Studying hard requires dedication and motivation, and using the right phrases can make a big difference in your approach. Here are 30 idioms and phrasal verbs related to studying hard, each with a short meaning and an example sentence to help you understand how to use them in context.
1. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: Study late night
Example: She burned the midnight oil for her exams.
2. Hit the books
Meaning: Study intensely
Example: I need to hit the books for the finals.
3. Pull an all-nighter
Meaning: Study all night
Example: He pulled an all-nighter to finish his project.
4. Cram for an exam
Meaning: Study intensely before
Example: She crammed for the history exam last night.
5. Brush up on
Meaning: Review material
Example: I need to brush up on my math skills.
6. Keep at it
Meaning: Continue studying
Example: You have to keep at it to succeed.
7. Buckle down
Meaning: Focus on work
Example: It’s time to buckle down and study.
8. Bone up on
Meaning: Learn intensively
Example: He boned up on physics for the test.
9. Swot up
Meaning: Study hard
Example: She needs to swot up on her chemistry.
10. Read up on
Meaning: Study a topic
Example: I will read up on biology this weekend.
11. Put one’s nose to the grindstone
Meaning: Work hard
Example: He put his nose to the grindstone for his finals.
12. Hit the sack
Meaning: Go to bed
Example: After studying, I hit the sack early.
13. Hit the hay
Meaning: Sleep
Example: She hit the hay after finishing her essay.
14. Dive into
Meaning: Start studying
Example: I need to dive into my history homework.
15. Power through
Meaning: Continue despite difficulty
Example: He powered through his assignments all night.
16. Get down to
Meaning: Start working
Example: Let’s get down to studying for the test.
17. Grind away
Meaning: Work hard continuously
Example: He grinds away at his studies every day.
18. Crack the books
Meaning: Open and study books
Example: She needs to crack the books for her exam.
19. Mug up
Meaning: Study quickly
Example: He had to mug up on his vocabulary list.
20. Drill into
Meaning: Study in detail
Example: The teacher drilled the formulas into us.
21. Hunker down
Meaning: Stay and study
Example: They hunkered down in the library all day.
22. Tear into
Meaning: Start studying eagerly
Example: She tore into her new textbook.
23. Work one’s fingers to the bone
Meaning: Work very hard
Example: He worked his fingers to the bone for his thesis.
24. Get on with
Meaning: Continue studying
Example: Let’s get on with our group project.
25. Plough through
Meaning: Study persistently
Example: She ploughed through her reading assignments.
26. Knuckle down
Meaning: Start working hard
Example: It’s time to knuckle down and prepare.
27. Flog through
Meaning: Study despite difficulties
Example: He flogged through his homework until midnight.
28. Read over
Meaning: Review material
Example: She read over her notes before the exam.
29. Go over
Meaning: Review carefully
Example: We need to go over the chapter again.
30. Stick to it
Meaning: Continue persistently
Example: If you stick to it, you’ll do well.
