Idioms are fascinating expressions that add flavor to our everyday conversations. They often use vivid or unexpected words to represent ideas in creative ways. While they don’t always mean exactly what the words say, idioms help people express complex thoughts or emotions quickly and colorfully. One particular theme where idioms truly shine is greed—a powerful feeling that can show up in many situations, from money to power to food.
Understanding idioms about greed helps us recognize this emotion in ourselves and others, and lets us talk about it in a more thoughtful, meaningful way. Whether you’re describing someone who always wants more or pointing out how selfish behavior can affect others, these idioms are powerful tools for communication. In this article, you’ll explore 45 popular idioms for greed, learn what they mean, and see how they’re used in real-life sentences. Each example is written in a natural, easy-to-understand style to help you remember and enjoy using them.
Let’s explore the world of greedy expressions and see how language captures the desire for more than enough!
Idioms for Greed
1. Greedy as a pig
Meaning: Extremely greedy or selfish.
In a Sentence: Even though there was plenty of food for everyone, Jake piled his plate sky-high like he was greedy as a pig at a feast.
Other Ways to Say: Selfish, Hog everything
2. Eat like a horse
Meaning: To eat a lot, often more than necessary.
In a Sentence: After skipping breakfast and lunch, she came home and ate like a horse, devouring three helpings of dinner without blinking.
Other Ways to Say: Eat excessively, Have a huge appetite
3. Money burns a hole in his pocket
Meaning: Someone who can’t hold onto money and spends it immediately.
In a Sentence: As soon as he got his allowance, he ran to the store to buy more video games—money always burns a hole in his pocket.
Other Ways to Say: Spendthrift, Can’t save money
4. Have sticky fingers
Meaning: Tends to steal, especially due to greed.
In a Sentence: The store manager suspected the new employee had sticky fingers after some expensive items mysteriously disappeared.
Other Ways to Say: Steal, Take what’s not yours
5. All for oneself
Meaning: To keep everything without sharing.
In a Sentence: She grabbed all the snacks and sat in the corner with them, wanting it all for herself and ignoring everyone else.
Other Ways to Say: Selfish, Not share
6. Grasp at straws
Meaning: Desperate to get or keep something, even if the effort is hopeless.
In a Sentence: He was grasping at straws trying to find excuses to keep the bonus money after getting caught lying on his report.
Other Ways to Say: Desperately try, Cling to anything
7. Penny pincher
Meaning: Someone who is extremely stingy with money.
In a Sentence: He’s such a penny pincher that he reuses tea bags and refuses to buy anything unless it’s on a massive sale.
Other Ways to Say: Cheap, Tight with money
8. Like a dog in the manger
Meaning: Someone who keeps something they don’t need just so others can’t have it.
In a Sentence: Even though he didn’t want to play with the toy anymore, he wouldn’t let his little brother have it—just like a dog in the manger.
Other Ways to Say: Possessive, Spitefully greedy
9. Take the lion’s share
Meaning: To take the largest part of something, usually unfairly.
In a Sentence: When the group won the prize, he took the lion’s share of the reward and left the rest of them with just a few crumbs.
Other Ways to Say: Grab most, Take more than fair
10. Filthy rich
Meaning: Extremely wealthy, sometimes with the suggestion of greed or excess.
In a Sentence: After his tech startup took off, he became filthy rich and started buying luxury cars just to show off.
Other Ways to Say: Very wealthy, Loaded with money
11. Have eyes bigger than your stomach
Meaning: Wanting more than you can actually handle.
In a Sentence: He loaded his plate with four slices of pizza, pasta, and chicken wings, but halfway through realized his eyes were bigger than his stomach.
Other Ways to Say: Overdo it, Take more than needed
12. Crying for the moon
Meaning: Wanting something unrealistic or excessive.
In a Sentence: Asking for a raise, a corner office, and fewer hours all at once was like crying for the moon.
Other Ways to Say: Be unrealistic, Want too much
13. Line your pockets
Meaning: To make money dishonestly, often by exploiting a situation.
In a Sentence: The contractor lined his pockets by overcharging for simple repairs and using cheap materials behind the scenes.
Other Ways to Say: Steal money, Profit unethically
14. A fat cat
Meaning: A wealthy and powerful person who is often greedy or selfish.
In a Sentence: The fat cats at the top of the company got huge bonuses while the workers didn’t even get a raise.
Other Ways to Say: Greedy boss, Rich elite
15. Grab everything that isn’t nailed down
Meaning: To take as much as possible without limits.
In a Sentence: At the clearance sale, shoppers were grabbing everything that wasn’t nailed down, stuffing their carts like it was the end of the world.
Other Ways to Say: Take it all, Hoard everything
16. Eat someone out of house and home
Meaning: To consume so much food that it causes a financial burden.
In a Sentence: My cousins stayed with us for a week and ate us out of house and home—they cleared the fridge like a swarm of locusts.
Other Ways to Say: Eat too much, Cost a fortune in food
17. Cash cow
Meaning: A source of continuous profit, often exploited for greed.
In a Sentence: That reality TV show turned into a cash cow, and the producers kept dragging it out for more money.
Other Ways to Say: Money-maker, Profit machine
18. Go for broke
Meaning: To risk everything in a greedy attempt to win big.
In a Sentence: He went for broke by investing all his savings into one risky deal, hoping it would make him rich overnight.
Other Ways to Say: Risk it all, Gamble everything
19. Feather one’s nest
Meaning: To get rich dishonestly or selfishly while in a position of trust.
In a Sentence: While managing the charity’s budget, she quietly feathered her nest with money meant for those in need.
Other Ways to Say: Use for personal gain, Profit unfairly
20. Take more than your fair share
Meaning: To take more than what is reasonable or deserved.
In a Sentence: He always takes more than his fair share of the group project credit, even when he barely contributes.
Other Ways to Say: Be selfish, Hog the spotlight
21. Like a kid in a candy store
Meaning: Overwhelmed by desire for too many appealing things.
In a Sentence: He walked into the electronics store like a kid in a candy store, unable to resist grabbing more than he could afford.
Other Ways to Say: Overexcited, Greedy with choices
22. Eat the whole cake
Meaning: To want or take everything instead of sharing.
In a Sentence: Instead of dividing the bonus evenly, she ate the whole cake by keeping it all to herself.
Other Ways to Say: Be selfish, Take it all
23. Get a taste for something
Meaning: To develop a desire for more after experiencing a bit of it.
In a Sentence: After his first big commission, he got a taste for easy money and couldn’t stop chasing bigger deals.
Other Ways to Say: Crave more, Develop greed
24. The more the merrier (ironically)
Meaning: Used sarcastically when someone is being greedy.
In a Sentence: When he added three more scoops to his already full plate, I muttered, “Well, I guess the more the merrier.”
Other Ways to Say: Why stop there, Go ahead and take more
25. Fill your boots
Meaning: Take as much as you want, usually with a greedy tone.
In a Sentence: When the sale started, the customers were told to fill their boots, and they didn’t hesitate to clear out the shelves.
Other Ways to Say: Help yourself, Take freely
26. Grabby hands
Meaning: Reaching out or grabbing eagerly, often inappropriately.
In a Sentence: The toddler had grabby hands at the party, reaching for every piece of cake and candy in sight.
Other Ways to Say: Greedy reach, Can’t keep hands off
27. Make a killing
Meaning: To make a large profit, sometimes with greedy intentions.
In a Sentence: He made a killing selling basic supplies at triple the price during the shortage.
Other Ways to Say: Profit big, Cash in
28. Like vultures circling
Meaning: Waiting greedily to take advantage of a situation.
In a Sentence: The relatives showed up like vultures circling, hoping to claim something from the will.
Other Ways to Say: Wait for gain, Greedy observers
29. Gobble up
Meaning: To take or consume something quickly and greedily.
In a Sentence: The kids gobbled up all the cookies before the guests even arrived.
Other Ways to Say: Devour quickly, Snatch up
30. Golden goose
Meaning: A valuable source of continuous income, often greedily overused.
In a Sentence: They kept pushing the product harder each year until they killed the golden goose by overcharging customers.
Other Ways to Say: Endless money source, Profitable thing
31. Have it all
Meaning: To want everything without compromise.
In a Sentence: She wanted to have it all—success, fame, money, and attention—without giving anything back in return.
Other Ways to Say: Want everything, Not settle for less
32. Bite the hand that feeds you
Meaning: To harm someone who is helping you, often out of selfishness.
In a Sentence: He bit the hand that fed him by trying to steal business from his mentor.
Other Ways to Say: Be ungrateful, Act selfishly
33. Take candy from a baby
Meaning: To take something easily and unfairly, often from someone weaker.
In a Sentence: Selling overpriced items to confused tourists was like taking candy from a baby.
Other Ways to Say: Exploit, Take advantage
34. A dog with two bones
Meaning: Someone who wants everything but ends up with nothing due to greed.
In a Sentence: He couldn’t decide between the two jobs, and like a dog with two bones, he lost both opportunities.
Other Ways to Say: Be too greedy, Lose by wanting too much
35. Live high on the hog
Meaning: To live in luxury, often with excess spending.
In a Sentence: After winning the lottery, they started living high on the hog, throwing lavish parties every weekend.
Other Ways to Say: Live richly, Spend big
36. Rake it in
Meaning: To make a lot of money, usually greedily.
In a Sentence: The influencer was raking it in from brand deals and barely had time for real content anymore.
Other Ways to Say: Earn a lot, Cash in
37. Take someone to the cleaners
Meaning: To take all of someone’s money, often unfairly.
In a Sentence: That lawyer took him to the cleaners during the divorce settlement, leaving him nearly broke.
Other Ways to Say: Drain financially, Rip off
38. Money-hungry
Meaning: Obsessed with making money.
In a Sentence: He became so money-hungry that he stopped caring about family, friends, or anything that didn’t earn him a profit.
Other Ways to Say: Greedy, Obsessed with wealth
39. Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: Someone who appears kind but is selfish or greedy underneath.
In a Sentence: She acted generous in public, but was a wolf in sheep’s clothing who only donated to get tax breaks.
Other Ways to Say: Fake kindness, Hidden greed
40. Pig out
Meaning: To eat greedily or excessively.
In a Sentence: After finals, we pigged out on pizza, wings, and soda until we couldn’t move.
Other Ways to Say: Overeat, Stuff yourself
41. Have a one-track mind
Meaning: To be focused only on one thing, often greedily.
In a Sentence: He had a one-track mind for money and ignored everything else, even his health.
Other Ways to Say: Obsessed, Single-minded
42. Grab the spotlight
Meaning: To take all the attention, often greedily.
In a Sentence: She always has to grab the spotlight, even at other people’s birthday parties.
Other Ways to Say: Hog the attention, Steal the show
43. With both hands
Meaning: To take or accept something eagerly and greedily.
In a Sentence: When the offer came in, he accepted it with both hands without reading the fine print.
Other Ways to Say: Grab eagerly, Jump at the chance
44. Can’t get enough
Meaning: Always wanting more of something.
In a Sentence: He can’t get enough of shopping—even when he’s broke, he finds a way to buy something new.
Other Ways to Say: Never satisfied, Always want more
45. Take advantage of
Meaning: To exploit someone or a situation for selfish reasons.
In a Sentence: She took advantage of her friend’s kindness by constantly borrowing money without ever paying it back.
Other Ways to Say: Use selfishly, Exploit
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- He’s so ______________ that he reused old wrapping paper to save a few cents.
- After that huge bonus, she started living ______________ on the hog.
- Don’t be like a dog with two ______________ or you’ll lose both chances.
- He was caught trying to ______________ his pockets during the fundraiser.
- They were acting like ______________ circling the estate after the will was announced.
- That influencer is totally money-______________ now.
- She always grabs the ______________ at every event.
- He couldn’t resist the cake and just had to ______________ out.
- I accepted the job with both ______________ because I needed it badly.
- She acted nice, but was truly a ______________ in sheep’s clothing.
- He’ll eat you ______________ of house and home if you let him stay.
- The cashier suspected she had ______________ fingers after the register came up short.
Answers:
penny pincher, high, bones, line, vultures, hungry, spotlight, pig, hands, wolf, out, sticky
Conclusion
Idioms about greed reveal just how deeply this emotion runs in human behavior. From wanting more food than you can eat to grabbing more money than you need, these phrases capture the humor, drama, and lessons that come with excessive desire. Learning and using these idioms helps us talk about greed in ways that are vivid, honest, and sometimes even funny.
So next time you see someone piling up their plate or chasing money without limits, try tossing in an idiom or two—you’ll sound wise and witty. Keep practicing these expressions and watch your language skills grow richer than a cash cow on payday!
