50 Idioms with their Meanings and Sentences

An IDIOM is a group of words or a phrase that differs from their literal meaning. Idioms enrich the language.

In this post, we present you the top 50 Idioms with their Meanings and Sentences.


50 Idioms with their Meanings and Sentences


No.IdiomsMeaningsSentences
1.At arm’s lengthkeeping a safe distanceShe kept the poisonous snake at arm’s length.
2.Bag and baggagewith all belongingsShe left the apartment with her bags and baggage.
3.Beat about the bushavoid getting to the pointCan you please stop beating about the bush and tell me what happened?
4.Bed of roseseasy and comfortable situationLife is never a bed of roses; one must face challenges.
5.Bolt from the bluea sudden and unexpected eventThe news of the company’s bankruptcy came as a bolt from the blue.
6.Build castles in the airindulge in unrealistic dreamsInstead of building castles in the air, let’s focus on our goals and work hard to achieve them.
7.Call in questiondoubtThe evidence presented calls in question the suspect’s alibi.
8.Cats and dogsraining very heavilyIt’s been raining cats and dogs all day.
9.Crocodile tears fake tearsI don’t trust her crocodile tears, she’s just trying to manipulate us.
10.Die in harness die while workingHe died in harness a month before his retirement.
11.Dark horserelatively unknownThe political newcomer surprised everyone by winning the election, he was a real dark horse.
12.End in smokefail to materializeThe company’s plans to expand overseas ended in smoke due to lack of funding.
13.Far and awayby far or significantlyShe was far and away the best singer in the competition.
14.Fish out of waterunfamiliar situationBeing the only vegetarian at the barbecue, she felt like a fish out of water.
15.Flesh and bloodhuman or physical existenceShe was just flesh and blood, and couldn’t work 24/7 without getting tired.
16.Get by heartto memorize somethingIn order to pass the exam, she had to get the formulas by heart.
17.Give one’s wordto make a promise or give an assuranceHe gave his word that he would always be there to support her.
18.Heart and soulwith all energyShe poured her heart and soul into her performance, impressing the judges.
19.In cold blooddone intentionally and without emotionThe murder was committed in cold blood and shocked the community.
20.In a nutshellbriefly summarizing something.In a nutshell, the company’s profits have been declining for the past year. 
21.Jail Birda repeat criminalThe detective recognized the suspect as a jailbird who had been in and out of prison for years.
22.Kith and kinnear and dear onesShe prefers to spend time with her kith and kin.
23.Kill two birds with one stoneachieve two things in one strokeShe listened to an audiobook while doing house chores, killing two birds with one stone.
24.Keep the wolf from the doormanage to survive financiallyHer part-time job helped her keep the wolf from the door.
25.Laughing stockobject of amusementHis clumsy dancing made him the laughingstock of the party.
26.Lion’s sharethe major partThe CEO took the lion’s share of the company’s profits.
27.Long and shortbottom lineThe long and short of the matter is that we need to increase our sales revenue.
28.Make both ends meetlive frugallyThey had to make both ends meet after losing their jobs.
29.Man of strawan insignificant personThe small-time crook was a man of straw compared to the big-time criminals.
30.Nip in the budto stop something at an early stageThe company nipped the security breach in the bud before any sensitive information was compromised.
31.Null and voidhaving no legal or binding effectThe contract became null and void when one of the parties breached the terms.
32.Off and onintermittently or irregularlyI have been practising yoga off and on for the past year.
33.Out of the woodno longer in a difficult or dangerous situationThe patient is out of the woods and is expected to make a full recovery.
34.Pros and consthe advantages and disadvantages of a situationBefore making a decision, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of the options.
35.Pure and simpleplain and straightforwardHis answer was a lie, pure and simple, and he got caught.
36.Red-letter dayspecial occasionWinning the championship was a red-letter day for the team.
37.Run into debtaccumulate debtHe kept spending money on unnecessary things and ran into debt.
38.Salt of the eartha good and honest personMy grandfather was the salt of the earth, always helping others in need.
39.Stone’s throwa short distance awayThe grocery store was just a stone’s throw from his apartment.
40.Three R’selementary educationMany schools in underdeveloped countries focus on teaching the three R’s.
41.To and froback and forthShe paced to and fro in her office, trying to come up with a solution to the problem.
42.To the backbonecompletelyShe is a feminist to the backbone and fights for women’s rights.
43.Under the thumbto be controlled by someoneShe realized that she was under the thumb of her overbearing boss.
44.Under one’s nosehappening in front of someone without their knowledgeThe thief stole the purse right under the woman’s nose.
45.Vexed questiona complex and much-debated issueClimate change remains a vexed question among policymakers.
46.Wild goose chasean unsuccessful pursuitSearching for the lost ring in the park proved to be a wild goose chase.
47.Widow’s mitea small but meaningful contributionThe donation of a single dollar may seem small, but it can be a widow’s mite to someone in need.
48.With a view towith the intention ofShe enrolled in college with a view to pursuing a career in medicine.
49.Yeoman’s servicediligent and valuable workThe volunteer organization provided yeoman’s service to the community after the natural disaster.
50.Zenith of powerthe peak of one’s authority or influenceThe president’s approval ratings were at the zenith of power after his successful foreign policy initiative.

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