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.
help oneself
to take whatever one wants or needs.
Please have some sweets. Help yourself.
hem and haw and hum and haw
to be uncertain about something; to be evasive; to say “ah” and “eh” when speaking—avoiding saying something meaningful.
Stop hemming and hawing. I want an answer.
here’s to someone or something
an expression used as a toast, wishing the best to someone or something.
Here’s to Jim and Mary! May they be very happy!
hide one’s face in shame
to cover one’s face because of shame or embarrassment.
Mary was so embarrassed. She could only hide her face in shame.
hide one’s light under a bushel
to conceal one’s good ideas or talents. (A biblical theme.)
Jane has some good ideas, but she doesn’t speak very often. She hides her light under a bushel.
high and mighty
proud and powerful. (Informal. Especially with be or act.)
Why does the doctor always have to act so high and mighty?
high-flyer
a person who is ambitious or who is very likely to be successful. (Informal.)
Jack was one of the high-flyers of our university year and he is now in the Foreign Office.
hit (someone) below the belt
to do something unfair or unsporting to someone. (Informal. From boxing, where a blow below the belt line is not permitted. Also used literally.)
You really hit me below the belt when you told my sister about my health problems.
hit a snag
to run into a problem. (Informal.)
We’ve hit a snag with the building project.
hit it off (with someone)
to quickly become good friends with someone. (Informal.)
Look how John hit it off with Mary.
hit rock bottom
to reach the lowest or worst point. (Informal.)
Our profits have hit rock bottom. This is our worst year ever.
hit someone (right) between the eyes
to become completely apparent; to surprise or impress someone. (Informal. Also with right, as in the examples. Also used literally.)
Suddenly, it hit me right between the eyes. John and Mary were in love.
hit the bull’s-eye
to hit the centre area of a circular target.
The archer hit the bull’s-eye three times in a row.
Hobson’s choice
the choice between taking what is offered and getting nothing at all. (From the name of a stable owner in the seventeenth century who offered customers the hire of the horse nearest the door.)
We didn’t really want that holiday cottage, but it was a case of Hobson’s choice. We booked very late and there was nothing else left.
hold forth
to speak, usually at length. (Informal.)
The guide held forth about the city.
hold no brief for someone or something
not to care about someone or something; not to support someone or something; to dislike someone or something.
I hold no brief for people who cheat the company.
hold one’s fire
to refrain from shooting (a gun, etc.).
The sergeant told the soldiers to hold their fire.
hold one’s own
to do as well as anyone else.
I can hold my own in a running race any day.
hold one’s peace
to remain silent.
Bill was unable to hold his peace any longer. “Don’t do it!” he cried.
hold one’s tongue
to refrain from speaking; to refrain from saying something unpleasant.
I felt like scolding her, but I held my tongue.
hold out the olive branch
to offer to end a dispute and be friendly; to offer reconciliation. (The olive branch is a symbol of peace and reconciliation. A biblical reference.)
Jill was the first to hold out the olive branch after our argument.
hold true
[for something] to be true; [for something] to remain true.
Does this rule hold true all the time?
hold water
to be able to be proved; to be correct or true. (Usually negative.)
Jack’s story doesn’t hold water. It sounds too unlikely.
hole-and-corner and hole-in-the-corner
secretive; secret and dishonourable.
Jane is tired of the hole-and-corner affair with Tom. She wants him to marry her.
holier-than-thou
excessively pious; acting as though one is more virtuous than other people.
Jack always adopts a holier-than-thou attitude to other people, but people say he has been in prison.
home and dry
having been successful in one’s aims.
There is the cottage we are looking for. We are home and dry.
hope against hope
to have hope even when the situation appears to be hopeless.
We hope against hope that she’ll see the right thing to do and do it.
horse of another colour and horse of a different colour
another matter altogether.
I was talking about trees, not bushes. Bushes are a horse of another colour.
horse sense
common sense; practical thinking.
Jack is no scholar but he has a lot of horse sense.
horse-play
physically active and frivolous play. (Informal.)
Stop that horse-play and get to work.
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.
