100 Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Hello English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we will look at 100 collocations to use in daily life. These useful word combinations are commonly heard in everyday English, whether you’re at home, at work, socialising, or travelling. Learning them will help you sound more natural and fluent when speaking or writing. Each collocation comes with its meaning and an example sentence to help you understand how it is used in context. At the end of the lesson, you will find a downloadable PDF. Let’s dive in and boost your vocabulary one collocation at a time!
Daily Life
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Make the bed | tidy your bed after sleeping | I always make the bed before leaving for work. |
| Do the washing-up | wash dishes | Whose turn is it to do the washing-up? |
| Take a shower | wash yourself | She takes a shower every morning. |
| Brush your teeth | clean your teeth | Don’t forget to brush your teeth before bed. |
| Put the kettle on | start boiling water for tea | Shall I put the kettle on? |
| Do the shopping | buy food and supplies | We need to do the shopping this afternoon. |
| Lay the table | prepare the table for a meal | Can you lay the table for dinner? |
| Do the laundry | wash clothes | I’ve got piles of laundry to do. |
| Hang out the washing | dry clothes on a line | The sun’s out, let’s hang out the washing. |
| Take out the rubbish | dispose of waste | Don’t forget to take out the rubbish tonight. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Thinking & feeling
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Make a decision | decide | I can’t make a decision right now. |
| Change your mind | decide something different | He changed his mind at the last minute. |
| Keep in mind | remember | Keep in mind that she’s still new here. |
| Have second thoughts | start doubting a decision | I’m having second thoughts about the trip. |
| Lose your temper | get angry | She lost her temper over nothing. |
| Take it personally | feel insulted | Don’t take it personally – he’s like that with everyone. |
| Give it some thought | think about something | I’ll give it some thought and let you know. |
| Come to a conclusion | reach a decision | They came to a conclusion after much debate. |
| Feel under the weather | feel unwell | I’m feeling a bit under the weather today. |
| Burst into tears | suddenly start crying | She burst into tears when she heard the news. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Communication
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Have a chat | talk casually | Let’s have a chat over coffee. |
| Make a phone call | call someone | I need to make a quick phone call. |
| Return a call | call someone back | I forgot to return her call yesterday. |
| Keep in touch | stay in contact | We’ve kept in touch since school. |
| Speak your mind | say what you really think | He always speaks his mind, even if it’s rude. |
| Break the news | tell someone important news | She broke the news gently. |
| Drop someone a line | contact someone | Drop me a line when you arrive. |
| Get the message | understand | I think he finally got the message. |
| Talk nonsense | say silly or untrue things | You’re talking nonsense again! |
| Tell a lie | say something untrue | She told a lie to avoid getting in trouble. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Work & study
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Apply for a job | submit an application | She applied for a job at the council. |
| Attend a meeting | go to a meeting | I’ve got to attend a meeting at 10. |
| Meet a deadline | finish work on time | It was tough, but I met the deadline. |
| Take notes | write things down | I always take notes in lectures. |
| Do research | investigate | He’s doing research on renewable energy. |
| Get a promotion | move up in rank | She got a promotion last month. |
| Work overtime | work extra hours | I had to work overtime all week. |
| Earn a living | make money | He earns a living as a freelance designer. |
| Take a break | stop working temporarily | Let’s take a short break. |
| Join a course | start studying | She’s joined a course in web design. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Time & routine
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Run out of time | not have enough time | We ran out of time before we finished. |
| Save time | do something more efficiently | Using templates saves time. |
| Kill time | do something while waiting | I played a game to kill time. |
| Spend time | use time for something | We spent the whole day at the beach. |
| Waste time | not use time well | Stop wasting time and get on with it. |
| Be pressed for time | not have much time | I’m a bit pressed for time today. |
| Make time for | find time for something | Try to make time for exercise. |
| Set an alarm | prepare to wake up | I forgot to set my alarm. |
| Stick to a schedule | follow a plan | I try to stick to a schedule when I can. |
| Meet up later | see someone later | Let’s meet up later for coffee. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Social life & relationships
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Get on well with | have a good relationship | I get on well with my neighbours. |
| Fall out with someone | argue and stop being friendly | He fell out with his brother over money. |
| Make friends | begin new friendships | It’s easier to make friends at university. |
| Keep someone company | stay with someone so they aren’t alone | I’ll keep you company while you wait. |
| Go for a drink | meet socially for drinks | Do you want to go for a drink after work? |
| Catch up with someone | talk after not seeing someone for a while | It was lovely catching up with her last night. |
| Spend quality time | meaningful time with others | We try to spend quality time as a family. |
| Pay someone a visit | visit someone | I paid my gran a visit on Sunday. |
| Have a row (informal) | have an argument | They had a row about the bills. |
| Lose touch with | no longer be in contact | I lost touch with him after school. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Leisure & holidays
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Go on holiday | take a vacation | We’re going on holiday to Spain next month. |
| Take a day off | not go to work for one day | I’m taking a day off on Friday. |
| Have a lie-in | sleep late | I had a lovely lie-in this morning. |
| Get away from it all | escape everyday life | A trip to the countryside helps me get away from it all. |
| Go sightseeing | visit tourist attractions | We went sightseeing in Edinburgh. |
| Pack your bags | get ready to travel | Come on – pack your bags, we’re leaving! |
| Catch a train/bus/flight | travel by public transport | We caught an early train to Manchester. |
| Miss your flight | not get on your plane | I missed my flight because of traffic. |
| Go for a stroll | walk casually | Let’s go for a stroll by the river. |
| Try local cuisine | eat traditional food in a place | I love trying local cuisine when I travel. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Food & drink
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Have breakfast/lunch/dinner | eat meals | We had dinner at a nice little pub. |
| Grab a bite to eat | eat something quickly | Let’s grab a bite to eat before the film. |
| Make a reservation | book a table | Have you made a reservation for dinner? |
| Skip a meal | not eat a meal | She skipped lunch because she was so busy. |
| Be starving (informal) | be very hungry | I’m absolutely starving! |
| Eat out | dine at a restaurant | We usually eat out on Fridays. |
| Cut down on | reduce consumption | I’m trying to cut down on sugar. |
| Have a sweet tooth | like sugary things | He’s got a real sweet tooth. |
| Cook from scratch | cook using fresh ingredients | She always cooks from scratch. |
| Try a new recipe | make a dish you’ve never cooked before | I tried a new curry recipe last night. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Problems & solutions
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Face a challenge | deal with a difficult situation | We’re facing a big challenge at the moment. |
| Deal with a problem | manage a difficulty | How did you deal with that situation? |
| Find a solution | solve an issue | We’re working hard to find a solution. |
| Make a mistake | do something wrong | He made a mistake on the form. |
| Take responsibility | admit fault and accept the consequences | She took full responsibility for the error. |
| Overcome difficulties | succeed despite problems | He overcame many difficulties to get where he is. |
| Avoid conflict | prevent an argument or fight | We’re trying to avoid conflict at all costs. |
| Sort things out | resolve a situation | Let’s sort things out before it gets worse. |
| Raise a concern | express worry | Several people have raised concerns about the plan. |
| Reach an agreement | decide on something together | We finally reached an agreement. |
Collocations to Use in Daily Life
Environment & society
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Protect the environment | take care of nature | We should all do our bit to protect the environment. |
| Reduce waste | use less and recycle | We need to reduce waste at home. |
| Use public transport | avoid private cars | I use public transport whenever possible. |
| Recycle plastic/paper | reuse materials | They recycle plastic bottles at work. |
| Cut carbon emissions | reduce pollution | Governments must cut carbon emissions. |
| Volunteer your time | give your time to help | She volunteers her time at the animal shelter. |
| Raise money for charity | collect donations | He ran the marathon to raise money for charity. |
| Support a cause | believe in a charity or campaign | We support several causes through monthly donations. |
| Campaign for change | try to improve something | They’re campaigning for safer streets. |
| Make a difference | have a positive impact | Small actions can make a big difference. |
Download 100 Collocations to Use in Daily Life in PDF here
Learn 100 Business English Idioms here
100 Collocations to Use in Daily Life
If you really want to learn English but don’t know how to do it and where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!
Discover more from My Lingua Academy
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
0 Comments