50 Idioms for Speaking With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Speaking
1. Speak your mind
Meaning: To say exactly what you think.
In a Sentence: Don’t be afraid to speak your mind during the meeting. / She always speaks her mind, even when it’s unpopular.
Other Ways to Say: Say what you think, Be honest
2. Piece of cake
Meaning: Something very easy to do.
In a Sentence: Solving that math problem was a piece of cake for Emma. / Cleaning my room is a piece of cake when I listen to music.
Other Ways to Say: Super easy, A walk in the park
3. Talk the talk
Meaning: To speak confidently or convincingly.
In a Sentence: He talks the talk, but can he actually deliver? / She can talk the talk in interviews.
Other Ways to Say: Speak persuasively, Sound confident
4. Spill the beans
Meaning: To share a secret by accident.
In a Sentence: Joey spilled the beans about the surprise party for his mom. / Don’t spill the beans about our holiday plans!
Other Ways to Say: Let the secret slip, Tell the truth by mistake
5. Beat around the bush
Meaning: To avoid saying something directly.
In a Sentence: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened. / She beat around the bush instead of admitting the mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Be indirect, Avoid the point
6. Cat got your tongue
Meaning: Used when someone is unusually quiet.
In a Sentence: What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? / He was so nervous that it seemed like the cat got his tongue.
Other Ways to Say: Silent, At a loss for words
7. Talk a mile a minute
Meaning: To speak very quickly.
In a Sentence: When she’s excited, she talks a mile a minute. / He talks a mile a minute when telling stories.
Other Ways to Say: Speak rapidly, Ramble on
8. In a nutshell
Meaning: To summarize briefly.
In a Sentence: In a nutshell, we’re moving to a new city. / The movie? In a nutshell, it was boring.
Other Ways to Say: Briefly, To sum up
9. Chew someone’s ear off
Meaning: To talk a lot or too much.
In a Sentence: He chewed my ear off about his new video game. / She loves to chew her grandma’s ear off about her day.
Other Ways to Say: Talk endlessly, Chat nonstop
10. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To accidentally reveal a secret.
In a Sentence: I let the cat out of the bag about the engagement. / Try not to let the cat out of the bag before the surprise!
Other Ways to Say: Leak a secret, Reveal the truth
11. Word of mouth
Meaning: Information spread by people talking.
In a Sentence: Most customers come here through word of mouth. / The restaurant became popular through word of mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Gossip, Verbal recommendation
12. Talk someone into something
Meaning: To persuade someone.
In a Sentence: She talked me into joining the school play. / I talked my brother into trying sushi.
Other Ways to Say: Convince, Persuade
13. Talk is cheap
Meaning: Saying something is easy, doing it is hard.
In a Sentence: He promised he’d help, but talk is cheap. / She keeps saying she’ll study, but talk is cheap.
Other Ways to Say: Actions speak louder than words, Words are easy
14. Hold your tongue
Meaning: To keep silent or avoid speaking.
In a Sentence: I had to hold my tongue during the argument. / He held his tongue instead of complaining.
Other Ways to Say: Keep quiet, Don’t speak
15. Talk shop
Meaning: To talk about work, often in a boring way.
In a Sentence: Let’s not talk shop at the party. / They talked shop all through lunch.
Other Ways to Say: Discuss business, Work talk
16. Say a mouthful
Meaning: To say something very true or important.
In a Sentence: When she said honesty matters most, she said a mouthful. / You said a mouthful about teamwork being key.
Other Ways to Say: Speak the truth, Make a strong point
17. Put words in someone’s mouth
Meaning: To say someone said something they didn’t.
In a Sentence: Don’t put words in my mouth—I never said that! / He put words in her mouth during the debate.
Other Ways to Say: Misquote, Misrepresent
18. Speak volumes
Meaning: To show meaning without words.
In a Sentence: Her silence spoke volumes. / His smile spoke volumes about his happiness.
Other Ways to Say: Reveal much, Say a lot
19. Speak of the devil
Meaning: Said when someone appears while being talked about.
In a Sentence: Speak of the devil—there’s John now! / We were just talking about you, speak of the devil!
Other Ways to Say: Coincidence, Right on cue
20. Straight from the horse’s mouth
Meaning: From a reliable or original source.
In a Sentence: I got the news straight from the horse’s mouth. / It’s true—I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Firsthand, From the source
21. Talk someone’s ear off
Meaning: To talk too much or too long.
In a Sentence: She talked my ear off about her weekend trip! / Don’t talk his ear off—he just got home.
Other Ways to Say: Ramble on, Chatter nonstop
22. Speak from the heart
Meaning: To express true feelings honestly.
In a Sentence: He spoke from the heart during his wedding vows. / I could tell she was speaking from the heart.
Other Ways to Say: Be sincere, Speak truthfully
23. Bite your tongue
Meaning: To stop yourself from saying something.
In a Sentence: I wanted to criticize her idea, but I bit my tongue. / He had to bite his tongue during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Hold back words, Stay silent
24. In so many words
Meaning: To say something directly or clearly.
In a Sentence: He told me, in so many words, that I was wrong. / She apologized in so many words.
Other Ways to Say: Explicitly, Directly
25. Quick on the draw
Meaning: Ready to speak or respond immediately.
In a Sentence: She’s always quick on the draw with comebacks. / You need to be quick on the draw during debates.
Other Ways to Say: Fast to respond, Sharp-witted
26. Lost for words
Meaning: Unable to speak because of surprise or emotion.
In a Sentence: I was lost for words when I got the award. / He stood there lost for words after the proposal.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless, Stunned
27. Speak your mind
Meaning: To say exactly what you think.
In a Sentence: She always speaks her mind, even if it’s unpopular. / He spoke his mind during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Be direct, Voice your opinion
28. Shoot the breeze
Meaning: To have a casual or relaxed conversation.
In a Sentence: We sat by the fire and shot the breeze all night. / They were just shooting the breeze after lunch.
Other Ways to Say: Chat, Small talk
29. Have a heart-to-heart
Meaning: A serious and honest conversation.
In a Sentence: We had a heart-to-heart about our friendship. / It’s time for a heart-to-heart with my parents.
Other Ways to Say: Deep talk, Serious conversation
30. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret.
In a Sentence: He let the cat out of the bag about her birthday gift. / Don’t let the cat out of the bag too soon!
Other Ways to Say: Reveal the surprise, Disclose
31. Sing like a canary
Meaning: To confess or tell everything.
In a Sentence: The suspect sang like a canary under pressure. / She sang like a canary about the prank.
Other Ways to Say: Confess, Spill everything
32. Speak volumes
Meaning: To convey a lot without words.
In a Sentence: His silence spoke volumes. / Her smile spoke volumes about her happiness.
Other Ways to Say: Say a lot, Reveal clearly
33. Talk turkey
Meaning: To speak seriously or get to the point.
In a Sentence: Let’s stop joking and talk turkey about the budget. / It’s time to talk turkey with the team.
Other Ways to Say: Get serious, Be direct
34. Talk in circles
Meaning: To avoid giving a clear answer.
In a Sentence: The politician kept talking in circles. / Stop talking in circles and tell me the truth.
Other Ways to Say: Evade the question, Be unclear
35. Talk a blue streak
Meaning: To talk very fast and continuously.
In a Sentence: She talks a blue streak when she’s excited. / He talked a blue streak about his new car.
Other Ways to Say: Speak nonstop, Rapid talker
36. Put in a good word
Meaning: To recommend someone positively.
In a Sentence: I’ll put in a good word for you at the interview. / She put in a good word for me with her boss.
Other Ways to Say: Recommend, Speak well of
37. Not mincing words
Meaning: Speaking directly, even if harsh.
In a Sentence: He’s not one for mincing words. / She didn’t mince words about her opinion.
Other Ways to Say: Be blunt, Say it like it is
38. Talk behind someone’s back
Meaning: To speak negatively about someone who isn’t present.
In a Sentence: I hate when people talk behind my back. / They were talking behind her back after the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Gossip, Bad-mouth
39. Make small talk
Meaning: Light, casual conversation.
In a Sentence: I made small talk with the new neighbor. / He’s great at making small talk at events.
Other Ways to Say: Chit-chat, Casual chat
40. Put words in someone’s mouth
Meaning: To wrongly say someone said something.
In a Sentence: Don’t put words in my mouth—I never said that! / She accused me of something and put words in my mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Misquote, Misrepresent
41. Be all ears
Meaning: To listen carefully and eagerly.
In a Sentence: Tell me the story—I’m all ears! / The kids were all ears for the ghost tale.
Other Ways to Say: Listen closely, Attentive
42. Say a mouthful
Meaning: To say something important or meaningful.
In a Sentence: You said a mouthful about teamwork being key. / When he said “family matters most,” he said a mouthful.
Other Ways to Say: Say something deep, Hit the point
43. Talk the talk
Meaning: To speak confidently about something.
In a Sentence: He talks the talk, but can he walk the walk? / She talks the talk about saving money.
Other Ways to Say: Sound confident, Speak convincingly
44. Hold your tongue
Meaning: To remain silent.
In a Sentence: He wanted to argue but held his tongue. / Sometimes it’s wise to hold your tongue.
Other Ways to Say: Stay quiet, Don’t speak
45. On the tip of my tongue
Meaning: When you almost remember something.
In a Sentence: Her name is on the tip of my tongue. / That word is right on the tip of my tongue!
Other Ways to Say: Almost remembered, Nearly recalled
46. Speak ill of
Meaning: To say bad things about someone.
In a Sentence: Don’t speak ill of people you don’t know. / She spoke ill of her coworker behind his back.
Other Ways to Say: Criticize, Talk badly
47. Break the silence
Meaning: To begin speaking after silence.
In a Sentence: He broke the silence with a loud laugh. / She broke the silence with an apology.
Other Ways to Say: Start talking, End silence
48. Talk shop
Meaning: To discuss work-related topics.
In a Sentence: They kept talking shop at the party. / Let’s not talk shop during lunch.
Other Ways to Say: Discuss business, Speak professionally
49. Get a word in edgewise
Meaning: To manage to speak during a fast conversation.
In a Sentence: She talks so much I couldn’t get a word in edgewise! / He tried to get a word in edgewise at the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Interrupt, Speak up
50. Off the record
Meaning: Not to be officially recorded or repeated.
In a Sentence: Off the record, he plans to quit. / She shared something off the record with the reporter.
Other Ways to Say: Privately, Confidentially
