Top 170+ English Expressions You Need to Know: Speak Like a Native!

Unlocking Everyday English: Expressions You Must Know!

Introduction

Do you ever wonder how native speakers sound so natural when they speak? They often use expressions—short phrases with special meanings. 

Today, we’ll explore some common expressions with words like one, fear, happy, food items, and more. These will help you speak English fluently and confidently!

For example: 

1. One in a million – Someone or something very special. (She is one in a million!)
2. Face your fears – Confront what scares you. (You need to face your fears to overcome them.)
3. Happy-go-lucky – Cheerful and carefree. (He has a happy-go-lucky attitude towards life.)
4. A piece of cake – Something very easy. (The test was a piece of cake!)

Learn some common English expressions with special meanings. Boost your fluency, speak like a native, and enhance your vocabulary with these must-know phrases.

Here’s a list of some common words used in expressions:

One, Fear, Happy, Food items, Heart, Mind, Hand, Eye, Foot, Head, Time, Luck, Life, Water, Fire, Cold, Heat, Light, Dark, Gold, Silver, Stone, Wind, Rain, Star, Shadow, Way, Road, Path, Dream, Hope, Chance, Power, Strength, Weakness

1. Common Expressions with "One"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	One in a million	Something or someone very special	She is one in a million!
2	One step at a time	Do things slowly and carefully	Learning English is easy if you take it one step at a time.
3	At one with	Feeling completely connected or in harmony	He feels at one with nature when he goes hiking.
4	One of a kind	Unique, special, or rare	This handmade dress is one of a kind!
5	One-track mind	Focusing only on one thing	He has a one-track mind when it comes to football.
6	All for one, and one for all	Unity and teamwork	We should support each other—it's all for one, and one for all.
7	One too many	More than what is needed or acceptable	I had one too many cups of coffee today.

2. Common Expressions with "Fear"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Face your fears	To confront the things that scare you	She decided to face her fears and speak in front of the class.
2	Fear of the unknown	Fear of what is unfamiliar or uncertain	He has a fear of the unknown, which makes him hesitant to travel.
3	Fear and loathing	An extreme form of fear mixed with anger or disgust	There was fear and loathing in his eyes when he saw the dangerous situation.
4	Out of fear	Doing something because of fear, rather than desire or choice	He stayed silent out of fear of being punished.
5	Fear for someone	To be worried about someone’s safety or well-being	She felt a deep fear for her children when they went on the school trip.

3. Common Expressions with "Happy"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Happy as a clam	Feeling very content and satisfied	After a long vacation, she was as happy as a clam.
2	Over the moon	Extremely happy or pleased	He was over the moon when he found out he got the job.
3	On cloud nine	To be extremely happy	They were on cloud nine after hearing the good news.
4	In high spirits	Feeling happy and cheerful	She was in high spirits after winning the competition.
5	Make someone's day	To do something that makes someone very happy	Her surprise gift made his day.

4. Common Expressions with "Food Items"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Fast food	Pre-prepared food that is quick to serve and eat	He grabbed some fast food on his way home from work.
2	Home-cooked meal	Food prepared at home, typically with fresh ingredients	After a long day, she enjoyed a warm home-cooked meal.
3	Comfort food	Food that provides emotional comfort, often nostalgic or familiar	Mac and cheese is her go-to comfort food when she feels down.
4	Junk food	Food that is unhealthy but tasty, often high in fat, sugar, or salt	He knows junk food isn’t good for him, but he can't resist chips and soda.
5	Takeout	Food that is prepared in a restaurant and taken home to eat	After a busy week, they decided to order takeout for dinner.

5. Common Expressions with "Heart"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Heart of gold	A kind and generous nature	She has a heart of gold, always helping those in need.
2	From the bottom of my heart	To sincerely express something with deep emotion	He thanked them from the bottom of his heart for their support.
3	Cross my heart	To make a sincere promise or vow	I promise I will keep your secret, cross my heart!
4	Have a heart	To be compassionate or caring	Come on, have a heart and give him a chance to explain.
5	Heart skips a beat	To feel sudden excitement, fear, or love	When she saw him after so many years, her heart skipped a beat.

6. Common Expressions with "Mind"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Change your mind	To decide to do something differently from what was planned	She decided to change her mind and take a different route home.
2	Mind your own business	To focus on your own matters and not interfere with others' affairs	He told her to mind her own business when she asked about his plans.
3	In your right mind	To be mentally stable or rational	You must be in your right mind to consider quitting your job like that!
4	Make up your mind	To make a decision after considering different options	It’s time to make up your mind about which college to attend.
5	Bear in mind	To remember or consider something when making a decision	Bear in mind that the store closes early today.

7. Common Expressions with "Hand"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	At hand	Something that is near or available for immediate use	The deadline is at hand, so we need to finish the project today.
2	Give a hand	To offer help or assistance	Can you give me a hand with carrying these bags?
3	In hand	To have something in one's possession or control	She has the situation well in hand, no need to worry.
4	Hands down	Without a doubt, easily	That was hands down the best concert I've ever attended!
5	On hand	Available and ready for use	We have all the materials on hand for the presentation.

8. Common Expressions with "Eye"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	In the eye of the beholder	Something is considered beautiful or valuable only according to individual perspective	Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so everyone has their own definition of it.
2	Turn a blind eye	To ignore something deliberately	He turned a blind eye to the fact that his friend was cheating on the test.
3	Keep an eye on	To monitor or watch something carefully	Can you keep an eye on the pot while I go answer the door?
4	All eyes are on	Everyone is watching or paying attention to something or someone	All eyes were on her as she walked down the runway at the fashion show.
5	Eye opener	An event or experience that gives a new perspective or insight	The documentary was an eye-opener about the effects of climate change.

9. Common Expressions with "Foot"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Get cold feet	To suddenly feel nervous or afraid about something	She got cold feet before the wedding and almost called it off.
2	Put your foot down	To assert authority or make a firm decision	He put his foot down and refused to let the kids stay out past 10 PM.
3	At the foot of	At the bottom or base of something	We stayed at the foot of the mountain during our hiking trip.
4	Get off on the wrong foot	To start something in a bad or unsuccessful way	They got off on the wrong foot during their first meeting, but eventually became friends.
5	Foot the bill	To pay for something, especially an expensive item or event	Since no one else had money, I had to foot the bill for the dinner.

10. Common Expressions with "Head"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Head over heels	To be completely in love or deeply involved in something	He’s head over heels in love with her since the first time they met.
2	Off the top of your head	To give an answer without thinking too much or without preparation	Off the top of my head, I would say the meeting is at 10 AM tomorrow.
3	At the head of	To be in charge or leading a group or situation	She was at the head of the project and guided the team to success.
4	Head start	An advantage gained by starting before others	He had a head start in the race because he began training earlier than anyone else.
5	Head and shoulders above	To be significantly better or superior to someone or something	Her performance in the competition was head and shoulders above everyone else.

11. Common Expressions with "Time"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	In no time	Very quickly, almost instantly	She finished her homework in no time and went out to play.
2	All in good time	Something will happen when the time is right, without rushing	Don’t worry about the results; all in good time, you’ll get what you deserve.
3	Time flies	Time seems to pass very quickly	Time flies when you’re having fun at the party!
4	At times	Occasionally, sometimes	At times, I feel like taking a break from work and going on a vacation.
5	Time is money	Time should be used efficiently as it is as valuable as money	We need to hurry; time is money, and we can’t waste any more of it.

12. Common Expressions with "Luck"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Good luck	A phrase used to wish someone success or fortune	Good luck on your exam tomorrow! I’m sure you’ll do great.
2	Bad luck	Unfortunate events or situations	He had bad luck during the game and lost in the final round.
3	Lady luck	A personification of luck, often depicted as a woman who brings good fortune	Lady luck was on his side, and he won the lottery that week.
4	Make your own luck	To create opportunities or success through effort, not relying on chance	She believes in making her own luck by working hard and staying focused.
5	By luck	Something happening due to chance or fortune, not planned	He found the keys by luck after searching the whole house.

13. Common Expressions with "Life"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Life is short	A reminder to make the most of the limited time we have	Life is short, so spend time with the people who matter most.
2	Get a life	To stop wasting time and start doing something more meaningful	Stop staying home all the time and get a life—go out and explore the world!
3	The life of the party	A person who brings energy and excitement to social events	Everyone loves his company; he’s definitely the life of the party.
4	Life’s too short	A phrase used to encourage enjoying the present moment or not stressing over small things	Life’s too short to worry about things you can’t control.
5	For the rest of your life	To refer to something that will last a lifetime	She made a decision that will affect her career for the rest of her life.

14. Common Expressions with "Water"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Water under the bridge	Something that has already happened and is no longer a concern	The argument we had is water under the bridge now. Let’s move on.
2	Like water off a duck’s back	Something that has no effect on someone, especially criticism	Her harsh words were like water off a duck’s back; he wasn’t bothered at all.
3	Still waters run deep	A calm exterior may conceal deep emotions or thoughts	He doesn’t speak much, but still waters run deep; he’s very thoughtful.
4	In hot water	To be in trouble or facing difficulties	He’s in hot water after missing the deadline for the project.
5	Throw cold water on	To discourage or dampen enthusiasm for something	She threw cold water on his idea, saying it was too risky to try.

15. Common Expressions with "Fire"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Fight fire with fire	To respond to an attack or problem with similar methods	He decided to fight fire with fire by using the same aggressive tactics his opponent used.
2	Play with fire	To take dangerous or risky actions	If you keep playing with fire, you’ll end up in trouble!
3	Fire in the belly	Strong determination or passion to achieve something	She has fire in her belly and won’t stop until she reaches her goals.
4	Under fire	To be criticized or attacked, usually in a public way	The politician was under fire for his controversial statements.

16. Common Expressions with "Cold"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Cold feet	To suddenly feel nervous or afraid, especially before an important event	She got cold feet before the wedding and almost called it off.
2	Cold as ice	Extremely cold or unemotional	He remained cold as ice when he heard the bad news.
3	Catch a cold	To become ill, usually with a mild respiratory illness	She caught a cold after walking in the rain without a jacket.
4	Cold shoulder	To ignore someone or treat them in an unfriendly way	He gave her the cold shoulder after their argument.
5	Out in the cold	To be left out or excluded from a group or situation	She was left out in the cold when the team decided to go ahead without her.

17. Common Expressions with "Heat"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Feel the heat	To experience pressure or difficulty in a situation	He could feel the heat as the deadline approached.
2	Under the heat	To be in a difficult or pressured situation, often under scrutiny	She’s been under the heat lately with all the work piling up.
3	Take the heat	To endure criticism or blame for something	He had to take the heat for the project’s failure, even though it wasn’t entirely his fault.
4	In the heat of the moment	During a very emotional or intense time, often resulting in impulsive actions	In the heat of the moment, he said things he didn’t mean.
5	Bring the heat	To put forth a great deal of effort or intensity, especially in a competitive situation	She really brought the heat to the competition and won the first prize.

18. Common Expressions with "Light"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Light at the end of the tunnel	Hope or relief after a long period of difficulty	After months of hard work, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
2	In the light of	Considering or because of something	In the light of recent events, we decided to postpone the meeting.
3	Light as a feather	Very light in weight or feeling, often used to describe something or someone with ease	She felt light as a feather after completing the project successfully.
4	Light up	To brighten, or to become happier and more enthusiastic	His face lit up when he heard the good news.
5	See the light	To understand something after a period of confusion	After hours of explanation, he finally saw the light and understood the concept.

19. Common Expressions with "Dark"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	In the dark	To be unaware or uninformed about something	She was kept in the dark about the surprise party until the last moment.
2	Dark horse	A person who unexpectedly wins or succeeds, often because they are underestimated	He was a dark horse in the election, surprising everyone with his victory.
3	Throw someone into the dark	To place someone in an unfamiliar or unclear situation	She was thrown into the dark when her team leader suddenly left the project.
4	Dark days	Times of difficulty, sadness, or hardship	The company faced dark days before making a successful comeback.
5	Into the dark	To move into an unknown or uncertain situation	They ventured into the dark, not knowing what the future would hold.

20. Common Expressions with "Gold"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Gold mine	A place or source of great wealth or opportunity	The new tech startup is a gold mine for investors looking to make a profit.
2	Gold standard	The best or most reliable standard by which others are measured	Her work in the field is considered the gold standard for quality and professionalism.
3	All that glitters is not gold	Not everything that looks valuable or promising turns out to be so	He learned the hard way that all that glitters is not gold when the business failed.
4	Heart of gold	A very kind, generous, and good-natured person	She’s the kind of person who has a heart of gold and always helps those in need.
5	Gold mine of information	A valuable source of knowledge or data	The library became a gold mine of information for the research project.

21. Common Expressions with "Silver"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Silver lining	A positive aspect in an otherwise negative situation	Even though she lost her job, the silver lining was that she had more time to explore new opportunities.
2	Silver spoon	Referring to someone born into a wealthy and privileged family	He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never had to worry about money.
3	Silver screen	The movie industry or cinema, especially Hollywood	She dreamed of one day seeing her name on the silver screen.
4	Silver medal	The award for second place in a competition	He was proud of winning the silver medal, even though he aimed for gold.
5	Silver-tongued	Having a persuasive and eloquent way of speaking	He was a silver-tongued speaker, able to convince anyone with his words.

22. Common Expressions with "Stone"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Leave no stone unturned	To make every possible effort to achieve something	She left no stone unturned in her search for the perfect house.
2	Stone's throw	A very short distance	The park is just a stone's throw away from my house.
3	Cast in stone	To make something permanent or unchangeable	The deadline is not cast in stone; we can adjust it if necessary.
4	Stone cold	Completely cold, or completely unemotional	He gave me a stone cold look when I apologized for my mistake.
5	Grave as a stone	Extremely serious or solemn	His face was as grave as a stone when he heard the news.

23. Common Expressions with "Wind"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	At the wind's mercy	To be in a vulnerable or uncontrollable situation	Without a proper plan, they were at the wind's mercy during the storm.
2	Wind of change	A sign or beginning of a new development or shift	The protests were a wind of change that led to government reforms.
3	Catch the wind	To take advantage of a passing opportunity	She caught the wind of a good business deal and decided to invest.
4	Like the wind	Very fast, light, or effortless	He ran like the wind, easily beating everyone in the race.
5	In the wind	Uncertain, unknown, or not yet decided	Their future is still in the wind, as they haven't made any firm plans yet.

24. Common Expressions with "Rain"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	It's raining cats and dogs	It's raining very heavily	The weather forecast said it’s going to rain cats and dogs this afternoon.
2	Save for a rainy day	To save money for a time when it is needed, especially during a difficult time	It's always good to save for a rainy day, just in case you face unexpected expenses.
3	Make it rain	To spend or give away a lot of money freely	He decided to make it rain at the party and bought drinks for everyone.
4	Come rain or shine	To happen regardless of weather conditions or obstacles	We will go on the trip come rain or shine, nothing will stop us!
5	Rain on someone's parade	To ruin someone's plans or spoil their happiness	She didn't want to rain on his parade, but she had to tell him the bad news.

25. Common Expressions with "Star"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Star of the show	The most important or prominent person or thing in a particular event	She was the star of the show, receiving a standing ovation for her performance.
2	Reach for the stars	To aim for something very difficult or ambitious	He always tells his students to reach for the stars and never settle for less.
3	Star-studded	Featuring many famous or well-known people	The event was star-studded, with celebrities from all over the world attending.
4	Falling star	A brief moment of fame or success that quickly fades away	He was a falling star in the world of sports, rising quickly but fading just as fast.

26. Common Expressions with "Shadow"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	In the shadow of	To be overshadowed or influenced by someone or something more powerful or prominent	He grew up in the shadow of his famous father, always living under his influence.
2	Shadow of a doubt	A small or slight amount of uncertainty or skepticism	There is not a shadow of a doubt that she will succeed in her career.
3	Cast a shadow over	To make something appear less enjoyable or to negatively affect something	The bad weather cast a shadow over what was supposed to be a happy celebration.
4	Live in someone's shadow	To always be compared to someone more successful or dominant	He struggled to step out of his brother's shadow and create his own path in life.
5	Shadow boxing	Fighting against an imagined opponent or engaging in futile actions	They were just shadow boxing with their plans, never actually taking any real steps forward.

27. Common Expressions with "Way"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	By the way	A phrase used to introduce a new or additional piece of information	By the way, have you heard about the new restaurant opening downtown?
2	In a way	To some extent, but not completely	In a way, I agree with her opinion, but I still think there are better alternatives.
3	On the way	En route to a destination or in progress	I'm on the way to the office, should be there in 10 minutes.
4	Lead the way	To show others the correct path or direction	He volunteered to lead the way during the hike up the mountain.
5	Way of life	The habits, customs, and practices that are typical of a particular person or group	Living sustainably is becoming an important way of life for many people around the world.

28. Common Expressions with "Road"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	At a crossroads	At a point where a decision must be made, especially one that will change the course of something	He’s at a crossroads in his career and needs to decide whether to take the new job offer.
2	On the road to	Moving toward a particular goal or destination	They are on the road to success after launching their new product.
3	Road to recovery	A period or process of returning to a better or healthier state after difficulty	After the accident, she’s slowly on the road to recovery and is starting physical therapy.
4	Hit the road	To begin a journey or leave a place	It’s getting late, so we should hit the road before the traffic gets worse.
5	Pave the way	To create the conditions that make it easier for something to happen in the future	Her research has paved the way for future advancements in medicine.

29. Common Expressions with "Path"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Path of least resistance	The easiest course of action, often avoiding challenges	He always chooses the path of least resistance and avoids difficult decisions.
2	Follow the path	To pursue a particular course or direction in life	She decided to follow the path of a lawyer after graduating from law school.
3	Crossing paths	Meeting someone unexpectedly or briefly	We kept crossing paths at work, but never had a chance to talk until the meeting.
4	On the right path	Making the right or correct decisions, especially in life or work	She feels like she’s on the right path after starting her new career.
5	Fork in the path	A decision point where one must choose between different directions or options	He reached a fork in the path and had to choose between moving to a new city or staying home.

30. Common Expressions with "Dream"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Dream come true	Something that you have hoped or wished for becoming reality	Winning the championship was a dream come true for the team.
2	Follow your dreams	To pursue your goals or passions in life	She decided to follow her dreams and start her own business.
3	In your wildest dreams	Something so unlikely or surprising that it cannot be imagined, even in a fantasy	He never thought, in his wildest dreams, that he would become famous.
4	Living the dream	Living an ideal or highly desired life	After getting his dream job, he felt like he was truly living the dream.
5	Sweet dreams	A phrase used to wish someone a good night and pleasant sleep	As she went to bed, her mother whispered, "Sweet dreams, dear."

31. Common Expressions with "Hope"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Hope for the best	To expect or wish for a positive outcome, despite uncertainties	We are all hoping for the best and praying the storm won't be too bad.
2	Lose hope	To give up on something, stop believing it is possible	Despite the challenges, she refused to lose hope and kept working towards her goal.
3	Hope against hope	To continue hoping even when there seems to be no reason to	They hoped against hope that the missing child would be found safely.
4	Be full of hope	To feel optimistic and positive about the future	After the motivational speech, the team was full of hope for the upcoming season.
5	Give up hope	To stop believing or expecting that something will happen	He never gave up hope, even after facing numerous failures in his career.

32. Common Expressions with "Chance"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Take a chance	To take a risk or do something despite the uncertainty of the outcome	Sometimes you have to take a chance and follow your instincts, even when things seem uncertain.
2	By chance	Something happening randomly or unexpectedly	We met at the café by chance, it was such a pleasant surprise!
3	Second chance	The opportunity to try again after a previous failure	After the mistake, he was given a second chance to prove himself.
4	Chance of a lifetime	A rare and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity	The job offer was the chance of a lifetime, and he knew he had to take it.
5	On the off chance	Doing something in case a rare event happens	She called him on the off chance that he might still be available for dinner.

33. Common Expressions with "Power"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Power of attorney	The legal right to make decisions on behalf of someone else	He was granted power of attorney to handle his father's financial matters.
2	Power struggle	Conflict or competition for control or authority	The company experienced a power struggle between the CEO and the board members.
3	Absolute power	Complete control or authority, often with no checks or balances	The dictator ruled with absolute power, making all decisions unilaterally.
4	In power	Holding a position of authority or control	The president has been in power for over a decade, shaping national policy.
5	Power up	To turn on or activate a device or system	Once the laptop is plugged in, press the button to power it up.

34. Common Expressions with "Strength"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Strength in numbers	The idea that a group is stronger or more effective than an individual	They believed in the strength in numbers, so they worked together to overcome the challenge.
2	Inner strength	The mental and emotional resilience to face difficult situations	She showed incredible inner strength during the tough times after the accident.
3	Strength of character	The ability to face challenges and act with integrity	His strength of character was evident when he stood up for what he believed in, despite the opposition.
4	Strength to strength	To grow or improve continually in success or ability	Since joining the team, her performance has gone from strength to strength.
5	Show your strength	To demonstrate your power, resilience, or ability	During the competition, he really showed his strength by lifting more than anyone expected.

35. Common Expressions with "Weakness"

Sr. No.	Common Phrase	Meaning	Example
1	Achilles' heel	A person's greatest weakness or vulnerability, despite overall strength	John is a great athlete, but his Achilles' heel is his lack of endurance.
2	Weak link	A person or thing that is the least strong in a group or system	The team member who couldn't keep up became the weak link, affecting the group's performance.
3	Show weakness	To reveal vulnerability or a flaw in one's abilities or character	He refused to show weakness in front of his competitors, even when he was tired.
4	Turn a weakness into strength	To improve or overcome a weakness and make it a positive quality	She managed to turn her fear of public speaking into strength by practicing regularly.
5	Weak spot	A vulnerable area or point of weakness	His lack of experience was the weak spot that his competitors tried to exploit.

Final Thoughts

Expressions make your English sound natural and fluent. Try using these in daily conversations and watch your confidence grow! Which expression did you like the most?

Happy learning!