English idioms are short phrases that don’t always mean what the individual words suggest. They are commonly used in everyday conversation by native speakers, which can make English challenging to understand if you’re not familiar with them.
What Are English Idioms?
An idiom is a group of words whose overall meaning is different from the literal meanings of the individual words.
For example:
“Break the ice” doesn’t mean cracking frozen water—it means starting a conversation in a social setting.
“Spill the beans” doesn’t involve actual beans—it means revealing a secret.
Idioms are widely used in spoken English, business communication, casual conversations, movies, and books. Learning them will boost both your comprehension and confidence in speaking.
List of Learn English Idioms
Everyday Idioms
Idiom
Meaning
A piece of cake
Very easy
Break the ice
Start a conversation
Hit the sack
Go to bed
Spill the beans
Reveal a secret
Under the weather
Feeling sick
Once in a blue moon
Rarely
Costs an arm and a leg
Very expensive
In hot water
In trouble
Bite off more than you can chew
Take on too much
Let the cat out of the bag
Reveal a secret accidentally
Business English Idioms
Idiom
Meaning
Back to the drawing board
Start over
Think outside the box
Be creative
In the loop
Informed about something
Touch base
Make contact/check in
Learn the ropes
Learn how to do a job
Cut corners
Do something cheaply or badly
Get the ball rolling
Start something
On the same page
In agreement
Ahead of the curve
Innovative or advanced
By the book
Follow rules strictly
Idioms About Emotions
Idiom
Meaning
Cry over spilled milk
Worry about something in the past
On cloud nine
Extremely happy
Down in the dumps
Feeling sad
Hit the roof
Become very angry
Get cold feet
Back out due to fear
Have butterflies in your stomach
Nervous feeling
Blow off steam
Release anger or stress
In high spirits
Feeling happy and energetic
A heavy heart
Feeling sad
Lose your temper
Become angry
Time & Speed Idioms
Idiom
Meaning
In the nick of time
Just in time
Around the clock
All the time
Beat the clock
Finish before the deadline
Call it a day
Stop working
At the eleventh hour
At the last possible moment
Time flies
Time goes quickly
Behind the times
Old-fashioned
Ahead of time
Early
Kill time
Pass time while waiting
Take your time
No need to hurry
Idioms for Success and Failure
Idiom
Meaning
Hit the jackpot
Succeed big time
Go the extra mile
Do more than expected
Miss the boat
Miss an opportunity
Bite the dust
Fail
The sky’s the limit
No limits to success
Throw in the towel
Give up
Rise to the occasion
Succeed under pressure
A win-win situation
A situation good for all parties
Pull it off
Succeed in doing something difficult
Back to square one
Start again from the beginning
Animal Idioms
Idiom
Meaning
The lion’s share
The biggest part
Let sleeping dogs lie
Don’t stir up old problems
Wild goose chase
A pointless search
Like a fish out of water
Uncomfortable or out of place
The elephant in the room
A major issue being ignored
Straight from the horse’s mouth
From a reliable source
Barking up the wrong tree
Pursuing the wrong path
Cat got your tongue?
Can’t speak?
Hold your horses
Wait and be patient
Pig out
Eat a lot
Idioms with Colors
Idiom
Meaning
Once in a blue moon
Rarely
Green with envy
Very jealous
Red tape
Bureaucratic obstacles
Caught red-handed
Caught in the act
Black sheep
An odd or disreputable family member
In the red
Losing money
In the black
Making profit
Golden opportunity
A great chance
White lie
A harmless lie
Gray area
Unclear situation
Learning idioms is one of the best ways to sound more natural, engaging, and fluent in English. Don’t try to memorize them all at once start with the most common ones and use them in real-life situations.
