{{short description|Combination of words that has a figurative meaning}}
{{for multi|the structural nature particular to a language|Idiom (language structure)|other uses}}
An '''idiom''' is a [[phrase]] or an expression that typically presents a [[Literal and figurative language|figurative, non-literal]] [[meaning (linguistic)|meaning]] attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as [[formulaic speech|formulaic language]], an idiom's figurative meaning is different from the [[Literal and figurative language|literal]] meaning.<ref>The Oxford companion to the English language (1992:495f.)</ref> Idioms occur frequently in all languages; in [[English language|English]] alone there are an estimated twenty-five million{{Dubious|date=January 2023}} idiomatic expressions.<ref>Jackendoff (1997).</ref>
