English Idioms With Meanings and Sentences For College Students

Important English Idioms

An Idiom or idiomatic expression is a phrase that can not be understood by a simple meaning. It beautifies the English language and to express anything through idiomatic expression makes it an atypical expression like the Above board, A bed of roses, A cat’s paw, etc.

Here is given a list of idioms, their meanings, and their sentences for college students to learn properly and focus on the hidden meaning of the given words or phrases.

1. ABC ( The simple and the most basic knowledge)

Sentence: This book gives the ABC of music.

2. Above All ( Most important of all)

Sentence: Salim is wise, hardworking, and above all honest.

3. Above Board ( honest and open)

Sentence: All his dealings are above board.

4. Add fuel to fire/ flames ( To make something worse than it was previously)

Sentence: He is already angry; do not add fuel to fire by calling him a liar.

5. Add Insult to injury( Do somebody even more harms)

Sentence: You have already made Aslam angry but do not add insult to injury by calling him corrupt.

6. After all ( in spite of what has been said/ done)

Sentence: You should help Naseem, after all, he is your friend.

7. Again and again( very often)

Sentence: I told him again and again not to waste time.

8. Aladin’s lamp (An object helping its holder to fulfill any desire)

Sentence: You need an Aladin’s lamp to build a house in a night.

9. All and sundry(everyone, not the chosen ones only)

Sentence: He invited all and sundry at the party so there could not be a class difference.

10. Be all Greek to someone ( Beyond someone’s understanding)

Sentence: I could not understand your speech, it was all Greek to me.

11. All in all ( On a whole)

Sentence: All in all, the function on Kashmir day had been a great success.

12. All the same( Inspite of something that you have just said)

Sentence: Naveed is against me in this matter, all the same, I respect him.

13. Animal spirits( Natural enjoyment of life)

Sentence: A man with animal spirits enjoys his life fully.

14. Apple of discord( The cause of quarrel)

Sentence: This piece of land is an apple of discord between Aslam and Ali.

15. Be the apple of someone’s eyes ( To be very dear)

Sentence: My son Ayyan is the apple of my eyes.

16. At any rate ( Whatever may happen)

Sentence: we will defend our beloved country at any rate.

17. Be all ears ( To pay attention to, to listen to)

Sentence: Keep on speaking, I am all ears.

18. Of no avail ( of no use)

Sentence: He tried hard to win the race but of no avail.

19. Bad blood ( Bitter feeling among people)

Sentence: There is no bad blood between the two brothers on the matter of property.

20. Bad debt ( A debt that is unlikely to be paid)

Sentence: He is not a trustworthy man and will not pay you back, it is bad debt.

21. A bad egg( A complete worthless person)

Sentence: I do not like Smith as he is a bad egg.

22. Bag and baggage (With all one’s belongings)

Sentence: He threw her out of the house with a bag and baggage.

23. To the backbone(Completely)

Sentence: He is a liar to the backbone.

24. Be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth ( Be born into a rich family)

Sentence: You will have to earn money yourself as you are not born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

25. Be beside oneself with something ( Almost out of one’s senses from a strong emotion as from joy, anger, fear, or grief)

Sentence: The teacher was beside himself with anger when Akram told a lie.

26. Bear fruit ( have the desired results)

Sentence: His efforts brought fruit and he passed the examination at last.

27. Bear the brunt of something (Recieve the main shock/ force of something unpleasant)

Sentence: His wife has to bear the brunt of his anger

28. Beard the lion in his den (To challenge a formidable enemy on hs own ground)

Sentence: Do not disagree withyour boss, it is like to beard the lion in his den.

29. Beat about the bush (To talk about something upsetting or unpleasant)

Sentence: Sto beating about the bush andget to the point.

30. Beat somebody black and blue( Hit someone until it makes marks on their body)

Sentence: Thepolice beat the criminal black and blue

31. A bed of roses( Pleasant carefree)

Sentence: Life is not a bed of roses.Everyone has to spend it carefully.

32. A bed of thorns/ A bed of nails( A very painful situation)

Sentence: There are many hardships in life, It is a bed of thorns/ nails.

33. Before long ( soon)

Sentence: I hope that the result will be announced before long.

34. Behind the scene( Sectretly)

Sentence: Decisions about the defence of a country are made behind the scene.

35. Bell the cat (To endanger oneself for others)

Sentence: Who will bell the cat by reporting against his dishonesty?

36. Below the belt ( Unfair, cruel)

Sentence: You know, it is below the belt to cheat a friend.

37. Beneath one’ dignity ( Below one’s worth)

Sentence: It is below your dignity to disobey your teacher.

38. Better half ( Husband or wife)

Sentence: His better half is a good housekeeper.

39. Between the devil and the deep blue sea ( To have choices  but both of them are equally unpleasant )

Sentence: The master said that Ali should either marry his lame girl or leave the job, so Ali was between the devil and the deep blue sea.

40. Between two fires ( Being shot at from two direction)

Sentence: The judge found himself between two fires when both the disputing parties criticized him bitterly.

41. A bird’s eye view ( A view seen from above)

Sentence: We got a bird’s view of the city from the top of the tower.

42. Birds of a feather ( People with similar taste, interest, etc)

Sentence: The two friends are birds of a feather in every matter.

43. To the bitter end ( Continuing until the end even though this is difficult)

Sentence: The workers vowed to fight the bitter end for their rights.

44. Black sheep ( A person who is considered a disgrace)

Sentence: As his mother is a gambler, he is considered the black sheep of the family.

45. A blessing in disguise ( An unpleasant thing/ event that later proves o be a blessing)

Sentence: He could not get a seat in the plane, but it was simply a blessing in disguise as the plane crashed in its flight.

46. Blind alley ( A course of action that does not succeed)

Sentence: Their talk for peace did not prove to be a blind alley.

47. Blow hot and cold ( About something) ( Keep changing one’s opinion)

Sentence:  He blows hot and cold about going abroad.

48. Below one’s own trumpet/horn ( Praise one’s own abilities)

Sentence: Great men do not blow their own trumpet.

49. Blue blood ( Aristocratic ancestry)

Sentence: Though Ali is poor, he has blue blood in his family.

50. Bluestocking ( An intellectual and literary woman)

Sentence: Haseens Moin is a bluestocking, she often writes new dramas and novels.

51- A bolt from the blue (an unexpected and unwelcome event)

Sentence: The news of his son’s accident was a bolt from the blue for him.

52- A bone of contention (a cause of dispute)

Sentence: Kashmir is a bone of contention between India and Pakistan.

53- Bosom friend (a very close friend)

Sentence: I can discuss my personal affairs with Naseem as he is my bosom friend.

54- Bread and butter (main source of income)

Sentence: Teaching is his bread and butter.

55- Break now/ fresh ground (to do something new)

Sentence: This government will break new ground if they stand against America.

56- Break the news to somebody (to be the first to tell somebody some bad news)

Sentence: He broke the news of his father’s death to her

57- Break the ice (to say something to reduce/ remove the tension at the start of a party)

Sentence: All were silent, Saleem broke the ice by suggesting that they should play cards.

58- Briefly speaking (In short)

Sentence: Salma is kind, intelligent, and beautiful; briefly speaking, she is an ideal lady.

59- Bring something home to somebody (make somebody realize something fully)

Sentence: The documentary film brought home to us all the troubles of the poor.

60- Bring something to light (make something known)

Sentence: New facts about the war have been brought to light.

61- Bring somebody to book for something (to ask somebody to give an explanation of his behavior)

Sentence: He brought the servant to book for his carelessness.

62- Bring something to light (make something known)

Sentence: New facts about the war have been brought to light.

63- Broken health ( an unsound health)

Sentence: The prime cause of his failure is his broken health.

64- Broken reed (a person who has become untrustworthy)

Sentence: I can not trust him as he is a broken reed.

65- Build castles in the air (day-dreams)

Sentence: To pass the examination without hard work is like to build castles in the air.

66- Burn one’s boats/bridges (to do something that makes it impossible to go back to a previous situation)

Sentence: Do not resign; it is like to burn your boats.

67- Burn one’s candle at both ends (to work too hard for)

Sentence: You will fall ill if you keep on burning your candle at both ends.

68- To burn one’s fingers/ Get one’s fingers burnt (suffer as a result of foolish behavior

Sentence: Pay heed to your business, otherwise you will surely burn your fingers.

69- Burn the midnight (study or work till late at night)

Sentence: He burnt the midnight oil to pass the examination.

70- A burning question (a matter in dispute that needs to be settled urgently)

Sentence: Unemployment is a burning question of today.