Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Phrasal Verb
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
invite on a date
ask around
add up to something
equal
back something up
reverse
back someone up
support
blow up
explode
blow something up
add air
We have to blow 50
balloons up for the party.
break down
stop functioning
(vehicle,
machine)
break down
get upset
break somethingdown
divide into
smaller parts
break in
force entry to a
building
enter forcibly
break something in
wear something
a few times so
that it doesn't
look/feel new
week.
break in
interrupt
break up
end a
relationship
break up
start laughing
(informal)
break out
escape
develop a skin
condition
make unhappy
bring someone up
raise a child
My
grandparents brought me up
after my parents died.
bring something up
start talking
about a subject
bring something up
vomit
call around
phone many
different
places/people
return a phone
call
I called the
company back but the offices
were closed for the weekend.
cancel
call on someone
ask for an
answer or
opinion
call on someone
visit someone
call someone up
phone
calm down
not care
forsomeone/something
catch up
check in
arrive and
register at a
hotel or airport
check out
leave a hotel
checksomeone/somethin
gout
look at carefully,
investigate
check
outsomeone/something
look at
(informal)
cheer up
become happier
cheer someone up
make happier
chip in
help
clean something up
tidy, clean
come acrosssomething
find
unexpectedly
come apart
separate
come down
withsomething
become sick
come forward
volunteer for a
task or to give
evidence
come fromsomewhere
originate in
count
onsomeone/something
rely on
I am counting on you to
make dinner while I am out.
draw a line
through
consume less
make something
fall to the ground
cut in
interrupt
cut in
pull in too
closely in front of
another vehicle
cut in
start operating
(of an engine or
electrical device)
remove with
something sharp
stop providing
My grandparents cut my
father off when he remarried.
remove part of
something
(usually with
scissors and
paper)
dosomeone/somethingov
er
do something over
do again
(N.Amer.)
My teacher wants me
to do my essayover because
she doesn't like my topic.
do away withsomething
discard
do something up
fasten, close
dress up
wear nice
clothing
drop back
move back in a
position/group
drop in/by/over
come without an
appointment
dropsomeone/somethingo
ff
take
someone/someth
ing somewhere
and leave
them/it there
I have to drop my
sister off at work before I
come over.
drop out
quit a class,
school etc
eat out
eat at a
restaurant
end up
eventually
reach/do/decide
We ended up renting a
movie instead of going to the
theatre.
fall apart
fall down
fall out
separate from an
interior
fall out
understand, find
the answer
fill something in
to write
information in
blanks (Br.E.)
to write
information in
blanks (N.Amer.)
fill something up
find out
discover
discover
get somethingacross/ov
er
communicate,
make
understandable
I tried to get my
point across/over to the
judge but she wouldn't listen.
get along/on
get around
have mobility
get away
go on a vacation
do without being
noticed or
punished
get back
return
receive
something you
had before
retaliate, take
revenge
become
interested in
something again
get on something
step onto a
vehicle
recover from an
illness, loss,
difficulty
overcome a
problem
get together
get up
get up
stand
reveal hidden
information
about someone
ruin a secret
give something
to someone for
free
return a
borrowed item
give in
reluctantly stop
fighting or
arguing
give to many
people (usually
at no cost)
give something up
quit a habit
I am giving up smoking as of
January 1st.
give up
stop trying
go after someone
follow someone
My brother tried to go
after the thief in his car.
go after something
try to achieve
something
go against someone
compete, oppose
go ahead
start, proceed
go back
return to a place
go out
leave home to go
on a social event
date
go over something
review
go over
visit someone
nearby
go without something
suffer lack or
deprivation
withoutwinter boots.
grow apart
stop being
friends over time
grow back
regrow
grow up
become an adult
give something
used to someone
else
hand something in
submit
to distribute to a
group of people
give (usually
unwillingly)
hang in
stay positive
(N.Amer.,
informal)
hang on
hang out
spend time
relaxing
(informal)
hang up
holdsomeone/somethingb
ack
prevent from
doing/going
I had to hold my
dog back because there was
a cat in the park.
hide an emotion
hold on
hold
ontosomeone/something
holdsomeone/somethingu
p
rob
A man in a black
mask held the bank upthis
morning.
keep on doingsomething
continue doing
not tell
We kept our
relationship from our parents
for two years.
keepsomeone/something
out
stop from
entering
keep something up
continue at the
same rate
fail to support or
help, disappoint
let someone in
allow to enter
look
aftersomeone/something
take care of
look
forsomeone/something
try to find
look forward
tosomething
be excited about
the future
investigate
look out
be careful,
vigilant, and
take notice
look out
forsomeone/something
be especially
vigilant for
check, examine
look something up
look up to someone
have a lot of
respect for
make something up
make up
forgive each
other
make someone up
apply cosmetics
to
mix something up
confuse two or
more things
pass away
die
pass out
faint
pass something up
decline (usually
something good)
return owed
money
be punished for
doing something
bad
choose
pointsomeone/something
out
indicate with
your finger
I'll point my
boyfriend out when he runs
by.
insult, make
someone feel
stupid
postpone
extinguish
put somethingtogether
assemble
put up
withsomeone/something
tolerate
put something on
put
clothing/accessor
ies on your body
run
intosomeone/something
meet
unexpectedly
run
oversomeone/something
drive a vehicle
over a person or
thing
run
over/throughsomething
rehearse, review
Let's run
over/through these lines
one more time before the
show.
run away
leave
unexpectedly,
escape
run out
return (usually
by mail)
set something up
arrange,
organize
set someone up
trick, trap
shop around
compare prices
show off
for people
watching
(usually
boastfully)
skateboard
sleep over
stay somewhere
for the night
(informal)
organize, resolve
a problem
stick to something
continue doing
something, limit
yourself to one
particular thing
switch something on
resemble a
family member
purposely break
into pieces
return an item
take off
start to fly
remove
something
(usually
clothing)
remove from a
place or thing
My
grandparents took us out for
dinner and a movie.
tear something up
I tore up my ex-boyfriend's
letters and gave them back to
him.
think back
remember (often
+ to, sometimes
+ on)
consider
throw somethingaway
dispose of
decrease the
volume or
strength (heat,
light etc)
refuse
I turned the
job down because I don't
want to move.
turn something on
turn something up
increase the
volume or
strength (heat,
light etc)
turn up
appear suddenly
sample clothing
test
use something up
wake up
stop sleeping
warmsomeone/somethin
gup
increase the
temperature
warm up
wear off
fade away
work out
exercise
work out
be successful
make a
calculation