50 Idioms for Adults with Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Adults
1. Bite the bullet
Meaning: To do something hard or unpleasant that you’ve been avoiding.
In a Sentence: I had to bite the bullet and tell my friend the truth. / She bit the bullet and went to the dentist.
Other Ways to Say: Face the music / Get it over with
2. Break the ice
Meaning: To start talking in a group to make people feel more comfortable.
In a Sentence: He told a joke to break the ice at the meeting. / We played a game to break the ice at the party.
Other Ways to Say: Start things off / Get the ball rolling
3. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: To stay up late working or studying.
In a Sentence: She burned the midnight oil to finish her report.
Other Ways to Say: Work late / Stay up working
4. Face the music
Meaning: To accept the results of your actions.
In a Sentence: He had to face the music after missing the deadline.
Other Ways to Say: Accept consequences / Take responsibility
5. Hit the ground running
Meaning: To start something quickly and effectively.
In a Sentence: She hit the ground running in her new job.
Other Ways to Say: Start strong / Begin quickly
6. Put your money where your mouth is
Meaning: To support your words with action.
In a Sentence: He finally put his money where his mouth is and donated.
Other Ways to Say: Take action / Follow through
7. The ball is in your court
Meaning: It’s your turn to act or decide.
In a Sentence: I made my offer—the ball is in your court now.
Other Ways to Say: It’s your move / Your decision
8. Cut to the chase
Meaning: To get straight to the main point.
In a Sentence: Let’s cut to the chase and discuss the budget.
Other Ways to Say: Be direct / Get to the point
9. Get your act together
Meaning: To become organized and effective.
In a Sentence: If you want the job, you need to get your act together.
Other Ways to Say: Get organized / Pull yourself together
10. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble or a difficult situation.
In a Sentence: He was in hot water after missing the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble / Facing problems
11. Think outside the box
Meaning: To be creative or innovative.
In a Sentence: We need to think outside the box for this project.
Other Ways to Say: Be original / Be inventive
12. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up or quit.
In a Sentence: After several failures, he threw in the towel.
Other Ways to Say: Give up / Surrender
13. Learn the ropes
Meaning: To learn how to do a new job or task.
In a Sentence: She’s still learning the ropes at her new job.
Other Ways to Say: Get the hang of it / Understand the basics
14. Call the shots
Meaning: To be the one who makes decisions.
In a Sentence: In her new role, she calls the shots.
Other Ways to Say: Be in charge / Make decisions
15. Back to the drawing board
Meaning: To start over with a new plan.
In a Sentence: The idea failed, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Other Ways to Say: Start over / Rethink the plan
16. Take the high road
Meaning: To act with integrity or maturity.
In a Sentence: He took the high road and didn’t argue.
Other Ways to Say: Be mature / Stay respectful
17. Keep your cool
Meaning: To stay calm in a tense situation.
In a Sentence: She kept her cool during the crisis.
Other Ways to Say: Stay calm / Remain composed
18. Let the dust settle
Meaning: To wait for a situation to become clear.
In a Sentence: Let the dust settle before making any decisions.
Other Ways to Say: Wait it out / Let things calm down
19. Take it with a grain of salt
Meaning: To not take something too seriously.
In a Sentence: I took his advice with a grain of salt.
Other Ways to Say: Be cautious / Don’t believe everything
20. Go the extra mile
Meaning: To do more than expected.
In a Sentence: He always goes the extra mile for his clients.
Other Ways to Say: Give extra effort / Work harder
21. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret accidentally.
In a Sentence: He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Other Ways to Say: Spill the beans / Reveal the secret
22. Test the waters
Meaning: To try something before fully committing.
In a Sentence: She’s testing the waters with her new hobby.
Other Ways to Say: Try it out / Experiment
23. On the same page
Meaning: To agree or understand something the same way.
In a Sentence: We need to be on the same page before the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: In agreement / United
24. Not see eye to eye
Meaning: To disagree.
In a Sentence: They don’t see eye to eye on finances.
Other Ways to Say: Disagree / Have differences
25. Put all your eggs in one basket
Meaning: To risk everything on one plan or idea.
In a Sentence: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket—diversify.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t rely on one thing / Be cautious
26. Bend over backwards
Meaning: To try very hard to help someone.
In a Sentence: He bent over backwards to please his boss.
Other Ways to Say: Go out of your way / Try your best
27. Read between the lines
Meaning: To understand hidden meaning.
In a Sentence: I could tell she was upset by reading between the lines.
Other Ways to Say: Interpret clues / Sense the truth
28. Cover all the bases
Meaning: To be well-prepared for everything.
In a Sentence: She covered all the bases before the presentation.
Other Ways to Say: Prepare thoroughly / Be ready
29. Raise the bar
Meaning: To increase standards or expectations.
In a Sentence: Their performance raised the bar for everyone else.
Other Ways to Say: Set higher standards / Improve quality
30. Know the ropes
Meaning: To understand how things work.
In a Sentence: He knows the ropes of office politics.
Other Ways to Say: Be experienced / Understand the system
31. Off the record
Meaning: Not meant for public knowledge.
In a Sentence: Off the record, he’s planning to resign.
Other Ways to Say: Confidential / Unofficial
32. Play devil’s advocate
Meaning: To argue the opposite for discussion’s sake.
In a Sentence: I’m just playing devil’s advocate to spark debate.
Other Ways to Say: Challenge ideas / Argue the other side
33. On the back burner
Meaning: To delay something temporarily.
In a Sentence: The trip is on the back burner for now.
Other Ways to Say: Postpone / Set aside
34. Keep your fingers crossed
Meaning: To hope for a good outcome.
In a Sentence: I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the interview.
Other Ways to Say: Hope / Wish for luck
35. It’s not rocket science
Meaning: It’s not very complicated.
In a Sentence: Come on, this task isn’t rocket science.
Other Ways to Say: It’s simple / Not hard
36. In the loop
Meaning: To be informed or included.
In a Sentence: Keep me in the loop about project updates.
Other Ways to Say: Stay informed / Be updated
37. Off the hook
Meaning: To be free from responsibility or trouble.
In a Sentence: He was off the hook after explaining his side.
Other Ways to Say: Cleared / Free from blame
38. Rule of thumb
Meaning: A general guideline or principle.
In a Sentence: A good rule of thumb is to save 20% of your income.
Other Ways to Say: General rule / Common advice
39. In a nutshell
Meaning: In a brief summary.
In a Sentence: In a nutshell, the event was a success.
Other Ways to Say: Simply put / In short
40. Break even
Meaning: To make as much money as you spend.
In a Sentence: We just broke even this quarter.
Other Ways to Say: Cover costs / No profit, no loss
41. Think on your feet
Meaning: To respond quickly and effectively.
In a Sentence: She had to think on her feet during the Q&A session.
Other Ways to Say: React quickly / Be sharp
42. Tighten your belt
Meaning: To reduce spending.
In a Sentence: We’ll need to tighten our belts this month.
Other Ways to Say: Cut expenses / Save money
43. Take the plunge
Meaning: To take a bold step.
In a Sentence: He took the plunge and started his own business.
Other Ways to Say: Take a risk / Dive in
44. Step up to the plate
Meaning: To take responsibility or action.
In a Sentence: She stepped up to the plate during the crisis.
Other Ways to Say: Take charge / Show leadership
45. Between a rock and a hard place
Meaning: Stuck between two difficult choices.
In a Sentence: He’s between a rock and a hard place about the job offer.
Other Ways to Say: Tough decision / Difficult position
46. Jump on the bandwagon
Meaning: To join a popular activity or trend.
In a Sentence: Everyone’s jumping on the fitness bandwagon.
Other Ways to Say: Follow the trend / Join in
47. Throw your hat in the ring
Meaning: To announce your candidacy or intent to participate.
In a Sentence: He threw his hat in the ring for class president.
Other Ways to Say: Get involved / Enter the competition
48. Break even
Meaning: To not gain or lose money.
In a Sentence: The business finally broke even after three months.
Other Ways to Say: No profit, no loss / Cover costs
49. Stick to your guns
Meaning: To stay firm in your decision.
In a Sentence: She stuck to her guns during the tough negotiation.
Other Ways to Say: Stand firm / Don’t back down
50. Call it a day
Meaning: To stop working for the day.
In a Sentence: We’ve done enough—let’s call it a day.
Other Ways to Say: Finish up / End work
