50+ Colloquialism Examples You’re Gonna Go Nuts Over

Language often sounds different in everyday conversation than it does in formal writing.

In casual speech, people use familiar words and expressions that feel natural in conversation but might sound out of place in more formal writing. These informal expressions are called colloquialisms.

A colloquialism (kuh-LOH-kwee-uh-liz-um) is a word or phrase commonly used in everyday speech rather than formal writing. Expressions like “hang tight,” “my bad,” or “what’s up” are all examples of colloquial language. They reflect the way people naturally communicate with friends, family, and coworkers.

Colloquialisms are sometimes confused with related terms like idioms, slang, and dialect. These categories overlap in some ways, but they describe slightly different aspects of language.

Here are several colloquialism examples you’ve probably heard in everyday conversation.

How writers use colloquial language

Colloquialisms are a powerful literary device that can make writing sound more natural and conversational. Writers often use them in situations where formal language might feel stiff or unnatural.

In dialogue

Colloquial expressions frequently appear in dialogue because they reflect how people speak in everyday life.

For example, a character might say “I’m wiped out” instead of “I am very tired.” Small changes like this can make dialogue feel more realistic.

In conversational writing

Many blogs and personal essays use colloquial language to create a relaxed tone.

Expressions like “hang on a second” or “here’s the thing” can make writing feel more approachable and easier to read.

To show voice or personality

Certain colloquialisms can reveal something about the speaker.

For example, a character who says “y’all” may sound different from one who says “you guys.” These kinds of choices can help establish voice.

Using colloquialisms carefully

Because colloquialisms are informal, they don’t always work well in formal or academic writing.

Writers typically use them sparingly so the language feels natural without becoming distracting.

Everyday colloquialisms you’ve probably heard

We’ve collected no less than 55 colloquial examples to illustrate its uses and to show how colloquial expression is part of both our everyday language and our most beloved literature.

Examples of colloquialisms in everyday speech

Colloquialisms in everyday speech come in three different types: words, phrases (often idiomatic ones), and aphorisms.

A statement qualifies as an aphorism if it expresses a truth in a pithy manner (think of Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet). 

Idioms — or idiomatic phrases — are colloquial by nature; their literal meaning cannot be deduced from the words that make them up (unlike aphorisms). And they’re unique to speakers of a particular language or dialect.

If completing a task is “a piece of cake,” we may surmise from this idiom that it wasn’t completely unenjoyable, but its meaning is also not self-evident.

Colloquial Words:

• “Wicked” (Northeast U.S.) = “very” or “really” (intensifier) Ex: “This soup is wicked good!”
• Contractions like “ain’t,” “gonna,” and “y’all”
• Profanity that’s specific to a country or region: “bloody” is profanity in the UK – but just an adjective in the U.S.

Colloquial Phrases / Idioms:

• “Hard to swallow” = difficult to believe
• “Kick the bucket” = to die
• “Stir up a hornet’s nest” = provoke a strong negative reaction
• “Up for grabs” = available to anyone
• “Knee jerk reaction” = a quick or automatic response
• “Head over heels” = in love
• “Elbow grease” = hard work

Aphorisms:

• “When it rains, it pours.”
• “Brevity is the soul of wit.” (Polonius)
• “All that glitters isn’t gold.”
• “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
• “From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.”

The easier it gets for disparate communities to connect — over the phone or via the internet — the more likely it is that colloquial speech will spread to other regions and even worldwide.

Examples of colloquialism in literature

Some of the most enduring works of fiction use colloquial language to make their characters more believable and their stories more authentic.

Enjoy the following examples, and see if a few others come to mind.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Southern U.S. vernacular):

“It’s not necessary to tell all you know. It’s not ladylike-in the second place, folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ‘em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’ right, they’ve got to want to learn themselves, and when they don’t want to learn there’s nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language.”

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (mimicking the lilt of the Scottish accent):

“Thing is, as ye git aulder, this character-deficiency gig becomes mair sapping. Thir wis a time ah used tae say tae aw the teachers, bosses, dole punters, poll-tax guys, magistrates, when they telt me ah was deficient:’Hi, cool it, gadge, ah’m jist me, jist intae a different sort ay gig fae youse but, ken?’ Now though, ah’ve goat tae concede thit mibee they cats had it sussed. Ye take a healthier slapping the aulder ye git. The blows hit hame mair. It’s like yon Mike Tyson boy at the boxing, ken?”

“The Class Game” by Mary Casey (UK):

“How can you tell what class I’m from?

I can talk posh like some

With an ‘Olly in me mouth

Down me nose, wear an ‘at not a scarf

With me second-hand clothes.”

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Southwest Missouri):

“What’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and it ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?”

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (Yorkshire vernacular):

Vinegar-faced Joseph projected his head from a round window of the barn.

‘What are ye for?’ he shouted. ‘T’ maister’s down i’ t’ fowld. Go round by th’ end o’ t’ laith, if ye went to spake to him.’

‘Is there nobody inside to open the door?’ I hallooed, responsively.

‘There’s nobbut t’ missis; and shoo’ll not oppen ‘t an ye mak’ yer flaysome dins till neeght.’

‘Why? Cannot you tell her whom I am, eh, Joseph?’

‘Nor-ne me! I’ll hae no hend wi’t,’ muttered the head, vanishing.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (American Deep South):

“Man corrupt everything, say Shug. He on your box of grits, in your head, and all over the radio. He try to make you think he everywhere. Soon as you think he everywhere, you think he God. But he ain’t. Whenever you trying to pray, and man plop himself on the other end of it, tell him to git lost, say Shug. Conjure up the flowers, wind, water, a big rock.”

Pat of Silver Bush by Lucy Maud Montgomery (Irish vernacular):

“Oh, oh, is it Aunt Edith?” sniffed Judy. “And it was me fine Edith that dragged her in and blew it all afore Brian and his fine lady wife, ye’re telling me? Sure it was like her. It’s a pity a liddle thing like that cudn’t av been hushed up in the fam’ly. And to punish the tinder-hearted cratur so cruel! Ye ralely ain’t wise, Long Alec. A bit av a tongue-lashing might av been all right but to kape on torturing the poor jewel for a wake and her that fond av ye all! It’s telling ye to yer face, I am Long Alec, ye don’t deserve such a daughter.”

Examples of colloquialisms for everyday items

Ever had a moment when you referred to an everyday object by the name you’ve always used for it, only to have someone from another state or country give you a funny look before calling the item a completely different name?

Same!

Here are some of the most well-known examples:

• Pop vs. cola or soft drink
• Nappies vs. diapers
• Hot-dish (Minnesota) vs. casserole
• Klick vs. kilometer
• Lift vs. elevator
• Flat vs. apartment
• Binky vs. pacifier
• Subs vs. hoagies vs. submarine sandwiches vs. heroes
• Parakeet vs. budgie
• Truck vs. lorry
• Soccer vs. football
• Pill bugs vs. Potato bugs vs. woodlice vs. roly-polies, etc.

Examples of colloquialisms for people

We have colloquial names for the people in our lives, too, along with colloquial ways of addressing them.

Check out the following examples and notice which ones stand out for you — either because you use them or because you’ve read them in a book.

• Memaw vs. nana, gram, grammy, gramma, etc.
• Papaw vs papa or granddad (grandfather)
• Kinfolk (blood relatives)
• Bestie or BFF for best friend
• Y’all (you all)
• Boo or bae (significant other)
• Newbie or “noob” vs. newcomer or amateur
• Bloke (nickname for a male in the UK)
• Chap = gentleman (UK)
• Prat = a dim-witted or badly-behaved person (UK)
• Slug = hitchhiking commuter (D.C.)
• Table tapper = amateur preacher (North Carolina)
• Soak = serious drinker (South Dakota)

Colloquialism examples by region

Many colloquial expressions are tied to specific regions.

A phrase that sounds normal in one place may be unfamiliar somewhere else. Regional colloquialisms develop naturally as communities shape language in their own ways.

United States

American English includes many informal expressions that vary by region.

In parts of the South, people sometimes say they are “fixin’ to” do something, meaning they are about to start. In the Midwest, you might hear someone say “ope” when they accidentally bump into another person.

United Kingdom

British English has its own set of common colloquialisms.

Expressions like “bloody hell,” “cheers,” and “knackered” appear frequently in casual conversation.

Australia

Australian English also includes many informal expressions.

For example, “arvo” means afternoon, “servo” refers to a gas station, and “brekkie” means breakfast.

Why regional colloquialisms matter

Regional expressions can help writers create a sense of place in dialogue or storytelling. However, they can sometimes confuse readers who are unfamiliar with them.

For that reason, writers often use them carefully.

How will you use colloquialisms in your own writing?

Now that you’ve looked through all the examples in the list above, can you think of colloquialisms you’ve used in your work?

Think about why you used them, as well as what goes through your mind when you find colloquial language in a piece you’re reading.

As mentioned earlier, a writer will use a colloquial phrase in their writing because real people use it in everyday speech.

And real readers like to find something familiar and authentic in what they’re reading.

So, how will you use colloquialisms in your next story?