Greed is a powerful feeling—one that can drive people to take more than they need or want things at the expense of others. To better understand and talk about greed, we often turn to idioms—those colorful, expressive phrases that help us describe human behavior in creative ways.
Idioms for greed are used in stories, conversations, and even in cartoons to show what happens when people let their desires go too far. These sayings often carry a warning or a lesson, showing us that wanting too much can lead to trouble. In this article, you’ll explore common idioms that express greed, their meanings, and how to use them in everyday life.
Let’s dive into these rich expressions that reveal how too much wanting can sometimes leave us with nothing at all.
Idioms for Greed
1. Grasping at straws
Meaning: Trying desperately to get or keep something, even when it’s unlikely or hopeless.
In a Sentence: Even though he already had more than enough, he was still grasping at straws by pushing others out of the way for the last piece of cake.
Other Ways to Say: Clinging to false hope, Desperately reaching
2. A dog in the manger
Meaning: Someone who doesn’t need something but won’t let others have it either.
In a Sentence: She never plays with that toy, but she acts like a dog in the manger when her little brother wants to.
Other Ways to Say: Selfishly hoarding, Blocking others without reason
3. Have your cake and eat it too
Meaning: Wanting to enjoy two things that are usually not possible together, especially when it’s unfair.
In a Sentence: He wants to have his cake and eat it too by spending all his money but still expecting to save up.
Other Ways to Say: Wanting it both ways, Being unreasonable
4. Money doesn’t grow on trees
Meaning: A reminder that resources, especially money, are limited and shouldn’t be wasted.
In a Sentence: When I asked for a new video game after getting one last week, my mom reminded me that money doesn’t grow on trees.
Other Ways to Say: Be responsible, Watch your spending
5. The world is your oyster
Meaning: Believing everything is there for the taking, especially when used to criticize a greedy or entitled attitude.
In a Sentence: He walks around like the world is his oyster, thinking he deserves everything without putting in the effort.
Other Ways to Say: Everything is for you, Expecting too much
6. Take more than your fair share
Meaning: To take more than what’s reasonable or deserved.
In a Sentence: At the buffet, he took more than his fair share, leaving very little for others who hadn’t even started eating yet.
Other Ways to Say: Be selfish, Hog the resources
7. All for one and none for all
Meaning: A twist on the famous phrase, this means acting selfishly with no care for others.
In a Sentence: Instead of working as a team, he played the game like it was all for one and none for all.
Other Ways to Say: Self-centered behavior, Ignoring others
8. Eat like a king, starve the rest
Meaning: To live in luxury while ignoring others’ needs.
In a Sentence: The manager’s bonus let him eat like a king, while his workers struggled with low wages.
Other Ways to Say: Take everything, Leave others with nothing
9. Penny wise, pound foolish
Meaning: Being careful with small amounts of money but wasteful with large ones.
In a Sentence: He clips every coupon but buys expensive gadgets he doesn’t need—penny wise, pound foolish.
Other Ways to Say: Bad with money, Short-sighted thinking
10. Get your hands dirty
Meaning: Often used when someone is willing to do unethical or greedy things to get what they want.
In a Sentence: He was ready to get his hands dirty just to climb the corporate ladder, even if it meant betraying his friends.
Other Ways to Say: Act shady, Do unethical things
11. Cry over gold
Meaning: To be overly upset about money or wealth, even when others are hurting more.
In a Sentence: While the team lost the game, he cried over gold because his expensive shoes got muddy.
Other Ways to Say: Obsess over wealth, Prioritize money
12. Fill your pockets
Meaning: To make money—often secretly or dishonestly—at the expense of others.
In a Sentence: The politician filled his pockets with donations that were supposed to help the community.
Other Ways to Say: Line your wallet, Take advantage
13. Gimme gimme never gets
Meaning: A phrase used to remind greedy people that demanding everything usually leads to nothing.
In a Sentence: She kept whining for more candy, and I just said, “Gimme gimme never gets.”
Other Ways to Say: Stop demanding, Be grateful
14. Roll in dough
Meaning: Having so much money that it seems excessive or greedy.
In a Sentence: He’s rolling in dough but still refuses to donate a single dollar to charity.
Other Ways to Say: Be filthy rich, Hoard money
15. Climb over others to the top
Meaning: To become successful by hurting or ignoring others.
In a Sentence: She climbed over others to the top of the class, even if it meant sabotaging her classmates.
Other Ways to Say: Step on others, Rise by harming
16. A fat cat
Meaning: A wealthy and greedy person, especially one in power or business.
In a Sentence: The CEO acted like a fat cat, raking in millions while his employees struggled to pay rent.
Other Ways to Say: Rich and selfish, Big spender
17. Grabby hands
Meaning: Someone who always wants to take things, especially money or possessions, without considering others.
In a Sentence: He reached for every single prize on the table like he had grabby hands and couldn’t stop.
Other Ways to Say: Always taking, Greedy fingers
18. Money-hungry
Meaning: Obsessed with making or having money, often in a selfish way.
In a Sentence: She’s so money-hungry she picked her job based only on salary, not passion or purpose.
Other Ways to Say: Greedy, Obsessed with wealth
19. Line one’s pockets
Meaning: To get rich dishonestly, especially by abusing a position of trust or power.
In a Sentence: The corrupt official lined his pockets while pretending to serve the public.
Other Ways to Say: Steal for profit, Take bribes
20. Hoard wealth
Meaning: To collect and keep money or resources selfishly without sharing.
In a Sentence: He hoarded wealth in his mansion while ignoring the needs of the people around him.
Other Ways to Say: Pile up riches, Keep everything
21. Grab everything but the kitchen sink
Meaning: To take as much as possible, often more than necessary.
In a Sentence: She went shopping and grabbed everything but the kitchen sink, just because it was on sale.
Other Ways to Say: Take it all, Overdo it
22. Gold-digger
Meaning: Someone who is only interested in another person for their money.
In a Sentence: Everyone warned him she was a gold-digger, only dating him for his fancy car and cash.
Other Ways to Say: Fortune hunter, Relationship for money
23. Green-eyed monster
Meaning: Jealousy, especially the kind that makes someone greedy for what others have.
In a Sentence: The green-eyed monster came out when he saw his friend’s new phone and wanted one immediately.
Other Ways to Say: Envy, Jealous greed
24. A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: Someone who seems kind but is secretly greedy or dangerous.
In a Sentence: He acted nice during the meeting, but he was really a wolf in sheep’s clothing trying to take all the credit.
Other Ways to Say: Deceptive, Secretly greedy
25. Rake it in
Meaning: To make a lot of money, often in a fast or greedy way.
In a Sentence: His online store was raking it in so quickly, he started charging more for basic items.
Other Ways to Say: Bring in big money, Cash in
26. A cash cow
Meaning: Something or someone that makes a lot of money with little effort.
In a Sentence: The old game turned into a cash cow for the company, so they kept selling it without any updates.
Other Ways to Say: Big earner, Easy money-maker
27. Gobble it up
Meaning: To take or use something quickly and greedily.
In a Sentence: The kids gobbled up the snacks without leaving anything for their little sister.
Other Ways to Say: Snatch quickly, Consume greedily
28. All take and no give
Meaning: Always asking or receiving but never offering or helping in return.
In a Sentence: His friendship was all take and no give—he only called when he needed something.
Other Ways to Say: Selfish, One-sided
29. Live high on the hog
Meaning: To live in luxury and spend lots of money, sometimes greedily.
In a Sentence: After winning the lottery, they lived high on the hog, buying three cars and a pool.
Other Ways to Say: Live in luxury, Spend freely
30. A heart full of hunger
Meaning: A poetic way of saying someone is driven by deep, endless desire—often for more money, power, or things.
In a Sentence: He had a heart full of hunger and no amount of success could ever satisfy him.
Other Ways to Say: Always wanting more, Never content
31. Like a kid in a candy store
Meaning: Extremely excited and grabbing at everything, often with a greedy attitude.
In a Sentence: When he walked into the electronics shop, he acted like a kid in a candy store, wanting to buy everything he saw.
Other Ways to Say: Overexcited, Grabbing at everything
32. Too much of a good thing
Meaning: Having or wanting so much of something that it becomes harmful.
In a Sentence: She loved chocolate, but eating five bars a day was definitely too much of a good thing.
Other Ways to Say: Overindulgence, Too greedy
33. Feast or famine
Meaning: A situation where you have either too much or nothing at all, often due to poor planning or greedy decisions.
In a Sentence: His work schedule was always feast or famine—either overloaded or completely empty because he never balanced his time.
Other Ways to Say: Extreme ups and downs, All or nothing
34. More than meets the eye
Meaning: Something or someone may appear innocent but hides greedy or selfish intentions.
In a Sentence: The new investor seemed helpful, but there was more than meets the eye—he only cared about profits.
Other Ways to Say: Hidden motives, Not what it seems
35. Take candy from a baby
Meaning: Doing something greedy or mean that’s far too easy and unfair.
In a Sentence: Charging that much for a bottle of water felt like taking candy from a baby.
Other Ways to Say: Exploit someone, Be unfair
36. Keep it all under your hat
Meaning: To keep something secret, often because it involves greedy intentions.
In a Sentence: He kept his plans to buy out the company under his hat so no one would stop him.
Other Ways to Say: Keep secret, Don’t tell
37. Squirrel something away
Meaning: To hide or save things—especially money or food—for oneself.
In a Sentence: He squirreled away hundreds of dollars in his room instead of helping with family expenses.
Other Ways to Say: Hide money, Secretly save
38. Pay through the nose
Meaning: To be charged an unfairly high price, often due to someone else’s greed.
In a Sentence: We had to pay through the nose for parking at the stadium because of the big event.
Other Ways to Say: Overpay, Get ripped off
39. Dig your own grave
Meaning: To create trouble for yourself through greedy actions.
In a Sentence: By stealing from the company, he was digging his own grave without realizing it.
Other Ways to Say: Self-destruct, Set yourself up for failure
40. Eat you alive
Meaning: When greed takes over someone and controls their thoughts or actions.
In a Sentence: His desire to be the richest man in town started to eat him alive.
Other Ways to Say: Consume with greed, Lose control
41. Drown in riches
Meaning: To have so much wealth that it becomes excessive or even harmful.
In a Sentence: After inheriting millions, he was drowning in riches and didn’t know how to handle it responsibly.
Other Ways to Say: Overwhelmed by wealth, Too rich
42. Greedy guts
Meaning: A playful but critical term for someone who wants everything for themselves.
In a Sentence: Don’t be a greedy guts—leave some pizza for the rest of us!
Other Ways to Say: Selfish eater, Always taking
43. Never enough
Meaning: When someone always wants more, no matter how much they already have.
In a Sentence: He got a new phone last week, but it’s never enough—now he wants the newest model again.
Other Ways to Say: Always dissatisfied, Constantly wanting
44. Stash away for a rainy day
Meaning: Saving money or resources, sometimes greedily, for the future.
In a Sentence: She stashed away money for a rainy day, but never helped her siblings when they needed it.
Other Ways to Say: Save for later, Secret savings
45. The golden goose
Meaning: A source of steady wealth that someone exploits until it stops giving.
In a Sentence: His online business was the golden goose, but greed made him push too hard and ruin it.
Other Ways to Say: Main source of income, Profitable asset
Practical Exercise
Fill in the blanks:
- He was so rich, yet he still acted like a _______ in the candy store.
- She had _______ and couldn’t stop taking more, even after everyone else was full.
- The greedy businessman tried to _______ his pockets during the charity event.
- You shouldn’t be so _______ with those cookies—leave some for your sister!
- That deal was so unfair, we basically had to _______ through the nose for it.
- When the company collapsed, everyone realized he had been a _______ in sheep’s clothing all along.
- His endless desire for more fame and fortune began to _______ him alive.
- She always _______ things away instead of sharing with the group.
- If you keep making selfish moves at work, you’ll end up _______ your own grave.
- After all that spending, he was _______ in riches but totally alone.
Answers:
kid, greedy guts, line, grabby, pay, wolf, eat, squirrels, digging, drowning
Conclusion
Greed can sneak into our actions and words more often than we realize, and idioms help us describe those moments with clarity and creativity. These phrases aren’t just fun—they carry lessons about the importance of fairness, gratitude, and self-control.
Try using these idioms in conversations or writing to better express when someone (even yourself!) is being a little too focused on “more.” Learning to recognize greed, and speak about it clearly, is one step toward living more mindfully and kindly.