50 Idioms for Making Things Better with Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Making Things Better
1. Turn over a new leaf
Meaning: To start fresh and improve behavior or situation.
In a Sentence: After failing the exam, he turned over a new leaf and began studying seriously.
Other Ways to Say: Start fresh, Make a change
2. Light at the end of the tunnel
Meaning: A sign that a difficult situation is about to improve.
In a Sentence: After months of hard work, they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Other Ways to Say: Hope ahead, Nearing relief
3. Mend fences
Meaning: To repair a broken relationship.
In a Sentence: They decided to mend fences after years of not speaking.
Other Ways to Say: Reconcile, Make peace
4. Get back on track
Meaning: To return to the correct path or improve after setbacks.
In a Sentence: He struggled at first, but now he’s getting back on track with his goals.
Other Ways to Say: Regain focus, Return to progress
5. Patch things up
Meaning: To fix a relationship or situation.
In a Sentence: After their argument, they patched things up and moved forward.
Other Ways to Say: Resolve differences, Make amends
6. Make amends
Meaning: To correct a wrong or make a situation better.
In a Sentence: She made amends by apologizing and helping out.
Other Ways to Say: Apologize, Set things right
7. Clear the air
Meaning: To resolve misunderstandings or tension.
In a Sentence: They had a long talk to clear the air between them.
Other Ways to Say: Settle issues, Smooth things over
8. Right the ship
Meaning: To bring things back under control.
In a Sentence: The manager worked hard to right the ship after the company’s losses.
Other Ways to Say: Fix the problem, Restore order
9. Set things straight
Meaning: To correct a mistake or misunderstanding.
In a Sentence: He set things straight by telling the truth.
Other Ways to Say: Clarify, Fix the issue
10. Get one’s act together
Meaning: To start behaving properly or working effectively.
In a Sentence: She finally got her act together and focused on her career.
Other Ways to Say: Get organized, Pull yourself together
11. Smooth things over
Meaning: To calm down a tense situation.
In a Sentence: He tried to smooth things over with his coworkers after the argument.
Other Ways to Say: Ease tension, Reconcile
12. Bring to the table
Meaning: To offer something useful or helpful.
In a Sentence: He brought new ideas to the table that improved the project.
Other Ways to Say: Contribute, Offer value
13. Fix the problem
Meaning: To solve an issue.
In a Sentence: We need to fix the problem before it affects the whole team.
Other Ways to Say: Solve it, Correct the issue
14. Move forward
Meaning: To progress or improve a situation.
In a Sentence: They decided to move forward instead of dwelling on the past.
Other Ways to Say: Advance, Carry on
15. Put things in order
Meaning: To organize or correct a situation.
In a Sentence: She put things in order after months of disarray.
Other Ways to Say: Organize, Restore structure
16. Raise the bar
Meaning: To improve standards or performance.
In a Sentence: Their innovative approach raised the bar in the industry.
Other Ways to Say: Set higher standards, Improve quality
17. Bounce back
Meaning: To recover quickly from a setback.
In a Sentence: He bounced back after losing his job and started his own business.
Other Ways to Say: Recover, Regain strength
18. Clean up your act
Meaning: To improve your behavior.
In a Sentence: He cleaned up his act after a warning from his boss.
Other Ways to Say: Improve conduct, Reform
19. Brighten up
Meaning: To make something more cheerful or positive.
In a Sentence: The good news really brightened up her day.
Other Ways to Say: Cheer up, Improve mood
20. Iron out the wrinkles
Meaning: To resolve minor issues.
In a Sentence: We need to iron out the wrinkles in the plan before presenting it.
Other Ways to Say: Tidy up details, Finalize
21. A breath of fresh air
Meaning: Something new and refreshing that improves a situation.
In a Sentence: Her positive attitude was a breath of fresh air at work.
Other Ways to Say: Refreshing change, Uplifting presence
22. Cut the deadwood
Meaning: To remove unproductive elements.
In a Sentence: The company cut the deadwood to improve efficiency.
Other Ways to Say: Remove inefficiency, Eliminate waste
23. Brighten the picture
Meaning: To make a situation seem better.
In a Sentence: Her ideas helped brighten the picture for the struggling team.
Other Ways to Say: Improve outlook, Lift spirits
24. Take steps
Meaning: To begin improving a situation.
In a Sentence: They took steps to improve communication.
Other Ways to Say: Act, Move forward
25. Pick up the pieces
Meaning: To recover after a setback or disaster.
In a Sentence: After the breakup, she slowly picked up the pieces.
Other Ways to Say: Recover, Rebuild
26. Put your house in order
Meaning: To organize and fix your personal or professional affairs.
In a Sentence: Before advising others, you should put your own house in order.
Other Ways to Say: Get organized, Fix your affairs
27. Rise above
Meaning: To overcome problems and improve.
In a Sentence: She rose above the negativity and continued to do great things.
Other Ways to Say: Overcome, Push past
28. Get off on the right foot
Meaning: To begin something positively.
In a Sentence: They got off on the right foot with their new project.
Other Ways to Say: Start well, Begin positively
29. Level up
Meaning: To improve or advance in ability or status.
In a Sentence: He leveled up his skills to get a promotion.
Other Ways to Say: Improve, Step up
30. Turn the corner
Meaning: To begin to improve after a difficult time.
In a Sentence: The economy is finally turning the corner after a long slump.
Other Ways to Say: Recover, Improve
31. Fill in the gaps
Meaning: To complete something that is missing or incomplete.
In a Sentence: The training helped fill in the gaps in her knowledge.
Other Ways to Say: Complete, Cover missing parts
32. Make progress
Meaning: To move forward or improve.
In a Sentence: He’s making great progress in therapy.
Other Ways to Say: Advance, Improve steadily
33. Step up your game
Meaning: To improve your effort or performance.
In a Sentence: You need to step up your game if you want to succeed.
Other Ways to Say: Perform better, Improve effort
34. Set the tone
Meaning: To establish a mood or standard for improvement.
In a Sentence: Her speech set the tone for a productive meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Establish mood, Create atmosphere
35. Bring out the best
Meaning: To help someone perform at their highest potential.
In a Sentence: Good leadership brings out the best in people.
Other Ways to Say: Encourage excellence, Inspire greatness
36. Wipe the slate clean
Meaning: To start again with no past mistakes.
In a Sentence: They decided to wipe the slate clean and forgive each other.
Other Ways to Say: Start fresh, Let go of the past
37. Take charge
Meaning: To assume control to improve a situation.
In a Sentence: She took charge of the project and turned it around.
Other Ways to Say: Lead, Take responsibility
38. Change gears
Meaning: To shift your approach to something better.
In a Sentence: The team changed gears after the initial strategy failed.
Other Ways to Say: Shift direction, Adjust approach
39. Make the most of it
Meaning: To use a bad or average situation for the best outcome.
In a Sentence: Even in a tough spot, she made the most of it.
Other Ways to Say: Maximize, Take full advantage
40. Turn it around
Meaning: To make something go from bad to good.
In a Sentence: He turned his grades around in just one semester.
Other Ways to Say: Improve completely, Reverse decline
41. Keep your chin up
Meaning: Stay positive during tough times.
In a Sentence: Keep your chin up—things will get better soon.
Other Ways to Say: Stay hopeful, Remain strong
42. Shape up
Meaning: To improve performance or behavior.
In a Sentence: He had to shape up or risk losing his job.
Other Ways to Say: Improve, Reform
43. Do wonders
Meaning: To greatly improve something.
In a Sentence: Her advice did wonders for my confidence.
Other Ways to Say: Work miracles, Greatly help
44. Raise your game
Meaning: To improve the quality of your efforts.
In a Sentence: She raised her game to meet the new challenge.
Other Ways to Say: Improve, Perform better
45. Open new doors
Meaning: To create new opportunities for improvement.
In a Sentence: Learning coding opened new doors for his career.
Other Ways to Say: Create opportunities, Expand options
46. Put the pieces together
Meaning: To organize and make sense of a situation.
In a Sentence: It took a while to put the pieces together after the crisis.
Other Ways to Say: Understand fully, Make sense of
47. Build bridges
Meaning: To improve relationships or connections.
In a Sentence: He built bridges between the two departments.
Other Ways to Say: Connect, Improve relations
48. Go the extra mile
Meaning: To make extra effort to improve something.
In a Sentence: She went the extra mile to make her guests feel welcome.
Other Ways to Say: Do more, Exceed expectations
49. Roll with the punches
Meaning: To adapt and keep going despite challenges.
In a Sentence: He rolled with the punches and kept improving his work.
Other Ways to Say: Adapt, Keep moving
50. Bring things back to life
Meaning: To restore or revitalize something.
In a Sentence: Her creative vision brought the old café back to life.
Other Ways to Say: Revive, Refresh
