Survival Idioms and What They Mean
Survival idioms help us talk about staying strong and making it through hard times. These phrases are often used when life is tough, but we keep going. Here are 12 survival idioms, what they mean, and how to use them.
Weather the storm
To survive a difficult situation.
We lost money, but we weathered the storm.
She weathered the storm after losing her job.
Sink or swim
To succeed or fail without help.
On your first day, it’s sink or swim.
He had no help—it was sink or swim.
Hang by a thread
To be in great danger or close to failure.
The deal is hanging by a thread.
His job is hanging by a thread after the mistake.
Hang in there
Don’t give up; keep trying.
Hang in there—things will get better.
I know it’s hard, but hang in there.
Bite the bullet
To do something difficult or painful.
I didn’t want to apologize, but I bit the bullet.
He bit the bullet and took the test again.
Keep your head above water
To manage or survive, especially with stress or money.
We’re just keeping our heads above water.
He’s working two jobs to keep his head above water.
Come out the other side
To get through a hard time and be okay again.
She came out the other side stronger.
We came out the other side after a hard year.
Ride it out
To wait through something bad without giving up.
We stayed home and rode out the storm.
He’s trying to ride it out until things get better.
On your last legs
Almost used up, tired, or about to stop working.
This old car is on its last legs.
I’m so tired—I’m on my last legs today.
Tough it out
To stay strong and not give up during something hard.
He toughed it out through the cold and finished the race.
You have to tough it out until help comes.
Against all odds
To succeed even when it seems impossible.
Against all odds, she finished the race.
They won against all odds.
Stay the course
To keep going, even when it’s hard.
Things got tough, but we stayed the course.
Stay the course and don’t give up!
