GMAT Verbal section is the scoring part of the test where idioms play a key role in questions. Learning and memorizing idioms is challenging for most students. And it is not a chapter to learn overnight or a formula to memorize. Continuous practice along with usage is required to master idioms in GMAT. Now, what idioms to practice for GMAT? Here in this blog, we are giving the list of the top 103 idioms for the GMAT test and how to learn them.
How Idioms are tested on GMAT?
An idiom is an expression in English that has an indirect or direct meaning. Sentence correction questions have more idioms usage in a verbal section which can be confusing and critical. The sentence correction question’s main intention is to test a student whether they can find the error in the sentence grammatically, spellings, or anything else. So, most scenarios involve idioms.
There are three ways to find the errors with idioms. Mostly the errors with idioms appear with their prepositions, correlative words, or as in the form of comparison. Learn these as tips to answer sentence correction questions.
1. Prepositions
Prepositions are used to show the relation between two words. Generally, GMAT idioms can be visible with inaccurate preposition usage. “To”, “for”, “with”, “of” are kind of prepositions used for idioms.
2. Correlative words
Words like both/and, either/or, neither/nor are called correlative words which were interrelated to each other. If one appears, the other one appears too. Mistakes in correlative words are also common in GMAT sentence correction questions.
3. Comparisons
“Between” or “Among” are the words we use for comparisons in sentence corrections. Incorrect usage can be an error in these types.
List of 103 Common GMAT Idioms:
| A means to | His job is a means to get financial aid for them. |
| A responsibility to | I have a responsibility to send all the emails in the dedicated time frame. |
| A debate over | A debate over the pollution control in students in stopped forcefully |
| Ability to | He has the ability to memorize 10 pages of lines in a minute |
| Accompanied by | I was accompanied by my father at the church. |
| A result of | The score is a result of your hard work. |
| Afraid of | The little girl was afraid of the movie. |
| Aid in | I need aid in studying overseas. |
| appear to | Ram appears to be strong mentally, but he is not. |
| Allow for | My brother won’t allow for late-night parties. |
| as X as Y | Sam hopes to one day be as popular as Mike. |
| Are in danger of | If Marsha doesn’t hide the carrots, she is in danger of being hit by the bear. |
| averse to | The major is averse to radical changes to disciplinary actions. |
| based on | The results are based on a study conducted among 100 students. |
| belief in | His belief in supernatural powers was ridiculed by his friends. |
| believe that | I believe that they celebrate their victory with a party. |
| believe X to be Y | The magician is believed to be the victim. |
| better than | Taking a break is better than an intensifying argument. |
| between X and Y | We couldn’t decide between nachos and chips for the party. |
| both X and Y | Check both the stores before picking up the dress. |
| capable of | Students should be capable of doing experiments on their own. |
| center on | The debate is centered on environmental pollution. |
| choose from | You can choose from multiple desserts at the dessert stand. |
| collide with | Hopefully, the asteroid will not collide with Mars. |
| combine X with Y | Combine Sodium with Chloride to get salt. |
| comment on | The teacher refused to comment on the fight between friends. |
| common to | That wall is common to both our houses. |
| in common with | Laurie has nothing in common with his brother. |
| compare to | My house is bigger when compared to your apartment. |
| compare with (for similar things) | I don’t like my children compared with others. |
| composed of | The group was composed of residents of the apartment. |
| consider X Y | I consider my mother-in-law as my own mother. |
| consist of | The book list consists of both novels and biographies. |
| contrast X with Y | Choose the color of pants in contrast with the shirts. |
| in contrast to | The government orders are in contrast to the minister’s campaign promise. |
| date from (originate from the time of) | Study analysis showed that the bone dated from the 5th century. |
| defend against | His lawyer defended him against the cases laid. |
| define as | The committee is not always clear about what it defines as free-claim. |
| delighted by | Glenda was delighted by her mother’s surprise. |
| depict as | The film depicted the joker as the main character. |
| depend on whether | The cost of the product depends on whether the demand for the product is high or not. |
| descendant of | Viraj is a descendant of Buddhism. |
| different/differ from | The GMAT test is very different from other types of exams. |
| discourage from | Never try to discourage children from participating in cultural activities. |
| distinguish between X and Y | Learn to distinguish between lying and telling the truth. |
| distinguish X from Y | Are you able to distinguish dream from fantasy? |
| due to | The heavy traffic was due to an ambulance stuck on the highway. |
| either X or Y | I can either be a lead or a side character in the play. |
| neither X nor Y | You can neither eat eggs nor meat. |
| embarrassed by | He was embarrassed by his friend’s behavior in public. |
| estimate to be | The property was estimated to be nearly a hundred dollars. |
| exchange X for Y | He exchanged the dress for a more comfortable one. |
| familiar with | He isn’t familiar with any of the work in that office. |
| fascinated by | Fannie is fascinated by string theory. |
| fascination with | Her fascination with chemistry isn’t limited to studies. |
| focus on | Employees can be more productive if they focus on the task and ignore the distractions. |
| for every X, Y | For every ten people in the population, three are suffering from diabetics. |
| forbid/forbidden to | The tourists were forbidden to enter the military area. |
| from X to Y | He traveled from New York to New Jersey. |
| independent from | All the other franchises are independent of one another. |
| independent of | Justice was given independently of the witness given. |
| just as X, so (too) Y | Just as the President leads the United States, so the Prime Minister leads India. |
| known as | The joker is known as a villain than a lead role. |
| mistake X for Y | She realized that she had mistaken Vipun’s car keys for her own. |
| model X after Y | The solar-powered motor is modeled by an 18 years old girl. |
| move away from | The party leaders are moving away from the leader. |
| native of | Monica is a native of India. |
| native to | The dog is native to Germany. |
| necessary to | It is necessary to prioritize your health overwork. |
| not X but Y | The guidance is not just to teach him but also to encourage him. |
| not so much X as Y | Victoria is famous not so much for serving the poor but for her kind heart. |
| originate in (meaning “start in”) | Diwali is originated in India. |
| originate from (meaning “arise from”) | Halloween originated from an ancient pagan festival in Europe. |
| originate with (meaning “begin with”) | The ancient pagan festival which is called Halloween originated with the Celts |
| perceive as | A strategy is perceived as unethical if it is profitable. |
| potential to | Advancements in natural science have the potential to change the development of the forest. |
| prefer X to Y | I prefer coffee to tea. |
| prevent/prohibit from | He was prohibited from entering the house. |
| protect against | Regular exercise helps protect against cardiac arrest. |
| range from X to Y | A Variety of ranges from books to clothes is available in the store. |
| range of | The latest SUV model offers a range of pricey optional features. |
| rather than | He wants to act as a leader rather than a friend. |
| regard as | She is regarded as one of the top doctors in the country. |
| replace X with Y | The tailor replaced bows with buttons in the tools box. |
| same to X as to Y | Scientists haven’t figured out whether dreams look the same to infants as to adults. |
| save for | Save for her sister, Dudley didn’t know anyone who attended the party. |
| separate from | You must separate the salt from the turmeric. |
| similar to | His actions are quite similar to his father’s. |
| so X as to Y | Her defeat was so doubtful as she won all the previous matches. |
| so X that Y | The tornado was so powerful that the windows shattered. |
| substitute X for Y | You cannot substitute Linda for Joey. |
| suffer from | Jackson claimed to suffer from a hypochondriac disease. |
| target at | He has a clear target at the eagle’s eye to hit. |
| think of X as Y | If you think of mistakes as opportunities to learn, that is when you succeed. |
| thought to be | I never thought to be a superhero. |
| thought X | The experiment was thought to be one of Einstein’s greatest inventions but turned out to be a failed one. |
| unlike X, Y | Unlike many students, Varun is the brightest kid. |
| view as | Viewing your failures as a second chance is called positivity |
| worry about | Never worry about someone else’s happiness. |
| Speak from | He speaks from the love he has towards you. |
| Subscribe to | Subscribe to the channel for more videos. |
| To sacrifice x for y | I am not willing to sacrifice family time for work. |
| X expected to y | Taxes on fuel are expected to decrease next season. |
How to Learn GMAT Idioms?
The main tips to score more in GMAT Verbal section is to practice. Practice not just for the test time; use it in daily life to get used to the word and its usage. If you come across a word or an idiom while reading an article or news, write it down along with an example.
Make sure to practice these idioms for a better GMAT score. For more guidance, consider GMAT Coaching from our experts for 1-1 training.
