50 Idioms for Bad With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Bad
1. Rotten to the core
Meaning: Completely immoral or evil.
In a Sentence: That company was rotten to the core and eventually got shut down for fraud.
Other Ways to Say: Corrupt, Evil to the bone.
2. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.
In a Sentence: There’s no use crying over spilled milk; let’s focus on finding a solution.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t cry over spilled milk, What’s done is done.
3. Go from bad to worse
Meaning: To deteriorate further.
In a Sentence: The situation went from bad to worse when the power went out.
Other Ways to Say: Decline further, Spiral down.
4. Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To tease or joke with someone.
In a Sentence: Are you serious, or are you just pulling my leg about the surprise party?
Other Ways to Say: Tease, Joke around.
5. A bad apple
Meaning: A person who negatively influences others.
In a Sentence: One bad apple can spoil the whole team’s morale.
Other Ways to Say: Troublemaker, Negative influence.
6. Down in the dumps
Meaning: Feeling very sad or depressed.
In a Sentence: She’s been down in the dumps since her project got rejected.
Other Ways to Say: Blue, Low in spirits.
7. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble or facing consequences.
In a Sentence: He found himself in hot water after missing the deadline.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, Facing problems.
8. Sour grapes
Meaning: Pretending to dislike something you can’t have.
In a Sentence: His negative comments about the promotion sounded like sour grapes.
Other Ways to Say: Jealous complaint, Bitter reaction.
9. Black sheep
Meaning: A person who is considered a disgrace to a group.
In a Sentence: He was always the black sheep of the family due to his wild behavior.
Other Ways to Say: Outcast, Disgrace.
10. Bite the dust
Meaning: To fail or be defeated.
In a Sentence: Another company bit the dust after failing to adapt to new tech.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse, Fall apart.
11. Bad blood
Meaning: Ongoing resentment or hostility.
In a Sentence: There’s been bad blood between those two families for decades.
Other Ways to Say: Hatred, Grudge.
12. A recipe for disaster
Meaning: A situation likely to fail.
In a Sentence: Skipping practice and ignoring feedback is a recipe for disaster.
Other Ways to Say: Bound to fail, Doomed situation.
13. Fly off the handle
Meaning: To suddenly become very angry.
In a Sentence: She flew off the handle when she saw the broken window.
Other Ways to Say: Lose temper, Blow up.
14. A slap on the wrist
Meaning: A mild punishment.
In a Sentence: He got just a slap on the wrist for breaking the rules.
Other Ways to Say: Light punishment, Warning only.
15. Cross the line
Meaning: To behave inappropriately or offensively.
In a Sentence: His jokes were funny until he crossed the line.
Other Ways to Say: Go too far, Step over the limit.
16. Play with fire
Meaning: To take dangerous risks.
In a Sentence: You’re playing with fire by skipping safety procedures.
Other Ways to Say: Risk danger, Court trouble.
17. Dirty laundry
Meaning: Personal secrets exposed publicly.
In a Sentence: They aired their dirty laundry during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Personal matters, Private issues.
18. Rub salt in the wound
Meaning: To make a bad situation worse.
In a Sentence: Losing the game was bad enough—his taunts rubbed salt in the wound.
Other Ways to Say: Add insult to injury, Make it worse.
19. Down and out
Meaning: Without money or hope.
In a Sentence: After losing his job, he was completely down and out.
Other Ways to Say: Penniless, Desperate.
20. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling ill or unwell.
In a Sentence: I’ve been under the weather and need to rest.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling sick, Not well.
21. Kick up a fuss
Meaning: Complain or protest loudly.
In a Sentence: She kicked up a fuss over the seating arrangements.
Other Ways to Say: Make a scene, Raise a stink.
22. Not a happy camper
Meaning: Unhappy or dissatisfied.
In a Sentence: He wasn’t a happy camper after getting extra work.
Other Ways to Say: Upset, Unpleasant mood.
23. In a bind
Meaning: In a difficult situation.
In a Sentence: I’m in a bind—I have two deadlines at the same time.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, In a jam.
24. Throw under the bus
Meaning: To betray someone for self-benefit.
In a Sentence: He threw his teammate under the bus to save himself.
Other Ways to Say: Betray, Backstab.
25. Rotten luck
Meaning: Extremely bad luck.
In a Sentence: It was rotten luck that the car broke down during the storm.
Other Ways to Say: Terrible fortune, Bad break.
26. Hit a snag
Meaning: Encounter a problem or obstacle.
In a Sentence: We hit a snag during the software update.
Other Ways to Say: Run into trouble, Face a glitch.
27. Slip through the cracks
Meaning: To be overlooked or neglected.
In a Sentence: The missing file must have slipped through the cracks.
Other Ways to Say: Overlooked, Missed.
28. Bite off more than one can chew
Meaning: Take on too much responsibility.
In a Sentence: She bit off more than she could chew with three projects at once.
Other Ways to Say: Overdo, Overcommit.
29. Bad taste in the mouth
Meaning: Unpleasant memory or feeling.
In a Sentence: The rude email left a bad taste in my mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Negative impression, Unpleasant feeling.
30. Blow things out of proportion
Meaning: To exaggerate a problem.
In a Sentence: Don’t blow it out of proportion—it’s just a minor mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Overreact, Exaggerate.
31. Go downhill
Meaning: To become worse in quality or condition.
In a Sentence: After the company lost its main client, everything started to go downhill.
Other Ways to Say: Deteriorate, Decline
32. Rotten to the core
Meaning: Completely bad or evil.
In a Sentence: The corrupt politician was rotten to the core.
Other Ways to Say: Evil through and through, Totally wicked
33. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble or facing consequences for doing something wrong.
In a Sentence: He found himself in hot water after missing the deadline.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, In a mess
34. Not worth a dime
Meaning: Something that has no value.
In a Sentence: That advice wasn’t worth a dime.
Other Ways to Say: Worthless, Useless
35. A bitter pill to swallow
Meaning: A hard or painful truth to accept.
In a Sentence: Losing to a rookie was a bitter pill to swallow for the champion.
Other Ways to Say: Hard truth, Tough realization
36. Bad blood
Meaning: Hostility or resentment between people.
In a Sentence: There’s been bad blood between the two families for years.
Other Ways to Say: Resentment, Animosity
37. Off the rails
Meaning: Behaving in an uncontrolled or harmful way.
In a Sentence: His life went off the rails after he lost his job.
Other Ways to Say: Out of control, Spiraling
38. A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: Someone who hides malicious intent under a kind appearance.
In a Sentence: He seemed kind but turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Other Ways to Say: Deceptive, Two-faced
39. A bad egg
Meaning: A person who behaves dishonestly or badly.
In a Sentence: That kid’s a bad egg—always in trouble.
Other Ways to Say: Troublemaker, Rotten apple
40. Cross the line
Meaning: To go too far and behave inappropriately.
In a Sentence: He crossed the line by insulting her in front of everyone.
Other Ways to Say: Go too far, Overstep bounds
41. Up to no good
Meaning: Doing or planning something wrong or dishonest.
In a Sentence: I could tell the kids were up to no good by the way they whispered.
Other Ways to Say: Misbehaving, Scheming
42. Not playing with a full deck
Meaning: Acting irrationally or foolishly.
In a Sentence: That guy’s not playing with a full deck—his stories never make sense.
Other Ways to Say: Not all there, A few screws loose
43. Add insult to injury
Meaning: To make a bad situation worse.
In a Sentence: First he crashed my bike, and then he added insult to injury by laughing.
Other Ways to Say: Make things worse, Rub salt in the wound
44. Hit below the belt
Meaning: To act unfairly or cruelly.
In a Sentence: Bringing up his past mistakes was hitting below the belt.
Other Ways to Say: Unfair, Hurtful attack
45. A slap in the face
Meaning: An insult or something that causes offense.
In a Sentence: Being ignored by her was a slap in the face.
Other Ways to Say: Insult, Disrespect
46. Be in a bad way
Meaning: To be in poor condition.
In a Sentence: After the storm, their house was in a bad way.
Other Ways to Say: In bad shape, Damaged
47. Out of line
Meaning: Inappropriate or unacceptable behavior.
In a Sentence: His rude comment was completely out of line.
Other Ways to Say: Uncalled for, Inappropriate
48. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: Pursuing a mistaken or misguided course of action.
In a Sentence: If you think I caused the error, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Other Ways to Say: Mistaken, Misguided
49. A hard nut to crack
Meaning: A difficult person or problem.
In a Sentence: That customer is a hard nut to crack—nothing pleases him.
Other Ways to Say: Difficult to handle, Tough case
50. Burn bridges
Meaning: To destroy relationships or opportunities beyond repair.
In a Sentence: He burned bridges with his old boss when he quit without notice.
Other Ways to Say: Cut ties, Ruin chances
