GMAT Idioms List
The following GMAT idioms list is based upon official GMAT sentence correction questions that the test-makers publicly released.
Practice these idioms using our proprietary sentence correction questions.
GMAT Idiom |
Book |
Question |
Answer Page |
Official Guide for GMAT Review (12th Edition) |
x is more than y |
12th Edition |
4 |
686 |
unlike x, y |
12th Edition |
20 |
694 |
in contrast with x, y |
12th Edition |
20 |
694 |
in contrast to x, y |
12th Edition |
20 |
694 |
estimate to be |
12th Edition |
27 |
698 |
the same to x as to y |
12th Edition |
32 |
700 |
depends on whether x |
12th Edition |
34 |
701 |
so x that y |
12th Edition |
37 |
702 |
targeted ... at |
12th Edition |
40 |
704 |
rivalry between x and y |
12th Edition |
44 |
706 |
expended on |
12th Edition |
46 |
707 |
the ability ... to |
12th Edition |
51 |
710 |
x is to y what w is to z |
12th Edition |
58 |
714 |
amount of x |
12th Edition |
74 |
722 |
attributes x to y |
12th Edition |
79 |
724 |
not just because of x, but because of y |
12th Edition |
83 |
726 |
distinctions between x and y |
12th Edition |
96 |
733 |
either x or y |
12th Edition |
109 |
740 |
to consider x y |
12th Edition |
117 |
745 |
less successful than |
12th Edition |
123 |
748 |
so x that y |
12th Edition |
124 |
748 |
x is dated at z years old |
12th Edition |
140 |
756 |
Official Guide for GMAT Review (11th Edition) |
x is more than y |
11th Edition |
2 |
662 |
in contrast with x, y |
11th Edition |
16 |
669 |
estimated to be |
11th Edition |
21 |
671 |
in danger of |
11th Edition |
27 |
673 |
seem + infinitive |
11th Edition |
29 |
674 |
as much as |
11th Edition |
30 |
674 |
to credit x with |
11th Edition |
31 |
674 |
as many ... as |
11th Edition |
37 |
676 |
between x and y |
11th Edition |
40 |
678 |
require x to do y |
11th Edition |
53 |
684 |
restrictions on x |
11th Edition |
54 |
685 |
not only x ... but also y |
11th Edition |
55 |
685 |
there is no doubt that |
11th Edition |
58 |
686 |
as a means to |
11th Edition |
60 |
688 |
attribute x to y |
11th Edition |
67 |
691 |
as many as |
11th Edition |
76 |
695 |
used x as y |
11th Edition |
79 |
696 |
not x, but rather y |
11th Edition |
87 |
700 |
order x to be y |
11th Edition |
92 |
702 |
just as x, so y |
11th Edition |
99 |
706 |
distinguish between x and y |
11th Edition |
107 |
710 |
both x and y |
11th Edition |
112 |
713 |
so x that y |
11th Edition |
118 |
716 |
Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review |
not...but |
Verbal Review |
4 |
256 |
the rising cost |
Verbal Review |
8 |
258 |
range from x to y |
Verbal Review |
9 |
258 |
except for + noun |
Verbal Review |
13 |
260 |
between x and y |
Verbal Review |
14 |
260 |
to mistake x for y |
Verbal Review |
17 |
261 |
to think of x as y |
Verbal Review |
20 |
262 |
with the aim of + (verb)ing |
Verbal Review |
25 |
264 |
not only x ... but also y |
Verbal Review |
46 |
274 |
prohibit x from doing y |
Verbal Review |
48 |
275 |
more x than y |
Verbal Review |
50 |
276 |
not only x ... but also y |
Verbal Review |
52 |
277 |
so x that y |
Verbal Review |
58 |
280 |
not x, but rather y |
Verbal Review |
60 |
281 |
not only ... but also |
Verbal Review |
66 |
284 |
in order to x |
Verbal Review |
69 |
285 |
as x as |
Verbal Review |
75 |
288 |
worried about |
Verbal Review |
81 |
291 |
either x or y |
Verbal Review |
84 |
292 |
better served by x than by y |
Verbal Review |
89 |
295 |
ordered x to do y |
Verbal Review |
90 |
295 |
both x and y |
Verbal Review |
93 |
297 |
x rose almost as fast as y |
Verbal Review |
94 |
297 |
between x and y |
Verbal Review |
95 |
298 |
more x than y |
Verbal Review |
98 |
299 |
x rather than y |
Verbal Review |
99 |
300 |
isolated from |
Verbal Review |
106 |
300 |
not only x ... but also y |
Verbal Review |
108 |
304 |
as a result of |
Verbal Review |
113 |
307 |
This GMAT idioms list is available in PDF format.
Footnotes
- Verbal Review refers to The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review (ISBN:0976570912). 11th Edition refers to The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition (ISBN:0976570904). 12th Edition refers to The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition (ISBN:0470449748).
- The Question column provides the question number within the referenced book.
- The Answer Page column lists the page number on which the official explanation is found.