Idiom examples for students – Idioms with meaning and Examples

Idiom examples for students

What Are Idioms? An idiom is a phrase whose meaning isn’t obvious from looking at the individual words. An idiom is a phrase or an expression that has a figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning. Below are the Some Idiom examples for students, that you must Memorize to learn English.

Idioms with Examples – Video

Memorizing grammar alone is not enough to learn the English language. This list of 50 common idioms and phrases, can help you master the English language.

Categorized as formulaic language, an idiom’s figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning. Idioms list occur frequently in all languages; in English alone there are an estimated twenty-five thousand idioms examples for students.

When someone says “beat around the bush” (Idioms Examples)  to describe not addressing an issue, they are using an idiom. An idiom is not a wise choice of words for a formal speech.

Idiom examples for students List 

Back out	1.
	Fail to fulfill a performance
	India promised elections in Kashmir but later backed out.
Fall through	2.
	Don’t happen
	Her plans were falling through.
Fed up	3.
	Be completely bored
	They are fed up with his visits.
Get along	4.
	Live together well
	They get along very well.
Hold Good	5.
	Be true, be still in force
	Many old lays still Hold good.
Jeer at	6.
	Laugh and shouted at
	Do not jeer at your friends.
Keep back	7.
	Stand in the way of progress
	Your anger will keep you back.
Keep with up	8.
	Follow other developing, advance at the same pace as
	We should keep up with the advanced countries.
Layby	9.
	Save for future need
	Layby some money every month.
Name the day	10.
	Fix the date for the wedding
	Please name the date for them soon.
Part From	11.
	For two people to leave each other
	I can never part from you
Part With	12.
	To give up, to let go off
	We cannot part from our old house.
Pull through	13.
	Get to the end of something with success
	We can pull through all kinds of difficulties.
Putt off	14.
	Postpone
	I may put off my visit to Sahiwal.
Shake off	15.
	Get rid off
	We should shake off all bad habits.
Go haywire	16.
	Become out of control
	After his speech, the crowd went haywire.
A Blast from the Past	17.
	Something that suddenly makes you remember an earlier time in your life
	Hearing that record again was a real blast from the past
Turn a cover	18.
	Pass a crisis
	The doctor told the patient has turned a corner.
Devil in Disguise	19.
	Something or someone that appears to be good but later proves opposite
	At First, Alexander seems Nice but later he turned out to be the devil in disguise.
Heart in Mouth	20.
	Feeling nervous or scared
	Her heart was in her mouth while she was watching a horror movie.
Be in Dutch	21.
	In trouble
	The boy was in Dutch with his friends.
Bear out	22.
	Support the agreement
	I’m sure my classmate will bear out my statement.
Proud as a Peacock	23.
	Boasted about
	Tom’s been as proud as a peacock ever since he found out he came top in the class
Diamond in Rough	24.
	A person with great quality and potential
	He is a diamond in the rough.

Idiom examples for students Infographic – 1

Mummy boy	25.
	Man overly attached to his mother
	Raphe is really a mummy boy, he can live a second with her.
Keep mum	26.
	Be silent
	Please keep mum.
Mum’s the word	27.
	Keep it secret
	Mum’s the word about tonight’s plan.
Mother hen	28.
	Over Protected
	I left because he’s a smothering mother hen.
Alpha Mom	29.
	An ambitious mother who aims to excel at work while raising children
	Aima is a real alpha mom. She has been helping her kid to get the top job.
Everyone and their mother	30.
	Most people
	I’m so nervous, everyone and their mother is coming to our show tonight.
Mother tongue	31.
	Native language
	His mother tongue is Persian.
Mother wit	32.
	Common sense
	I suspect that ” mother wit ” is more like having the sense to come in out of the rain than it is about proverbs
Mother Nature	33.
	The personification of the natural world
	Mother Nature has 80 per cent control in putting out fires like this
Mother Superior	34.
	Head nun
	Mother Superior is the soul of compassion.
Mother ship	35.
	A vessel that serves others operation far from a home port or center
	The harbor was shallow so small boats went in, out of range of their mother ships.

Idiom Examples For Students

Hit the hay	36.
	go to bed.
	Sorry, guys, I have to hit the hay now!
Up in the air	37.
	(of a plan or issue) still to be settled; unresolved.
	“Hey, did you ever figure out those plans?”
Stabbed in the back	38.
	to deceive someone’s faith
	I don’t want to be Haley’s friend anymore, she stabbed me in the back!
Takes two to tango	39.
	certain actions or activities cannot be performed alone
	David isn’t the only guilty one here! After all, it takes two to tango.
Kill two birds with one stone.	40.
	to achieve two things by doing a single action
	Why not go to the post office on your way to the mall and kill two birds with one stone?
Piece of cake	41.
	something that’s simple to accomplish.
	Ha, that assignment was really a piece of cake!
Costs an arm and a leg	42.
	be extremely expensive.
	Matt, I really want that car, but it costs an arm and a leg. I don’t think I should get it for now.
Break a leg	43.
	good luck!
	Break a Leg Darling! You will be Fabulous
Rule of thumb	44.
	a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on practice rather than theory.
	As a rule of thumb, you should usually pay for your date’s dinner, too.
Blow off steam	45.
	get rid of pent-up energy or strong emotion.
	Hey, I’m feeling pretty angry right now. I’m going to go blow off some steam
A dime a dozen	47.
	Something that is very common, not unique
	New York camera stores are a dime a dozen.
Bite the bullet	48.
	To get an unfavorable situation or chore over with now because it will need to get finished eventually
	The accused man bit the bullet as the judge handed down his sentence.
Cutting corners	49.
	Not performing a task or duty correctly in order to save time or money
	It is certainly not a sensible move to cut corners with national security.
The last straw	50.
	The last difficulty or annoyance that makes the entire situation unbearable
	I am not going to wait for the last straw like you always do

Idioms for 5th Grade

• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Meaning: It’s better to have something for sure than to risk losing it by trying to get something better.

Example: She decided to accept the job offer she had instead of waiting for another opportunity because a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

• A penny for your thoughts

Meaning: A way of asking someone what they are thinking about.

Example: “You seem deep in thought. A penny for your thoughts?”

• Actions speak louder than words

Meaning: What someone does is more important than what they say.

Example: She promised to help me, but her actions spoke louder than words when she never showed up to assist.

• An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Meaning: Eating healthy foods will keep you healthy.

Example: My mom always reminds me to eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away.

• Beat around the bush

Meaning: Avoiding the main topic and not getting to the point.

Example: Instead of beating around the bush, can you just tell me what happened?

• Break a leg

Meaning: A way to wish someone good luck.

Example: “Break a leg!” said the director to the actor before he went on stage.

• Cat got your tongue

Meaning: A way of asking why someone is not speaking.

Example: “Why are you so quiet? Did the cat get your tongue?”

• Cold feet

Meaning: Being too scared or nervous to do something.

Example: He had cold feet and backed out of the bungee jumping adventure.

• Cry over spilled milk

Meaning: To get upset over something that cannot be undone.

Example: I know you made a mistake, but there is no use crying over spilled milk.

• Curiosity killed the cat

Meaning: Being too curious can get you in trouble.

Example: “Don’t ask too many questions, remember curiosity killed the cat.”

• Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Meaning: Don’t assume you’ll have something before you actually have it.

Example: “I hope I’ll win the race tomorrow,” said Tim. “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” replied his dad.

• Don’t judge a book by its cover

Meaning: Don’t judge someone or something by its appearance.

Example: “I thought the book was boring because the cover was plain, but I was wrong. Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Meaning: Don’t risk everything on one opportunity.

Example: He invested his entire savings in one stock, but his financial advisor warned him, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

• Every cloud has a silver lining

Meaning: There is always something good to be found in a bad situation.

Example: Even though she didn’t get the job, she realized that every cloud has a silver lining because it motivated her to improve her resume.

• Face the music

Meaning: To accept the consequences of your actions.

Example: He knew he was going to be punished for breaking the vase, so he decided to face the music and tell his mom.

• Fit as a fiddle

Meaning: Being in good physical health.

Example: My grandfather exercises every day and eats healthy foods, so he’s fit as a fiddle.

• Get a taste of your own medicine

Meaning: To experience something unpleasant that you have caused to someone else.

Example: The bully got a taste of his own medicine when another student stood up to him and made him feel the same way he had made others feel.

• Give it a shot

Meaning: To try something.

Example: “I’ve never played basketball before, but I’ll give it a shot,” said the boy.

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Idiom examples for students Infographics