50 Idioms for Birds With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Birds
1. Birds of a feather flock together
Meaning: People with similar interests or personalities tend to stick together.
In a Sentence: You’ll always see them hanging out — birds of a feather flock together.
Other Ways to Say: Like-minded people stick together.
2. A little bird told me
Meaning: Hearing a secret or a piece of information from an unknown or undisclosed source.
In a Sentence: I heard that we’re getting a surprise test tomorrow; a little bird told me.
Other Ways to Say: Heard it through the grapevine.
3. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: Achieve two goals with a single action.
In a Sentence: By cycling to work, I kill two birds with one stone—exercise and commuting.
Other Ways to Say: Hit two targets at once.
4. The early bird catches the worm
Meaning: Success comes to those who act quickly or early.
In a Sentence: He always arrives at the market before sunrise—the early bird catches the worm.
Other Ways to Say: Be early to succeed.
5. Like a bird in a gilded cage
Meaning: Feeling trapped or restricted in a seemingly comfortable or luxurious situation.
In a Sentence: Despite her riches, she felt like a bird in a gilded cage.
Other Ways to Say: Trapped in luxury.
6. Free as a bird
Meaning: Completely free and unconstrained.
In a Sentence: After finishing her exams, she felt free as a bird.
Other Ways to Say: Unrestricted, carefree.
7. Eat like a bird
Meaning: To eat very little.
In a Sentence: You’ve hardly touched your plate—you eat like a bird!
Other Ways to Say: Barely eat, tiny appetite.
8. A bird’s-eye view
Meaning: A broad or elevated perspective of something.
In a Sentence: From the drone, we got a bird’s-eye view of the wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Overview, high-level perspective.
9. Nest egg
Meaning: Savings set aside for the future.
In a Sentence: She’s been building a nest egg for retirement.
Other Ways to Say: Savings, financial cushion.
10. Night owl
Meaning: Someone who stays up late at night.
In a Sentence: He’s a night owl and works best after midnight.
Other Ways to Say: Late sleeper, nocturnal person.
11. Feather your nest
Meaning: To make money (often selfishly or dishonestly) to benefit yourself.
In a Sentence: The corrupt official was caught feathering his nest with public funds.
Other Ways to Say: Enrich oneself.
12. Birdbrain
Meaning: A foolish or not very intelligent person.
In a Sentence: Don’t be such a birdbrain—read the instructions first.
Other Ways to Say: Airhead, fool.
13. Watch like a hawk
Meaning: Observe very closely and carefully.
In a Sentence: The supervisor watches new employees like a hawk.
Other Ways to Say: Keep a close eye, scrutinize.
14. A sitting duck
Meaning: An easy target or vulnerable person.
In a Sentence: Without his phone, he was a sitting duck for online scams.
Other Ways to Say: Easy target.
15. Spread your wings
Meaning: To become independent and try new things.
In a Sentence: She left home to spread her wings and explore the world.
Other Ways to Say: Become independent, take flight.
16. Nestle in
Meaning: To settle comfortably into a space.
In a Sentence: The kitten nestled in beside the warm pillow.
Other Ways to Say: Snuggle, curl up.
17. Get your ducks in a row
Meaning: To organize things before starting a task.
In a Sentence: Before launching the business, he got his ducks in a row.
Other Ways to Say: Prepare properly, get organized.
18. Fly the coop
Meaning: To leave home or escape.
In a Sentence: At 18, she flew the coop and moved to the city.
Other Ways to Say: Leave, break free.
19. Ugly duckling
Meaning: Someone who turns out beautiful or successful later.
In a Sentence: He was awkward in school but became quite the star—an ugly duckling story.
Other Ways to Say: Late bloomer, transformation.
20. Rule the roost
Meaning: To be in charge or control.
In a Sentence: She rules the roost in that household.
Other Ways to Say: Be the boss, take charge.
21. Like water off a duck’s back
Meaning: Criticism or insults that don’t affect someone.
In a Sentence: Insults roll off him like water off a duck’s back.
Other Ways to Say: Unbothered, unaffected.
22. Early bird catches the worm
Meaning: Success comes to those who prepare and act early.
In a Sentence: She always arrives early to meetings — the early bird catches the worm.
Other Ways to Say: Get ahead, Beat the rush.
23. As free as a bird
Meaning: Feeling completely free and unburdened.
In a Sentence: After finishing exams, I felt as free as a bird.
Other Ways to Say: Unrestricted, Carefree.
24. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: To achieve two things at once with a single effort.
In a Sentence: By studying during the commute, he killed two birds with one stone.
Other Ways to Say: Hit two targets at once, Be efficient.
25. Nest egg
Meaning: A sum of money saved for the future.
In a Sentence: They’ve been building a nest egg for their children’s education.
Other Ways to Say: Savings, Financial reserve.
26. Fly the coop
Meaning: To leave home or escape from a situation.
In a Sentence: At 18, she flew the coop and started a new life in the city.
Other Ways to Say: Leave home, Break free.
27. Feather your nest
Meaning: To enrich oneself, often selfishly.
In a Sentence: He’s been accused of feathering his nest with company funds.
Other Ways to Say: Line one’s pockets, Benefit personally.
28. Ruffle someone’s feathers
Meaning: To annoy or upset someone.
In a Sentence: Her blunt comments really ruffled his feathers.
Other Ways to Say: Upset, Offend.
29. Birds of a feather flock together
Meaning: People with similar interests or traits tend to associate with each other.
In a Sentence: Those two are always together — birds of a feather flock together.
Other Ways to Say: Like-minded individuals, Similar souls.
30. Wild goose chase
Meaning: A futile or hopeless search.
In a Sentence: Searching for her phone in the huge stadium was a wild goose chase.
Other Ways to Say: Pointless pursuit, Waste of time.
31. Sitting duck
Meaning: An easy target or vulnerable person.
In a Sentence: Without backup, the lone guard was a sitting duck.
Other Ways to Say: Easy target, Defenseless person.
32. Chicken out
Meaning: To back out due to fear.
In a Sentence: He chickened out of the skydiving trip at the last minute.
Other Ways to Say: Lose courage, Back down.
33. Spread your wings
Meaning: To start using your talents or independence.
In a Sentence: Moving abroad helped her spread her wings and grow.
Other Ways to Say: Expand potential, Gain independence.
34. Watch like a hawk
Meaning: To observe closely and carefully.
In a Sentence: The teacher watched the students like a hawk during the exam.
Other Ways to Say: Monitor closely, Keep an eye on.
35. Take someone under your wing
Meaning: To mentor or protect someone.
In a Sentence: She took the new intern under her wing and helped her settle in.
Other Ways to Say: Guide, Mentor.
36. As the crow flies
Meaning: In a straight line (used in measuring distance).
In a Sentence: The town is 10 miles away as the crow flies.
Other Ways to Say: Straight-line distance, Direct path.
37. A bird’s-eye view
Meaning: A view from high above; an overview.
In a Sentence: The drone gave us a bird’s-eye view of the city.
Other Ways to Say: Overview, Panoramic view.
38. Free as a bird
Meaning: Completely free and unconstrained.
In a Sentence: He sold everything and now travels the world free as a bird.
Other Ways to Say: Liberated, Unchained.
39. Eat like a bird
Meaning: To eat very little.
In a Sentence: She eats like a bird and never finishes her meals.
Other Ways to Say: Small appetite, Barely eat.
40. Sing like a canary
Meaning: To confess everything, especially to the authorities.
In a Sentence: Under pressure, he sang like a canary and revealed all the secrets.
Other Ways to Say: Confess, Spill the beans.
41. Ugly duckling
Meaning: Someone who turns out to be beautiful or successful later in life.
In a Sentence: She used to be shy in school, but now she’s a confident speaker — a real ugly duckling story.
Other Ways to Say: Hidden gem, Late bloomer.
42. Parrot fashion
Meaning: To repeat something without understanding.
In a Sentence: He recited the answer parrot fashion but couldn’t explain its meaning.
Other Ways to Say: Rote learning, Mindless repetition.
43. Like water off a duck’s back
Meaning: Criticism or insults that don’t affect someone.
In a Sentence: The teasing was like water off a duck’s back to him.
Other Ways to Say: Unbothered, Let it slide.
44. Pecking order
Meaning: A hierarchy or ranking.
In a Sentence: In big companies, there’s always a strict pecking order.
Other Ways to Say: Hierarchy, Social ranking.
45. Swansong
Meaning: A final performance or effort before retirement.
In a Sentence: His last novel was considered his swansong.
Other Ways to Say: Farewell work, Final appearance.
46. No spring chicken
Meaning: Someone who is no longer young.
In a Sentence: I may be no spring chicken, but I still love hiking.
Other Ways to Say: Not young, Aging.
47. Henpecked
Meaning: A man constantly controlled by his wife or partner.
In a Sentence: He’s completely henpecked and never gets to decide anything on his own.
Other Ways to Say: Dominated, Overruled.
48. Fly the nest
Meaning: To leave home and become independent.
In a Sentence: When she turned 20, she flew the nest and moved to another city.
Other Ways to Say: Move out, Become independent.
49. Dead as a dodo
Meaning: Completely outdated or obsolete.
In a Sentence: That old technology is dead as a dodo now.
Other Ways to Say: Out of date, Extinct.
50. Like a duck to water
Meaning: To adapt quickly and naturally to a new situation.
In a Sentence: She took to her new job like a duck to water.
Other Ways to Say: Natural fit, Quick learner.
