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.
labour of love
a task which is either unpaid or poorly paid and which one does simply for one’s own satisfaction or pleasure or to please someone whom one likes or loves.
Jane made no money out of the biography she wrote. She was writing about the life of a friend, and the book was a labour of love.
lady-killer
a man who likes to flirt and make love to women, and who is popular with them.
Fred used to be a real lady-killer, but now women laugh at him.
lag behind (someone or something)
to fall behind someone or something; to linger behind someone or something.
John always lags behind the person marching in front of him.
lame duck
someone or something that is helpless, useless, or inefficient.
Jack is always having to help his brother, who is a lame duck.
land a blow (somewhere)
to strike someone or something with the hand or fist.
Bill landed a blow on Tom’s chin.
land of Nod
sleep. (Humorous. From the fact that people sometimes nod when they are falling asleep. This is a pun, because the land of Nod is also the name of a place referred to in the Bible.)
The baby is in the land of Nod.
land on one’s feet and land on both feet
to recover satisfactorily from a trying situation or a setback. (Informal.)
Her first year was terrible, but she landed on both feet.
last but not least
last in sequence, but not last in importance. (Often said in introductions.)
The speaker said, “And now, last but not least, I’d like to present Bill Smith, who will give us some final words.”
last-ditch effort
a final effort; the last possible attempt.
I made one last-ditch effort to get her to stay.
late in life
when one is old.
She injured her hip running. She’s taken to exercising rather late in life.
late in the day
far on in a project or activity; too late in a project or activity for action, decisions, etc., to be taken.
It was a bit late in the day for him to apologize.
laugh something out of court
to dismiss something as ridiculous.
The committee laughed the suggestion out of court.
laugh up one’s sleeve
to laugh secretly; to laugh quietly to oneself. (Informal.)
Jane looked very serious, but I knew she was laughing up her sleeve.
law unto oneself
one who makes one’s own laws or rules; one who sets one’s own standards of behaviour.
You can’t get Bill to follow the rules. He’s a law unto himself.
lay about one
to strike at people and things in all directions around one; to hit everyone and everything near one.
When the police tried to capture the robber, he laid about him wildly.
lay down the law
to state firmly what the rules are (for something).
Before the meeting, the managing director laid down the law. We all knew exactly what to do.
lay something on the line
to speak very firmly and directly about something.
She was very angry. She laid it on the line, and we had no doubt about what she meant.
lead a dog’s life
to lead a miserable life.
Poor Jane really leads a dog’s life.
lead someone (on) a merry chase and lead someone (on) a merry dance
to lead someone in a purposeless pursuit.
What a waste of time. You really led me on a merry chase.
lead someone by the nose
to force someone to go somewhere (with you); to lead someone by coercion. (Informal.)
John had to lead Tom by the nose to get him to the opera.
lead someone to believe something
to imply something to someone; to cause someone to believe something untrue, without lying.
But you led me to believe that this watch was guaranteed!
lead someone to do something
to cause someone to do something.
This agent led me to purchase a worthless piece of land.
lead someone up the garden path
to deceive someone.
Now, be honest with me. Don’t lead me up the garden path.
learn something by heart
to learn something so well that it can be written or recited without thinking; to memorize something.
The director told me to learn my speech by heart.
learn something by rote
to learn something without giving any thought to what is being learned.
I learned history by rote, and then I couldn’t pass the examination, which required me to think.
learn the ropes
to learn how to do something; to learn how to work something. (Informal.)
I’ll be able to do my job very well as soon as I learn the ropes.
leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth
[for something] to leave a bad feeling or memory with someone. (Informal.)
The whole business about the missing money left a bad taste in his mouth.
leave no stone unturned
to search in all possible places. (As if one might find something under a rock.)
Don’t worry. We’ll find your stolen car. We’ll leave no stone unturned.
leave oneself wide open for something and leave oneself wide open to something
to invite criticism or joking about oneself; to fail to protect oneself from criticism or ridicule.
Yes, that was a harsh remark, Jane, but you left yourself wide open to it.
leave someone holding the baby
to leave someone with the responsibility for something, especially something difficult or unpleasant, often when it was originally someone else’s responsibility. (Informal. Note passive use in the examples.)
We all promised to look after the house when the owner was away, but I was left holding the baby on my own.
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.
