Working hard means trying your best, even when something is not easy. It’s what we do when we study for a big test, help with chores, or practice for a team. Everyone works hard at different things, school, sports, jobs, and even hobbies. But instead of saying “work hard” every time, people often use special phrases called idioms.
Idioms are fun expressions that don’t mean exactly what the words say. They help us talk in a more colorful and clear way. This article will show you idioms people use to talk about working hard. You’ll learn what they mean and how to use them in everyday life. By the end, you’ll be able to use these idioms to talk like a pro.
Idioms for Working Hard
1. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: Stay up late working
Within a Sentence: I burned the midnight oil to finish my science project. / She burned the midnight oil studying for the test.
In Other Words: Stay up late to get things done
2. Give it your all
Meaning: Try your best
Within a Sentence: He gave it his all in the basketball game. / I gave it my all when cleaning the garage.
In Other Words: Try really hard
3. Go the extra mile
Meaning: Do more than what is asked
Within a Sentence: She went the extra mile by helping clean the whole classroom. / He goes the extra mile by reading extra books.
In Other Words: Do even more than expected
4. Pull your weight
Meaning: Do your fair share of work
Within a Sentence: Everyone pulled their weight during the group project. / He needs to pull his weight around the house.
In Other Words: Do your part
5. Break a sweat
Meaning: Work hard physically
Within a Sentence: I broke a sweat raking leaves. / He broke a sweat building the fort.
In Other Words: Work until you’re tired
6. Put your nose to the grindstone
Meaning: Focus and work hard
Within a Sentence: I put my nose to the grindstone to finish my report. / She puts her nose to the grindstone when studying.
In Other Words: Stay focused and work hard
7. Work your fingers to the bone
Meaning: Work very hard, usually with hands
Within a Sentence: Dad worked his fingers to the bone fixing the car. / She worked her fingers to the bone cooking dinner.
In Other Words: Work very hard with effort
8. Keep your head down
Meaning: Stay busy without making trouble
Within a Sentence: I kept my head down and finished the homework. / He kept his head down during art class.
In Other Words: Focus quietly
9. All hands on deck
Meaning: Everyone helps out
Within a Sentence: It was all hands on deck to clean the yard. / All hands were on deck to finish decorating.
In Other Words: Everyone helps at once
10. Put in the hours
Meaning: Spend a lot of time working
Within a Sentence: I put in the hours practicing the piano. / She puts in the hours studying every night.
In Other Words: Work for a long time
11. Roll up your sleeves
Meaning: Get ready to work
Within a Sentence: I rolled up my sleeves and started cleaning. / He rolled up his sleeves before the project.
In Other Words: Prepare to work hard
12. Get your hands dirty
Meaning: Do hard or messy work
Within a Sentence: She got her hands dirty planting flowers. / I got my hands dirty fixing my bike.
In Other Words: Do the tough job
13. Nose to the grindstone
Meaning: Work very hard for a long time
Within a Sentence: He kept his nose to the grindstone all week. / I had my nose to the grindstone finishing the puzzle.
In Other Words: Keep working hard
14. Sweat it out
Meaning: Work through something difficult
Within a Sentence: I had to sweat it out during gym class. / He sweated it out to solve the hard math problem.
In Other Words: Work through the tough part
15. Carry the load
Meaning: Do most of the work
Within a Sentence: She carried the load on our science project. / He carried the load during the move.
In Other Words: Do a big part of the work
16. Put your back into it
Meaning: Use a lot of effort
Within a Sentence: He put his back into pushing the sled. / I put my back into scrubbing the floor.
In Other Words: Use strong effort
17. Dig in
Meaning: Start working with energy
Within a Sentence: We dug in and cleaned the whole room. / She dug in and started painting.
In Other Words: Start hard work quickly
18. Hunker down
Meaning: Settle in and focus
Within a Sentence: I hunkered down to study for my spelling test. / He hunkered down with his book.
In Other Words: Focus quietly
19. Push through
Meaning: Keep going, even when it’s hard
Within a Sentence: She pushed through the long homework. / I pushed through my tiredness to finish.
In Other Words: Don’t stop even if it’s tough
20. Work like a dog
Meaning: Work very hard all day
Within a Sentence: I worked like a dog helping Dad wash the car. / He worked like a dog on his model airplane.
In Other Words: Work nonstop
21. Break your back
Meaning: Work very hard
Within a Sentence: She broke her back cleaning the attic. / I broke my back helping at the bake sale.
In Other Words: Put in a lot of effort
22. Go at it hammer and tongs
Meaning: Work with lots of energy
Within a Sentence: We went at it hammer and tongs, building the fort. / He went at it hammer and tongs with his Lego set.
In Other Words: Work with force and focus
23. Give 110 percent
Meaning: Try more than your best
Within a Sentence: I gave 110 percent in my soccer game. / She gave 110 percent on the math test.
In Other Words: Try super hard
24. Keep plugging away
Meaning: Keep trying slowly
Within a Sentence: He kept plugging away at the puzzle. / I kept plugging away at my painting.
In Other Words: Don’t give up, even if slow
25. Stay on the grind
Meaning: Keep working hard daily
Within a Sentence: She stays on the grind with her piano practice. / I stay on the grind with my chores.
In Other Words: Keep working regularly
26. Hit the books
Meaning: Study hard
Within a Sentence: I hit the books before the spelling test. / He hit the books after dinner.
In Other Words: Study a lot
27. Keep your nose clean
Meaning: Stay out of trouble and work hard
Within a Sentence: He kept his nose clean and did his work. / I keep my nose clean in class.
In Other Words: Be good and focused
28. Knock yourself out
Meaning: Work so hard you get tired
Within a Sentence: I knocked myself out building the model rocket. / She knocked herself out helping with dinner.
In Other Words: Work until you’re very tired
29. Put your heart into it
Meaning: Care a lot and try your best
Within a Sentence: He put his heart into his art project. / I put my heart into writing the story.
In Other Words: Try with full emotion
30. Keep your shoulder to the wheel
Meaning: Keep working without stopping
Within a Sentence: She kept her shoulder to the wheel all afternoon. / I kept my shoulder to the wheel on the group project.
In Other Words: Don’t quit
31. Pull out all the stops
Meaning: Use every effort to succeed
Within a Sentence: We pulled out all the stops for our school play. / He pulled out all the stops to win the race.
In Other Words: Try everything you can
32. Leave no stone unturned
Meaning: Check every way to do something well
Within a Sentence: I left no stone unturned on my science project. / She left no stone unturned looking for the answer.
In Other Words: Try every way possible
33. Keep at it
Meaning: Continue working, even when it’s hard
Within a Sentence: I kept at it until I got it right. / He kept at it with his drawing.
In Other Words: Don’t stop trying
34. Rise to the challenge
Meaning: Work hard when something is difficult
Within a Sentence: She rose to the challenge in the spelling bee. / He rose to the challenge during the group task.
In Other Words: Do your best, even when it’s tough
35. Get the job done
Meaning: Finish the work
Within a Sentence: I got the job done before lunch. / She got the job done even though it was hard.
In Other Words: Finish what you started
36. Pull an all-nighter
Meaning: Stay up all night working
Within a Sentence: He pulled an all-nighter to finish his model. / I pulled an all-nighter before the test.
In Other Words: Work all night long
37. Hit the ground running
Meaning: Start working hard right away
Within a Sentence: We hit the ground running on our class project. / She hit the ground running after school.
In Other Words: Start fast and strong
38. Be on the ball
Meaning: Stay alert and work well
Within a Sentence: She’s always on the ball during group work. / I stayed on the ball to remember everything.
In Other Words: Be sharp and ready
39. Put in elbow grease
Meaning: Use physical effort to clean or fix
Within a Sentence: I put in elbow grease, scrubbing the bathtub. / He put in elbow grease on the bike.
In Other Words: Work hard using your hands
40. Get down to business
Meaning: Start working seriously
Within a Sentence: We got down to business when class started. / He got down to business after lunch.
In Other Words: Begin working for real
41. Set your mind to it
Meaning: Decide to work hard on something
Within a Sentence: I set my mind to learning the dance. / She set her mind to reading every day.
In Other Words: Focus and try
42. Push yourself
Meaning: Try harder than usual
Within a Sentence: I pushed myself to do better in PE. / He pushed himself to finish the book.
In Other Words: Try beyond your comfort zone
43. Get cracking
Meaning: Start right away
Within a Sentence: Let’s get cracking on the craft. / She got cracking on her homework.
In Other Words: Start now
44. Hang tough
Meaning: Don’t give up during hard times
Within a Sentence: I hung tough during the hard math test. / He hung tough when he was tired.
In Other Words: Stay strong
45. Stick with it
Meaning: Keep doing something without quitting
Within a Sentence: I stuck with it and finished the book. / She stuck with it even when she was tired.
In Other Words: Keep going
46. Hustle
Meaning: Move and work quickly
Within a Sentence: We had to hustle to clean before guests came. / He hustled through the halls to get to class.
In Other Words: Go fast and work hard
47. Be a go-getter
Meaning: A person who works hard and doesn’t wait
Within a Sentence: She’s a go-getter in class. / He’s a go-getter on the field.
In Other Words: Always ready and working
48. Bite the bullet
Meaning: Do something hard or unpleasant
Within a Sentence: I bit the bullet and cleaned my messy room. / He bit the bullet and started studying.
In Other Words: Do what needs to be done
49. Keep grinding
Meaning: Work hard even if it’s slow
Within a Sentence: I keep grinding on my art. / She keeps grinding with her math facts.
In Other Words: Work hard little by little
50. Power through
Meaning: Keep going with strength
Within a Sentence: We powered through the rainy clean-up. / She powered through the long test.
In Other Words: Push forward
51. Stay the course
Meaning: Keep going until the end
Within a Sentence: I stayed the course on my Lego tower. / He stayed the course with his reading log.
In Other Words: Keep working till it’s done
52. Pull together
Meaning: Work as a team
Within a Sentence: We pulled together to clean the park. / The group pulled together on the puzzle.
In Other Words: Work as one group
53. Put your best foot forward
Meaning: Try your best and act well
Within a Sentence: I put my best foot forward during the school play. / She put her best foot forward at tryouts.
In Other Words: Show your best
54. Grind it out
Meaning: Keep going even if it’s boring
Within a Sentence: I ground it out during a long homework session. / He ground it out with his flashcards.
In Other Words: Keep going even when it’s slow
55. Be driven
Meaning: Be someone who always works hard
Within a Sentence: She’s really driven about her grades. / He’s driven to be good at sports.
In Other Words: Work hard all the time
56. Do the heavy lifting
Meaning: Do the hard part of the job
Within a Sentence: He did the heavy lifting on our team project. / I did the heavy lifting while we moved desks.
In Other Words: Handle the tough stuff
57. Keep your eye on the prize
Meaning: Stay focused on the goal
Within a Sentence: I kept my eye on the prize during practice. / She kept her eye on the prize all season.
In Other Words: Focus on the goal
58. Give it a shot
Meaning: Try your best
Within a Sentence: I gave it a shot in the talent show. / He gave it a shot at making slime.
In Other Words: Try it out
59. Stay focused
Meaning: Keep your mind on your task
Within a Sentence: I stayed focused on my test. / She stayed focused during reading time.
In Other Words: Keep paying attention
60. Be up to the task
Meaning: Be ready and strong enough to do something
Within a Sentence: He was up to the task of leading the group. / I was up to the task of cleaning the yard.
In Other Words: Be good enough to finish
True/False Quiz: Idioms for Working Hard
Read each sentence. Decide if it shows the meaning of working hard. Choose True or False.
- “He burned the midnight oil” means he went to sleep early.
True / False - “She gave it her all in the race” means she didn’t try much.
True / False - “They pulled their weight in the group” means they didn’t help at all.
True / False - “He put his nose to the grindstone” means he stayed focused and worked hard.
True / False - “We broke a sweat cleaning the garage” means we barely moved.
True / False - “She went the extra mile to help the team” means she gave up early.
True / False - “He rolled up his sleeves before painting” means he was getting ready to work.
True / False - “They got down to business right away” means they wasted time.
True / False - “I put in elbow grease on the old chair” means I worked hard to clean or fix it.
True / False - “We hit the ground running” means we started working right away.
True / False - “He gave 110 percent” means he didn’t care.
True / False - “She pulled an all-nighter” means she didn’t do any work.
True / False - “He kept his eye on the prize” means he stayed focused on his goal.
True / False - “We pulled together as a team” means we didn’t help each other.
True / False - “She gave it a shot at the art contest” means she tried her best.
True / False
Answer Key
- False
- False
- False
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
Scoring Guide
- 15 Correct Answers: Idioms Master!
- 10–14 Correct Answers: You really get idioms, nice work!
- 6–9 Correct Answers: You’re learning, keep going!
- 0–5 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about idioms together!
Conclusion
Working hard means giving your best, even when something feels tough. Idioms are a fun way to describe that effort. You might say someone “rolled up their sleeves” or “went the extra mile.” These phrases make your words more interesting and help others understand how much effort you put in.
Now that you know 60 idioms for working hard, try using them. They’re great for school, sports, or even chores at home. Keep practicing and don’t give up, just keep your head down and get the job done.
