English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don't always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Learning to use common idioms and expressions will make your English sound more native, so it's a good idea to master some of these expressions. The tables below are organized by how common the idioms are in American English. You can start by learning the very common English idioms, since these are the ones you'll encounter regularly watching American movies or TV, or visiting the United States. When you've mastered those, move on to rest. None of the idioms on this page are unusual or old fashioned, so you can be confident using any of them with native English speakers from all English-speaking countries.

The most common English idioms

These English idioms are extremely common in everyday conversation in the United States. You will hear them in movies and TV shows and can use them to make your English sound more like that of a native speaker.

Idiom Meaning Usage A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first as part of a sentence A dime a dozen Something common as part of a sentence Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable as part of a sentence Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at all by itself Bite the bullet To get something over with because it is inevitable as part of a sentence Break a leg Good luck by itself Call it a day Stop working on something as part of a sentence Cut somebody some slack Don't be so critical as part of a sentence Cutting corners Doing something poorly in order to save time or money as part of a sentence Easy does it Slow down by itself Get out of hand Get out of control as part of a sentence Get something out of your system Do the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move on as part of a sentence Get your act together Work better or leave by itself Give someone the benefit of the doubt Trust what someone says as part of a sentence Go back to the drawing board Start over as part of a sentence Hang in there Don't give up by itself Hit the sack Go to sleep as part of a sentence It's not rocket science It's not complicated by itself Let someone off the hook To not hold someone responsible for something as part of a sentence Make a long story short Tell something briefly as part of a sentence Miss the boat It's too late as part of a sentence No pain, no gain You have to work for what you want by itself On the ball Doing a good job as part of a sentence Pull someone's leg To joke with someone as part of a sentence Pull yourself together Calm down by itself So far so good Things are going well so far by itself Speak of the devil The person we were just talking about showed up! by itself That's the last straw My patience has run out by itself The best of both worlds An ideal situation as part of a sentence Time flies when you're having fun You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun by itself To get bent out of shape To get upset as part of a sentence To make matters worse Make a problem worse as part of a sentence Under the weather Sick as part of a sentence We'll cross that bridge when we come to it Let's not talk about that problem right now by itself Wrap your head around something Understand something complicated as part of a sentence You can say that again That's true, I agree by itself Your guess is as good as mine I have no idea by itself

Common English idioms & expressions

These English idioms are used quite regularly in the United States. You may not hear them every day, but they will be very familiar to any native English speaker. You can be confident using any of them when the context is appropriate.

Idiom Meaning Usage A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush What you have is worth more than what you might have later by itself A penny for your thoughts Tell me what you're thinking by itself A penny saved is a penny earned Money you save today you can spend later by itself A perfect storm the worst possible situation as part of a sentence A picture is worth 1000 words Better to show than tell by itself Actions speak louder than words Believe what people do and not what they say by itself Add insult to injury To make a bad situation worse as part of a sentence Barking up the wrong tree To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place as part of a sentence Birds of a feather flock together People who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively) by itself Bite off more than you can chew Take on a project that you cannot finish as part of a sentence Break the ice Make people feel more comfortable as part of a sentence By the skin of your teeth Just barely as part of a sentence Comparing apples to oranges Comparing two things that cannot be compared as part of a sentence Costs an arm and a leg Very expensive as part of a sentence Do something at the drop of a hat Do something without having planned beforehand as part of a sentence Do unto others as you would have them do unto you Treat people fairly. Also known as "The Golden Rule" by itself Don't count your chickens before they hatch Don't count on something good happening until it's happened. by itself Don't cry over spilt milk There's no reason to complain about something that can't be fixed by itself Don't give up your day job You're not very good at this by itself Don't put all your eggs in one basket What you're doing is too risky by itself Every cloud has a silver lining Good things come after bad things by itself Get a taste of your own medicine Get treated the way you've been treating others (negative) as part of a sentence Give someone the cold shoulder Ignore someone as part of a sentence Go on a wild goose chase To do something pointless as part of a sentence Good things come to those who wait Be patient by itself He has bigger fish to fry He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now by itself He's a chip off the old block The son is like the father by itself Hit the nail on the head Get something exactly right by itself Ignorance is bliss You're better off not knowing by itself It ain't over till the fat lady sings This isn't over yet by itself It takes one to know one You're just as bad as I am by itself It's a piece of cake It's easy by itself It's raining cats and dogs It's raining hard by itself Kill two birds with one stone Get two things done with a single action by itself Let the cat out of the bag Give away a secret as part of a sentence Live and learn I made a mistake by itself Look before you leap Take only calculated risks by itself On thin ice On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble. as part of a sentence Once in a blue moon Rarely as part of a sentence Play devil's advocate To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument as part of a sentence Put something on ice Put a projet on hold as part of a sentence Rain on someone's parade To spoil something as part of a sentence Saving for a rainy day Saving money for later as part of a sentence Slow and steady wins the race Reliability is more important than speed by itself Spill the beans Give away a secret as part of a sentence Take a rain check Postpone a plan as part of a sentence Take it with a grain of salt Don’t take it too seriously as part of a sentence The ball is in your court It's your decision by itself The best thing since sliced bread A really good invention as part of a sentence The devil is in the details It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems by itself The early bird gets the worm The first people who arrive will get the best stuff by itself The elephant in the room The big issue, the problem people are avoiding as part of a sentence The whole nine yards Everything, all the way. as part of a sentence There are other fish in the sea It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise. by itself There's a method to his madness He seems crazy but actually he's clever by itself There's no such thing as a free lunch Nothing is entirely free by itself Throw caution to the wind Take a risk as part of a sentence You can't have your cake and eat it too You can't have everything by itself You can't judge a book by its cover This person or thing may look bad, but it's good inside by itself

Familiar English idioms & proverbs

These English idioms and proverbs are familiar and easily understood by native English speakers, but they are not usually used in everyday conversation. If you haven't mastered the more frequent idioms yet, they are a better place to start, but if you're already familiar with those expressions, the idioms below will further spice up your English.