on earth
Idioms-
Also, in creation ; in the world . Ever, anywhere, of all possible things. These phrases are all used for emphasis in questions or, less often, in a negative context. For example, What on earth is he doing with a spade? or Where in creation did that child go? or How in the world do you expect me to carry all those bags? [Late 1700s]
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like nothing on earth . Incomparable. For example, That perfume smells like nothing on earth , or Her new hair color is like nothing on earth . [c. 1900]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Books are super fuel for the human mind, the mightiest intellect on earth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Now he could be the Imagineer to bring the 17-time champion Lakers back to the happiest place on earth — the NBA’s mountaintop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Such overarching public sentiment inspired Johnson to pen a 700-word essay on why that mindset was the “most interesting phenomenon happening on earth right now.”
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
The Pacific island had been the self-proclaimed last nation on earth without a football team, but Nauru have also been claiming this tag.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Exotic creatures? What on earth do you mean?”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
