hold against
All a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
All Types idiom phrasal-verb proverb
Content locale
EN English BN Bengali HI Hindi ES Spanish FR French DE German RU Russian ZH Chinese JA Japanese
All Expression Cards All Expressions
phrasal-verb

hold against

Meaning
to blame someone for something
Example
Don’t **hold it against** her; she made an honest mistake.
idiom

busy as a bee

Meaning
very active or hardworking
Example
She’s **as busy as a bee** preparing for the wedding.
idiom

A team player

Meaning
Someone who works well with others in a group.
Example
John is **a team player** who always supports his colleagues.
idiom

to pass the baton

Meaning
to transfer responsibility to someone else
Example
After years of leadership, he decided it was time to **pass the baton** to his successor.
phrasal-verb

wish away

Meaning
to hope something unpleasant would disappear or never happen
Example
You can't just **wish away** your mistakes.
phrasal-verb

stand in

Meaning
to replace an actor temporarily in a scene
Example
A stunt double **stood in** for the actor during the dangerous scene.
phrasal-verb

let through

Meaning
to allow emotions to pass naturally without resisting them
Example
It’s okay to **let through** your sadness and then move on.
phrasal-verb

focus on gratitude

Meaning
to concentrate on things you are thankful for
Example
Each morning, **focus on gratitude** to start your day positively.
phrasal-verb

zone off into

Meaning
to disconnect mentally and drift into thoughts
Example
During long hours, she often **zones off into** daydreams.
idiom

show initiative

Meaning
to take action without being told what to do
Example
Employees are encouraged to **show initiative** and come up with solutions on their own.
phrasal-verb

go off on

Meaning
to suddenly criticize or yell at someone angrily
Example
My boss **went off on** me for missing the deadline.
phrasal-verb

cry over

Meaning
to feel sad or complain about something that has already happened
Example
There's no point **crying over** spilled milk.
phrasal-verb

come together

Meaning
to gather as a family for a purpose or celebration
Example
Our family **comes together** every year for the new year feast.
phrasal-verb

touch up

Meaning
to improve the appearance of something slightly, like makeup or paint
Example
She went to the mirror to **touch up** her makeup.
phrasal-verb

belong to

Meaning
to be a member of or connected to a group or place
Example
I feel I **belong to** both my home country and the culture I live in now.
phrasal-verb

ask out

Meaning
to invite someone to go somewhere with you, especially on a date
Example
He finally had the courage to **ask out** his coworker for dinner.
idiom

grit your teeth

Meaning
to accept something unpleasant and continue
Example
He had to **grit his teeth** and finish the job.
phrasal-verb

work against the clock

Meaning
to try to finish something before a deadline
Example
We’re **working against the clock** to submit the proposal today.
idiom

beyond words

Meaning
too great or extreme to be described in words
Example
Her kindness was **beyond words**.
phrasal-verb

let positivity flow

Meaning
to freely express and share positive emotions
Example
When you smile and help others, you **let positivity flow**.
idiom

cut through the noise

Meaning
to stand out from the competition; to be noticed despite distractions
Example
Our campaign needs to **cut through the noise** and grab people’s attention.
phrasal-verb

detach from chaos

Meaning
to mentally separate yourself from stressful situations
Example
Sometimes you just need to **detach from chaos** to think clearly.
idiom

art for art’s sake

Meaning
art should be valued for its beauty and not for any moral or political purpose
Example
He believes in **art for art’s sake**, not propaganda.
idiom

stand up for something

Meaning
to support or defend something you believe in
Example
She always **stands up for what she believes in**, even when it's difficult.
phrasal-verb

take note of

Meaning
to pay attention to and remember something important
Example
He carefully **took note of** all the suggestions during the review meeting.
idiom

the tipping point

Meaning
the moment when a change becomes unstoppable
Example
Climate change has reached **the tipping point** for action.
phrasal-verb

come up

Meaning
to be mentioned or occur unexpectedly
Example
Your name **came up** during the meeting.
idiom

robotic response

Meaning
an emotionless or mechanical reaction
Example
She gave a **robotic response** during the interview.
phrasal-verb

lock out

Meaning
to be unable to access a system due to password or error
Example
I got **locked out** of my account after entering the wrong password.
phrasal-verb

let yourself rest

Meaning
to allow yourself to take a break and relax
Example
You should **let yourself rest** after such a long day.
phrasal-verb

measure up to

Meaning
to meet a required ethical or professional standard
Example
All employees are expected to **measure up to** the company’s moral values.
idiom

shoot from the hip

Meaning
to speak or act without thinking carefully
Example
He tends to **shoot from the hip** during meetings.
phrasal-verb

bounce back stronger

Meaning
to recover from setbacks with renewed energy
Example
Teams **bounce back stronger** after honest feedback sessions.
idiom

snowed under

Meaning
to have too much work to do
Example
I'm **snowed under** with assignments this week.
idiom

a friend in need is a friend indeed

Meaning
a true friend helps you in difficult times
Example
When I was sick, Jane took care of me—**a friend in need is a friend indeed**.
idiom

spread sunshine

Meaning
to make others happy with your positivity
Example
Her smile always **spreads sunshine** wherever she goes.
idiom

strong password

Meaning
a password that is difficult for others to guess, typically combining letters, numbers, and symbols
Example
For better security, always use a **strong password** with at least eight characters.
phrasal-verb

build immunity to

Meaning
to develop resistance to a disease
Example
Vaccines help your body **build immunity to** dangerous viruses.
phrasal-verb

climb toward success

Meaning
to make steady progress toward achieving success
Example
Through hard work and persistence, she continues to **climb toward success**.
phrasal-verb

get through with

Meaning
to successfully communicate or be understood by someone
Example
It’s hard to **get through with** people when there’s a language barrier.
idiom

hand over to

Meaning
to transfer control or responsibility to someone
Example
I’ll **hand this over to** the legal team for review.
phrasal-verb

open communication with

Meaning
to establish an honest and transparent exchange of thoughts and feelings
Example
Couples should **open communication with** each other to avoid misunderstandings.
phrasal-verb

share your soul with

Meaning
to be completely honest and vulnerable in expressing your emotions to someone
Example
You can only truly love when you **share your soul with** someone.
phrasal-verb

set aside for

Meaning
to reserve a specific time for virtual meetings or work
Example
I’ve **set aside for** an hour every morning to check emails.
idiom

blow away

Meaning
to impress or surprise someone very much
Example
Her singing **blew me away**.
idiom

machine learning fairness

Meaning
the concept of ensuring that machine learning models make unbiased, equitable decisions.
Example
The research team focused on improving **machine learning fairness** to eliminate discrimination.
idiom

learn your lesson

Meaning
to learn from an unpleasant experience so as not to repeat it
Example
After being late several times, he finally **learned his lesson**.
phrasal-verb

get to

Meaning
to arrive at a place
Example
I **get to** the office by 9 a.m. every day.
idiom

Keep your head above water

Meaning
Manage to survive or cope with difficulties.
Example
It’s hard, but I’m trying to **keep my head above water**.
phrasal-verb

pour out

Meaning
to express all your feelings freely
Example
She **poured out** her heart to her best friend.
phrasal-verb

speak well of

Meaning
to praise someone or talk positively about them
Example
Everyone **speaks well of** the teacher who inspired them.
phrasal-verb

step back

Meaning
to pause and look at a situation calmly and objectively
Example
Sometimes you need to **step back** to see the bigger picture.
phrasal-verb

check on

Meaning
to make sure someone is safe or doing well
Example
He **checked on** his grandparents after hearing about the storm.
phrasal-verb

make up after

Meaning
to become friends again after an argument
Example
They finally **made up after** not speaking for weeks.
idiom

Chart a course

Meaning
To plan a way to achieve something.
Example
The company has **charted a course** for global expansion.
idiom

blow your top

Meaning
to become very angry
Example
He **blew his top** when he found out about the mistake.
idiom

Jump ship

Meaning
To leave a job or organization suddenly.
Example
Several employees **jumped ship** when the new policy was announced.
phrasal-verb

lift yourself up

Meaning
to encourage yourself emotionally or mentally after a setback
Example
He tried to **lift himself up** after the rejection.
idiom

put one's trust in

Meaning
to place reliance or faith in someone or something
Example
He decided to **put his trust in** the new system.
idiom

Go down the rabbit hole

Meaning
To get deeply involved in something, often unintentionally.
Example
I started reading about AI and **went down the rabbit hole** for hours.
phrasal-verb

note down for

Meaning
to write something so it can be used later for a purpose
Example
Please **note this down for** the monthly review meeting.
idiom

take your breath away

Meaning
to surprise or impress someone very much
Example
The beauty of the sunset will **take your breath away**.
idiom

take the fall

Meaning
to accept blame for something, often to protect others.
Example
He agreed to **take the fall** for the team’s mistake.
phrasal-verb

bring in on

Meaning
to include someone in a discussion or project
Example
Let’s **bring John in on** this design review meeting.
phrasal-verb

build up stamina

Meaning
to increase strength or endurance gradually
Example
Running regularly helps to **build up stamina**.
idiom

go easy on someone

Meaning
to be gentle or patient with someone
Example
Go easy on him; he’s been through a lot lately.
idiom

let something slip

Meaning
to say something unintentionally that was meant to be secret
Example
She **let it slip** that she was moving abroad.
idiom

turn the corner

Meaning
to pass a difficult stage and begin to improve
Example
After months of losses, the company finally **turned the corner**.
idiom

settle the score

Meaning
to take revenge or resolve a conflict from the past
Example
He wanted to **settle the score** after last year's argument.
idiom

pick a fight

Meaning
to start an argument intentionally
Example
Don’t **pick a fight** with him; he’s already angry.
idiom

make your dreams come true

Meaning
to achieve what you have always wanted
Example
She worked hard to **make her dreams come true**.
idiom

to keep one's chin up

Meaning
to stay positive and hopeful in a difficult situation
Example
Even though she lost the game, she managed to **keep her chin up** and stayed positive.
idiom

take it to the bank

Meaning
to be certain that something is true or will happen
Example
You can **take it to the bank** that he’ll deliver on his promise.
idiom

get off on the right foot

Meaning
to start a relationship or activity in a positive way
Example
We **got off on the right foot** during our first meeting.
idiom

adapt to new circumstances

Meaning
to adjust oneself to new situations or changes
Example
In order to survive in the changing world, we need to **adapt to new circumstances**.
idiom

free as a bird

Meaning
completely free; without restrictions
Example
After leaving his job, he felt **free as a bird**.
idiom

as strong as an ox

Meaning
very strong and powerful
Example
He’s **as strong as an ox** after years of training.
idiom

narrow in

Meaning
to focus on a smaller area or set of options
Example
Let’s **narrow in** on the two strongest proposals.
idiom

in a word

Meaning
used to give a brief and clear summary
Example
The movie was, **in a word**, amazing.
idiom

hit the sack

Meaning
to go to bed
Example
I'm exhausted, so I'm going to **hit the sack** early tonight.
phrasal-verb

call someone out on

Meaning
to point out a person’s mistake or bad behavior
Example
Coworkers **call someone out on** gossip that hurts the team.
phrasal-verb

put down to

Meaning
to attribute something to a cause
Example
She **put** her success **down to** hard work and determination.
phrasal-verb

coordinate with

Meaning
to organize or arrange actions in cooperation with others
Example
Nations **coordinate with** each other to deliver disaster relief effectively.
phrasal-verb

stand united against

Meaning
to collectively oppose something as one group
Example
Countries **stand united against** global terrorism.
idiom

make yourself clear

Meaning
to express yourself so that others understand you easily
Example
Could you **make yourself clear**, please?
idiom

sow the seeds of something

Meaning
to begin a process that leads to a result
Example
His actions **sowed the seeds of** mistrust among the team.
idiom

leaf through

Meaning
to turn the pages of a book or magazine casually
Example
He likes to **leaf through** catalogs during lunch.
idiom

get back together

Meaning
to resume a relationship after breaking up
Example
They **got back together** after a few months apart.
phrasal-verb

take notes

Meaning
to write down important information during a lesson or meeting
Example
He always **takes notes** when the teacher explains a new topic.
phrasal-verb

step toward progress

Meaning
to make progress or advance toward improvement
Example
Each reform is a **step toward progress** in global development.
phrasal-verb

blow out

Meaning
to extinguish flames, especially candles
Example
She **blew out** the candles and made a wish on her birthday.
idiom

out of the blue

Meaning
unexpectedly or without warning
Example
My old friend called me **out of the blue** after ten years.
idiom

tip of the iceberg

Meaning
a small part of a much bigger problem
Example
The data error we found is just the **tip of the iceberg**.
idiom

Pyrrhic victory

Meaning
A victory won at too great a cost to be worthwhile.
Example
Winning the lawsuit was a **Pyrrhic victory** since it drained all their finances.
phrasal-verb

stay positive

Meaning
to keep an optimistic attitude
Example
Even in hard times, she always tries to **stay positive**.
phrasal-verb

let positivity in

Meaning
to allow optimistic thoughts and feelings into your mind
Example
Take a deep breath and **let positivity in**.
idiom

take the heat

Meaning
to accept criticism or blame.
Example
The manager **took the heat** for the failed project.
phrasal-verb

live on

Meaning
to eat mainly a particular type of food
Example
He **lives on** fast food, which is not healthy.
idiom

no rocket scientist

Meaning
not very intelligent; not a genius
Example
He’s **no rocket scientist**, but he works hard.
phrasal-verb

open up to change

Meaning
to become willing to accept new ideas or practices
Example
Societies progress when people **open up to change**.
phrasal-verb

shell out

Meaning
to pay money, especially when you don’t want to
Example
We had to **shell out** $200 for the concert tickets.
idiom

back each other up

Meaning
to support and help one another
Example
In a good team, members always **back each other up**.
idiom

kick up your heels

Meaning
to enjoy yourself by dancing or celebrating
Example
Everyone was ready to **kick up their heels** at the reunion.
phrasal-verb

upgrade to

Meaning
to change to a newer or better version of something
Example
Users are encouraged to **upgrade to** the latest version of the software.
idiom

to have a thirst for knowledge

Meaning
to have a strong desire to learn or gain more knowledge
Example
She always **has a thirst for knowledge** and keeps reading books.
idiom

fade to black

Meaning
to end something dramatically
Example
The director chose to **fade to black** at the emotional climax.
idiom

pat on the back

Meaning
to praise or congratulate someone for doing something well
Example
You deserve a **pat on the back** for your effort.
phrasal-verb

bring in together

Meaning
to unite people from different backgrounds
Example
The HR department worked hard to **bring in together** employees from various cultures.
phrasal-verb

relax into

Meaning
to gradually feel more comfortable and happy in a situation
Example
She **relaxed into** the vacation after the first day.
idiom

give someone the shirt off your back

Meaning
to be extremely generous and selfless
Example
He’d **give you the shirt off his back** if you needed it.
phrasal-verb

back something up to

Meaning
to make a copy of data and store it in another place
Example
You should **back your files up to** an external hard drive regularly.
phrasal-verb

carry through on

Meaning
to complete or fulfill a promise, plan, or commitment
Example
A person with strong ethics will always **carry through on** their promises.
phrasal-verb

back others up

Meaning
to support or defend other people’s actions or opinions
Example
A responsible leader always **backs others up** when they take initiative.
idiom

hit the airwaves

Meaning
to start being broadcast on television or radio
Example
The new talk show will **hit the airwaves** next week.
idiom

get to the bottom of

Meaning
to find the real cause of a problem
Example
The manager promised to **get to the bottom of** the issue.
phrasal-verb

bridge over traditions

Meaning
to find common ground between different traditional beliefs or practices
Example
The event aimed to **bridge over traditions** and promote harmony.
phrasal-verb

grow through challenges

Meaning
to develop strength and wisdom by facing difficulties
Example
We can **grow through challenges** if we stay positive.
idiom

give someone a warm welcome

Meaning
to greet someone very kindly and enthusiastically
Example
They **gave us a warm welcome** when we arrived.
idiom

have the floor

Meaning
to have the right to speak in a discussion
Example
You **have the floor** now; please share your thoughts.
phrasal-verb

open up trade routes

Meaning
to create new paths for international exchange of goods
Example
They are negotiating to **open up trade routes** with neighboring countries.
idiom

carve out

Meaning
to create or obtain something with effort
Example
She managed to **carve out** time for daily reading.