Determination is a powerful trait that helps individuals push through challenges and achieve their goals. In English, there are many idioms that capture the essence of this tenacity. Here are 20 idioms that describe determination, each with a brief meaning and example sentence to help you understand and use them effectively.
1. Bite the bullet
Meaning: Endure a painful situation
Example: He had to bite the bullet and finish the marathon.
2. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: Work late into the night
Example: She burned the midnight oil to meet the deadline.
3. Come hell or high water
Meaning: No matter what
Example: She’ll succeed, come hell or high water.
4. Dig in your heels
Meaning: Refuse to change
Example: He dug in his heels and refused to quit.
5. Go the extra mile
Meaning: Make extra effort
Example: She always goes the extra mile for her clients.
6. Hang in there
Meaning: Persevere
Example: Just hang in there, things will get better.
7. Keep your chin up
Meaning: Stay positive
Example: Despite the loss, he kept his chin up.
8. No pain, no gain
Meaning: Hard work pays off
Example: She believes in the saying, no pain, no gain.
9. On the ball
Meaning: Alert and efficient
Example: He’s always on the ball at work.
10. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
Meaning: Improve by your efforts
Example: He pulled himself up by his bootstraps after the failure.
11. Sink or swim
Meaning: Succeed or fail
Example: It’s a sink or swim situation for the new manager.
12. Soldier on
Meaning: Continue despite difficulties
Example: He decided to soldier on despite the setback.
13. Stand your ground
Meaning: Maintain your position
Example: She stood her ground during the negotiation.
14. Stick to your guns
Meaning: Hold onto your beliefs
Example: He stuck to his guns about the decision.
15. The going gets tough
Meaning: Facing difficulty
Example: When the going gets tough, she never gives up.
16. Throw in the towel
Meaning: Give up
Example: He refused to throw in the towel after one failure.
17. Tough it out
Meaning: Endure difficult conditions
Example: They decided to tough it out during the crisis.
18. Up and at ’em
Meaning: Get going and active
Example: Every morning, he’s up and at ’em early.
19. Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Meaning: Determination finds solutions
Example: She believes where there’s a will, there’s a way.
20. Zero in on
Meaning: Focus intently
Example: She zeroed in on her goals and achieved them.
