50 Idioms for Homework with Meaning & Sentences
Idioms for Homework
1. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: To work late into the night.
In a Sentence: She had to burn the midnight oil to finish her homework before the deadline.
Other Ways to Say: Stay up late working, pull an all-nighter
2. Hit the books
Meaning: To begin studying seriously.
In a Sentence: After dinner, I need to hit the books and do my math homework.
Other Ways to Say: Study hard, crack the books
3. Get your act together
Meaning: To become organized and start working efficiently.
In a Sentence: If you want to finish your homework on time, you need to get your act together.
Other Ways to Say: Get organized, focus up
4. In the nick of time
Meaning: Just before it’s too late.
In a Sentence: He submitted his homework in the nick of time.
Other Ways to Say: Just in time, at the last moment
5. Head in the clouds
Meaning: Daydreaming instead of focusing on work.
In a Sentence: Tim needs to stop having his head in the clouds and finish his homework.
Other Ways to Say: Lost in thought, not paying attention
6. Crunch time
Meaning: A short period of intense pressure to complete a task.
In a Sentence: It’s crunch time, and I need to complete my science homework fast.
Other Ways to Say: Final push, last-minute pressure
7. On the ball
Meaning: Being alert and efficient.
In a Sentence: You have to be on the ball to get your homework done accurately.
Other Ways to Say: Alert, attentive
8. Drop the ball
Meaning: To make a mistake or fail to do something.
In a Sentence: I really dropped the ball by forgetting my history homework.
Other Ways to Say: Messed up, failed the task
9. Put your nose to the grindstone
Meaning: To work very hard.
In a Sentence: She put her nose to the grindstone and completed all her homework.
Other Ways to Say: Work hard, stay focused
10. Pull your weight
Meaning: To do your fair share of work.
In a Sentence: Everyone in the group must pull their weight for the homework project.
Other Ways to Say: Contribute equally, do your part
11. By the book
Meaning: Doing things according to the rules.
In a Sentence: He always completes his homework by the book.
Other Ways to Say: Rule-following, strictly correct
12. Cut corners
Meaning: To do something the easiest or cheapest way, often not thoroughly.
In a Sentence: He cut corners on his homework and got a bad grade.
Other Ways to Say: Take shortcuts, skip details
13. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble.
In a Sentence: She was in hot water for not doing her homework.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, in a tough spot
14. The eleventh hour
Meaning: The last possible moment.
In a Sentence: He finished his homework at the eleventh hour.
Other Ways to Say: Last minute, just in time
15. A for effort
Meaning: Praise for trying hard even if the result is not perfect.
In a Sentence: Even though her homework wasn’t perfect, she got an A for effort.
Other Ways to Say: Good try, nice effort
16. Learn the ropes
Meaning: To learn how to do a particular task.
In a Sentence: I’m still learning the ropes when it comes to my homework assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Get the hang of it, figure it out
17. Put two and two together
Meaning: To understand or figure something out.
In a Sentence: I finally put two and two together while doing my homework.
Other Ways to Say: Figure out, understand
18. The ball is in your court
Meaning: It’s your responsibility to take action.
In a Sentence: The teacher gave instructions, now the ball is in your court to finish the homework.
Other Ways to Say: Your move, your turn
19. On thin ice
Meaning: In a risky situation.
In a Sentence: He’s on thin ice with the teacher for skipping his homework again.
Other Ways to Say: In danger, close to trouble
20. Think outside the box
Meaning: To think creatively.
In a Sentence: The teacher loved her creative approach to the homework – she really thought outside the box.
Other Ways to Say: Be innovative, think differently
21. Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: Taking on too much.
In a Sentence: I bit off more than I could chew by volunteering for three homework projects.
Other Ways to Say: Overcommit, overextend
22. A piece of cake
Meaning: Something very easy.
In a Sentence: This homework assignment is a piece of cake.
Other Ways to Say: Easy task, no problem
23. Back to the drawing board
Meaning: Start over after a failure.
In a Sentence: My homework draft was rejected, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Other Ways to Say: Start again, rethink it
24. Easier said than done
Meaning: Not as simple as it sounds.
In a Sentence: Finishing homework early is easier said than done.
Other Ways to Say: Hard to achieve, difficult in practice
25. Fill in the blanks
Meaning: To supply missing information.
In a Sentence: I had to fill in the blanks in the history homework worksheet.
Other Ways to Say: Complete the rest, provide the answers
26. On the same page
Meaning: In agreement or understanding.
In a Sentence: We need to be on the same page for this group homework.
Other Ways to Say: In sync, thinking alike
27. Up to par
Meaning: Meeting the expected standard.
In a Sentence: His homework wasn’t up to par this time.
Other Ways to Say: Good enough, acceptable
28. Call it a day
Meaning: To stop working.
In a Sentence: I’ve done enough homework, time to call it a day.
Other Ways to Say: Wrap it up, stop for now
29. Go the extra mile
Meaning: To put in more effort than required.
In a Sentence: She went the extra mile and added visuals to her homework.
Other Ways to Say: Do more, give extra effort
30. Keep your nose clean
Meaning: Stay out of trouble.
In a Sentence: Do your homework and keep your nose clean.
Other Ways to Say: Be responsible, avoid problems
31. Make the grade
Meaning: To meet a required standard.
In a Sentence: His homework didn’t make the grade this week.
Other Ways to Say: Pass, meet expectations
32. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up.
In a Sentence: I almost threw in the towel on my math homework.
Other Ways to Say: Quit, surrender
33. Pick up the slack
Meaning: To do someone else’s part.
In a Sentence: I had to pick up the slack when my partner didn’t do his share of the homework.
Other Ways to Say: Cover for someone, take over
34. Know the drill
Meaning: To be familiar with a routine.
In a Sentence: He didn’t need instructions; he already knew the drill for the homework.
Other Ways to Say: Know the process, routine work
35. Hit the ground running
Meaning: To start something with energy and enthusiasm.
In a Sentence: She hit the ground running and finished her homework before anyone else.
Other Ways to Say: Start strong, begin fast
36. At your fingertips
Meaning: Easily accessible or available.
In a Sentence: With the internet, all the homework help is at your fingertips.
Other Ways to Say: Easy to reach, ready
37. Sleep on it
Meaning: Think about something before deciding.
In a Sentence: I’ll sleep on it before choosing a topic for my homework essay.
Other Ways to Say: Reflect, decide later
38. Off the hook
Meaning: Freed from a responsibility.
In a Sentence: He was off the hook when the teacher canceled the homework.
Other Ways to Say: No longer responsible, excused
39. On your toes
Meaning: Alert and ready.
In a Sentence: Doing homework every day keeps you on your toes.
Other Ways to Say: Be prepared, stay ready
40. Get down to business
Meaning: Start working seriously.
In a Sentence: We need to stop chatting and get down to business with our homework.
Other Ways to Say: Focus, begin seriously
41. One step at a time
Meaning: Progress slowly and steadily.
In a Sentence: I’m taking my homework one step at a time.
Other Ways to Say: Gradually, bit by bit
42. All in a day’s work
Meaning: A routine part of a task.
In a Sentence: Finishing three pages of homework is all in a day’s work for her.
Other Ways to Say: Just part of the job, normal task
43. Keep your chin up
Meaning: Stay positive.
In a Sentence: Even if homework is tough, keep your chin up!
Other Ways to Say: Stay strong, remain hopeful
44. In over your head
Meaning: In a situation too difficult to handle.
In a Sentence: I felt in over my head with this physics homework.
Other Ways to Say: Overwhelmed, struggling
45. Put your thinking cap on
Meaning: Start thinking seriously.
In a Sentence: You need to put your thinking cap on for this tricky homework question.
Other Ways to Say: Focus your thoughts, think hard
46. Leave no stone unturned
Meaning: Try every possible way.
In a Sentence: She left no stone unturned while researching for her homework.
Other Ways to Say: Try everything, be thorough
47. Test the waters
Meaning: Try something before committing.
In a Sentence: I’m testing the waters with a new format for my homework.
Other Ways to Say: Experiment, try out
48. Cross that bridge when you come to it
Meaning: Deal with a problem when it arises.
In a Sentence: Don’t stress over tomorrow’s homework – cross that bridge when you come to it.
Other Ways to Say: Worry later, handle it when it happens
49. Read between the lines
Meaning: Understand the hidden meaning.
In a Sentence: You need to read between the lines for this literature homework.
Other Ways to Say: Infer, dig deeper
50. In black and white
Meaning: Written down clearly.
In a Sentence: The homework rules are in black and white on the board.
Other Ways to Say: Clearly written, official
