Examples of Idioms: Idioms are the group of words or phrases, which mean something entirely different from their literal meaning. Idioms are the creative part of our language, where we can express our thoughts in a more fun way. Idioms and phrases with meanings and examples are fascinating and engaging to learn since our list of idioms belongs to a wide variety of situations.
Today, we have bought together a list of idioms Examples that will help you get to know certain idioms and phrases with meanings and examples.
Enrich your Vocabulary by practicing the English Idioms that are commonly used in everyday conversations and understand their actual meaning.
Name of Example of Idioms
List of Examples of Idioms
- A blessing in disguise
- Beat around the bush
- Better late than never
- Bite the bullet
- Call it a day
- Get out of hand
- Get your act together
- Go back to the drawing board
- Hang in there
- Hit the slack
- It’s not rocket science
- Let someone off the hook
- Miss the boat
- Pull someone’s leg
- Pull yourself together
- Speak of the devil, and the devil is here
- The last straw
- To get bent out of shape
- Under the weather
- We’ll cross the bridge when we come to it
- Wrap your head around something
- Your guess is as good as mine
- Back against the wall
- Scrape the barrel
- Break fresh/ new ground
- Sell like hot cakes
- On cloud nine
- Left out in the cold
- Blow hot and cold
- Cut corners
- Boil the Ocean
- Keep an ear to the ground
- Eat like a horse
Meaning and Examples of some commonly used Example of Idioms
A blessing in disguise
Meaning: Something which is a good thing, but it seems to be wrong at first sight.
Example: The dropout student turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the football team.
Beat around the bush
Meaning: Trying to avoid saying what one wants to say because it is uncomfortable or doesn’t know how to say it aloud.
Example: To tell the truth, he will have to stop beating around the bush.
Better late than never
Meaning: The meaning of this phrase is it’s better to do something, how much one can than doing nothing at all.
Example: We will have to submit the homework tomorrow, it’s better late than never.
Bite the bullet
Meaning: Is to complete something, or to get over it, because avoiding it becomes inevitable.
Example: During the flood, we had to bite the bullet and escape.
Call it a day
Meaning: To end the work for the day, or to finally close off for the day
Example: It was raining heavily hence we had to call it a day.
Get out of hand
Meaning: To get out of hand means to get out of control.
Example: Before the pandemic got out of hand, the government called for a complete lockdown.
Get your act together
Meaning: To improve at something, or to get better at it, in a better manner.
Example: Before we lose for the second time, we need to get our act together.
Go back to the drawing board
Meaning: This phrase means to start something all over again.
Example: We failed the first round, so we had to go back to the drawing board again.
Hang in there
Meaning: Hang In there means not to give up or to continue doing.
Example: Hang in there. I’ll come back in five minutes.
Hit the sack
Meaning: To hit the slack means to go back to sleep.
Example: It’s 1 am, and I think it’s time for us to hit the slack.
It’s not rocket science
Meaning: Something is not very difficult; it’s pretty easy.
Example: We can complete the English homework in a day; it’s not rocket science.
Let someone off the hook
Meaning: This phrase means to let someone go and not hold them responsible for anything.
Example: We let him off the hook since he was our friend.
Miss the boat
Meaning: To miss the boat means it’s too late now to do something.
Example: We were late, and by the time we reached there, we missed the boat.
Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To pull someone’s leg means to joke with someone or to tease them.
Example: It’s always not good to pull someone’s leg.
Pull yourself together
Meaning: To pull yourself together means not to give up and not to get demotivated.
Example: Towards the end, when we were losing, we pulled ourselves together and won it.
Speak of the devil, and the devil is here
Meaning: This phrase is used when the person someone is talking about shows up all of a sudden.
Example: When I entered the room, I heard Jim whispering, “speak of the devil, and the devil is here.”
The last straw
Meaning: This phrase means that someone’s patience has run out.
Example: It was already very late, and thank God, he came before the last straw, or I would have been furious.
To get bent out of shape
Meaning: This phrase is used when someone gets very upset.
Example: He was all happy, but after the phone call, he bent out of shape.
Under the weather
Meaning: This phrase is used for being sick.
Example: I don’t think I will attend the concert since I’m under the weather.
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it
Meaning: This phrase is used when we say that we do not talk about something that instant.
Example: We have a lot to finish right now; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Wrap your head around something
Meaning: This phrase is used when you understand something complicated.
Example: It took us 10 hours of wrapping our heads around the whole plan to make it work out.
Your guess is as good as mine
Meaning: This ironic idiom is used when you want to say that you got no idea.
Example: I’ve gone true that poorly written article and your guess is as good as mine.
Back against the wall
Meaning: This phrase means when someone is stuck in a difficult situation from which they cannot escape easily.
Example: When your coach left, we had our back against the wall, but we worked hard, and we made it to the finals.
Scrape the barrel
Meaning: To try your best and to make out the best you can of the worst possible situation.
Example: When we were out of Food, we had to scrape the barrel and survive.
Break fresh/ new ground
Meaning: To break fresh or to attain a new ground is to do something that has never been done before
Example: To break fresh at the dancing competition was not an easy job.
Sell like hot cakes
Meaning: The meaning of this phrase is to get sold out very quickly
Example: The New albums sold out like hotcakes.
Run around in circles
Meaning: To put all the hard work into something, which is not worthwhile.
Example: He ran around in girls for the University, but they never gave him credit.
On cloud nine
Meaning: when someone becomes extremely happy.
Example: When he won the concert tickets, we were on cloud nine.
Left out in the cold
Meaning: To be left alone in the cold means to be ignored.
Example: They left me out in Cold, so I came back home to focus on my studies.
Blow hot and cold
Meaning: The frequent change in moods and actions.
Example: It’s his nature to boil hot and cold; we just have to adjust.
Cut corners
Meaning: This idiom means completing a task in the easiest way possible.
Example: The project was complex, but since we did not have a lot of time, we had to cut corners.
Boil the ocean
Meaning: To boil the ocean means to take up a mission or work, or project which is impossible to achieve.
Example: For Mia to win the competitions in a row was like boiling the ocean, but she did it somehow.
Keep an ear to the ground
Meaning: This phrase means to be very well aware of your surroundings and all the information around you.
Example: It is always not necessary but still, it is good to keep an ear to the ground since we are at a new place.
Eat like a horse
Meaning: This phrase means to overeat or to eat a lot at once.
Example: It was utterly wrong for Derek to eat like a horse at the wedding.