Expressions

English Expressions, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs | Meanings, Examples & Usage

Phrasal-verb Communication

to send a written complaint or opinion

"Many viewers wrote in to complain about the poor sound quality."

Phrasal-verb Communication

to contact an organization in writing regarding something

"If you have ideas, please write in about them before Friday."

Phrasal-verb Finance

to cancel a bad debt or consider it lost

"The bank had to write off several unpaid loans."

Idiom Literature

to shape one’s own destiny or path in life

"She chose to write her own story instead of following tradition."

Phrasal-verb Exam

to write something in full form

"Please write out your answers clearly in the exam sheet."

Phrasal-verb Communication

to send a letter or message to express gratitude or appreciation

"I plan to write to my old professor to thank him for his support."

Phrasal-verb Documentation

to prepare a detailed written report

"Please write up the feedback summary for the manager."

Idiom Astronomy

destined to happen; fated

"They believe their meeting was written in the stars."

Idiom Boredom

something extremely boring

"That lecture was a total yawn fest."

Phrasal-verb Emotion

to feel a deep emotional longing or desire for something lost or missed

"He still yearns for the life he could have had."

Idiom Colors

very cowardly

"He’s too yellow-bellied to stand up for himself."

Idiom Motivation

Have confidence; believe in your ability.

"Don’t doubt yourself, you can do it!"

Idiom Communication

Used to strongly agree with someone

"‘It’s been a long day.’ ‘You can say that again!’"

Idiom Age

it’s hard for older people to learn new things or change habits

"My dad refuses to use a smartphone — you can’t teach an old dog new tricks."

Idiom Communication

You said exactly what I was thinking

"You took the words right out of my mouth — I was about to say that!"

Idiom Encouragement

to reassure someone that they can handle a situation

"Don’t worry about the presentation—you’ve got this!"

Idiom Knowledge

I do not know the answer to a question

"I don't know what time the movie starts. Your guess is as good as mine."

Idiom Family

A family member or close relative.

"How can you turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

Idiom Space

a state of complete freedom or lack of pressure

"After quitting his stressful job, he felt like he was in zero gravity."

Idiom Analysis

to focus closely on something

"Our analysis should zero in on customer pain points."

Phrasal-verb Advertising

to focus closely on a specific target or goal

"The campaign zeroed in on young professionals as the main audience."

Phrasal-verb Focus

to focus all attention and effort on achieving something

"The team needs to zero in on goals to stay efficient."

Phrasal-verb Finance

to reduce an amount to nothing

"We zero out the balance every month to avoid interest."

Idiom Cybersecurity

a cyberattack that exploits a previously unknown vulnerability

"The team discovered a zero-day attack before it spread widely."

Idiom Cybersecurity

a cyberattack that occurs before a vulnerability is patched

"Hackers launched a zero-day exploit targeting the system’s core files."

Idiom Cybersecurity

A security flaw in software that is exploited by hackers before the vendor has a chance to fix it

"The zero-day vulnerability was exploited by hackers to steal sensitive data."

Phrasal-verb Clothing

to close something with a zipper

"Don’t forget to zip up your jacket, it’s cold outside."

Phrasal-verb Mental health

to mentally escape from worries or stress

"I like to zone away by listening to soft music."

Phrasal-verb Focus

to return mental focus after distraction or stress

"After a short break, I managed to zone back into my work."

Phrasal-verb Focus

to regain focus after being distracted

"After taking a short walk, I zoned back in and finished the report."

Phrasal-verb Focus

to focus your attention fully on something important

"I try to zone in when handling complex projects."

Phrasal-verb Focus

to give complete attention to something important

"Under pressure, she tried to zone in on the most critical task."

Phrasal-verb Mindfulness

to focus your mind on staying calm

"Try to zone in on calmness during meditation."

Phrasal-verb Mindfulness

to focus your mind completely on peace and relaxation

"Meditation helps me zone into calmness after stressful meetings."

Idiom Planning

to divide an area into sections

"They’ll zone off part of the hall for workshops."

Phrasal-verb Mindset

to disconnect mentally and drift into thoughts

"During long hours, she often zones off into daydreams."

Phrasal-verb Focus

to stop paying attention or become mentally detached

"I completely zoned out during his long speech."

Phrasal-verb Concentration

to lose focus or stop paying attention

"I often zone out during long meetings when I'm exhausted."

Phrasal-verb Leisure

to relax or mentally drift while using something like music or a show

"I sometimes zone out with a podcast on the bus ride home."

Phrasal-verb Spirituality

to turn your focus inward for calm and peace

"Meditation helps you zone within and find balance."

Phrasal-verb Focus

to focus deeply on something to forget stress

"I zone myself in on painting to relax my mind."

Phrasal-verb Relaxation

to deliberately disconnect from stressful surroundings

"Sometimes you just need to zone yourself out and take a break."

Phrasal-verb Media

to make an image or part of a screen appear larger

"Zoom in to see the details of the picture clearly."

Phrasal-verb Analysis

to give special attention or focus to something

"The presentation zoomed in on customer satisfaction metrics."

Phrasal-verb Media

to make an image or video appear smaller on the screen

"You can zoom out to see the full picture on the screen."