Similies

As agile as a monkey
As alike as two peas in a pod
As annoying as nails scratching against
a chalkboard.
As bald as a baby's backside
As bald as a badger
As bald as a coot
As beautiful as nature
As big as a boat
As big as a bus
As big as an elephant
As black as coal
As black as pitch
As blind as a bat
As blind as a mole
As bold as brass
As brave as a lion
As bright as a button
As bright as a new pin
As bright as day
As bright as the sun
As busy as a beaver
As busy as a bee
As calm as a millpond
As clear as a bell
As clean as a hound's tooth
As clean as a whistle
As clear as crystal
As cold as ice
As cool as a cucumber
As crazy as a loon
As cunning as a fox
As cute as a baby
As cute as a button
As dead as a doornail
As deaf as a post
As delicate as a flower
As dense as a brick
As dry as a bone
As dry as dust
As dull as dishwater
As easy as A.B.C.
As easy as pie
As fast as a race car
As fat as a hippo
As fat as a pig
As fit as a fiddle
As flat as a pancake
As free as a bird
As fresh as a daisy
As funny as a balloon
As hairy as an ape
As happy as a clown

As happy as a lark
As happy as Larry
As happy as a rat with a gold tooth
As hard as nails
As hard as rock
As high as a kite
As hoarse as a crow
As hot as a fire cracker
As hot as hell
As hungry as a bear
As hungry as a wolf
As innocent as a lamb
As keen as mustard
As large as life
As light as a feather
As light as air
As likely as not
As loud as a lion
As mad as a hatter
As neat as a pin
As obstinate as a mule
As old as dirt
As old as the hills
As pale as death
As pale as a ghost
As plain as day
As poor as a church mouse
As pretty as a picture
As proud as a peacock
As pure as snow
As quick as a wink
As quick as lightning
As quick as silver
As quiet as a mouse
As rich as gold
As round as a barrel
As round as a circle
As safe as houses
As sharp as a needle
As sharp as a razor
As sick as a dog
As silent as the dead
As silent as the grave
As silly as a goose
As sleepy as a koala
As slippery as an eel
As slow as molasses
As slow as a snail
As slow as a tortoise
As slow as a turtle
As sly as a fox
As smart as an owl
As smooth as silk

As soft as a baby's bottom

As solid as a rock
As solid as the ground we stand on
As sound as a bell
As sour as vinegar
As steady as a rock
As sticky as jam
As stiff as a board
As straight as an arrow
As strong as an ox
As stubborn as a mule
As sturdy as an oak
As sure as death and taxes
As sweet as honey
As tall as a giraffe

As thick as a brick
As thin as a rake
As thin as a toothpick
As timid as a rabbit
As tiny as a grain of sand
As tough as leather
As tough as nails
As tough as old boots
As tricky as a box of monkeys
As white as a ghost
As white as a sheet
As white as snow
As wise as an owl

Ways of
Walking:

walk: move on one's feet.

We walked to town.

limp: walk unevenly because one leg is hurt.

That man is hurt, he's limping.

hobble: walk with difficulty.

The old man hobbled along the street with the aid of his stick.
stagger: walk unsteadily as if about to fall.
He was so drunk that he staggered all the way home.

stumble: stagger.
She stumbled upstairs and into bed.
lurch: stagger.
The drunken man was lurching along the street.
tiptoe: walk on the tips of one's toes.
She tiptoed to the bed so as not to wake the baby.
stroll: walk for pleasure.
They srolled around the park.
amble: walk at a slow, leisurely pace.
They ambled along for miles.
saunter: stroll.
They sauntered around the park.
wander: move without a fixed purpose or destination.
They enjoy wandering through the countryside.
roam: wander.
They roamed through the streets for hours.

ramble: walk for pleasure with no particular destination.

He likes rambling around in the country.
mooch: wander, walk slowly without any purpose.
John mooched about the shops.
meander: walk in a slow, relaxed way instead of taking the most direct way
possible. (Rivers also meander).
As I was sitting in the park, I watched as couples seemed to meander around
happily.
stride: walk with long steps.
She strode across the fields.
strut: walk in a proud way, with the chest out and trying to look important.
He strutted past us, ignoring our greeting.
swagger: walk proudly, strut.
After winning the first prize, the player swaggered about proudly.
stalk: walk in a proud or angry way, with long steps.
The teacher turned and stalked out of the classroom.
trudge: walk slowly and with effort because one is tired.
We were very tired after trudging through the deep snow for two hours.
shuffle: walk very slowly and noisily, without lifting one's feet off the ground..
His legs were aching so much that he shuffled to bed.
stump: walk heavily and stiffly.
They stumped up the hill.
plod: walk with heavy steps or with difficulty.
Labourers plodded home through the muddy fields.
pace: walk with regular steps.
He paced up and down the platform, waiting for the train.
march: walk with regular steps of equal length.
Demonstrators marched through the streets of the city.
parade: walk or march together to celebrate or protest.
Demonstrators paraded through the streets of the city.
crawl: move slowly with the body close to the ground or on hands and knees.
A baby crawls before he can walk.
toddle: walk with short unsteady steps.
Her two-year-old son toddled into the room.
edge: move gradually with small movements.
Paul decided to edge away from the crowd.
creep: move slowly and quietly with the body close to the ground.
The cat crept silently towards the bird.
sneak: go quietly and secretly in order to avoid being seen or heard.
The boy sneaked in without paying.
pad: walk softly and quietly.
The child padded barefoot down the stairs.
prowl: walk slowly and quietly because you are involved in a criminal activity
or because you are looking for something.
Street gangs usually prowl this alley.
slide: move smoothly over a surface.
I was sliding on the ice.
slip: slide accidentally.
She slipped on the ice and broke her leg.

dash: move quickly and suddenly, rush.

I must dash or I'll miss the train.
dart: move quickly and suddenly in the specified direction.
She darted away when I came in.
scamper: run quickly and playfully.
The children were scampering up the steps.
sprint: run very quickly for a short distance.
The kids sprinted down the stairs.
jog: run slowly and steadily, as a way of exercising.
She goes jogging everyday.
trip over: catch one's foot on something and stumble or fall.
He tripped over the step and fell.
scuttle: move quickly with short steps, because you are afraid or do not want to
be noticed.
The mouse scuttled off when we entered the room.
scurry: move quickly with short steps, because you are in a hurry.
He was late so he had to scurry off to work.
skip: move forward with quick steps and jumps.
The child skipped with joy towards his father.
lope: run with long steps.
The man loped off after the ball.
lollop: run with long awkward steps.
The dog came lolloping down the path.
tear: run or move quickly in a dangerous or careless way.
When the storm started, they tore back into the house.
rush: hurry, move quickly because you need to get somewhere soon.
She was late so she decided to rush off down the hall.
hop: move by jumping on one foot.
The man hopped down the road after hurting his foot.
trip: walk with short quick steps, usually as young girls do.
The little girl tripped happily up the road.
lunge: make a sudden movement towards somebody or something.
The boxer lunged forward and grabbed his opponent by the arm.
scramble: climb up or down, or over something quickly and with difficulty.
They had to scramble up to the top of the hill to see the view.
hike: take a long walk in the mountains or countryside, as an adventure.
The group hiked up to the top of the hill.
trek: hike; make a long, difficult journey on foot.
For ten days she trekked across the mountains of China.
paddle (GB), wade (US): walk for pleasure without shoes or socks in water that
is not very deep.
The children were paddling in the lake.
waddle: walk with short steps, moving the body from one side to another, used
especially to talk about birds or people with fat bodies.
The fat man waddled off to the restaurant for lunch.
prance: walk with high steps or large movements, in a confident way.
She pranced around her room, pretending to be an actress.

frogmarch: force somebody to walk by holding his arms tightly by his side,
usually because of bad behaviour.
The prefect frogmarched the boy to the detention room.

Looking:
look: give attention to what one is seeing; turn the eyes and see in a certain
direction.
Look at that cute baby!
see: use the power of sight.
See! Here she comes!
watch: look at some activity or event; keep one's eyes fixed on something.
The boys watched television all the afternoon.
gaze: look at something for a long time, in surprise or admiration.
She gazed at him in disbelief when he told her the news.
stare: look at something for a long time with the eyes wide open.
She was staring into space.
gawk = gawp: stare impolitely.
Many people gathered to gawp at the crashed car.
gape: look at something with one's mouth open.
She gaped at him in surprise.
glance: have a quick look at something.
She glanced at her watch.
scan: look quickly at something without careful reading.
He scanned the newspaper over breakfast.
glare: stare angrily or fiercely.
She didn't answered, but just glared silently at me.
peer: look very carefully, as if not able to see well.
He peered at me over his spectacles.
peep: look quickly and cautiously.
He was caught peeping through the keyhole.

 observe: watch carefully.

The police observed the man entering the bank.
glimpse: have a passing view of something or someone. Usually used in the
expression to catch a glimpse of.
He could catch a glimpse of the president among the crowd.
spot: recognize someone suddenly among many others.
He was spotted by the police boarding a plane for Berlin.
behold: old use of the verb to see.
Behold the king!
view: (technical) look thouroughly; regard, consider.
That film hasn't been viewed by the censor yet.
sight: see for the first time.
The men in the ship finally sighted land.
leer: look in an unpleasant way, suggesting ill will or lust.
The man leered at the young girl
blink: shut and open the eyes quickly.
How long can you stare without blinking?
wink: close one eye briefly, as a signal to somebody.
He winked at me to show that he was just joking.
frown: look in a worried or angry way, moving down the eyebrows together.
He read the telegram, frowning at its contents.
scowl: frown angrily.
She was very angry and scowled at him while she talked.
squint: look with eyes half shut or turned sideways, or through a narrow opening.
She squinted through the letter-box and saw an envelope.
peek: look quickly and secretively.
She found her brother peeking at her diary.
ogle: look or stare (at a woman) suggesting sexual interest.
Most women hate being ogled at.
goggle: look with the eyes wide open in surprise or shock. (old-fashioned)
People were goggling at her as if she were from another planet.
eyeball: look directly or closely.
Francis eyeballed a beautiful woman at the party.
take a gander at something: (informal) look at something.
cast an eye on/over something: look at something, examine something.

 browse: look through the pages of a book or magazine; look at the goods in a shop
without really wanting to buy anything.
Sheila spent all the afternoon browsing the boutiques.
scrutinize: examine thoroughly and carefully.
John scrutinized the painting at the museum.

speak: make use of words in a normal voice.

May I speak to George?

talk: speak to give information, say things.

What are they talking about?
hesitate: be slow to speak (or act) because one is uncertain or unwilling to talk.
He hesitated before answering my question.
whisper: speak softly, without vibrating the vocal cords, privately or secretly.
She whispered the secret word in my ear.
hiss: say something in a loud whisper. (Snakes also hiss).
'Get out!' she hissed at me furiously.
mumble: speak unclearly, so that others can't hear.
He mumbled something at me which I didn't understand.
mutter: speak in a low voice, which is hard to hear.
She was muttering something to herself as she went out.
murmur: speak in a soft, quiet voice that is difficult to hear clearly.
The classmates murmured during the test.
hum: make a low continuous sound, when you take a long time deciding what to
say.
She hummed at the beginning of the oral exam.
grunt: make short sounds or say a few words in a rough voice, when you don't
want to talk. (Pigs also grunt).
She grunted a few words and left the table.
stammer: speak with pauses and repeating the same sound or syllable,
habitually or from fear or excitement.
'P-p-please give me the p-p-pen,' he stammered.
stutter: stammer.
'P-p-please give me the p-p-pen,' he stuttered.
quaver: speak tremulously, because you are nervous or upset.
Her voice quavered for a moment but then she regained control.
lisp: speak with /th/ sounds instead of /s/ sounds.
You're very thilly, Thimon. (You're very silly, Simon.)
babble = gabble: talk foolishly, in a way difficult to understand.
Her fever made her babble without stopping.
ramble: talk continuously, in a confused way.
Stop rambling and get to the point, please!
slur: speak unclearly, without separating the words correctly.
He was so drunk that he slurred to the bartender for more.

chat: have a friendly informal conversation.

They chatted away in the corner.
chatter: talk quickly and at length about something unimportant.
Please stop chattering, I'm trying to listen to the TV!
gossip: talk about the affairs of other people.
She was gossiping about her neighbours all day.
call: speak in a loud clear voice, shout, cry.
They called for help.
shout: speak in a loud voice, in anger or to get attention.
He had to shout because the music was too loud.
whoop: shout loudly and happily.
The children whooped when we entered the fair.
cry (out): make a sharp noise, in pain or surprise.
She cried out in terror when the old man appeared suddenly.
yell: cry out loudly, in fear, pain or excitement.
She yelled in terror when she saw the dead cat.
scream: cry out very loudly on a high note, in fear, pain, anger or laughter.
The baby was screaming the whole day.
shriek: scream.
The men shrieked with laughter.
bellow: shout in a deep voice.
The captain bellowed orders at the crew.
squeak: speak in a high-pitched voice.
She squeaked out a few words nervously.
squeal: speak in a high-pitched voice, with longer and louder sounds than in a
squeak.
'Let me go!' she squealed.
cheer: shout because of happiness.
The public cheered when the team appeared.
croak: speak with a deep hoarse voice.
She had such a terrible cold that she could only croak.
blurt out: say something suddenly and tactlessly.
She blurted out the bad news before I could stop her.

Laughing:

laugh: express joy by making a sound, moving the face or body.

She splashed water on Nick and we all began laughing.

chuckle: laugh quietly, because you are thinking about something funny.
What are you chuckling about? I don't see anything funny.
giggle: laugh quietly and repeatedly because you are nervous or embarrassed.
She spilt the wine on the tablecloth and then giggled nervously at me.
give somebody the giggles: make somebody start giggling.
titter: laugh quietly, unkindly at something embarrassing.
After she ended the lecture, she heard someone tittering.
snigger (GB) / snicker (US): laugh quietly, unkindly at something that is not
supposed to be funny.
When the teacher tripped on the steps, the boys sniggered.

roar / howl / shriek with laughter: laugh very loudly.

It was such a good comedy that when it finished, he was still roaring with
laughter.
chortle: give a loud chuckle of pleasure or amusement.
When I told her the joke, she started to chortle with delight.
cackle: laugh loudly in a high voice.
When I told her the joke, she started cackling and couldn't stop!
guffaw: laugh noisily.
They guffawed at what their baby had done.
jeer: laugh at somebody or shout unkind things at them.
The president was jeered by a crowd of protesters.
burst into laughter: suddenly start laughing.
The class burst into laughter.
laugh your head off: (informal) laugh a lot and loudly.
He told us a joke after another, and we laughed our heads off!
smile: make one's mouth curve upwards, in order to be friendly or because one
is happy.
As the boy left, he smiled at his mother and waved.
beam: smile very happily.
The mother looked at her son and beamed proudly.
grin: smile widely.
When she knew she had won the prize, she grinned broadly.
simper: smile in a silly and annoying way.
He simpered at the boys as he spoke.
smirk: smile in an unpleasant way, to show that you are pleased by somebody's
bad luck.
The kids smirked when the teacher fell on the floor.
sneer: smile in an unkind way, showing no respect for somebody.
She sneered at his boyfriend's musical tastes.

Related idioms

laugh in somebody's face: to behave in a way that shows no respect for others.
I told her my opinion and she just laughed in my face.

be laughing all the way to the bank: make a lot of money without making
much effort.
somebody will be laughing on the other side of your face: used to mean that
although you are happy now, you will be in trouble later.
be laughed out of court (US): be rejected because people think it is completely
stupid.
His idea was laughed out of court.
laugh up your sleeve: be secretly happy because you played a trick on
somebody or you criticized somebody without him knowing.
laugh something off: pretend that something is less serious than it really is by
laughing about it.
The president laughed off rumors that he would resign.
laugh like a drain: laugh heartily.
John liked my joke so much, he laughed like a drain.

Eating.

eat: have food.

She eats meat everyday.

tuck in: (informal) eat eagerly, with enjoyment.

When the guests arrived, Peter was already at the table tucking in.
lick: eat something by rubbing it with the tongue.
The boy was sitting in the garden licking an icecream.
have a snack: eat a small meal between the main meals.
She usually has a snack for lunch and then a larger meal for dinner.
stuff/gorge oneself: (informal) eat so much that one can't eat anything else.
He didn't want any meal because he had stuffed himself with bread and butter.
overeat: eat more than is necessary or healthy.
If you want to lose weight, you shouldn't overeat.
pig out: (informal) eat more than is necessary or healthy.
When she's depressed she always pigs out on chocolates.
make a pig of oneself: (informal) eat too much.
She made a pig of herself, she had the whole pizza for herself!
guzzle: (informal) eat or drink a lot, with greed.
You guzzled my dessert! What a pig!
bolt: eat quickly, because one is in a hurry.
He bolted down the burger in just a minute!
wolf down: (informal) eat quickly, because you are hungry or in a hurry.
He wolfed down his lunch but was still hungry.
gobble (up): eat quickly.
You shouldn't gobble your food.
scoff: (informal) eat quickly.
William scoffed all the cake before we could get any.
polish off: finish a meal quickly or easily.
I was so hungry I polished off all the food.
nibble: eat small amounts of food, by taking small bites.
You have to nibble sweet corn.

peck: eat sparingly, without enthusiasm, because you are not interested or not
hungry.
Sally didn't like the fish. She only pecked at it.
chew: masticate, bite food several times before swallowing it.
The meat was so tough that it took a lot of chewing.
gnaw: keep biting something hard.
I watched my dog gnawing at the large bone.
chomp: eat, chew forcefully.
Francis chomped away at the meat.
munch: chew, eat noisily.
We all munched at the cookies as we watched the movie.
consume: eat or drink.
Are you going to consume all the beef?
sip: drink something slowly.
She was sitting at the table sipping her wine with pleasure.
suck (up): drink something with a straw.
Sally sucked up all the juice from the carton.
swig (back): drink quickly, gulp.
The thirsty man swigged back the water.
knock back: drink quickly.
Francis knocked back his beer in a flash!
quaff: drink a lot of something quickly, knock back.
Guests quaffed champagne while waiting for the bride to arrive.
gulp (down): swallow quickly.
Francis gulped down his beer quicker than anybody else.

Shining:

shine: give out light, be bright.

She cleaned the glasses until they shone.

glow: give out heat and/or light without flames.

The embers were still glowing.
beam: give out heat and light.
It's a fabulous day, the sun is beaming!
gleam: give out a soft and bright light.
She had polished the ornaments so that they gleamed.
blaze: give out a bright light.
The sun blazed down on the beach.
glisten: shine brightly (for polished or wet surfaces).
Her eyes were glistening with tears.
glitter: shine brightly with flashes of light.
Her necklace was glittering with diamonds.
sparkle: shine brightly with flashes of light.
The diamond sparkles in the light.
flash: give out a sudden bright light.
The lightning flashed across the sky.
glare: shine with a strong light in a way unpleasant to the eyes.
The sun glared out of the blue sky.
shimmer: give out a soft trembling light.
The moonlight was shimmering on the sea.
glimmer: give out a faint unsteady light.
We could see lights glimmering in the distance.
flicker: shine (or burn) unsteadily.
The lights flickered for a moment.
twinkle: shine unsteadily.
The stars were twinkling in the sky.