Expressing yourself with business meeting idioms during a meeting is a great way to show off your grasp of English. They also make a point in a way that text book English can’t. Here is our list of 20 Idioms for business meetings.
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1) Business Meeting Idioms
Business Meeting Idioms
| Idiom | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Set the stage | To get ready for something to happen. | He set the stage for the presentation. |
| Kick things off | To begin or start something. | “I’ll kick things off by providing a summary of our agenda for today’s meeting.” |
| Get the show on the road | To start or begin a task or activity. | “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get the show on the road and dive into our discussion.” |
| Get down to business | To focus on the main topic or purpose of a meeting. | “Let’s finish the small talk and get down to business, shall we?” |
| Get down to brass tacks | To focus on the most important or essential aspects of a topic. | “Let’s get down to brass tacks and discuss the budget details.” |
| Think outside the box | To consider unconventional or creative ideas. | “We need to think outside the box to come up with new solutions to our current challenges.” |
| Put heads together | To collaborate or work together on a task or problem. | “Let’s put our heads together and brainstorm some ideas for improving customer satisfaction.” |
| Bounce ideas off each other | To share ideas or suggestions with others for feedback or discussion. | “Feel free to bounce ideas off each other—we’re here to collaborate and find the best solution.” |
| Hash things out | To discuss and resolve issues or differences of opinion. | “We need to hash things out and reach an agreement on the project timeline.” |
| Cover all bases | To think about or plan for all possible outcomes. | “Before finalising the proposal, let’s make sure we cover all bases to avoid any oversights.” |
| Stay on track | To remain focused on the intended goal or objective. | “Let’s stay on track and not go off-topic during the presentation.” |
| Dot the i’s and cross the t’s | To pay attention to the smallest details; to ensure thoroughness. | “Before submitting the report, let’s make sure we dot the i’s and cross the t’s to avoid any errors.” |
| Iron out the details | To discuss and solve small details. | “We’ll need to iron out the details of the contract before finalizing the agreement.” |
| Touch upon | To briefly mention or discuss a topic. | “During the meeting, we’ll touch upon the upcoming changes to the project timeline.” |
| Back to the drawing board | To return to the beginning because a plan or idea has failed. | “Our initial marketing strategy didn’t yield the expected results, so it’s back to the drawing board.” |
| Circle back | To return to a previous point or topic for further discussion or consideration. | “We’ll circle back to the budget discussion after addressing the immediate project concerns.” |
| Get on board with | To agree to participate or support a plan or idea. | “We need everyone to get on board with the new company policies for them to be effective.” |
| Draw to a close | To reach the end or conclusion of something. | “As we draw to a close, I’d like to thank everyone for their contributions to today’s meeting.” |
| Wind down | To gradually come to an end or relax after activity. | “As the meeting winds down, we’ll take a moment to summarize our key takeaways.” |
| Wrap things up | To conclude or finish something. | “Before we wrap things up, does anyone have any final comments or questions?” |
| Stay in sync | To maintain harmony or alignment with others. | “It’s important for all team members to stay in sync to ensure project success.” |
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