Expressions

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

Idiom Business

to dominate a particular market

"They’ve managed to corner the market in organic products."

Idiom Architecture

the most important foundation or element for achieving success

"Hard work is the cornerstone of success."

Idiom Price

to be very expensive

"That designer bag cost an arm and a leg."

Idiom Behavior

a person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching TV

"He’s such a couch potato, he never goes out or exercises."

Idiom Surprise

to be so surprised that you doubt what you see

"I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the results."

Idiom Boredom

to show total indifference

"She couldn’t care less about what people think."

Phrasal-verb Celebration

to count backward to mark the start of an event

"Everyone counted down to midnight on New Year’s Eve."

Phrasal-verb Numbers

to recite numbers backward starting from a specific point

"The teacher had us count down from twenty to practice timing."

Phrasal-verb Productivity

to track remaining time closely before work is due

"I count down to deadlines with reminders so nothing slips."

Phrasal-verb Trust

to rely or depend on someone

"You can always count on your teammates for support."

Idiom Stress

to pause and calm down before reacting in anger

"When you’re upset, just count to ten before speaking."

Phrasal-verb Education

to contribute to an overall result or future achievement

"This internship will count towards your graduation credits."

Phrasal-verb Trust

to depend or rely on someone for help or support

"You can always count upon me when you need assistance."

Idiom Hope

be grateful for the good things in your life

"Instead of complaining, count your blessings."

Idiom Education

to deal with a lot of information or material

"The lecture covered a lot of ground in just one hour."

Idiom Planning

to prepare for all possible situations

"Before the presentation, we need to cover all bases."

Idiom Journalism

to examine a story or issue from every perspective

"The journalist tried to cover all the angles before publishing the article."

Idiom Sports

to prepare for every possible situation

"We need to cover all the bases before the meeting."

Phrasal-verb Integrity

to protect someone by hiding their mistake or wrongdoing

"He tried to cover for his colleague who submitted false data."

Idiom Journalism

the main story on the front of a magazine or newspaper

"Her interview became the cover story of the week."

Phrasal-verb Deception

to hide a mistake or wrongdoing

"They tried to cover up their error by changing the report."

Idiom War

to prepare for all possible outcomes; to be cautious

"Make sure you cover your bases before presenting the report."

Idiom Cybersecurity

to hide evidence of one’s actions

"Hackers often cover their tracks after breaking into systems."

Phrasal-verb Emotion

to smile slightly, especially when trying not to

"Even he cracked a smile after hearing the funny story."

Phrasal-verb Law enforcement

to take strong action against illegal or undesirable activities

"The government is cracking down on corruption and tax evasion."

Phrasal-verb Law

to take strong measures to stop corruption

"The new government promised to crack down on corruption."

Phrasal-verb Law enforcement

to use force or strict measures to control protests

"Authorities began to crack down on protests after violence erupted."

Idiom Routine

very early in the morning

"He wakes up at the crack of dawn every day."

Idiom Education

to open your books and begin studying

"It's time to crack the books and prepare for finals."

Idiom Computers

to solve a complex problem or mystery

"It took hours, but we finally cracked the code of the system error."

Idiom Authority

to use authority to make people work harder or obey rules

"The new manager is cracking the whip to improve productivity."

Phrasal-verb Failure

to fail or give up because of too much pressure or stress

"He cracked under the pressure of constant deadlines."

Phrasal-verb Stress

to fail or give up because of stress or tension

"Many employees crack under pressure when the workload doubles."

Phrasal-verb Emotions

to burst into laughter; to laugh uncontrollably

"We all cracked up at his silly joke."

Phrasal-verb Happiness

to laugh uncontrollably at something

"Everyone cracked up at his funny joke."

Idiom Architecture

signs of problems or weaknesses in a system or relationship

"There are cracks in the wall of their friendship lately."

Idiom Technology

to fail completely or suddenly

"The new software update crashed and burned after launch."

Phrasal-verb Technology

to suddenly stop working or fail completely

"The software crashed down in the middle of my presentation."

Phrasal-verb Collision

to hit something, especially another vehicle, violently

"The bus crashed into a truck in the early morning fog."

Phrasal-verb Tiredness

to fall asleep suddenly from exhaustion

"After a long day, I just crashed out on the sofa."

Idiom Ai

to cause complete failure in a system or process

"One wrong command can crash the system."

Idiom Love

to be deeply attracted or infatuated with someone

"She’s crazy about her new boyfriend."

Idiom Compliments

the best of a group; the finest selection

"These students are the cream of the crop."

Idiom Advertising

to generate excitement and talk about a product or event

"The teaser video helped create buzz before the product launch."

Idiom Crime

committing crimes ultimately brings trouble rather than benefit

"Crime doesn’t pay; he ended up losing everything."

Idiom Truth

Dishonest or untrustworthy.

"Everyone knows that politician is crooked as a snake."

Idiom Friendship

I swear or promise sincerely.

"I will help you, cross my heart."

Idiom Organization

to remove an item from a list

"You can cross off the tasks we’ve finished."

Idiom Promise

to make a sincere promise, often used by children

"I’ll never lie to you again, cross my heart."

Idiom Curiosity

To suddenly think of something.

"It never crossed my mind that he could be lying."