Storms are powerful weather events that can bring rain, wind, thunder, and lightning. People have used many special phrases, called idioms, to talk about storms in a way that helps explain feelings and ideas. These idioms often describe how life can be like a storm, sometimes calm, sometimes wild.
In this article, you will learn about 30 common idioms about storms. Each idiom has a meaning and examples to help you understand how to use it. After reading, you will also have a fun activity where you can find some of these idioms in a story. This will help you see how they work in real life.
Idioms about Storms
1. Blow over
Meaning: When a problem or fight ends and things become calm again.
Samples: The argument will blow over soon. / Don’t worry, the bad weather will blow over by morning.
To Put it Another Way: It will get better. / The trouble will pass.
2. Calm before the storm
Meaning: A quiet time before something bad or busy happens.
Samples: It was very quiet in the classroom, like the calm before the storm. / We had a peaceful day before the big storm hit, the calm before the storm.
To Put it Another Way: It’s quiet now, but things will get busy or bad soon. / A peaceful moment before trouble.
3. Chase rainbows
Meaning: To try to do something that is impossible or very unlikely.
Samples: He keeps chasing rainbows, hoping to be a movie star. / Don’t chase rainbows, focus on what you can really do.
To Put it Another Way: Trying to do something that probably won’t happen. / Dreaming about things that are not real.
4. Every cloud has a silver lining
Meaning: There is something good even in a bad situation.
Samples: I lost my toy, but I found a new friend. Every cloud has a silver lining. / Don’t be sad about the rain, every cloud has a silver lining.
To Put it Another Way: Good things can come from bad times. / There is hope even in trouble.
5. Get wind of
Meaning: To hear news about something, often a secret.
Samples: I got wind of the surprise party. / The teacher got wind of the students’ plan to skip class.
To Put it Another Way: To find out about something. / To hear some news.
6. Head in the clouds
Meaning: To be daydreaming or not paying attention.
Samples: Stop daydreaming! You have your head in the clouds. / She’s got her head in the clouds, thinking about summer vacation.
To Put it Another Way: Thinking about things and not focusing. / Dreaming instead of paying attention.
7. It’s raining cats and dogs
Meaning: It’s raining very hard.
Samples: We can’t play outside, it’s raining cats and dogs! / Bring your umbrella, it’s raining cats and dogs today.
To Put it Another Way: It’s pouring rain. / Rain is falling very fast.
8. Lightning fast
Meaning: Very quick.
Samples: She finished her homework lightning fast. / The runner was lightning fast on the track.
To Put it Another Way: Really fast. / Very quick.
9. Make waves
Meaning: To cause trouble or change.
Samples: Don’t make waves in class today. / He made waves by asking new questions.
To Put it Another Way: To cause problems. / To change things.
10. Neck of the woods
Meaning: A place or neighborhood.
Samples: My cousin lives in this neck of the woods. / There aren’t many parks in this neck of the woods.
To Put it Another Way: Around here. / This area or place.
11. Ride out the storm
Meaning: To survive a difficult time.
Samples: We had to ride out the storm before going outside. / The family rode out the storm together.
To Put it Another Way: To get through a hard time. / To stay safe during trouble.
12. Storm in a teacup
Meaning: A small problem that is made to seem much bigger.
Samples: The fight was just a storm in a teacup. / Don’t worry, it’s only a storm in a teacup.
To Put it Another Way: A little problem that seems big. / Not a real big deal.
13. Take by storm
Meaning: To quickly become very successful or popular.
Samples: The new video game took the school by storm. / She took the crowd by storm with her singing.
To Put it Another Way: To become famous or liked very fast. / To win over a group quickly.
14. Throw caution to the wind
Meaning: To take a risk without worrying about danger.
Samples: He threw caution to the wind and jumped into the lake. / She threw caution to the wind and tried out for the team.
To Put it Another Way: To be brave and take a chance. / To stop worrying and do something.
15. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling sick or not well.
Samples: I’m feeling under the weather today. / She stayed home because she was under the weather.
To Put it Another Way: Feeling sick. / Not feeling good.
16. Weather the storm
Meaning: To deal with a hard situation without giving up.
Samples: We had to weather the storm of bad grades. / The town weathered the storm and rebuilt.
To Put it Another Way: To stay strong during trouble. / To survive a tough time.
17. Winds of change
Meaning: Signs that things are going to be different soon.
Samples: There are winds of change in our school this year. / The winds of change brought new rules.
To Put it Another Way: Changes are coming. / Things will be different soon.
18. Stormy relationship
Meaning: A relationship full of fights and problems.
Samples: They have a stormy relationship. / My parents had a stormy relationship when they were young.
To Put it Another Way: A difficult relationship. / A relationship with many problems.
19. Lightning never strikes twice
Meaning: Something bad is not likely to happen again.
Samples: Don’t worry, lightning never strikes twice. / You lost your book, once lightning never strikes twice!
To Put it Another Way: Bad things usually don’t happen twice. / Once is enough.
20. Calm as a lake
Meaning: Very calm and peaceful.
Samples: She was calm as a lake before the test. / The lake was calm as a lake this morning.
To Put it Another Way: Very quiet and peaceful. / No noise or trouble.
21. Break like a storm
Meaning: To begin suddenly and powerfully.
Samples: The rain broke like a storm in the afternoon. / The news broke like a storm across town.
To Put it Another Way: To start suddenly and strong. / To happen fast and hard.
22. Blow a gale
Meaning: To have very strong winds.
Samples: The wind blew a gale last night. / The storm blew a gale through the trees.
To Put it Another Way: Very strong wind. / Wind that moves a lot of things.
23. Take shelter
Meaning: To find a safe place from bad weather.
Samples: We took shelter under the big tree during the rain. / They took shelter when the storm came.
To Put it Another Way: To go somewhere safe. / To hide from bad weather.
24. Rain on someone’s parade
Meaning: To spoil someone’s fun or plans.
Samples: Don’t rain on her parade, she worked hard on that. / I didn’t want to rain on their parade by telling them the bad news.
To Put it Another Way: To spoil fun. / To ruin plans.
25. Eye of the storm
Meaning: The calm center of a storm or a problem.
Samples: We were safe in the eye of the storm. / She felt calm even in the eye of the storm.
To Put it Another Way: The quiet middle. / The calm part of trouble.
26. Cloud nine
Meaning: Feeling very happy or excited.
Samples: She was on cloud nine after winning the prize. / I’m on cloud nine because I got a new puppy.
To Put it Another Way: Very happy. / Feeling great.
27. Blow hot and cold
Meaning: To keep changing opinions or feelings.
Samples: He blows hot and cold about sports. / She blows hot and cold when deciding what to do.
To Put it Another Way: Changing your mind a lot. / Not sure what you want.
28. Storm out
Meaning: To leave a place angrily.
Samples: He stormed out of the room after the fight. / She stormed out when she didn’t get her way.
To Put it Another Way: To leave mad. / To walk away angry.
29. Blow your top
Meaning: To get very angry.
Samples: Dad blew his top when the vase broke. / She blew her top after losing the game.
To Put it Another Way: To get really mad. / To lose your temper.
30. Snowball effect
Meaning: When a small problem grows bigger and bigger.
Samples: The argument had a snowball effect, and more friends joined. / The small mistake caused a snowball effect of problems.
To Put it Another Way: A small thing that gets much bigger. / A problem that grows fast.
Find the Topics: Idioms about Storms
Last Friday, our class planned a picnic at the park. At first, the weather was calm as a lake, and everyone was excited. But soon, dark clouds started to gather it was the calm before the storm. We didn’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, so we stayed hopeful.
Suddenly, it began to rain cats and dogs! We all ran to take shelter under the big trees. Even though the storm was loud and wild, our teacher told us to weather the storm and wait it out. Some friends were starry-eyed, hoping the sun would come back quickly.
After a while, the rain started to blow over, and the sun came out. We saw a beautiful rainbow and knew every cloud has a silver lining. It was a day full of surprises, but we learned to stay strong even when things got tough.
Activity:
Underline or list all the idioms about storms you find in the story.
Answer Key
- Calm as a lake
- Calm before the storm
- Rain on someone’s parade
- Raining cats and dogs
- Take shelter
- Weather the storm
- Blow over
- Every cloud has a silver lining
Conclusion
Idioms about storms help us talk about feelings and situations in a way that is easy to understand. They show us how life can have hard times, but also hope and calm moments. Learning these idioms can make your speaking and writing clearer and more interesting. Just like storms pass, problems can too, and sometimes good things come after tough times.
