GMAT Idiom List: 93 Most Common GMAT Idioms

It’s important to know not only what idioms are likely to show up on the GMAT, but also how to
use them correctly. Here’s a handy GMAT idioms list, containing 93 of the most common GMAT
idioms and an example sentence for each one.

Idiom Example
A debate over A debate over the election results ensued.
A means to This job is only a means to an end for him.
A responsibility to The teacher has a responsibility to keep the children safe.
A result of The consequence is a result of your behavior.
He doesn’t have the ability to make better choices right
Ability to
now.
While Dr. Martinez was at a conference, Dr. Johnson acted
Act as
as the interim head surgeon.
Act like Stop acting like a child.
Agree on The team agreed on a solution.
Agree to When the police arrived, he agreed to a search.
Agree with He agreed with the sergeant’s findings.
Aid in The village needed aid in harvesting the season’s crops.
Allow for My work schedule doesn’t allow for many breaks.
Appeal to The contract appealed to my sense of order.
If Maria doesn’t pass the class, she is in danger of being
Are in danger of
placed on academic probation.
As/as I am as successful as he is.
Ask for My committee asked for my dissertation paperwork.
Associate with I associate the smell of cinnamon with the holiday season.
Attend to (someone) He attended to his sick wife.
He attributes his depression to a death in the family.
Attribute x to y/x is attributed to y
Type 2 diabetes is sometimes attributed to obesity.
We based our conclusions on the results of three peer-
Base on
reviewed studies.
Believe x to be y The judge did not believe the evidence to be sufficient.
For her major, she has to choose between biology and
Between…and
chemistry.
Both x and y Both my advisor and my professor will be at the meeting.
The discussion centered on the film that we watched
Centers on
together.
Composed of The organization is composed of elected officials.
Concerned with Jason doesn’t concern himself with this matter.
Conform to He refuses to conform to social norms.
RIGHT: I consider Mark my friend.
Consider x y (no “to be”)
Consider x y (no “to be”)
WRONG: I consider Mark to be my friend.
My love for my daughter doesn’t content with my love for
Contend with
my son.
The playwright wrote the play with the help of community
Created with
members.
Credit to I credit my success to my mentors.
It’s difficult to decide on a course schedule when there are
Decide on
so many classes available.
Delighted to He told us that he would be delighted to assist us.
The success of the contract depends on whether we are
Depends on whether x
able to compromise or not.
Depicted as In the media, she was depicted as a villain.
Different from He is very different from his siblings.
Disclose to He disclosed his complicated history to the counselor.
It’s sometimes difficult to distinguish temporary grief from
Distinguish x from y
clinical depression.
Toddlers start to learn to distinguish between right and
Distinguish between x and y
wrong.
Doubt that I doubt that he’ll actually call back today.
Dwindle away We watched as our time dwindled away to nothing.
Either Dr. Smith or Dr. Cortes will lead the discussion.
Either/or, neither/nor

Neither an apology nor a letter will be sufficient.

Elect as She was elected as the club’s vice president.
Elect to The voters elected him to office.
My health insurance enables me to choose the proper
Enable to
specialist.
Essential to Water is essential to life.
The average lifespan of a black lab is estimated to be 14
Estimate to be
years.
Fascinated by My daughter was fascinated by the butterfly garden.

She ran farther than I did.

Further (for degree);
Farther (for distance)

We tried to contain the spill to avoid further destruction.

In contrast to her earlier self, Mary is now outgoing and
In contrast to
exuberant.
In contrast with Annie, David waits until the last minute to
In contrast with x, y
start writing his papers.
In the (morning, afternoon, evening) The plane is leaving in the morning.
Independent from Teenagers want to be independent from their parents.
That’s my personal opinion, independent of any media
Independent of
influence.
Indicate that The results indicated that our hypothesis was correct.
Indicate to My boss indicated to me that he was displeased.
Indifferent towards No matter how hard I try, I can’t be indifferent towards her.
They were both invested in the relationship, so they got
Invest in
married.
The judge is invested with the authority to approve of the
Invest with
will.
Just as exercise can lead to weight loss, so too can a healthy
Just as…so too
diet.
We modeled the curriculum after Montessori educational
Modeled after
materials.
Native of She is a native of Spain.
Native to This animal is native to Australia.
CPS deemed it necessary to remove the child from the
Necessary to
home.
Not only/but also The exam is not only difficult but is also lengthy.
Not so much/as I was not sleepy so much as exasperated.
Originate from The ritual originates from an ancient Nordic tradition.
Originate in The cancer originated in her lungs.
Originate with The idea originated with my brainstorming group.
Potential to Though he is struggling, he has the potential to improve.
Prefer x to y I prefer classic literature to contemporary works.
The school cannot prohibit the student from writing a
Prohibit x from y
controversial paper.
Range from x to y The kids range in age from 10 to 17.
Refer to I was referred to a specialist after my appointment.
Regard as We regard him as part of the family.
Require that x be y The group requires that participants be attentive.
Our HR department doesn’t require that documentation
Required from
from employees.
He is required to submit to a drug test as a condition of his
Required to
parole.
Responsible for He is not responsible for the child’s welfare.
Resulting in Our collective stress ultimately resulted in a family fight.
Rival in The massive tome rivaled War and Peace in length.
Sacrifice for Don’t sacrifice your personal life for your career.
I sacrificed a great deal of time and energy to that
Sacrifice to
demanding job.
Sequence of The sequence of events that unfolded shocked all of us.
So x as to be y He was so quiet as to be nearly unintelligible.
So x that y It was so cold that school was cancelled.
Speak about We need to speak about the incident.
I speak from experience when I say that you should hire an
Speak from
attorney when filing a claim.
Subscribe to I don’t subscribe to that theory.
Targeted…at All of our criticism was targeted at the committee head.

To sacrifice x for y We weren’t willing to sacrifice family time for church.

Unlike x, y Unlike the flu, allergies are not contagious.
X expected to y Taxes for the rich are expected to decrease next season.