Idiomatic

Register — 4,686 words · page 1 of 47

This page gathers the 4,686 dictionary entries of which at least one sense is labelled “Idiomatic” by Wiktionary. The definition shown is that sense; each word leads to its full entry. Page 1 of 47: from “-en” to “amber light”.

  1. -en suffix Denotes the past participle form when attached to a verb.
  2. -er suffix Suffix used to form the plural of a small number of English nouns.
  3. -es suffix Possessive marker; see -s, -'s.
  4. -ess suffix Used to form nouns from adjectives.
  5. -ile suffix Tending to, or capable of.
  6. -ine suffix Of or pertaining to.
  7. -ing suffix Forming derivative nouns (originally masculine), with the sense ‘son of, belonging to’, as in placenames, patronymics or diminutives; -ite.
  8. -ion suffix An action or process, or the result of an action or process.
  9. -iour suffix Suffix added to verbs to form nouns.
  10. -ish suffix An ending found on some verbs; see usage notes.
  11. -k suffix A suffix found in verbs of Middle English, Old English, usually with an intensive or frequentative effect.
  12. -ling suffix An adverbial suffix denoting manner, direction, or position.
  13. -meal suffix Used to denote a fixed number, measure, or amount at a time.
  14. -t suffix Used to form verbs from nouns or adjectives (compare -ate, -ize), frequently having a causative force, or modified from an existing verb…
  15. -th suffix Used to form nouns from verbs of action.
  16. -tion suffix Used to form nouns meaning "the action of (a verb)" or "the result of (a verb)". Words ending in this suffix are almost always derived from…
  17. -ure suffix A process; a condition; a result of an action.
  18. -yer suffix Agent suffix, equivalent to -er, appended to some nouns (especially those ending in the letter "w" or "v").
  19. 110 proof adj Stronger than strong.
  20. 11th commandment noun A well-known convention (often the most well-known of a certain field) which supposedly can not or should not be broken.
  21. 15 minutes of fame noun A very short time in the spotlight or brief flurry with fame, after which the person or subject involved is quickly forgotten.
  22. 23 skidoo phrase To leave, particularly quickly or at an advantageous time.
  23. 800-pound gorilla noun An entity that dominates its environment.
  24. a day late and a dollar short adj Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.
  25. a dime a dozen adj So common as to be practically or almost worthless.
  26. a Roland for an Oliver noun Equal measure; measure for measure; adequate response.
  27. a week from next Tuesday phrase Some unspecified time in the future.
  28. a year and a day noun A long time.
  29. a- prefix Forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out.
  30. ab- prefix From.
  31. about time adv Far past the desired time.
  32. about to phrase Indicates something that will happen very soon; indicates action that is imminent; ready to; went to
  33. above and beyond prep Further than; doing more than is expected or required.
  34. above board prep_phrase Openly, without deceit.
  35. above par prep_phrase Better than the average or normal standard.
  36. above the curve prep_phrase With above average innovative performance or quality, especially a trailblazer developing advances before competitors.
  37. above water prep_phrase Out of difficulty, especially financially.
  38. accident of birth noun A fact, situation, or personal characteristic, which may be desirable or undesirable, resulting from the circumstances into which a person…
  39. acknowledge the corn verb To admit to the truth of the point at issue or to a mistake; to cop a plea; or perhaps to admit to a small error but not a larger one.
  40. acquired taste noun Something that is appreciated only after having initially been regarded as unappealing or unpleasant; a person who is regarded as difficult…
  41. across the board prep_phrase Pertaining to all categories or things.
  42. act of Congress noun An authorization that is extremely difficult to obtain, especially in a timely fashion.
  43. act one's age verb To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
  44. act out verb To perform a scene from a play, a charade or an exercise.
  45. act up verb To misbehave; to cause trouble.
  46. ad- prefix Doing, enacting, forming a verb.
  47. add fuel to the fire verb To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.
  48. add up verb To make sense; to be reasonable or consistent.
  49. adrenaline rush noun An event or activity which causes such a state.
  50. adversarial collaboration noun Any of a class of study designs in which scientists with conflicting theories work together with others who are neutral or agnostic about…
  51. affair partner noun A person with whom one is having an extramarital or unfaithful relationship; the third party in an affair.
  52. after all prep_phrase anyway, in any case; indicates a statement is true regardless of other considerations; used to reinforce or explain a point.
  53. after one's own heart prep_phrase Of a person: having the same disposition, feelings, or opinions as oneself.
  54. after the Lord Mayor's show prep_phrase Said of a disappointing or mundane event occurring straight after an exciting, magnificent, or triumphal event.
  55. after- prefix With contrary, subordinate, or remote effect, denoting hindrance, setback, inferiority, etc.
  56. against the grain prep_phrase Contrary to what is expected; especially, of behavior different from what society expects.
  57. against the law prep_phrase Forbidden by law.
  58. agree to disagree verb To accept each other's opinions and cease arguing; to peacefully acknowledge that an agreement will not be reached.
  59. aha moment noun The moment or instant at which the solution to a problem, or some other significant realization, becomes clear.
  60. ahead of the curve prep_phrase Changing before competitors.
  61. aim at verb To create or design for a particular audience.
  62. air out verb To expose to air; to leave open or spread out, as to allow odor or moisture to dissipate.
  63. air sandwich noun A strategy that has high-level direction and low-level operations, but little in the middle.
  64. airheaded adj Silly; foolish.
  65. alarums and excursions noun Any frantic activity.
  66. all along adv For the entire time; always.
  67. all around adj Able to do many or all things well.
  68. all at once adv Unexpectedly; without warning; all of a sudden.
  69. all bark and no bite adj Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
  70. all bets are off phrase Indicates that a future event appears uncertain, especially one that before seemed more certain, and where any prior agreements are no…
  71. all dressed up and nowhere to go adj Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.
  72. all ears adj Listening intently; fully focused.
  73. all eyes adj Watching alertly or attentively.
  74. all fur coat and no knickers adj Having a superficially positive appearance that is belied by the reality, e.g., superficially elegant and beautiful but actually common.
  75. all good phrase It's all good.
  76. all heart adj Motivated by positive emotions, especially as productive of exceptionally generous or kind behavior.
  77. all holiday noun A saying signifying that the business or person spoken of or alluded to is finished, i.e. that it has no future.
  78. all in the family prep_phrase Of a secret, trait, business, or a tradition that is kept within a family, shared among family members, and not disclosed to those outside…
  79. all one's born days noun One's whole life.
  80. all out adv With maximum effort.
  81. all over adv Over an entire extent.
  82. all over bar the shouting phrase Of an activity where the result is known, but may be subject to change, due to it not being officially finished or announced.
  83. all over the map prep_phrase Widely scattered or distributed; numerous and differing greatly.
  84. all over the place prep_phrase In multiple directions or locations, often haphazardly; everywhere.
  85. all rights reserved phrase The copyright holder of a creative work reserves all copyright-related rights, typically including the right to publish the work, to make…
  86. all set adj Ready, prepared, equipped.
  87. all sixes and nines prep_phrase In a state of confusion.
  88. all that adv Very.
  89. all the gear and no idea adj Having high-quality, expensive equipment for a risky or difficult activity, without any of the requisite knowledge.
  90. all the same adv Anyway; nevertheless; nonetheless.
  91. all there adj Mentally competent; not absent-minded or insane.
  92. all things considered adv Generally speaking; in terms of the big picture.
  93. all things to all people noun Someone or something that entirely satisfies the expectations of everyone, no matter how diverse and conflicting those expectations may be.
  94. all to smash adv Ruined; bankrupt.
  95. all very well adj All right to a certain extent, but problematic beyond that, or for other people.
  96. all wet adj Utterly incorrect; erroneous; uninformed.
  97. along the lines of prep Similar to, but not exactly equal.
  98. amateur hour noun A situation or activity in which the participants show a lack of skill, sound judgment, or professionalism.
  99. amber gambler noun A driver of a road vehicle who accelerates when the traffic lights change from green to amber (instead of stopping, as required by law)…
  100. amber light noun Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.

All registers · Search for a word