Abstract. This article provides an extensive analysis of the semantic characteristics of English idiomatic phraseological units, focusing specifically on verbal idioms and their unique patterns of variation. Idioms constitute an essential part of the English lexicon, representing culturally conditioned, semantically complex units whose meanings cannot be deduced from the meanings of their individual components. This study explores the semantic integrity, metaphorical motivation, cognitive underpinnings, grammatical adaptability, and lexical-structural variability of verbal idioms. Drawing from cognitive linguistics, phraseology theory, discourse studies, and corpus-based examples, this paper demonstrates how verbal idioms form a dynamic subsystem within English phraseology, capable of expressing actions, states, emotions, and social interactions through metaphorical and culturally embedded structures. Additionally, challenges of interpretation and cross-linguistic translation are analyzed. Results suggest that verbal idioms perform significant semantic, stylistic, and pragmatic functions in modern communication and require a multilayered linguistic approach for accurate understanding.