On this page13 sections
The most common similes for excitement are like a kid on Christmas morning, like a kid in a candy store, like a dog with two tails, buzzing like a beehive, like a racehorse at the starting gate and bouncing around like a puppy. Each one compares an excited person to someone or something everyone has seen that excited, using like or as. The trick is choosing the right kind of excitement: eager waiting, pure delight, restless energy, nervous thrill, or a whole crowd going wild.
Below, the similes are grouped by that kind, with an example in a real sentence and a note where one is regional or easy to misuse. For “excitement is…” comparisons without like or as, see metaphors for excitement; set phrases such as “on the edge of your seat” are on idioms for excitement.
Quick picker
| What kind of excited? | Simile |
|---|---|
| can’t wait for something | like a kid on Christmas Eve, like a racehorse at the starting gate |
| thrilled with what you got | like a kid on Christmas morning, like a dog with two tails |
| surrounded by things you love | like a kid in a candy store (UK: in a sweet shop) |
| can’t sit still | like a puppy, like a jack-in-the-box, like a shaken soda bottle |
| full of nervous energy | like a live wire, heart pounding like a drum |
| a room or crowd buzzing | buzzing like a beehive, like a stadium after a goal |
| excited, but quietly | glowing like a lamp, eyes shining like stars |
Excited about something coming
- Like a kid on Christmas Eve. Wide awake with waiting. “She’s been like a kid on Christmas Eve all week; the flight is on Saturday.”
- Like a racehorse at the starting gate. Eager and ready to go, held back only until the signal. “The new hires were like racehorses at the starting gate.” Good for work contexts.
- Like a dog that’s heard its lead. (US: leash.) Instant, whole-body eagerness the moment something is mentioned. “Say the word ‘beach’ and he’s like a dog that’s heard its lead.”
- Like a coiled spring. Energy held in, about to be released. Careful: it can also mean tense or ready to snap, so make the context clear. “The team sat like coiled springs, waiting for the results.”
- Counting the days like a prisoner. Half-joking, for long waits. “I’m counting the days to the holiday like a prisoner marking the wall.”
Thrilled with what happened
- Like a kid on Christmas morning. Delight at receiving something. “He opened the new laptop like a kid on Christmas morning.”
- Like a kid in a candy store. Delighted by many good choices, sometimes a bit overwhelmed. British English says sweet shop. “In the bookshop she was like a kid in a candy store.”
- Like a dog with two tails. British; very pleased and proud. “Since he passed his driving test he’s been like a dog with two tails.”
- Grinning like an idiot / grinning from ear to ear. Unable to stop smiling. Note that grinning like a Cheshire cat means smug or knowing, not simply excited.
- As happy as a kid at a birthday party. Plain, warm and easy to understand for learners.
Can’t sit still
- Bouncing around like a puppy. “The children were bouncing around like puppies before the trip.”
- Like a jack-in-the-box. Jumping up again and again. “Every time the doorbell rang she shot up like a jack-in-the-box.”
- Like a shaken soda bottle (UK: fizzy drink). Excitement about to burst out. “He was like a shaken soda bottle, dying to tell us the news.”
- Like the Energizer Bunny. Endless energy that keeps going. In North America the advertising rabbit is the Energizer Bunny; in Britain and much of Europe people say the Duracell bunny. Pick the one your readers know.
- As hyper as a kid on a sugar rush. Over-excited, a little out of control. Informal.
Nervous, fluttery excitement
Excitement and nerves feel alike in the body, so these similes describe the physical signs.
- Like a live wire. Crackling with energy; also used for a lively person. “On stage she was like a live wire.”
- Heart pounding like a drum. “My heart was pounding like a drum when they read out the names.”
- Like electricity running through me. A sudden thrill. “When the crowd started singing, it was like electricity running through me.”
- Shaking like a leaf. Usually fear, but also the shakes of big excitement, so add context: “I was shaking like a leaf, but in a good way.”
When the feeling is more fear than thrill, similes for nervous will fit better.
Excited crowds and places
- Buzzing like a beehive. A room full of excited talk. “The school hall was buzzing like a beehive before the results.”
- Like a stadium after a goal. A sudden roar of joy. “When the cake came out, the party went off like a stadium after a goal.”
- Like a pot about to boil over. Excitement building in a group. Can also hint at trouble, so it suits tense, exciting moments.
- Like fireworks going off. Bursts of noise and colour. “The square erupted like fireworks going off when the band appeared.”
Quiet, glowing excitement
Not all excitement is loud. These suit writing about a quieter thrill.
- Eyes shining like stars. “Her eyes were shining like stars when she told us she’d got the place.”
- Glowing like a lamp. Visible inner happiness. “He came home glowing like a lamp after the interview.”
- Like a secret about to burst. Trying to hide excitement and failing. “She sat through dinner like a secret about to burst.”
Similes for excitement by situation
The same feeling sounds different in a text to a friend, a work email and a story. Here are ready-made lines for common moments.
| Situation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| A holiday or trip | “Two days to go and I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve.” |
| A new job or project | “The whole team is like a racehorse at the starting gate for this launch.” |
| A concert or match | “The arena was buzzing like a beehive an hour before kick-off.” |
| Good news you can’t share yet | “I’ve been like a shaken soda bottle all day; I can’t wait to tell you.” |
| A child’s birthday | “The twins were bouncing around like puppies from six in the morning.” |
| A first date | “My heart was going like a drum the whole way there.” |
| A shopping trip or market | “At the vintage fair he was like a kid in a candy store.” |
| A pet | “When the car pulls in, the dog spins like a top by the door.” |
In a formal email, a simile is usually too much. “I’m delighted to accept” or “I’m really looking forward to starting” says it better; save “like a kid on Christmas morning” for colleagues you know well.
From tired to fresh
The well-known similes are clear because everyone has heard them; that is also why they can feel flat in a story. A fresher simile keeps the same idea but takes its picture from the character’s own world.
| Familiar | Fresher, for a particular character |
|---|---|
| like a kid on Christmas morning | a gardener: “like the first morning the seeds come up” |
| bouncing like a puppy | a dancer: “her feet wouldn’t stay on the floor, as if the music had already started” |
| buzzing like a beehive | a kitchen: “the room hissed and clattered like a restaurant at eight o’clock on a Saturday” |
| like a racehorse at the starting gate | a pilot: “like an engine running up before take-off” |
| heart pounding like a drum | a drummer, turned round: “his heart had found a faster tempo than the song” |
The test is simple: would this person really think of that comparison? If yes, keep it. If it only sounds clever, use the plain familiar one.
Using them in writing
Similes for excitement work best when they show the reader something specific. “He was very excited” tells; “he hovered by the window like a dog that’s heard its lead” shows. Three tips:
- Match the simile to the person. A child can be “like a puppy”; a senior colleague “like a racehorse at the starting gate” sounds more natural.
- Make your own from the scene. A footballer before a final: “like a sprinter in the blocks”. A chef before opening night: “like a pan of oil just before it spits”. The best similes come from the world of the story.
- One per moment. “Like a kid on Christmas morning, like a puppy, like a live wire” in one sentence cancels itself out.
Common mistakes
- “Like a deer in headlights.” This means frozen with shock or panic, not excited.
- “Like a cat on a hot tin roof” (UK: on hot bricks). Restless and anxious, not happily excited.
- “As cool as a cucumber.” The opposite: calm under pressure.
- Speed similes for excitement. “As fast as a cheetah” or “as quick as lightning” describe speed. They only work for excitement if something is moving fast: “the news spread like wildfire” is fine; “I was as excited as a cheetah” is not.
- “On cloud nine” and “over the moon” are not similes. They are idioms: there is no like or as. They belong on idiom lists, though they mean very happy.
- Brightness for excitement. “As shiny as a new penny” means clean and new, not excited; “bright-eyed” is the safer light image.
Practice
A. Pick the simile that fits.
- The children couldn’t sleep the night before the trip. They were ______. (like kids on Christmas Eve / as cool as cucumbers)
- Give him a whole aisle of new games and he’s ______. (like a kid in a candy store / like a deer in headlights)
- She’d just got the job, and she was ______ all evening. (like a dog with two tails / like a cat on hot bricks)
- The waiting room was ______ before the results were posted. (buzzing like a beehive / as quiet as a tomb)
- The athletes stood ______, waiting for the gun. (like racehorses at the starting gate / like a dodo)
B. Excited or not? Say whether each simile describes excitement.
- like a deer in headlights
- like a live wire
- as cool as a cucumber
- like a shaken soda bottle
C. Write your own. Finish with a simile from the scene: “Before her first concert, the young violinist was like ______.”
Answers
1 like kids on Christmas Eve · 2 like a kid in a candy store · 3 like a dog with two tails · 4 buzzing like a beehive · 5 like racehorses at the starting gate · 6 no (frozen with shock) · 7 yes · 8 no (calm) · 9 yes · C, one possibility: “like a string tuned a little too tight, ready to sing”.
Quick answers
What is a good simile for excitement? “Like a kid on Christmas morning” is the best known. For waiting, “like a kid on Christmas Eve”; for restless energy, “bouncing around like a puppy”.
Is “butterflies in my stomach” a simile? No, it is a metaphor (or idiom), because it does not use like or as. “It felt like butterflies in my stomach” turns it into a simile.
What is a simile for an excited crowd? “Buzzing like a beehive” for chatter, “like a stadium after a goal” for a roar.
What is a simile for “very excited” in a story for children? Keep it concrete and familiar: “as excited as a puppy at the park”, “like a kid on the last day of school”, “jumping like popcorn in a pan”.
Can I use “as excited as…” as a simile? Yes: “as excited as a kid on Christmas morning” is a simile with as. Just make sure the thing you compare to is clearly excited; “as excited as a cat” makes readers stop and wonder.
For more on how similes, metaphors and idioms differ, see figurative language, and for calmer good feelings, similes for happy.