Idioms examples for Adults - 50 idioms for Adults

Idioms are a fun way to add personality to your writing, Idioms are phrases that have a figurative or non-literal meaning, often based on everyday experiences. This blog post will provide examples of idioms examples for adults can use in their everyday conversations and in written forms of communication. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the most common idioms used in the English language, offering examples and explanations of their meanings.

Here is a list of 50 idioms for adults with meaning and example sentences.

1. The sum and substance	main idea	The sum and substance of the whole story are that Gloucester was banished.
2. Through and through	completely	Take his story with a grain of salt as he is a liar through and through.
3. Through thick and thin	in spite of all difficulties	She remained loyal to her husband through thick and thin.
4. Throw dust in someone’s eyes	to deceive someone	He robbed me of my money by throwing dust in my eyes.
5. Throw light on	explain	He threw light on the whole plan.
6. Time and again	again and again	He requested me time and again to lend him some money.
7. Time and tide	no, wait	Time and tide wait for none.
8. Tit for tat	a blow for blow	He tore my shirt, so I Put ink on his suit. That is tit for tat. 553
9. To and fro	backward and forward	He kept walking to and fro in confusion.
10. To err is human	to make mistakes is human nature	To err is human, to forgive is divine.
11. To have the gift of the gab	to have the ability to speak confidently	Our leader is getting popular as he has the gift of the gab.
12. To hit the mark	to succeed in an attempt to do something	She finally hit the mark by getting the job of the manager in the firm.
13. To hit the nail on head	to say or do exactly the right thing	Your analysis really hit the nail on the head.
14. To keep one’s word	to fulfill one’s promise	I said I would meet the deadline, and I kept my word.
15. To lick the dust/to bite the dust	to die, fail, or be defeated	His plan to win the race bit the dust.
16. To rain cats and dogs / To rain buckets	rain heavily	We cannot go out as it is raining cats and dogs.
17. To stop short of	to suddenly stop from doing something	He stopped short of calling his master cruel.
18. To the extent of	up to a certain limit	He insulted her to the extent that she slapped him.
19. To work/ perform miracles	to achieve a very good result	You have performed miracles by getting a first in the race.
20. Tooth and nail	with full force	We will fight tooth and nail to defend Pakistan.
21. Turn a deaf ear to	to ignore	refuse to listen)

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Idioms examples for Adults Infographic – 1

A big list of idioms Examples for Adults…

22. Turn coat	a man who very often changes his course of action	Do not trust him as he is a turn coat.
23. Turn one’s back upon	get away from something or someone, avoid something	Do not turn your back upon him.
24. Turn over a new leaf	adopt different life style, start in a different way	After his failure, he turned over a new leaf and began to work hard.
25. Turn somebody’s head	to make someone feel proud	Success has not turned her head, she is still as humble as before.
26. Turn tail	to run away from difficulty	He turned tail when he saw a big snake.
27. Turn the tables on somebody	to reverse a situation completely	He will turn the tables on you one day, and he will be the boss.
28. Turn Turtle	turn upside down	The boat turned turtle in the mid of the river.
29. Under a cloud	under suspicion	Someone stole some money at work, and now everyone is under a cloud of suspicion.
30. Under cover	secretly	The plan for the escape was made under cover.
31. Up to the mark	of an acceptable standard	This book is really up to the mark.
32. Ups and downs	times of good and bad luck	All people have their ups and downs.
33. Up-to-date	latest	He published an up-to-date edition of the book
34. Vain of	proud a	She is vain of her beauty.
35. Wash one’s hands of sth or sb	to get rid of by	We should wash our hands of selfish friends.
36. Ways and means	materials available for doing something	He uses all the ways and means of getting money.
39. Wear and tear	minor damage from frequent use	The sofa shows a lot of wear and tear
40. Wet blanket	someone who spoils other people’s enjoyment	As he is a wet blanket, he is not invited to the parties.

Idioms examples for Adults Infographics

Also Check: Phrasal Verb List for Adults

41. Win/gain one’s laurels	gain fame and honor	you work hard you will win your laurels.
42. With a high head	proudly	He is a proud man and always walks with a high head.
43. With a view to	with the intention of	He went there with a view to seeing her.
44. With might and main	with all power and strength	He tried to lift the stone with might and main but in vain.
45. With one’s eyes open	to be especially alert	They went into the deal with their eyes open.
46. With open arms	in a very friendly way	They welcomed their guests with open arms.
47. Within a stone’s throw	at a short distance	The hospital is within a stone’s throw from here.
48. Without fail	with certainty	John visits his mother every day without fail.
49. Worth one’s salt / true to one’s salt	deserving the pay that one gets	If you do not do your job properly, you are not worth your salt.
50. Your own flesh and blood	someone who is a part of your family	A cruel person has no affection even for his own flesh and blood.