Sharing is an important part of life that helps us build stronger connections with others. There are many ways to express the idea of sharing through idioms, making our conversations more colorful. These idioms add meaning to our words and make the idea of giving or sharing feel more special.a
In this article, we will look at several idioms that express the idea of sharing. You will learn what they mean and how to use them in everyday situations. Whether it’s sharing ideas, resources, or just kindness, these expressions can help you speak more clearly and creatively. Let’s dive in and explore these fun and useful idioms!
Idioms about Sharing
1. Share the wealth
Meaning: To give some of what you have to others.
Example: Sarah shared the wealth by giving her extra cookies to her friends. / He shared the wealth when he gave some of his allowance to the local animal shelter.
Put Differently: Sarah gave her friends some cookies so everyone could enjoy. / He helped others by giving them some of what he had.
2. Give and take
Meaning: To share and receive in a balanced way.
Example: In their friendship, it’s always a give and take. When we share toys at recess, it’s a give and take.
Put Differently: We share with each other, and sometimes we also get something back. It’s fair because everyone shares and receives.
3. Lend a hand
Meaning: To help someone by giving your time or help.
Example: Sarah lent a hand by helping her friend clean up after lunch. / He lent a hand when he carried the books for his friend.
Put Differently: Sarah helped her friend by picking up the trash./ He helped by carrying the heavy books for his classmate.
4. Hand in hand
Meaning: Working together, side by side.
Example: The two friends worked hand in hand to finish the puzzle. / The team worked hand in hand to set up for the school play.
Put Differently: They worked together to finish the puzzle. / The team helped each other set up for the play.
5. Share the love
Meaning: To show kindness and care for others.
Example: Emma shared the love by giving her friend a birthday card. / He shared the love by saying something nice to cheer up his classmate.
Put Differently: Emma made her friend feel happy with a nice card./ He made his classmate smile with kind words.
6. Pass it on
Meaning: To give something to someone else.
Example: Jenny passed it on by giving her extra pencils to a classmate. / After getting a good idea from his teacher, he passed it on to the whole class.
Put Differently: Jenny gave some of her pencils to a friend who needed them. / He shared the idea with everyone else in the class.
7. A sharing moment
Meaning: A time when you give or share something with others.
Example: During lunch, it was a sharing moment when everyone tried each other’s snacks. / It was a sharing moment when they passed around birthday cake to the class.
Put Differently: Everyone shared their snacks with each other at lunch. / It was a time of giving when the cake was passed to everyone.
8. Put your two cents in
Meaning: To give your opinion or share your thoughts.
Example: Sarah put her two cents in during the group discussion about the project. / When they were talking about the movie, Tim put his two cents in and said he liked it.
Put Differently: Sarah gave her opinion during the meeting. / Tim shared his thoughts about the movie.
9. Give someone a piece of your mind
Meaning: To share your thoughts or feelings, often in a strong way.
Example: When someone cut in line, Rachel gave them a piece of her mind. / He gave his teacher a piece of his mind when she forgot to return his homework.
Put Differently: Rachel told the person how she felt about them cutting in line. / He told his teacher how upset he was about his homework.
10. Spread the word
Meaning: To share information with others.
Example: The teacher asked us to spread the word about the field trip. / Jenny spread the word that the party was moved to next week.
Put Differently: The teacher asked us to tell everyone about the trip. / Jenny told her friends that the party was rescheduled.
11. Share the spotlight
Meaning: To let others have a chance to shine or get attention.
Example: The teacher shared the spotlight by letting everyone present their project. / During the game, Jake shared the spotlight with his teammates by passing the ball.
Put Differently: The teacher let everyone take turns talking about their projects. / Jake made sure everyone had a chance to play in the game.
12. Give someone the shirt off your back
Meaning: To be very generous and help someone in need.
Example: Even though she had no jacket, Lucy gave the shirt off her back to her friend who was cold. / He would give the shirt off his back to help someone in need.
Put Differently: Lucy gave her friend her own jacket to keep warm. / He always helps people, even if it means giving up his own things.
13. In the same boat
Meaning: To be in a similar situation as someone else, often one that is difficult.
Example: We’re in the same boat, so let’s work together to finish the homework. / The kids in the class were in the same boat because they all forgot their lunch.
Put Differently: We are both in the same situation, so we should help each other./ All the kids forgot their lunch, so they helped each other.
14. Play it forward
Meaning: To help others as a way of passing kindness along.
Example: After receiving help from his teacher, Mark decided to play it forward by helping his friend with a math problem. / She helped me with my project, and now I’ll play it forward and help someone else.
Put Differently: Mark decided to help his friend just like his teacher helped him. / She decided to share her kindness by helping someone else.
15. Share the load
Meaning: To divide the work or responsibility between people.
Example: Everyone shared the load of cleaning up after the party. / The team shared the load of practicing for the big game.
Put Differently: Everyone helped clean up after the party. / The team worked together to practice for the game.
16. Give credit where credit’s due
Meaning: To recognize and share praise or thanks with someone who deserves it.
Example: The teacher gave credit where credit’s due and praised all the students for their hard work. / He made sure to give credit where credit’s due by thanking his friend for helping him.
Put Differently: The teacher praised all the students for their effort. / He made sure to thank his friend for the help.
17. Pass the torch
Meaning: To give someone else the responsibility or opportunity.
Example: After finishing her project, Sarah passed the torch to her teammate to complete the final step. / The coach passed the torch to the captain for the final play.
Put Differently: Sarah let her teammate finish the last part of the project. / The coach let the captain make the final move in the game.
18. Take one for the team
Meaning: To do something difficult or unpleasant for the benefit of others.
Example: When the teacher asked someone to stay late and clean up, Sam took one for the team. / During the game, Jake took one for the team by playing even though he was hurt.
Put Differently: Sam stayed after school to clean up for everyone else. / Jake played even though he was hurt, so the team could win.
19. Pass the buck
Meaning: To shift responsibility to someone else.
Example: When the group couldn’t decide on what to do, Tim tried to pass the buck to someone else. / Instead of doing his part, he passed the buck to his friend.
Put Differently: Tim tried to make someone else decide what to do. / He made his friend take over his task.
20. Give someone a leg up
Meaning: To help someone improve or succeed.
Example: When Maria helped her friend study for the test, she gave her a leg up. / Tim gave his little brother a leg up by teaching him how to ride a bike.
Put Differently: Maria helped her friend study to do better on the test. / Tim taught his brother how to ride a bike.
21. Let someone have their say
Meaning: To allow someone to express their opinion.
Example: The teacher let everyone have their say during the class discussion. / The coach let each player have their say about the game plan.
Put Differently: The teacher let everyone share their thoughts. / The coach listened to each player’s opinion.
22. Share a moment
Meaning: To experience something special together.
Example: We shared a moment when we saw the fireworks on the Fourth of July. / My family shared a moment when we all sang happy birthday to my mom.
Put Differently: We enjoyed the fireworks together. / We all sang for my mom’s birthday.
23. Give someone a hand up
Meaning: To help someone improve or reach success.
Example: The teacher gave Alex a hand up by offering extra help with his math homework. / He gave his friend a hand up by helping him study for the test.
Put Differently: The teacher helped Alex with his homework. / He helped his friend by studying together.
24. Share the credit
Meaning: To give others some of the praise or recognition.
Example: When the project was a success, Sarah shared the credit with her whole team. / He shared the credit with his classmates for their group work.
Put Differently: Sarah thanked her team for their hard work. / He thanked his classmates for helping with the project.
25. Share the wealth of knowledge
Meaning: To pass on what you know to others.
Example: The teacher shared the wealth of knowledge by helping the class learn new facts. / Maria shared the wealth of knowledge by teaching her classmates how to solve the problem.
Put Differently: The teacher helped the class learn new things. / Maria helped her friends learn how to solve the problem.
26. Split the difference
Meaning: To reach a fair agreement by meeting halfway.
Example: They couldn’t decide on where to eat, so they split the difference and went to the pizza place. / We split the difference on the price of the game to make it fair for both.
Put Differently: They met halfway and agreed on the pizza place. / We decided on a fair price for the game.
27. Team up
Meaning: To work together with someone toward a common goal.
Example: We decided to team up for the science project. / Jake and Emma teamed up to help their friends study for the test.
Put Differently: We worked together to finish the project. / Jake and Emma helped their friends study together.
28. Share the load of responsibility
Meaning: To divide the duties and responsibilities among a group.
Example: In the group project, we shared the load of responsibility by each doing a part. / We shared the load of responsibility when we all helped clean up after the event.
Put Differently: Each person did their part in the project. / We all helped clean up together after the event.
29. Show someone the ropes
Meaning: To teach someone how to do something.
Example: Tim showed his little brother the ropes by teaching him how to play baseball. / The teacher showed me the ropes of how to use the new computer.
Put Differently: Tim taught his brother how to play baseball. / The teacher helped me learn how to use the computer.
30. Share a laugh
Meaning: To laugh together.
Example: We shared a laugh when we saw the funny video in class. / The class shared a laugh when the teacher told a funny joke.
Put Differently: We all laughed together at the funny video. / Everyone laughed at the teacher’s joke.
31. Give a little and take a little
Meaning: To be fair by both giving and receiving.
Example: In their friendship, they both gave a little and took a little to make it work. / When it comes to sharing snacks, it’s important to give a little and take a little.
Put Differently: They shared with each other to make the friendship work. / They both shared their snacks fairly.
32. Pass the hat
Meaning: To collect money or donations from a group of people.
Example: The class decided to pass the hat to raise money for a new playground. / At the event, they passed the hat to collect donations for charity.
Put Differently: The class collected money for the playground. / They gathered donations for the charity.
33. Play your part
Meaning: To contribute to something in a meaningful way.
Example: Everyone played their part in the school play to make it a success. / She played her part in helping clean up after the party.
Put Differently: Everyone worked together to make the play great. / She helped clean up after the party.
34. Help someone out
Meaning: To assist someone with something.
Example: I helped my friend out by lending her my notes for the test. / Tim helped his brother out by teaching him how to tie his shoes.
Put Differently: I gave my friend my notes for the test. / Tim showed his brother how to tie his shoes.
35. Make it happen together
Meaning: To work as a team to accomplish something.
Example: The team made it happen together by practicing hard for the big game. / We made it happen together when we all helped set up the party.
Put Differently: The team worked hard and won the game. / We all helped set up for the party.
36. Lift each other up
Meaning: To support and encourage others.
Example: The friends always lift each other up when they face challenges. / The teacher lifted the students up by encouraging them to do their best.
Put Differently: The friends helped each other when things were tough. / The teacher gave the students confidence to do their best.
37. Pay it forward
Meaning: To do something kind for someone in return for a past favor.
Example: After receiving help, she decided to pay it forward by helping her classmate with their homework. / Tim paid it forward by helping his friend study after he was helped before.
Put Differently: She helped her classmate after receiving kindness from someone else. / Tim helped his friend study just like he was helped earlier.
38. Spread kindness
Meaning: To share good deeds or nice actions with others.
Example: She spread kindness by complimenting her classmates and helping them. / Tim spread kindness when he helped his friend pick up their books.
Put Differently: She made her classmates feel good by saying nice things. / Tim helped his friend pick up the books when they dropped.
39. Give someone a break
Meaning: To give someone a chance or relief.
Example: After a long day, the teacher gave the students a break by letting them play outside. / He gave his friend a break by offering to do their part of the project.
Put Differently: The teacher let the students have a break and play outside. / He helped his friend by finishing part of the work.
40. Help a friend in need
Meaning: To assist a friend who is struggling.
Example: When Maria lost her lunch, Tim helped a friend in need by sharing his sandwich. / Sarah helped a friend in need by giving them her extra pencil.
Put Differently: Tim shared his lunch with Maria when she forgot hers. / Sarah gave her friend a pencil when they didn’t have one.
“Rewrite the Sentence”Activity: Idioms about Sharing
Below are 10 sentences about sharing or helping others. These sentences do not use idioms. Your task is to rewrite each sentence using one of the idioms about sharing you’ve learned. Make sure the new sentence still makes sense and sounds natural.
Sentences to Rewrite
- Sarah always helps her friends when they need it.
- We should share what we have with others to make the world better.
- Max decided to give his leftover lunch to his friend who forgot his.
- I asked my teacher to explain the math problem to me.
- Mom said we should share our toys with our little brother.
- We helped clean the classroom because we all pitched in together.
- I gave my friend a snack because she forgot hers.
- During the project, we all worked together to get it done on time.
- The teacher asked us to share our ideas for the class project.
- When I finished my homework early, I decided to help my friend with theirs.
Answer Key
- Sarah always lends a hand when her friends need it.
- We should share the wealth with others to make the world better.
- Max decided to pass the torch and give his leftover lunch to his friend who forgot his.
- I asked my teacher to give me a leg up by explaining the math problem to me.
- Mom said we should play our part and share our toys with our little brother.
- We all shared the load of cleaning the classroom to make it easier.
- I gave someone a hand up by giving my friend a snack because she forgot hers.
- During the project, we all teamed up to get it done on time.
- The teacher asked us to spread the word and share our ideas for the class project.
- When I finished my homework early, I decided to help someone out with theirs.
Conclusion
Sharing is a simple yet powerful way to show kindness and build connections. The idioms we learned can help make our conversations more fun and meaningful, whether we are talking about giving help, sharing ideas, or working together. By using these expressions, you can express yourself more creatively and understand others better.
Remember, sharing is not just about giving things but also offering your time, help, and support to others. The more we share, the stronger our relationships become, and the better we can work together as a team. Keep practicing these idioms, and soon they’ll become a natural part of your speech!
