In this blog post, we’re going to explore some interesting idioms in English. Idioms are phrases that don’t mean exactly what the words say but have a special meaning of their own. They can make speaking and understanding English a lot more fun and natural.
We’ll explain what these idioms mean and show you how to use them in sentences. This is perfect for anyone learning English or trying to get better at it. Let’s dive in and make your English more colorful with these idioms!
List of Idioms in English with Meaning and Sentences
Idioms with Bear, Break, Bring and Call
BEAR
- (to) bear out: (to corroborate a statement, to confirm). You will bear me out that I did not commit any crime.
- (to) bear upon: (to be relevant). His remarks are irrelevant. They do not bear upon the point under discussion.
- to) bear with: (to be patient). He is not a very companionable person; you will have to bear with him.
BREAK
- (to) breakaway: (to go away abruptly; to escape). The prisoner broke away from his guards and the police looked on helplessly.
- (to) break down: (collapse: to fail). We were watching ‘Titanic” on the TV when the electricity broke down.
- (to) break In: (to train horses). He breaks in horses for the races.
- (to) break into: (to enter violently). The thieves broke into the house in the early hours of the morning.
- (to) break news: (to make something known especially bad news). He broke the news of the death of his father sometime after his arrival.
- to break off: (to put an end to). India broke off relations with the British Commonwealth of Nations.
- (to) break out: (to begin suddenly). Race riots broke in Manchester.
- (to ) break with: (to fall out). She broke up with one of her friends for a paltry sum of $100.
BRING
- (to) bring about: (to cause). Her foolishness brought about the ruin of the whole family.
- (to) bring down: (to decrease): The Government has not been able to bring down the prices of essential commodities.
- (to) bring forth: (to produce). The plants bring forth leaves and flowers during the spring season.
- (to) bring home: (to impress; to prove). The Architect brought home the importance of the project to his employer.
- (to) bring off: (to the rescue). He went to the marooned village and brought off several women and children.
- (to) bring out : (to express). His statement brought out many facts.
- (to) bring over: (to convert). It was so difficult to bring him over to my viewpoint.
- (to) bring around: (to restore from illness). It took the doctors several days to bring her around.
- (to) bring up: (to rear or educate). She was brought up in luxury.
CALL
- (to) call at: (to pay a visit). I called at her house last evening but she refused to see me.
- (to) call for: (to require) The situation is very difficult and calls for delicate handling.
- (to) call forth: (to bring out). Foreign aggression calls forth the best in a nation.
- (to) call in: (to send for). The patient is in a coma, please call in the doctor immediately.
- (to) call in question: (to challenge). Elders do not like their decision to be called in question by their offspring.
- (to) call off: (to cancel). The meeting was called off for lack of quorum.
- (to) call on: (to pay a visit). I shall call on her tomorrow evening.
- (to) call up: (to ring up). Please call up your sister and ask her to come immediately.
Idioms with Carry, Cast, Come and Cry
CARRY
- (to) carry: (to win a motion). The motion was carried by a two-thirds majority.
- (to) carry away: (to move somebody’s feelings greatly). We should not be carried away by slogans.
- (to) carry off: (to cause the death of). Hundreds of persons were carried off by the earthquake.
- (to) carry on: (to manage). He carried on the good work started by his elders.
- to carry out: (to execute). The plan has to be carried out as early as possible.
- (to) carry too far: (to exceed reasonable limits). Do not carry the joke too far, it may result in undesirable complications.
- (to) carries weight: (to possess authority). His word carries weight with the authorities.
CAST
- (to) Cast away: (to be shipwrecked). The ship was cast away uninhabited island.
- (to) Cast down: (to be dejected; depressed). She was cast down by the death of her father.
COME
- (to) come about: (to happen). How did this change about?
- (to) Come by: (to gain). He came by a fortune after the death of his uncle.
- (to) come off: (to take place). When does the convocation come off
- (to) come out: (to be published). This magazine comes out every month.
- (to) come round: (to agree). She has come around to your views after last night’s dialogue
- (to) come to grief: (to meet with disaster). He came to grief on account of his bad habits.
- (to) come to light: (to be discovered). Interesting facts came to light after the inquiry conducted by the Director.
- (to) come to pass: (to happen). The inevitable has come to pass.
- (to) come true: (to be fulfilled). Her dreams have at last come true.
- (to) come up: (to raise for discussions). The matter came up before the National Assembly.
CRY
- (to) cry down: (to condemn). Bad men cry down social restraints because they stand in their way.
- (to) cry out: (to protest). He cried out against injustice done to him.
- (to) cry up: (to extol). The poetess is being cried up Journalist friends.
Idioms with Cut, Do, Draw, Drop
CUT
- (to) cut down: (to fell). Trees are a wealth: We must not cut them down.
- (to be) cut for a position: (to be specially suited). She is cut for the post of Secretary.
- (to) cut in: (to interrupt). Do not cut in while another person is speaking.
- (to) cut short: (to check). He wanted to say something but his boss cut him short.
DO
- (to) do away with: (to remove). We must try to do away with our shortcomings.
- (to) do for: (to ruin). He is done for.
DRAW
- (to) draw on: (to borrow). She is drawing on her reserves to meet her immediate needs.
- (to) draw out: (to make one speak freely). David Frost has a way of drawing out even the most reticent of states-men.
- (to) draw the line: (to fix limits). We must draw the line between freedom and license.
- (to) draw up: (to formulate). The two lawyers drew up the agreement according to the wishes of their clients.
DROP
- (to) drop in: I shall drop in sometime on my way back from the office.
- (to) drop off: (to decrease). Attendance in her class does not drop off even in the months of May and June.
- (to) drop into: (to become accustomed to). Man and wife have to drop into each other’s way of doing things.
- (to) drop out: (to retire). Several competitors dropped out before covering the whole distance.
Idioms with Fall, Get Give and Go
FALL
- (to) fall away: (to revolt). Colonies fall away from Imperial France one Dy one
- (to) fall back: (to retreat). When the police used tear gas shells, the rioters fell back.
- (to) fall back upon: (to have recourse to). You must have some money regularly to fall back upon in time of need.
- (to) fall fat: (to fail). All advice fell flat on him.
- (to) fall for: to be attracted to). The only flaw in his character is that he falls for money.
- (to) fall in with: (to meet). I fell in with an old friend at the airport after twenty years.
- (to) fall out with: (to quarrel). He has fallen out with all his friends.
- (to) fall through: (to fail). The project fell through for want of funds.
- (to) fall upon: (to attack). They fell upon the enemy in the dead of night and routed them.
GET
- (to) get about: (to move). You must get about quickly.
- (to) get along: (to agree). The two partners are getting along well together.
- (to) get at: (to attain to). We must make every effort to get to the truth.
- (to) getaway: (to escape): The thieves got away with all the cash and jewelry in the house.
- (to) get down: (to write to, dictation). The Manager called the stenographer and asked him to get down the notes quickly.
- (to) get in: (to enter). He snatched the purse from that lady, got in the car, and drove off.
- (to) get off: (to escape). Ha used his Contacts and got off with a fine only.
- (to) get on: (to live with). It is very difficult to get on with a jealous wife.
- (to) get on one’s nerves: (to annoy). I cannot spend five minutes with her; she gets on my nerves
- (to) get out of: (to escape from). He got out of his trap before it was too late.
- (to) get over: (to surmount). He got over his difficulties with the active support of his wife.
- (to) get around: (be talked about). I do not want this News to get around.
- (to) get through: (to spend foolishly) He got through money that his father had left him left him.
- (to) get up: (to rise). I get up early in the morning.
GIVE
- (to) give away: (to distribute). The Vice-Chancellor gave away the prizes to the prize winners.
- (to) give chase: (to pursue). The police party gave a hard chase to the robbers and succeeded in arresting them.
- (to) give in: (to yield). The strikers will not give in easily
- (to) give out: (to announce). It was given out that the wedding will take place on Monday next.
- (to) give rise to: (to cause). The expected announcement of the important policy has given rise to the speculation market.
- (to) give someone the cold shoulder: (to receive coldly). Poor relatives were given the cold shoulder by their rich hosts
- (to) give someone the slip: (to avoid someone). He has given her the slip five times during the last twenty-four hours.
- (to) Give up: (to surrender). The culprit gave himself to the police.
- (to) give way: (to yield). He had to give away under pressure from many sources.
GO
- (to) go against the grain: (to be opposed to one’s feelings, wishes, ideas). He will be going against his grain if discloses the contents of the packet
- (to) go ahead: (to begin). He went ahead with his scheme without caring for anybody.
- (to) go back on: (to fail to keep, especially promise). He went back on his solemn pledges.
- (to) go berserk: (to become wild with fury). Her irresponsible behavior obliged him to go berserk.
- (to) go by: (to judge from). We should not go by appearances only.
- (to) go down: (to decrease in price). Shares of many companies have gone down.
- (to) go for: (to be sold at). These watches are going for $200 each.
- (to) go for a song: (to be sold for much less than the true value). This painting is going for a song.
- (to) go into: (to examine: to investigate). The Director promised to go into the matter and to do justice to the aggrieved party.
- (to) go off: (to succeed). The function went off very well.
- (to) go on: (to continue). He went on speaking pointlessly.
- (to) go on better: (to improve) He is trying to go one better than his colleagues to win the favor of his boss.
- (to) go through: (to examine). The lawyer went through the documents without finding a clue to the charge.
- (to) go to rack and ruin: (to go to ruin). The economy of Iran has gone to rack and ruin.
- (to) go to the wall: (to get the worst in a struggle). The weaker goes to the wall in a struggle.
- (to) go up: (to increase). The prices of essential commodities have gone up.
Idioms with Have, Hold, Keep, Lay
HAVE
- (to) have a brush with: (to have a slight encounter). The Speaker of the National Assembly had a brush with one of the speakers.
- (to) have clean hands: (to be a person of integrity). She has clean hands in her dealings with everybody.
- (to) have in hand: (to have undertaken a work). I have a big project in hand.
- (to) have no backbone: (to lack vigor) He cannot face up to the situation because he has no backbone.
- (to) have too many irons in the fire: (to be overworked). He cannot handle the situation alone because he has too many irons in the fire.
HOLD
Also Check: Idiomatic Expression in English
- (to) hold in check: (to control). The Government is trying its best to hold anti-social elements in check.
- (to) hold one’s ground: (not to give way). He is determined to hold his ground in all circumstances.
- (to) hold one’s head high: (to bear oneself proudly). He bears himself humbly rather than holding his head high.
- (to) hold one’s own: (to maintain one’s position). Despite forbidding circumstances, she held her own.
- (to) hold oneself ready: (to be prepared). The commander asked his men to hold themselves ready for the final assault.
- (to) hold out: (to offer resistance). Despite persistent attacks, the rebels held out for over six months.
- (to) hold someone in high esteem: (to have a high opinion). He holds his teachers in high esteem.
KEEP
- (to) keep back: (to conceal) He does not keep back anything from me.
- (to) keep body and soul together: (to keep alive). Salaried persons find it difficult to Keep body and soul together during the days of rising inflation.
- (to) keep open house: (to be hospitable to visitors). She keeps an open house; she has the wherewithal to do so.
- (to) keep someone in the dark: (to hide something). I shall not keep you in the dark about future developments in this regard.
- (to) keep something to oneself: (not to disclose a secret), shall keep your secret to myself.
- (to) keep the ball rolling: (to keep something going) She had to say something or the other to keep the ball rolling.
- (to) keep within bounds: (to restrain). It is difficult to keep her within bounds when her passion is roused.
- (to) keep the wolf from the door: (to avoid starvation). Low-income groups have to struggle very hard to keep the wolf from the door.
LAY
- (to) lay by: (to save). He refuses to lay by any money for future needs.
- (to) lay down: (to Surrender). Two brigades of the enemy laid down their arms.
- (to) lay down one’s life: (to be killed). l am prepared to down my life for my friends.
- (to) lay down the law: (to say authoritatively). He lays the law with every word that he utters.
Idioms with Look, Make, Pass, Play
LOOK
- (to) look forward to: (to expect). She is looking forward to her father’s visit next month.
- (to) Look in the face: (to face without shrinking). Honest workers can look their employers in the face.
- (to) look into: (to investigate). He is looking into the matter thoroughly and will report the findings in a fortnight.
- (to) lookup: (to improve). The economic condition of the country is looking up.
MAKE
- (to) make a bee-line: (to go directly). When he heard the news of his father’s arrival, he made a beeline for his house.
- (to) make a clean breast of something: (to disclose fully). He made a clean breast of everything that had transpired at the meeting.
- (to) make a virtue of necessity: (to do something as if it were a virtuous action when it is, in fact, a necessary action). He made a virtue of necessity and resigned from the post of captain of the team.
- (to) make amends: (to compensate). You must make amends for the damage you have done to her reputation.
- (to) make away with: (to remove) Thieves made away with all the cash and jeweler in the house.
- (to) make both ends meet: (to keep expenses within income). It is very difficult for low-income groups to make both ends meet these days
- (to) make common cause with: (to cooperate). He made common cause with John to frustrate the efforts of their rivals.
- (to) make friends: (to win friendship). She has the knack of making friends with everyone she meets.
- (to) make it up with: (to settle differences). He can never make up with his wife on account of the difference in temperament.
- (to) make one’s mark: (to do something noteworthy). He is a genuine worker and will make his mark one day.
- (to) make room: (to allow space or passage). Everyone was more than willing to make room for her.
PASS
- (to) pass by: (to overlook). We must pass by the shortcomings of our friends.
- (to) pass through: (to undergo). He has passed through much suffering already.
PLAY
- (to) play false: (to be deceitful). We should never play our friends false.
- (to) play one’s cards well: (to make clever use of one’s opportunities). He played his cards well and achieved success.
- (to) play something down: (to make it seem unimportant). However hard you try to play it down, his benevolent act will not lose its importance.
- (to) play the game: (to act fairly). We must play the game and refrain from acting dishonestly.
- (to) play truant: (to stay away). Students sometimes play truant in their classes.
Also check: Most Common Idioms List
Idioms with Pull, Put, Run and See
PULL
- (to) pull one’s weight: (to do one’s fair share of work). You are not working hard enough, you should pull your weight.
- (to) pull together: (to cooperate). The two brothers should pull together if they want to achieve success in life.
- (to) pull strings: (to use private influence to gain some advantage). You will have to pull strings to get this job done.
- (to) pull up: (to scold). The President pulled up government officials and asked them to work as servants of the people.
PUT
- (to) put a thing down in black and white: (to give in writing). You must put in black and white what you want to say, cannot take your word for it.
- (to) put by: (to Save) Wo must put by something for an emergency.
- (to) put in a word for one: (to recommend). I have put in a word for you and I am sure you will be selected for the job.
- (to) put off: (to evade). I would not be put off by false promises.
- (to) put one’s shoulder to the wheel: (to work hard). You will have to put your shoulder to the wheel if you want to complete this project successfully.
- (to) put someone at his ease: (to make one feel comfortable). We must put our guests at ease so that they can enjoy their visit.
- (to) put someone in the picture: (to tell the exact situation). Please put me in the picture before I go to the meeting.
- (to) put someone on his guard: (to warn). You should put him on his guard against the machinations of his partner.
- (to) put two and two together: (to conclude). I can put two and two together and find out what is going on in my house.
- (to) put up with: (tolerate). I can no longer put up with her impertinence.
RUN
- (to) run down: (to speak ill of). We should not run down our colleagues.
- (to) of run out: (to lack). She ran out of arguments in the middle of the speech.
- (to) run riot: (to act without restraint). His imagination ran riot during his speech.
- (to) run short: (to have insufficient quantity). The battalion ran short of weapons.
- (to) run-up: (to increase). Her expenses on gasoline ran up during my visit to Iran.
SEE
- (to) see for oneself: (to find out in person) l want to see for myself that he is doing well at Huawei.
- (to) see the light: (to be revealed). The documents you gave her will never see the light.
- (to) see off: (to witness departure). Many friends were present at the airport to see me off.
- (to) see through: (to detect). I saw through his game.
Idioms with Set, Stand, Take, and Turn
SET
- (to) set one’s house in order: (to organize one’s own life). Instead of criticizing others, I wish to set my own house order.
- (to) set one’s mind at rest: (to tree Someone from worry). Suspicions create difficulties. We must, therefore, set his mind at rest that we want only friends with him.
- (to) set store by: (to value highly). The company sets store by the new project it has taken in hand.
- (to) set the Thames on fire: (to do something extraordinary). He will never set the Thames on fire.
STAND
- (to) stand in good stead: (to be of great advantage in times of difficulties). The hard work you do now will stand you in good stead in later life.
- (to) stand on ceremony: (to pay attention to rules of behavior). You do not have to stand at the ceremony at my house. Please feel at home.
- (to) stand one’s ground: (to maintain one’s position). He stood his ground throughout the lengthy debate.
- (to) stand up for: (to vindicate). We are determined to stand up for our rights.
TAKE
- (to) take a fancy to: (to desire to have a thing). I have taken a fancy to this house.
- (to) take after: (to resemble). She takes after her mother she was also very pretty.
- (to) take in good part: (to receive with good grace). The writer took the criticism in good part.
- (to) take pride in: (to be proud of). She takes pride in the work she is doing.
- (to) take something into account: (to consider). You take all the facts into account before deciding the issue.
- (to) take something to heart: (to feel deeply). She has taken her father’s death to heart.
- (to) take the bull by the horns: (to grapple a difficulty courageously) His success is due to the fact that he always takes the bull by the horns.
- (to) take the hint: (to understand what is meant). I have taken the hint you do not have to say it in so many words.
- (to) take to one’s heels: (to run away). The robbers took to their heels when the police confronted them.
- (to) take upon oneself: (to undertake). He takes responsibility for these happenings upon himself.
TURN
- (to) turn one’s back upon: (to abandon). He has turned his back upon practically everything that has value in life.
- (to) turn over a new leaf: (to improve oneself and start again). After the death of his father, he has turned over a new leaf in his life.
- (to) turn someone’s head: (to cause them to become vain or conceited). Your praise for her physical charms has turned her head.
- (to) turn the tables upon: (to reverse the situation) Late rally by Indian Hockey Team in the World Cup turned the tables upon Germany.