Like a fish out of water means feeling awkward and uncomfortable in an unfamiliar place or company. People usually say feel like a fish out of water about a first day at a new job, a party where you don't know anyone, or life in a foreign country. The image is clear: a fish on land is helpless.
When would you say like a fish out of water?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
feel like a fish out of water; be (a bit of) a fish out of water + in/at + place
- On my first day at the new office I felt like a fish out of water.
- He grew up in a small village, so in London he was a bit of a fish out of water.
- I was like a fish out of water at the wedding because I didn't know anyone there.
What changed
First versionAt the party I felt like a fish in water because I knew everyone.
RevisionAt the party I was in my element because I knew everyone.
Since a fish out of water is uncomfortable, a fish in water seems a logical way to say the opposite, and in many languages it is. But a native speaker would struggle to understand it: in English, only the fish out of water is a fixed phrase. To say you feel confident and enjoy your surroundings, English says be in your element.
If someone quickly gets the hang of something new, people say take to something like a duck to water: She took to skiing like a duck to water. Be in your element means doing something that comes easily and that you enjoy: He's in his element in the kitchen.
Your turn
Everyone at the conference was a doctor, and I was the only teacher, so I felt ___.
Show the answer
like a fish out of water — The speaker is the only teacher among doctors and feels uncomfortable, so like a fish out of water. In my element would mean they felt confident and in the right place.
Write about a place where you felt uncomfortable. Say where it was and why you felt out of place.
At my friend's yoga retreat I felt like a fish out of water, because everyone else had practised for years.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.