25 English Business Idioms You’ll Hear at Work (with Meanings and Examples)
The most common English idioms used in offices and meetings — from “touch base” to “back to the drawing board” — with clear meanings, examples and when to use plain English instead.
Native speakers use idioms constantly at work — in meetings, calls and emails. If you take them literally, you can completely misunderstand what is being said. Here are 25 of the most common, grouped by situation, with clear meanings and examples.
Planning and starting
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to touch base | to have a short check-in | Let’s touch base on Friday about the launch. |
| to get the ball rolling | to start something | I’ll send the first draft to get the ball rolling. |
| to be on the same page | to agree / understand the same thing | Before we start, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. |
| a ballpark figure | a rough estimate | Can you give me a ballpark figure for the project? |
| to think outside the box | to think creatively | We need to think outside the box for this campaign. |
Problems and changes
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| back to the drawing board | to start planning again after a failure | The client rejected the design, so it’s back to the drawing board. |
| a spanner (UK) / wrench (US) in the works | something that disrupts a plan | The supplier’s delay threw a spanner in the works. |
| to iron out | to solve small problems | We still need to iron out a few details. |
| to fall through the cracks | to be forgotten or missed | Make sure no client requests fall through the cracks. |
| to cut corners | to do something badly to save time or money | We never cut corners on quality. |
Money and results
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the bottom line | the final result / the most important point | The bottom line is that we need more customers. |
| in the red / in the black | losing money / making a profit | After two years, the branch is back in the black. |
| to break even | to make neither a profit nor a loss | We expect to break even next year. |
| to tighten our belts | to spend less | Sales are down, so we need to tighten our belts. |
| to move the needle | to make a noticeable difference | A new logo won’t move the needle on sales. |
Teamwork and workload
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to go the extra mile | to do more than expected | Our support team always goes the extra mile. |
| to pull your weight | to do your fair share of work | Everyone needs to pull their weight on this project. |
| to have a lot on your plate | to be very busy | I have a lot on my plate this week. |
| bandwidth | time or capacity (for people) | I don’t have the bandwidth for another project. |
| to hold the fort | to manage things while others are away | Can you hold the fort while I’m at the conference? |
Decisions and deals
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the ball is in their court | it’s their turn to act or decide | We’ve sent the offer — the ball is in their court. |
| to get the green light | to get permission to start | We got the green light for the new office. |
| to seal the deal | to finally complete an agreement | A free training session helped seal the deal. |
| a win-win | good for both sides | Sharing the stand is a win-win. |
| to cut your losses | to stop something that is losing money | The project wasn’t working, so we cut our losses. |
When to use plain English instead
Idioms are great for understanding colleagues and sounding natural in conversation. But in formal writing, with clients and in international teams, plain English is clearer:
Informal: “We got our foot in the door, but it’s back to the drawing board on pricing — the ball is in our court.”
Plain English: “We have a first opportunity with the client, but we need to rethink our pricing and send a new offer.”
Our sector courses — such as English for Finance & Banking and English for Sales & Marketing — each include a full lesson on the idioms used in that industry, with practice exercises.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use idioms at work?
Understanding them is essential, because native speakers use them all the time. Using them is optional: a few natural idioms make you sound fluent, but too many can sound forced. In formal writing, prefer plain English.
Are business idioms the same in British and American English?
Most are shared, but some differ — for example, “a spanner in the works” (UK) and “a wrench in the works” (US) mean the same thing.
What does “touch base” mean?
To have a short conversation to check in or update each other: “Let’s touch base on Friday about the launch.”
Are idioms understood by non-native colleagues?
Not always. In international teams, many people prefer plain English. If you use an idiom, make sure the meaning is clear from the context.