100 Business English Idioms
Here are 100 business English idioms:
| Business idiom | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Out of line | inappropriate or not acceptable behaviour. | His comments during the meeting were completely out of line. |
| Play hardball | to be aggressive and uncompromising in negotiations. | To secure the best terms, sometimes you have to play hardball with the vendors. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Point of no return | a stage at which turning back is not possible. | Signing the contract would mark the point of no return for our merger deal. |
| Break the bank | to use up all available funds or to be exceedingly expensive. | Renovating the office completely could break the bank if we’re not careful. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Fire on all cylinders | operating at maximum capacity or efficiency | When the team is firing on all cylinders, our productivity soars. |
| Heat up | to intensify or become more competitive. | The bidding for that contract really heated up last week. |
| Kick into gear | to start working effectively. | We need to kick into gear if we want to meet our quarterly targets. |
| Lean and mean | operating efficiently without excess. | Their lean and mean operation has allowed them to remain profitable despite tough market conditions. |
| Over a barrel | in a situation where one has very little choice. | After the delays, we found ourselves over a barrel with the client’s demands. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Parlay | to convert something (like resources or skills) into a greater asset. | She managed to parlay her industry experience into a lucrative consulting career. |
| Raise eyebrows | to cause surprise or disapproval. | The abrupt change in policy raised eyebrows among the staff. |
| Red-hot | extremely popular or in high demand. | Their red-hot new app has dominated the market since its launch. |
| Right off the bat | immediately; without delay. | Right off the bat, we received positive feedback on the new product concept. |
| Run rings around | to outperform or vastly outdo someone. | Our innovative approach allowed us to run rings around the competition. |
| Show one’s true colours | to reveal one’s genuine nature or intentions. | During the negotiation, he showed his true colours by refusing to compromise. |
| Side hustle | a secondary source of income outside one’s main job. | Many professionals start a side hustle to supplement their income. |
| Spin-off | a new product or company created from an existing organisation. | The tech giant launched a spin-off to focus exclusively on artificial intelligence. |
| Strike a chord | to resonate emotionally or intellectually. | Her proposal struck a chord with the board, leading to immediate support. |
| Take a leaf out of someone’s book | to imitate or adopt a successful strategy used by someone else. | We might take a leaf out of their book and adopt a more flexible work schedule.100 Business English Idioms |
| Tiger team | a group of experts assembled to solve a specific tough problem. | A tiger team was formed to address the security breach. |
| Top dog | the most important or dominant entity in a field. | After several mergers, they emerged as the top dog in the industry. |
| Turn a corner | to start improving after a period of difficulty. | With the launch of their new product, the company finally turned a corner. |
| Bite the bullet | to face a difficult task or decision with courage. | We had to bite the bullet and implement cost-cutting measures despite the pain it caused. |
| Down to earth | practical and realistic. | Even as a CEO, she remains wonderfully down to earth. |
| Eager beaver | a person who is exceptionally enthusiastic and hard-working. | He’s such an eager beaver that he often stays late to perfect his presentations. |
| End-to-end | covering an entire process from start to finish. | Our new system offers end-to-end solutions for customer service. |
| Fit for purpose | suitable for the intended use. | Before mass production, we ensured the prototype was fit for purpose. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Game plan | a strategic plan or method for achieving success. | We need a solid game plan to attract new investors. |
| Get your ducks in a row | to organise everything efficiently. | Before the board meeting, make sure you get your ducks in a row. |
| Golden opportunity | a very favourable chance to achieve success. | This merger is a golden opportunity to expand our market presence. |
| In a nutshell | in summary; briefly expressed. | In a nutshell, our goal is to boost both sales and customer satisfaction. |
| In the long run | over a long period of time. | Investing in R&D will pay off in the long run. |
| Keep your cool | remain calm under pressure. | Even when negotiations got heated, she managed to keep her cool. |
| Level the playing field | to make a situation fair for everyone involved. | The new regulations are designed to level the playing field between startups and established companies. |
| Money talks | money has influence, often overriding other factors. | In business, money talks when it comes to acquiring top talent. |
| Move the needle | to effect a noticeable change or improvement. | The update moved the needle on our customer retention rates. |
| On the house | free of charge, provided by the company. | The manager offered a round of drinks on the house after the long meeting. |
| Out of the box | innovative and creative; not bound by traditional ideas. | We need out-of-the-box solutions to disrupt the market. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Pay through the nose | to pay far more than is reasonable. | They had to pay through the nose for premium office space downtown. |
| Plug and play | ready to operate with little to no setup required. | This new software is designed to be plug and play, minimising installation time. |
| Poke the bear | to provoke someone who is powerful, often risking a strong reaction. | You’d better not poke the bear by questioning the CEO’s decisions publicly. |
| Prime time | the most favourable or high-demand period. | We scheduled the product ad during prime time to maximise our audience. |
| Raise the stakes | to increase the risks or rewards involved in a situation. | By introducing a performance bonus, management raised the stakes for the entire sales team. |
| Smooth operator | a person who handles tasks with ease and charm. | Known as a smooth operator in negotiations, he consistently secures advantageous deals. |
| Take stock | to review and assess the current situation or performance. | At the end of the fiscal year, we’ll take stock of our achievements and plan ahead. |
| Above board | conducted in an honest, open, and legal manner. | All our dealings with suppliers are strictly above board. |
| Ace in the hole | a hidden advantage kept in reserve until needed. | Their patent portfolio is an ace in the hole that sets them apart from competitors. |
| All in a day’s work | routine tasks that are expected to be managed without fuss. | Handling last-minute requests is all in a day’s work for our support team. |
| All systems go | everything is ready and functioning well. | After weeks of trial runs, it’s finally all systems go for the product launch. 100 Business English Idioms |
| An uphill battle | a very difficult challenge to overcome. | Breaking into that saturated market is going to be an uphill battle. |
| At a crossroads | at a critical point where a major decision must be made. | The company is at a crossroads and must decide whether to expand internationally or consolidate domestically. |
| At the helm | in charge or in control of an organisation or project. | With the new CEO at the helm, the company is poised for transformative growth. |
| Back on track | returning to a path of progress after difficulties. | After restructuring, the project is finally back on track. |
| Bite the bullet | to endure a painful or otherwise unpleasant situation that is inevitable. | They had to bite the bullet and cut costs dramatically during the recession. |
| Black and white | clear, without any ambiguity. | The terms of the contract were laid out in black and white to avoid misunderstandings. |
| Break-even | to reach a point where expenses equal income | After two challenging years, the startup finally broke even. |
| Bring something to fruition | to successfully complete or realise an idea, plan, or project. | The research team worked tirelessly to bring their innovative idea to fruition. 100 Business English Idioms |
| By leaps and bounds | rapidly or significantly; with substantial progress. | Customer satisfaction has improved by leaps and bounds since we revamped our service. |
| Call the tune | to be the one making the decisions. | In the new department, it’s clear that the senior manager calls the tune. |
| Chalk it up to experience | to regard mistakes or failures as learning experiences. | We lost that bid, but we can chalk it up to experience and do better next time. |
| Close ranks | to unite in defending or supporting each other. | Faced with external criticism, the team closed ranks and moved forward together. |
| Come up trumps | to succeed unexpectedly or perform exceptionally. | Despite the odds, our marketing campaign came up trumps and exceeded expectations. |
| Cost an arm and a leg | to be extremely expensive. | The latest software upgrade cost an arm and a leg but was necessary for security. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Cross that bridge when you come to it | deal with a problem when it arises rather than worrying about it now. | We don’t need to worry about potential delays – let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. |
| Cut and dried | clearly defined or predetermined; without ambiguity. | The deal’s terms are cut and dried, leaving no room for negotiation. |
| Deal with the devil | to compromise with a difficult or undesirable partner or situation. | Sometimes, to secure a project, you may have to deal with the devil and take risks. |
| Devil is in the details | small, overlooked details can cause significant problems. | Before finalising the contract, remember that the devil is in the details. |
| Drive a hard bargain | to negotiate in a firm, uncompromising manner. | The supplier is known to drive a hard bargain, so be prepared for tough negotiations. |
| Eat someone alive | to defeat someone comprehensively. | The innovative startup is expected to eat the established players alive if they’re not careful. |
| Endeavour | to try hard to achieve something. | We will endeavour to meet the delivery deadlines despite the challenges. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Face the facts | to accept reality, even if it is unpleasant. | It’s time to face the facts—the market conditions have changed significantly. |
| Feather in one’s cap | an achievement to be proud of. | Winning the international award was a major feather in the company’s cap. |
| Firm up | to make a plan or decision more definite. | We need to firm up our strategy before presenting it to the board. |
| Fly by the seat of your pants | to act by instinct rather than through detailed planning. | When the unexpected challenge arose, the team had to fly by the seat of their pants. |
| Follow suit | to imitate or do the same as someone else. | After the first competitor reduced prices, many others followed suit. |
| Fortify your position | to strengthen your standing or advantage in a given market. | They introduced innovative features to fortify their position in the market. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Get a foothold | to establish a secure position in a new market or field. | After months of planning, the company finally got a foothold in Asia. |
| Get the show on the road | to begin an activity or project. | Let’s get the show on the road and start the implementation phase. |
| Give a green light | to grant permission to proceed. | The board finally gave a green light to the new expansion plan. |
| Stick to your guns | to maintain your position despite opposition. | Even if our competitors criticise the strategy, we must stick to our guns. |
| Take the wind out of someone’s sails | to reduce someone’s enthusiasm or power. | The unexpected contract from a rival firm took the wind out of our sails for a while. |
| Throw your weight around | to use one’s authority or influence in a forceful way. | He tends to throw his weight around in meetings, which can sometimes alienate team members. |
| Under one’s belt | with experience or achievement already obtained. | After several successful projects under his belt, he’s now being considered for promotion. |
| Up for grabs | available for anyone to secure or achieve. | The new contract is up for grabs, and many companies are bidding for it. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Zero in on | to focus closely on a particular goal or problem. | We need to zero in on cost reductions without sacrificing quality. |
| Buckle down | to start working seriously. | With the deadline looming, everyone had to buckle down and focus on their tasks. |
| Deep pockets | having substantial financial resources. | The startup attracted investors with deep pockets, ensuring a solid round of funding. |
| Flip side | the opposite or contrasting aspect of something. | The new plan is expensive; on the flip side, it promises enormous returns. |
| Fork out | to pay money, often unwillingly or reluctantly. | We had to fork out a lot of cash for emergency repairs last quarter. |
| Get your money’s worth | to receive value that justifies the cost. | The premium software subscription ensured that we really got our money’s worth. |
| Go belly up | to fail completely or go bankrupt. | Without proper management, many small businesses risk going belly up. |
| Hold your horses | to wait or be patient. | Hold your horses – we need to review all the data before making a decision. 100 Business English Idioms |
| In the weeds | overwhelmed by details or bogged down by minor issues. | I got in the weeds with all the administrative tasks, so I lost track of the big picture. |
| Keep one’s cards close to one’s chest | to keep plans or information secret. | In negotiations, it’s wise to keep your cards close to your chest. |
| Keep tabs on | to monitor or track closely. | We should keep tabs on competitor activity to adjust our strategy accordingly. |
| Make headway | to make progress. | After reworking the proposal, we finally started to make headway. |
| Nip it in the bud | to stop a small problem before it becomes bigger. | Management decided to nip the rumour in the bud before it spread further. 100 Business English Idioms |
| Not my cup of tea | not something one likes or finds suitable. | Although the new project has potential, it’s just not my cup of tea. |
| On the radar | under observation or consideration. | Our company is now on the radar of some major international clients. |
| Out of bounds | off-limits or not acceptable. | Discussing salaries is considered out of bounds during the team meeting. |
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100 Collocations to Use in Daily Life - My Lingua Academy · 18 Jun 2025 at 6:00 am
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