane. I don’t know what he saw in her.
drown one’s sorrows
to try to forget one’s problems by drinking a lot of alcohol. (Informal.)
Bill is in the bar drowning his sorrows.
dry run
an attempt; a rehearsal.
We had better have a dry run for the official ceremony tomorrow.
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.
