200 Examples of Idioms in Sentences:
A
1. A chip on your shoulder: He always seems to have a chip on his shoulder and gets offended easily.
2. A dime a dozen: These cheap souvenirs are a dime a dozen and not worth buying.
3. A fish out of water: Feeling completely lost in the big city, she felt like a fish out of water.
4. A hot potato: The controversial topic became a hot potato that no politician wanted to touch.
5. A leopard can't change its spots: He's always been a liar, and a leopard can't change its spots.
6. A piece of cake: The exam was a piece of cake for her after all the studying.
7. A shot in the dark: The detective was working with a shot in the dark, hoping to find a clue.
8. A stitch in time saves nine: Fixing the small leak now will save nine repairs later.
9. Add insult to injury: Losing the game was bad enough, but then they added insult to injury by taunting us.
10. All ears: She was all ears when he started talking about his new project.
B
11. Back to the drawing board: The project failed, so it was back to the drawing board.
12. Barking up the wrong tree: You're barking up the wrong tree if you think he's responsible for this.
13. Beat around the bush: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want.
14. Be on the same page: We need to be on the same page about this plan before we proceed.
15. Bite the bullet: He had to bite the bullet and tell his boss he was quitting.
16. Blow off steam: After a stressful day, she went for a run to blow off steam.
17. Break a leg: Break a leg on your audition!
18. Break the ice: He tried to break the ice with a funny joke.
19. Burn the midnight oil: She had to burn the midnight oil to finish her report.
20. Butter someone up: He was buttering up his boss in hopes of getting a raise.
C
21. Call it a day: After working late, they decided to call it a day and go home.
22. Can't hold a candle to: Her cooking can't hold a candle to her grandmother's.
23. Catch a break: He's been struggling lately but hasn't caught a break yet.
24. Catch-22: It's a real catch-22 - you need experience to get the job, but you can't get experience without the job.
25. Change your tune: After seeing the evidence, he changed his tune and admitted his mistake.
26. Chew the fat: They spent the evening chewing the fat and catching up.
27. Chip in: Everyone chipped in to buy a gift for the birthday girl.
28. Clean up your act: He needs to clean up his act if he wants to keep his job.
29. Close call: That was a close call - we almost got into an accident.
30. Cold feet: She got cold feet about the wedding and called it off.
D
31. Dead end: His investigation hit a dead end and he couldn't find any new clues.
32. Die laughing: He was dying laughing at the joke.
33. Do a double-take: I did a double-take when I saw her there - I thought she was in Paris.
34. Don't judge a book by its cover: Don't judge a book by its cover - he might be a great guy even though he doesn't look like it.
35. Down in the dumps: She was down in the dumps after losing her job.
36. Draw the line: There are some things I won't do, I draw the line at that.
37. Drive someone up the wall: His constant complaining was driving me up the wall.
38. Drop a bomb: She dropped a bomb when she announced she was quitting.
39. Drop the ball: They really dropped the ball on this project and it's going to be a lot of work to fix it.
40. Dry run: Let's do a dry run of the presentation before the real meeting.
E
41. Easy come, easy go: He won the lottery but easy come, easy go, he spent it all within a year.
42. Eat humble pie: After realizing his mistake, he had to eat humble pie and apologize.
43. Every cloud has a silver lining: It might seem bad now, but every cloud has a silver lining, things will get better.
44. Eyes in the back of your head: She has eyes in the back of her head and always knows what's going on.
F
45. Face the music: You made a mistake, now you have to face the music.
46. Fair game: Once you enter the competition, you're fair game and anything goes.
47. Fall apart at the seams: The old car was falling apart at the seams.
48. Fall flat: His joke fell flat and no one laughed.
49. Fast track: The company is fast-tracking the new product launch.
50. Feather your nest: He's feathering his nest by investing in real estate.
51. Feel under the weather: I'm feeling under the weather today, I think I'm coming down with a cold.
52. Fight tooth and nail: He fought tooth and nail to get the promotion.
53. Find your feet: It took her a while to find her feet in the new job.
54. Fish out of water: She felt like a fish out of water at the formal dinner.
55. Fly by the seat of your pants: They were flying by the seat of their pants without a clear plan.
G
56. Get a grip: Stop whining and get a grip on yourself!
57. Get your act together: You need to get your act together if you want to succeed.
58. Give someone the cold shoulder: He's been giving me the cold shoulder ever since I borrowed his car.
59. Go the extra mile: She always goes the extra mile at work and gets things done.
60. Go with the flow: Just go with the flow and don't worry about the details.
61. Good things come to those who wait: You've been working hard, good things come to those who wait, you'll be successful.
62. Grasp at straws: He was grasping at straws trying to find a way to save the deal.
H
63. Hang in there: Don't give up, hang in there!
64. Have a heart: Have a heart, he's just a kid!
65. Have second thoughts: I'm having second thoughts about accepting the job offer.
66. Head over heels: He was head over heels in love with her.
67. Hit the nail on the head: You hit the nail on the head - that's exactly what I was thinking.
68. Hit the road: It's getting late, I better hit the road.
69. Hold your horses: Hold your horses! Let's think about this carefully first.
70. Home stretch: We're on the home stretch of the project, it's almost finished.
I
71. In a nutshell: In a nutshell, the plan is to increase sales by 10%.
72. In hot water: He's in hot water after his boss found out about his mistake.
73. In the same boat: We're in the same boat - we both have to work extra hours this week.
74. It's a long shot: Trying to win the lottery is a long shot, but someone has to win it.
75. It's raining cats and dogs: We can't go out, it's raining cats and dogs.
76. It's water under the bridge: Don't worry about it, it's water under the bridge, we've moved on.
J
77. Jump the gun: Don't jump the gun and celebrate yet, we still have a lot of work to do.
78. Just the tip of the iceberg: The problems we're facing are just the tip of the iceberg.
K
79. Keep a low profile: He's trying to keep a low profile after the scandal.
80. Kick the bucket: He kicked the bucket last month, he's no longer with us.
81. Kill two birds with one stone: I can kill two birds with one stone and visit my friend while running errands.
L
82. Let the cat out of the bag: I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about her surprise party.
83. Let sleeping dogs lie: Don't bring up the argument again, let sleeping dogs lie.
84. Live and learn: I made a mistake, but live and learn, I'll do better next time.
85. Lose your touch: He's lost his touch lately, he's not playing as well as he used to.
86. Lose your mind: You must be losing your mind if you think that's a good idea.
M
87. Make a mountain out of a molehill: Don't make a mountain out of a molehill, it's not a big deal.
88. Make ends meet: It's hard to make ends meet with the rising cost of living.
89. Miss the boat: He missed the boat on the opportunity to invest in the company.
90. Money talks: They got the deal done because money talks.
N
91. Never say never: Never say never, anything is possible.
92. No sweat: I'll help you with that, no sweat.
93. Not my cup of tea: That kind of music is not my cup of tea.
O
94. Off the beaten path: They took a road trip off the beaten path and explored some hidden gems.
95. On cloud nine: She was on cloud nine after getting engaged.
96. On thin ice: He's on thin ice with his boss after being late for work.
97. Once in a blue moon: They only see each other once in a blue moon.
98. Out of the blue: He received a letter out of the blue from his long lost cousin.
99. Out of the woods: They're not out of the woods yet, but they're making progress.
P
100. Pass the buck: Don't pass the buck and take responsibility for your actions.
101. Pay the piper: You made a mistake, now you have to pay the piper.
102. Pick up the pieces: After the accident, she had to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life.
103. Piece of cake: The test was a piece of cake for her.
104. Play it by ear: We don't have a plan, we'll just play it by ear.
105. Put your foot in your mouth: He really put his foot in his mouth when he insulted her in front of everyone.
106. Pull someone's leg: He was pulling my leg when he said he was quitting his job.
Q
107. Quit cold turkey: He quit smoking cold turkey and hasn't touched a cigarette since.
R
108. Raining cats and dogs: It's raining cats and dogs outside, I'd better stay inside.
109. Read between the lines: You need to read between the lines to understand what she's really saying.
110. Roll with the punches: He's learned to roll with the punches and deal with life's challenges.
111. Run circles around: She runs circles around everyone in her class.
112. Run into the ground: This idea has been run into the ground and it's time for something new.
S
113. Save face: He tried to save face by apologizing for his mistake.
114. See eye to eye: We don't see eye to eye on this issue.
115. Sell like hotcakes: The new product is selling like hotcakes.
116. Shape up or ship out: You need to shape up or ship out if you want to keep your job.
117. Show your true colors: He finally showed his true colors and revealed his selfish side.
118. Sit tight: Just sit tight and wait for me to call.
119. Sleep on it: I'm not sure yet, I need to sleep on it and think about it.
120. Spill the beans: Don't spill the beans about the surprise party.
121. Steal someone's thunder: He tried to steal her thunder by announcing his own news first.
122. Stick your neck out: I'm willing to stick my neck out for you and help you out.
123. Straight from the horse's mouth: I heard it straight from the horse's mouth - it's true!
124. Strike while the iron is hot: Don't wait, strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of this opportunity.
T
125. Take a rain check: I can't go out tonight, I'll take a rain check.
126. Take it easy: Just take it easy and relax.
127. Take the plunge: She finally took the plunge and quit her job to start her own business.
128. Talk a mile a minute: He talks a mile a minute and it's hard to keep up with him.
129. Talk the talk: He talks the talk but can he walk the walk?
130. That's the way the cookie crumbles: Sometimes things don't go your way, that's the way the cookie crumbles.
131. Think outside the box: We need to think outside the box to come up with a solution.
132. Throw in the towel: He finally threw in the towel and admitted defeat.
133. Time flies when you're having fun: Time flies when you're having fun, the day went by so quickly.
134. To each his own: To each his own, I don't like that kind of music but you're welcome to enjoy it.
135. Touch base: I'll touch base with you tomorrow to discuss the next steps.
U
136. Under the weather: I'm under the weather today and don't feel well.
137. Up in the air: Our plans for the weekend are still up in the air.
V
138. Vanish into thin air: He just vanished into thin air and we haven't seen him since.
139. Variety is the spice of life: Variety is the spice of life, try something new!
W
140. Wait for the other shoe to drop: We're still waiting for the other shoe to drop and see what the real consequences will be.
141. Walk on eggshells: I have to walk on eggshells around him because he's so sensitive.
142. Walk the walk: He talks the talk, but can he walk the walk and actually do it?
143. Wash your hands of it: I'm washing my hands of it - I'm not involved anymore.
144. Waste not, want not: Waste not, want not - be careful with your resources.
145. Water under the bridge: Don't worry about it, it's water under the bridge and we've moved on.
146. Weather the storm: They've been through a lot together, but they've learned to weather the storm.
147. What goes around comes around: Don't be mean to others, what goes around comes around.
148. When pigs fly: I'll believe it when pigs fly - it's not going to happen.
149. Where there's a will, there's a way: If you really want to achieve something, where there's a will, there's a way.
150. White as a sheet: He was white as a sheet after seeing the accident.
X
151. X marks the spot: X marks the spot where the treasure is buried.
Y
152. You can't have your cake and eat it too: You can't expect to have everything your own way, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
153. You can't teach an old dog new tricks: He's set in his ways and you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Z
154. Zip your lip: Zip your lip and don't tell anyone about the secret.
More Examples with Different Idioms:
155. Bite the bullet: I finally bit the bullet and asked her out on a date.
156. Break a leg: Break a leg on your presentation tomorrow!
157. Burn the midnight oil: I had to burn the midnight oil to finish the project on time.
158. Call it a day: After a long day of work, I was ready to call it a day and go home.
159. Change your tune: He changed his tune after he saw the evidence.
160. Cost an arm and a leg: That new car cost an arm and a leg.
161. Cut to the chase: Stop beating around the bush and cut to the chase.
162. Down in the dumps: I was down in the dumps after I lost my job.
163. Easy come, easy go: He won the lottery but easy come, easy go, he spent it all in a few months.
164. Feel like a million bucks: I woke up feeling like a million bucks this morning.
165. Get a second wind: After a rest, I got a second wind and was able to finish the marathon.
166. Give it your best shot: Go out there and give it your best shot at the audition.
167. Go the extra mile: He always goes the extra mile for his customers.
168. Hang in there: Don't give up, hang in there!
169. Have a ball: We had a ball at the party last night.
170. Hit the hay: It's getting late, I'm going to hit the hay.
171. In a pickle: I'm in a pickle - I don't know what to do.
172. It's all Greek to me: I don't understand any of this, it's all Greek to me.
173. Keep your chin up: Don't give up, keep your chin up!
174. Let bygones be bygones: We need to let bygones be bygones and move on from that argument.
175. Let's get down to brass tacks: Let's get down to brass tacks and talk about the real issues.
176. Lose your marbles: He's been losing his marbles lately - he's acting strange.
177. Make a splash: The new movie is expected to make a splash at the box office.
178. Miss the mark: The project missed the mark and failed to meet our expectations.
179. No pain, no gain: You have to work hard to achieve your goals, no pain, no gain.
180. On the ball: She's always on the ball and knows what's going on.
181. Out of sight, out of mind: Once he left town, he was out of sight, out of mind.
182. Pay through the nose: We paid through the nose for those concert tickets.
183. Put your money where your mouth is: Stop talking