Sometimes, when people are hurt or treated unfairly, they want to get even. This feeling is called revenge. People often use special phrases, called idioms, to talk about these feelings. These idioms help us explain strong emotions without saying them directly.
In this article, we will learn about idioms that are used when someone wants to pay someone back or show they are not weak. These phrases are common in books, movies, and real life. Learning them can help us understand how people talk when they feel angry or want justice.
Idioms About Revenge
1. Get even
Meaning: To take revenge or respond to a wrong
Example Sentence:
• After he played that prank, I had to get even.
• She got even by hiding his homework.
Other ways to say: Pay back, retaliate
Fun Fact/Origin: This comes from balancing things, like a score or situation.
Usage: When someone responds to being hurt or tricked.
2. Settle the score
Meaning: To make things fair by taking revenge
Example Sentence:
• He settled the score after being teased.
• She wanted to settle the score after losing unfairly.
Other ways to say: Get payback, make it right
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from keeping score in old games or fights.
Usage: When someone makes things even after being wronged.
3. Payback time
Meaning: A moment to get revenge
Example Sentence:
• It’s payback time for what you did.
• He said it was payback time after losing the race.
Other ways to say: Time for revenge, time to get even
Fun Fact/Origin: Based on the idea of paying someone back for actions.
Usage: Used when someone finally acts on their revenge.
4. What goes around comes around
Meaning: People will get what they deserve
Example Sentence:
• He was mean in school, but what goes around comes around.
• She lost her friends—what goes around comes around.
Other ways to say: Karma, you’ll get yours
Fun Fact/Origin: Similar to the idea of karma from old beliefs.
Usage: Often said when bad actions are expected to return.
5. A taste of your own medicine
Meaning: When someone gets treated the same bad way they treat others
Example Sentence:
• He got a taste of his own medicine when he was left out.
• She was rude and got the same back—a taste of her own medicine.
Other ways to say: Get back what you gave, treated the same
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from stories where doctors had to take their own cures.
Usage: Used when someone gets treated the way they treat others.
6. Revenge is sweet
Meaning: Getting back at someone can feel satisfying
Example Sentence:
• He finally got back at the bully—revenge is sweet.
• She smiled and said, “Revenge is sweet,” after the prank.
Other ways to say: It feels good to get back, payback is nice
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase is old and appears in many stories.
Usage: Often used after successful revenge.
7. Give someone a dose of their own medicine
Meaning: To treat someone badly in the same way they treated others
Example Sentence:
• He was always late, so we gave him a dose of his own medicine.
• She didn’t like getting ignored—a dose of her own medicine.
Other ways to say: Treat them how they treat others, get back at
Fun Fact/Origin: Also linked to doctors and bad treatments.
Usage: Used to show someone how it feels to be treated badly.
8. Turn the tables
Meaning: To change a situation so the power shifts
Example Sentence:
• She turned the tables and won the match.
• He turned the tables on the bully by standing up.
Other ways to say: Flip the situation, change the game
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from board games when players change sides.
Usage: When someone takes control or gets back at someone.
9. Eye for an eye
Meaning: To hurt someone as they hurt you
Example Sentence:
• He believed in an eye for an eye—so he acted fast.
• The team played dirty, so we returned the favor—eye for an eye.
Other ways to say: Tit for tat, equal revenge
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from ancient laws like Hammurabi’s Code.
Usage: When revenge is meant to match the harm done.
10. Bite back
Meaning: To respond to harm with harm
Example Sentence:
• After being blamed, she bit back with a joke.
• He bit back when teased.
Other ways to say: Strike back, snap back
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the image of animals biting when hurt.
Usage: Used when someone defends or hits back quickly.
11. Have the last laugh
Meaning: To succeed or get revenge after being doubted
Example Sentence:
• Everyone laughed at him, but he had the last laugh when he won.
• She had the last laugh after being picked on.
Other ways to say: Win in the end, prove others wrong
Fun Fact/Origin: Often used in stories where someone is underestimated.
Usage: Used when someone succeeds after others treat them badly.
12. Give someone what they deserve
Meaning: To punish or respond to someone’s bad actions
Example Sentence:
• He bullied others, and finally someone gave him what he deserved.
• She got what she deserved after cheating.
Other ways to say: Teach a lesson, pay the price
Fun Fact/Origin: Common in stories with heroes and villains.
Usage: When someone gets punished fairly.
13. Dish it out but can’t take it
Meaning: Someone who hurts others but can’t handle it themselves
Example Sentence:
• He makes fun of others but cries when teased—he can’t take it.
• She dishes it out but can’t take it when it comes back.
Other ways to say: Can’t handle payback, unfair player
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from serving something harsh, like words or actions.
Usage: Used for people who bully but can’t take the same.
14. Rub it in
Meaning: To keep reminding someone of their loss or mistake
Example Sentence:
• He lost the game, and his brother kept rubbing it in.
• Don’t rub it in—she already feels bad.
Other ways to say: Make fun, tease more
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from making a sore spot hurt more.
Usage: When someone keeps making another feel worse.
15. Throw it back in someone’s face
Meaning: To remind someone of something they did wrong
Example Sentence:
• She helped him, but he threw it back in her face.
• He threw my words back in my face during the argument.
Other ways to say: Remind rudely, attack with words
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the image of rejecting a favor.
Usage: Used when someone uses your words or actions against you.
16. Burn bridges
Meaning: To end relationships in a way that makes return impossible
Example Sentence:
• He burned bridges with his teammates after the fight.
• Don’t burn bridges—you might need help later.
Other ways to say: Cut ties, end relationships badly
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from destroying bridges in war to stop enemies or escape.
Usage: Used when someone ends things in a harsh way that leads to lasting conflict.
17. Get back at someone
Meaning: To do something to hurt someone who hurt you
Example Sentence:
• She got back at her brother by hiding his video game.
• He got back at the kids who made fun of him.
Other ways to say: Take revenge, pay back
Fun Fact/Origin: A common phrase in movies and stories.
Usage: Used when someone responds to being treated badly.
18. Turn the knife
Meaning: To make a bad situation worse for someone
Example Sentence:
• He turned the knife by laughing after the mistake.
• She turned the knife with a mean comment.
Other ways to say: Make it worse, add insult
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the image of twisting a knife to hurt more.
Usage: Used when someone makes someone else feel worse on purpose.
19. Let someone stew in their own juice
Meaning: Let someone suffer the result of their actions
Example Sentence:
• He lied and now has to stew in his own juice.
• She didn’t help, so let her stew in it.
Other ways to say: Face the result, deal with it
Fun Fact/Origin: From cooking—stewing in one’s own juice means cooking in one’s mess.
Usage: Used when someone faces the outcome of their own bad choices.
20. Give someone the cold shoulder
Meaning: To ignore someone on purpose
Example Sentence:
• She gave him the cold shoulder after the fight.
• He walked by and gave me the cold shoulder.
Other ways to say: Ignore, freeze out
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from old customs of offering a cold meal as a sign of rejection.
Usage: Used when someone shows dislike by ignoring another.
21. Stick it to someone
Meaning: To punish or treat someone harshly
Example Sentence:
• The teacher stuck it to the student with extra homework.
• He stuck it to his enemy during the game.
Other ways to say: Be harsh, get back
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from sports and fighting talk.
Usage: Used when someone makes things tough on purpose.
22. Give someone the silent treatment
Meaning: To not talk to someone as a form of punishment
Example Sentence:
• She gave him the silent treatment after the argument.
• He didn’t speak all day—silent treatment.
Other ways to say: Ignore completely, shut out
Fun Fact/Origin: A well-known way people show they’re upset.
Usage: Used to punish someone without saying anything.
23. Rub salt in the wound
Meaning: To make someone feel worse when they are already upset
Example Sentence:
• Mentioning his loss just rubbed salt in the wound.
• She was sad already, don’t rub salt in the wound.
Other ways to say: Make it worse, add pain
Fun Fact/Origin: Salt on wounds causes more pain.
Usage: Used when someone makes a bad feeling even worse.
24. Hit someone where it hurts
Meaning: To say or do something that really upsets someone
Example Sentence:
• He hit her where it hurts by bringing up the past.
• That comment hit me where it hurts.
Other ways to say: Go for the weak spot, upset deeply
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from aiming at a sensitive area in a fight.
Usage: Used when someone targets another’s feelings.
25. Lower the boom
Meaning: To suddenly punish or get serious
Example Sentence:
• The coach lowered the boom after they broke the rules.
• Mom lowered the boom when she found out.
Other ways to say: Bring down punishment, crack down
Fun Fact/Origin: From sailing—dropping the boom is sudden and forceful.
Usage: Used when someone gives a strong response or punishment.
26. Have an axe to grind
Meaning: To have a strong reason to be upset or angry
Example Sentence:
• He had an axe to grind with his old teacher.
• She always sounds like she has an axe to grind.
Other ways to say: Hold a grudge, have a complaint
Fun Fact/Origin: May come from sharpening an axe while hiding one’s reason.
Usage: Used when someone has a hidden reason for being upset.
27. Hold a grudge
Meaning: To stay angry at someone for a long time
Example Sentence:
• He holds a grudge for years.
• She still holds a grudge from that day.
Other ways to say: Keep anger, stay mad
Fun Fact/Origin: Very old expression used in many cultures.
Usage: Used when someone can’t forgive.
28. Pay someone back in their own coin
Meaning: To treat someone the same bad way they treat others
Example Sentence:
• He teased her, and she paid him back in his own coin.
• They were rude, so I gave it back in their own coin.
Other ways to say: Return bad for bad, equal treatment
Fun Fact/Origin: Coin refers to behavior or manner, not money.
Usage: Used to return bad treatment in the same way.
29. Take no prisoners
Meaning: To be very harsh or show no mercy
Example Sentence:
• She took no prisoners during the debate.
• The coach took no prisoners during training.
Other ways to say: Be tough, show no kindness
Fun Fact/Origin: From war—taking no prisoners means no mercy.
Usage: Used when someone acts very strict or harsh.
30. Go for the jugular
Meaning: To attack in the most serious or harmful way
Example Sentence:
• He went for the jugular during the argument.
• She went for the jugular to win the case.
Other ways to say: Hit hard, strike deep
Fun Fact/Origin: The jugular is a vital neck vein—attacking it is serious.
Usage: Used when someone makes a strong and risky move to win.
31. Give someone a piece of your mind
Meaning: To speak angrily to someone for doing something wrong
Example Sentence:
• He gave the bully a piece of his mind.
• She gave her brother a piece of her mind for ruining her book.
Other ways to say: Tell off, scold
Fun Fact/Origin: Suggests giving part of your thoughts in anger.
Usage: Used when someone is angry and expresses it directly.
32. Get your own back
Meaning: To get revenge or take payback
Example Sentence:
• He got his own back by beating the team that teased him.
• She got her own back in the spelling bee.
Other ways to say: Get even, take revenge
Fun Fact/Origin: Common in British English; now used more widely.
Usage: When someone does something to balance a past wrong.
33. Make someone pay
Meaning: To punish someone for something they did
Example Sentence:
• He made them pay for the prank.
• She said, “You’ll pay for this.”
Other ways to say: Punish, get revenge
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of owing a debt for bad behavior.
Usage: Used when someone wants revenge or justice.
34. Reap what you sow
Meaning: You face the results of your actions
Example Sentence:
• He was mean, and now he’s alone—he reaped what he sowed.
• She’s sad now, but that’s what happens—you reap what you sow.
Other ways to say: Get what you deserve, cause and effect
Fun Fact/Origin: From farming—what you plant is what you grow.
Usage: Used to show actions have consequences.
35. Give tit for tat
Meaning: To give back the same treatment received
Example Sentence:
• He pushed me, so I gave him tit for tat.
• It was tit for tat during the argument.
Other ways to say: Match action for action, even things out
Fun Fact/Origin: An old phrase meaning “this for that.”
Usage: Used when someone replies to a wrong with the same act.
36. Throw someone under the bus
Meaning: To betray someone to protect yourself
Example Sentence:
• He threw his friend under the bus to avoid blame.
• She got in trouble and threw her partner under the bus.
Other ways to say: Betray, blame
Fun Fact/Origin: Modern phrase from the 1980s meaning betrayal.
Usage: When someone saves themselves by blaming another.
37. Have a bone to pick
Meaning: To have something to argue about
Example Sentence:
• I have a bone to pick with you about yesterday.
• She said, “We’ve got a bone to pick.”
Other ways to say: Have an issue, need to talk
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from dogs fighting over bones.
Usage: When someone is upset and wants to talk about it.
38. Serve someone right
Meaning: When someone gets what they deserve
Example Sentence:
• He got grounded—it served him right.
• That’s what she gets—it serves her right.
Other ways to say: Got what was coming, fair result
Fun Fact/Origin: Old phrase showing justice or fairness.
Usage: Used when someone faces a fair punishment.
39. Comeuppance
Meaning: A deserved punishment
Example Sentence:
• The bully finally got his comeuppance.
• She got her comeuppance after cheating.
Other ways to say: Payback, punishment
Fun Fact/Origin: Used in old American slang to mean “what’s coming to you.”
Usage: When someone is punished for bad actions.
40. Get someone where it hurts
Meaning: To target someone in a painful or emotional way
Example Sentence:
• She got him where it hurts—his pride.
• The joke hit her where it hurts.
Other ways to say: Touch a nerve, upset deeply
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of emotional weak spots.
Usage: Used when someone is deeply hurt by words or actions.
41. Take it out on someone
Meaning: To treat someone badly because you’re upset
Example Sentence:
• He was mad and took it out on his friend.
• She yelled at her sister, taking it out on her.
Other ways to say: Misplace anger, blame the wrong person
Fun Fact/Origin: Suggests transferring bad feelings to others.
Usage: When anger is unfairly directed at someone else.
42. Even the score
Meaning: To make things fair by taking revenge
Example Sentence:
• He evened the score by winning the rematch.
• She evened the score after being teased.
Other ways to say: Get back, make it fair
Fun Fact/Origin: From games or sports where scores matter.
Usage: Used when revenge balances out past actions.
43. Go ballistic
Meaning: To become very angry and act out
Example Sentence:
• He went ballistic after the prank.
• She went ballistic when her phone was taken.
Other ways to say: Explode with anger, lose control
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from missile language—ballistic means out of control.
Usage: When someone reacts with sudden, strong anger.
44. Get under someone’s skin
Meaning: To annoy or upset someone deeply
Example Sentence:
• He got under her skin with those jokes.
• That comment really got under my skin.
Other ways to say: Bother deeply, irritate
Fun Fact/Origin: Suggests something crawling under your skin—very irritating.
Usage: When someone knows how to upset or annoy another.
45. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset over something that can’t be changed
Example Sentence:
• He missed the shot, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk.
• She was sad, but it was done—just spilled milk.
Other ways to say: Let it go, move on
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from milk that can’t be picked up once it spills.
Usage: Used when telling someone to stop being upset over the past.
Quiz: Idioms About Revenge
Instructions: Read each question and the answer choices carefully. Pick the letter that best matches the meaning of the phrase or expression.
Question Key
1. What does “get even” mean?
A) Help someone out
B) Take revenge on someone
C) Say sorry to someone
2. If someone says “it’s payback time,” what are they likely planning to do?
A) Give someone a gift
B) Get revenge
C) Take a break
3. What does “rub salt in the wound” mean?
A) Help someone heal faster
B) Make someone feel worse
C) Say something nice
4. When someone “gives the cold shoulder,” what are they doing?
A) Playing in the snow
B) Ignoring someone on purpose
C) Giving a hug
5. What does “serve someone right” mean?
A) They didn’t deserve that
B) They got what they earned
C) They were given too much
6. What does “turn the tables” mean?
A) Flip a real table
B) Change a bad situation in your favor
C) Ask for help
7. What does “have the last laugh” mean?
A) Cry last
B) Get revenge or win in the end
C) Be the quietest person
8. What does “throw someone under the bus” mean?
A) Drive someone to school
B) Blame or betray someone to save yourself
C) Play a game
9. If someone “takes it out on” you, what does that mean?
A) They’re angry at someone else but are being mean to you
B) They want to share a snack
C) They want to play a game
10. What does “even the score” mean?
A) Sing louder
B) Make things fair or get revenge
C) Add more points
11. What does “give someone a piece of your mind” mean?
A) Help them study
B) Yell at them because you’re upset
C) Be quiet
12. What does “bite back” mean?
A) Say something mean in return
B) Eat too fast
C) Apologize quickly
13. If someone “reaps what they sow,” what’s happening?
A) They are planting seeds
B) They are getting what they deserve
C) They are cleaning the yard
14. What does “get under someone’s skin” mean?
A) Help them stay warm
B) Make them laugh
C) Bother or annoy them deeply
15. If someone is “holding a grudge,” what does it mean?
A) They are trying to remember something
B) They are staying angry for a long time
C) They are hiding a gift
Answer Key
- B) Take revenge on someone
- B) Get revenge
- B) Make someone feel worse
- B) Ignoring someone on purpose
- B) They got what they earned
- B) Change a bad situation in your favor
- B) Get revenge or win in the end
- B) Blame or betray someone to save yourself
- A) They’re angry at someone else but are being mean to you
- B) Make things fair or get revenge
- B) Yell at them because you’re upset
- A) Say something mean in return
- B) They are getting what they deserve
- C) Bother or annoy them deeply
- B) They are staying angry for a long time
Wrapping Up
Revenge idioms are often used to talk about anger and fairness. These phrases help people show their feelings in words. From “get even” to “hold a grudge,” each one gives a peek into how people deal with being treated unfairly.
Learning these idioms helps us understand stories, movies, and even daily talk better. But while it’s easy to talk about revenge, it’s always better to think before acting. Words can help us understand, but kindness can help us grow.
