Today, in this post, you are going to learn 500 idioms with their meanings; all these idioms and phrases are very useful for speaking English and competitive examinations; I hope that you will learn all idioms with their meanings and use them in your daily used sentences.
Heads will roll – Transfers will take place
Make no bones about – Do not have any hesitation in anything
Take after – Resembles
To stave off – Postpone
To give a piece of mind – To reprimand
Pay through nose – Pay an extremely high price
Reading between the lines – Looking for meanings that are not actually expressed
An open book – One that hold no secrets
An axe to grind – A private interest to serve
To blow one’s own trumpet – Praise one’s own abilities and achievements
Blue-eyed boys – Favorites
Dropping names – Hinting at high connections/ To mention famous people you know or have met in order to impress others
A Red letter day – An important day
Bone to pick – Cause of quarrel/ Bone of contention
Read between the lines – Understanding the hidden meaning
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Let the cat out of the bag – To utter a secret carelessly or by mistake
To have Too many iron in the fire – To get engage in too many enterprises at the same time
By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
Helter-Skelter – In disorderly haste
Go to the winds – Disappear
Make ducks and drakes of – Squander
On the level – Honest and sincere
Done for – Ruined
Make a clean breast – Confess
To end in smoke – To come to nothing, no outcome
Had better – Used for telling somebody what you think he ‘should’ do
Strike a bargain – To negotiate a deal
Point blank – Very definite and direct
Wide off the mark – Irrelevant / Not accurate / Inadequate
Out of the world – Extraordinary
Sweep under the carpet – To hide something
Draw on fancy – Use imagination
Turn an honest living – Make an legitimate living
Give the game away – Give out the secret
Cheek by jowl – Very near
On the verge of – On the brink of
A sore point – Something which hurts
Rise like a phoenix from the ashes – With a new life/rebirth/reincarnation
To keep under wraps – Secret
Learn All Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English
To feather one’s nest – To make oneself rich (in position or in monetary terms)
To die in harness – To die while in service
To show a clean pair of heels – To escape / Run away
To flog a dead horse – To waste one’s efforts
To strain every nerve – To make utmost efforts
On the brink of – On the point of
Face the music – Face the unpleasant consequences
Gift of the gab – Ability to speak impressively
Go down the drain – Lose forever
A close shave – Narrow escape from danger
Dark horse – An unexpected winner
Face the music – To bear the criticism
In the red – Losing money/ To owe money
In lieu of – Despite of
Beat about the bush – Speak in a round-about manner
To cut teeth – To gain experience of something for the first time
Cut no ice – Have no influence
Close the book – Stop working on something
To hit below the belt – To attack unfairly
All at sea – Puzzled
Sought after – Wanted by many people because it’s of good quality or difficult to find
Sweeping Statement – Thoughtless statement
All at sea – Puzzled
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Enough rope – Enough freedom for action
By fits and start – Irregularly
Fell foul of – Got into trouble with
Token strike – Short strike held as warning
Face the music – Get reprimanded
Give in – Yield
Run riot – Act without restraint
Go through fire and water – Undergo any risk
Talking through hat – Talking nonsense
Put up with – Tolerate
By fits and starts – Irregularly
Reading between the lines – Understanding the hidden meaning
Fall through – To fail
Cut one off, without a shilling – Disinheriting / To expel from fraternal property
To smell a rat – To suspect a trick
Turn a deaf ear – Disobey
Have the last laugh – To be victorious at the end of an argument / To succeed when others thought you would not
Red letter day – Happy and significant day (Gala day)
At one’s wit’s end – Puzzled / Confused / Perplexed
To fight tooth and nail – To fight in a determined way for what you want
The green-eyed monster – Used as a way of talking about jealousy
Set the record straight – Give a correct account
Lays out – To spend money
Break down – To lose control of your feelings and start crying / Could not proceed
Good Samaritan – Helpful person
Bad blood – Angry feeling
To go to the whole hog – To do it completely
Lay out – Spend
Laying off – Dismissal from jobs
By Leaps and bounds – At rapid pace
Spilling the beans – Revealing the information indiscreetly
Carry out – Execute
Build castles in the air – Daydreaming
On the spur of the moment – To act suddenly, without planning
To have something up one’s sleeve – To have a secret plan
To get one’s own back –To get one’s revenge
To run across – To meet by chance
A dark horse – An unforeseen competitor
Put up with – Endure
Got the sack – Dismissed from
Herculean task –A work requiring very great effort
Bad blood – Active enmity
Close shave – A narrow escape
Grease palms – To bribe someone
Carrot and stick – Reward and punishment policy
Keep your head – Remain calm
Pull strings – Use personal influence
Potluck dinner – Dinner where somebody brings something to eat
To miss the bus – To miss an opportunity
A white elephant – Costly and troublesome possession, without much use to its owner
To call spade a spade – To be frank
To fight tooth and nail – To fight heroically, in very determined way
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Birds of same feather – Persons of same character
Take exception – To object over something
High handed – Using authority in an unreasonable way, overbearing
Too fond of one’s own voice – To like talking without wanting to listen to other people/ Very selfish
Come to grief – To suffer
Eat anyone’s salt – To be anyone’s guest
Give a hand with – To help with something
Take to heart – To be very upset by something that somebody says or does
Talking through hat – Talking nonsense
Looking forward to – To expect something or someone
Slip off – Leave quietly
Get on well – Have a friendly relationship
In a pickle – In an embarrassing or awkward situation
Stick to guns – Hold on to original decisions
Out of hand – Out of control, at once, immediately
The salt of the earth – Very good and honest/ Kind
Some More Idioms With Meanings
Stand-offish – Indifferent
Sowing wild oats – Irresponsible pleasure seeking in young age
A bolt from the blue – Something unexpected and unpleasant
By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
Of no avail – Useless
By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
An open book – Straightforward and honest dealings
Fall short – Fail to meet expectation/ Have no effect
Heart to heart talk – Frank talk
Give the game away – Give out the secret (unintentionally)
Hold one’s tongue – To be silent
No hard and fast rules – Easy regulations
Live from hand to mouth – Miserably
Turn a deaf ear – Refuse to obey
Take exception – To object
Null and void – Empty
Break the ice – Initiate a talk
Keep the wolf from the door – Avoid starvation
Fish in troubled water – To make a profit out of troubled situation
Look into – To investigate
Smell the rat – Suspect that something is fishy
Let the grass grow under the feet – Delay in getting things done
Apple of discord – Cause of animosity
A fish out of water – In uncomfortable situation
Die in harness – To die at one’s work
Fair- weather friend – A friend that deserts in difficulties
Emerge out of thin air – Appear Suddenly
Cut no ice – Have no influence
Bring to light – Introduce for discussion
Cannot hold a candle to – Cannot be compared to
To have something up one’s sleeve – Having a secret plan or solution
To take to one’s heel – To run away
To turn a deaf ear – To be indifferent
At snail’s pace – To do things very slowly
To run one down – To disparage someone
To blow one’s own trumpet – To praise oneself
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Yeoman’s service – Social work
To take to hearts – To grieve over
To smell a rat – To be suspicious
To move heaven and earth – To try everything possible
To take someone for a ride – To deceive (cheat)
At stone’s throw – Very near
Struck a chill to the heart – Arouse fear/to make somebody afraid
End in a fiasco –A total or utter failure
Fall back – To turn or move back
To play to the gallery – To behave in an exaggerated way to attract people’s attention
Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning
Sitting on the fence – Hesitating which side to take
In cold blood – Intentional / Excitedly
A damp squib – A disappointing result
To bite the dust – To be defeated
To take to one’s heel – To run away
To be all at sea – Lost and confused
Cold Comfort – Slight satisfaction
A bolt from the blue – An unexpected and unpleasant event
Shake in shoes – Tremble with fear
Fits and starts – Not regularly
Close shave – Narrow escape
Take with a grain of salt – To listen to something with considerable doubt
Currying favour with – Ingratiating / Trying too hard to get please somebody
Set one’s face against – Oppose strongly
Storm in a teacup – Commotion (angry/worry) over a trivial matter
Putting one’s foot down – Asserting one’s authority / Take a firm stand
A bolt from the blue – Unexpected problem
Sailing in the same boat – Being in the same difficult situation
Gift of the gab – Ability to speak well
To keep the wolf from the door – Escape starvation
Most Useful Idioms Of English
Sit in judgement – To pass judgement(or comment on someone ) especially when you have no authority
Leave in the lurch – To desert someone
Cry over spilt milk – Cry over irreparable loss
Run into – To meet someone accidently
End up in smoke – Come to nothing / Useless
Spread like fire – Spread rapidly
Ins and outs – Full details
Dropping like flies – Collapsing in large numbers
Bull in a China shop – A clumsy person
Change colours – To turn pale
Spicks and span – Neat and clean / Tidy
Give in – To agree to do something that you don’t want to do
Look down upon – Hate intensely
Flogging a dead horse – Wasting time in useless effort
Under a cloud – Under suspicion
Green thumb – To have a natural interest
Played havoc – Caused destruction
No love lost between – Not on good terms
Fair and square – Honest
A white elephant – Costly or troublesome possession
Get the sack – Dismissed from
Pros and cons – Considering all the facts
By leaps and bounds – Very Quickly
In the good books –In favour with boss
In the long run – Ultimately
To be always one’s beck and call – At one’s disposal (ready to serve one’s master)
Turn a deaf ear – Disregard / Ignore / Refuse
To foam at one’s mouth – To be very angry
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Send packing – To tell somebody firmly or rudely to go away / Terminate service
Kick up a row – Make a great fuss / To complain loudly about something
To give vent to – To express a feeling, especially anger, strongly
Stand by – To help / Support somebody or be friend, even in difficult times
In black and white – In writing
Under a cloud – Being subject to suspicion
As hard as nail – Emotionless / To show no sympathy, kindness or fear
Allow a free hand – Complete liberty
Went to the winds – Dissipated/ To be utterly lost
Ins and outs – Full details
A white elephant – A costly but useless possession
Fed up – Annoyed
In the good books – In favour with
Sharp practices – Dishonest means
In high spirits – Full of hope and enthusiasm
Some Interesting Idioms And Phrases
The man in the street – An ordinary man (common man)
To catch up with – To compete with
Fight to the bitter end – To fight a losing battle
Throw down a glove – To accept defeat
Give vent to – To emphasize or to express
Turn a deaf ear – Pay no attention
Bone of contention – Matter of dispute
Stand on own feet – To be independent
By fits and starts – Irregularly
Over head and ears – Completely
To call it a day – To conclude proceedings
To put up with – To tolerate
To face the music – To bear the consequences
Scapegoats – A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings with arrogant reactions
A red letter day – A day memorable for joyful event
Wears heart on sleeves – Express feelings openly
For better or worse – Always / In every condition
From the bottom of one’s heart – To speak frankly
In a nutshell – Brief
A shot in the dark – An attempt to guess something
Cut coat according to one’s cloth – Live within one’s means
Learn Idioms And Phrases With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Weal and woe – Ups and downs
Iron will – Strong determination
To take to task – Punish
Out and out – Totally
On the cuff – On credit
Does not hold water – Cannot be believed
A wild goose chase – Futile search
In a tight corner – In a difficult situation
Going places – Talented and successful
In cold blood – A murder done with intention
Turn up one’s nose at – To reject / Despises
Turn one’s head – To feel proud in a way that other people find it annoying
High and dry – Neglected / To leave someone helpless
Take for granted – To accept readily / To pre-suppose as certainly true
Mince matters – To confuse issues/ to mix facts
To pass away – Die
Carry weight – Be important / Important influence
Fall flat – Fail to amuse people / Fail to produce intended effect
Under the thumb of – Under the control of
To get wind – Come to know about something secret or private
Part and parcel – An essential part of something
To fall back on – To use or do something else after other things have failed
To make one’s blood boil – To make somebody furious
To add fuel to the fire – To cause additional anger
Status quo – As it is / Unchanged position
To burn candle at both ends – To be extravagant / Spend without any worry
To hit the jackpot – To make money quickly
To bring to light – To reveal
At the eleventh hour – At the last possible moment
To add fuel to fire – To worsen the matter / To incite
To burn one’s fingers – To get physically hurt
At the eleventh hour – At the last moment
To feel like a fish out of water – Uncomfortable situation
Kicking heels – To be relaxed and enjoy / Waste time
End in smoke – Come to nothing
Die in harness – Die in service/ Die while working
Go scot-free – To escape without punishment
To shed crocodile tears – To pretend grief
To look down one’s nose – To regard with contempt
Take cue from – To copy what someone already did in past in order to be successful
Call for – To ask
Out of the question – Undesirable/ Not worth discussing
Rat race – Fierce competition for power
Hard nut to crack – Difficult task
See eye to eye – To think in the same way
Put across – To communicate your ideas, feelings, etc. successfully
To have second thoughts – To reconsider
Not my cup of tea – Not what somebody likes or interested in
To break the ice – To start a conversation
To eat a humble pie – To say or show sorry for a mistake that one made
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Wet behind the ears – Young and without experience / Naïve
To talk someone over – To convince over
Wear heart on sleeves – Express emotions freely
Bury the hatchet – To make peace / To stop being unfriendly and become friends again
Once in a blue moon – Rarely
Through thick and thin – Under all circumstances
Scapegoat – A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency / Fall guy
On the horns of dilemma – In a situation where you have to make choice between things that are equally unpleasant
At the eleventh hour – At a last moment
Water under the bridge – Something that happened in the past and is now forgotten or no longer important
Learn More Idioms For English Speaking
Off and on – Occasionally
Hard and fast – Strict
Took to heels – Run away in fear
To keep up – To keep in touch
Make a clean breast – Confess without reserve
At a loss – Unable / Not knowing about what to do or say
Lame excuse – Unsatisfactory explanation
Hand in glove – Working closely with someone / Very intimate
A hard nut to crack – A difficult problem or situation to solve or deal with
Rack and ruin – Ransacked
Rides the high horse – Feel superior
By fits and starts – Irregularly
Have a bee in one’s bonnet – To be preoccupied or obsessed with something
See through – Detect / To realize the truth about someone or somebody
By leaps and bound – Very rapidly
To toe the line – To follow the lead / To follow boss’s orders
Stick to guns – Maintain opinion
Take hat off – Encourage / To admire somebody very much for something he has done
No love lost between – Not on good terms
To have not a leg to stand on – Unable to prove or explain why something is reasonable
A man in the street – An ordinary person / Common man
Blood running cold – Become very frightened
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Pore over – Go through
Make both ends meet – To live a lavish life
Run down – Criticise
Grease anybody’s palm – To give bribe
Leave in the lurch – Abandon in the midway/difficult situation
Caught red handed – At the time of committing crime
To hail from – To come from
To put an end to – Stop
By fits and starts – Irregularly
Bad blood – Feeling of hatred
Turn up – To appear
Die hard – Unwilling to change
Turn down – Reject
Take after – To follow / To take care of older members of family
Break up – Disband itself / The breaking up of relationship or association
Stand by – Support
Burn one’s boat – Leave no means of return
Make one’s flesh creep – Horrify
Pros and cons – For and against / Analysis of all the given facts
To take into account – To consider
Blow over – Pass off
Run into – Incurred / To experience difficulties
Hobson’s choice – No real choice at all
To eat a humble pie – To apologize
To give the devil his due – To give encouragement even to the enemy
To blaze a trail – To lead the way as a pioneer
To beat a retreat – To run away in fear from a dangerous or unpleasant situation
To steer clear of – Avoid
To face the music – To bear the consequences
To take someone to task – To scold someone
At one’s wit – Puzzled/Confused/Perplexed
At stake – In danger/ that can be lost or won depending on the success of a particular action
Playing to the gallery – Befooling the common man
Come out of one’s shell – To appear suddenly
Lay down arms – To surrender
Making hay while the sun shines – Taking advantage of a favorable opportunity
Blow one’s own trumpet – To praise oneself
Bear with – Support / To be patient with somebody or something (especially through difficulties)
Soft option – Easy and agreeable option
A little gush of gratitude – Feeling grateful
To lose ground – To become less popular
Hand in glove – In close relationship
To make a mountain of a molehill – To give great importance to little things
To speak one’s mind – To be frank and honest
Maiden speech – First speech
At the eleventh hour – At the very last moment
Cope with – To face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties, especially successfully or in a calm or adequate manner
Go a long way towards doing something– To be helpful
Learn Idioms With Their Meanings For Spoken English And Competitive Examinations
Gift of the gab – Talent of speaking
Standstill – Complete halt
Cross swords – Disagree
Cool as a cucumber – Not nervous or emotional
In high spirits – Cheerful
To pay off old scores – To refund old dues
Man of letters – Proficient in literary arts
Turn down – Refuse
On good terms – Agree with someone
Stole the show – Win everyone’s praise
Measure up – Reach the level
Doctor the accounts – To manipulate the accounts
Bring about – Cause
Pull up – Reprimand
At sixes and seven – In disorder or confusion
Lose head – Panic
Take to task – To criticize severely/ To punish
In fits and starts – Irregularly
Bird’s eye view – An overview
Run in the same groove – Advance in harmony
A red letter day – An important or joyful occasion in one’s life
To explore every avenue – To try every opportunity
At one’s beck and call – Ready to follow orders/ To be dominated by someone
By fair or foul means – In honest or dishonest way
I hope that you have learnt all idioms with their meanings; now, you can use them in your own sentences and for competitive examinations.