phrasal verbmeaningexample sentenceask sby outinvite on a

dateBrian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.ask

aroundask many people the same questionI asked
around but nobody has seen my wallet.add up
to sthgequalYour purchases add up
to $205.32.back sthg upreverseYou'll have to back up your
car so that I can get out.back sby upsupportMy
wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job.blow
upexplodeThe racing car blew up after it crashed into the
fence.blow sthg upadd airWe have to blow 50
balloons up for the party.break downstop functioning
(vehicle, machine)Our car broke down at the side of the
highway in the snowstorm.break downget upsetThe
woman broke down when the police told her that her son
had died.break sthgdowndivide into smaller partsOur
teacher broke the final project downinto three separate
parts.break inforce entry to a buildingSomebody broke
in last night and stole our stereo.break intosthgenter
forciblyThe firemen had to break into the room to rescue the
children.break sthg inwear sthg a few times so that it doesn't
look/feel newI need to break these shoes in before we run
next week.break ininterruptThe TV station broke in to
report the news of the president's death.break upend a
relationshipMy boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to
America.break upstart laughing (informal)The kids
just broke up as soon as the clown started talking.break
outescapeThe prisoners broke out of jail when the guards
weren't looking.break out insthgdevelop a skin
conditionI broke out in a rash after our camping
trip.bring sbydownmake unhappyThis sad music
is bringing me down.bring sby upraise a childMy
grandparents brought me up after my parents
died.bring sthg upstart talking about a subjectMy mother
walks out of the room when my father brings
up sports.bring sthg upvomitHe drank so much that
he brought his dinner up in the toilet.call aroundphone
many different places/peopleWe called around but we
weren't able to find the car part we
needed.call sby backreturn a phone callI called the
company back but the offices were closed for the
weekend.call sthg offcancelJason called the
wedding off because he wasn't in love with his fiancé.call
on sbyask for an answer or opinionThe professor called
on me for question 1.call on sbyvisit sbyWe called on you
last night but you weren't home.call sby upphoneGive me
your phone number and I will callyou up when we are in
town.calm downrelax after being angryYou are still mad. You
need to calm downbefore you drive the car.not care forsby/
sthgnot like (formal)I don't care for his behaviour.catch
upget to the same point as sby elseYou'll have to run faster
than that if you want to catch up with Marty.check inarrive
and register at a hotel or airportWe will get the hotel keys
when we check in.check outleave a hotelYou have to check
out of the hotel before 11:00 AM.check sby/ sthg outlook at
carefully, investigateThe company checks out all new
employees.check outsby/ sthglook at (informal)Check
out the crazy hair on that guy!cheer upbecome
happierShe cheered up when she heard the good
news.cheer sby upmake happierI brought you some flowers
to cheer you up.chip inhelpIf everyone chips in we can get
the kitchen painted by noon.clean sthg uptidy,
cleanPlease clean up your bedroom before you go
outside.come acrosssthgfind unexpectedlyI came
across these old photos when I was tidying the closet.come
apartseparateThe top and bottom come apart if you pull
hard enough.come down with sthgbecome sickMy
nephew came down with chicken pox this weekend.come
forwardvolunteer for a task or to give evidenceThe
woman came forward with her husband's finger prints.come
fromsome placeoriginate inThe art of origami comes
from Asia.count on sby/ sthgrely onI am counting on you
to make dinner while I am out.cross sthg outdraw a line
throughPlease cross out your old address and write your new
one.cut back onsthgconsume lessMy doctor wants me to cut
back onsweets and fatty foods.cut sthg downmake sthg fall
to the groundWe had to cut the old tree in our
yard down after the storm.cut ininterruptYour father cut
in while I was dancing with your uncle.cut inpull in too
closely in front of another vehicleThe bus driver got angry
when that car cut in.cut instart operating (of an engine or
electrical device)The air conditioner cuts in when the
temperature gets to 22°C.cut sthg offremove with sthg
sharpThe doctors cut off his leg because it was severely
injured.cut sthg offstop providingThe phone company cut
off our phone because we didn't pay the bill.cut sby offtake
out of a willMy grandparents cut my father off when he
remarried.cut sthg outremove part of sthg (usually with
scissors and paper)I cut this ad out of the
newspaper.do sby/ sthgoverbeat up, ransack (BrE,
informal)He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a
street gang.do sthg overdo again (AmE)My teacher wants
me to do my essay over because she doesn't like my
topic.do away withsthgdiscardIt's time to do away with all
of these old tax records.do sthg upfasten, closeDo your
coat up before you go outside. It's snowing!dress upwear
nice clothingIt's a fancy restaurant so we have to dress
up.drop backmove back in a position/groupAndrea dropped
back to third place when she fell off her bike.drop in/ by/
overcome without an appointmentI might drop
in/by/over for tea sometime this week.drop sby/
sthgofftake sby/ sthg somewhere and leave them/it thereI
have to drop my sister off at work before I come over.drop
outquit a class, school etcI dropped out of Science because
it was too difficult.eat outeat at a restaurantI don't feel like
cooking tonight. Let's eat out.end upeventually
reach/do/decideWe ended up renting a movie instead of
going to the theatre.fall apartbreak into piecesMy new
dress fell apart in the washing machine.fall downfall to the
groundThe picture that you hung up last night fell down this
morning.fall outseparate from an interiorThe money must
have fallen out of my pocket.fall out(of hair, teeth) become
loose and unattachedHis hair started to fall out when he was
only 35.figure sthgoutunderstand, find the answerI need
to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in this
room.fill sthg into write information in blanks, as on a form
(BrE)Please fill in the form with your name, address, and
phone number.fill sthg outto write information in blanks, as
on a form (AmE)The form must be filled out in capital
letters.fill sthg upfill to the topI always fill the water
jug up when it is empty.find outdiscoverWe don't know
where he lives. How can we find out?
find sthg outdiscoverWe tried to keep the time of the party a
secret, but Samantha found it out.get sthgacross/
overcommunicate, make understandableI tried to get my
point across/over to the judge but she wouldn't listen.get
along/onlike each otherI was surprised how well my new
girlfriend and my sister got along/on.get aroundhave
mobilityMy grandfather can get around fine in his new
wheelchair.get awaygo on a vacationWe worked so hard this
year that we had to get away for a week.get away
with sthgdo without being noticed or punishedJason
always gets away with cheating in his maths tests.get
backreturnWe got back from our vacation last
week.get sthg backreceive sthg you had beforeLiz
finally got her Science notes backfrom my room-mate.get
back atsbyretaliate, take revengeMy sister got back at me
for stealing her shoes. She stole my favourite hat.get back
intosthgbecome interested in sthg againI finally got back
into my novel and finished it.get on sthgstep onto a
vehicleWe're going to freeze out here if you don't let us get
on the bus.get over sthgrecover from an illness, loss,
difficultyI just got over the flu and now my sister has it.get
over sthgovercome a problemThe company will have to close
if it can't get over the new regulations.get round
tosthgfinally find time to do (AmE: get around to sthg)I
don't know when I am going to get round to writing the
thank you cards.get togethermeet (usually for social
reasons)Let's get together for a BBQ this weekend.get
upget out of bedI got up early today to study for my
exam.get upstandYou should get up and give the elderly
man your seat.give sby awayreveal hidden information
about sbyHis wife gave him away to the
police.give sby awaytake the bride to the altarMy
father gave me away at my wedding.give sthgawayruin a
secretMy little sister gave the surprise party away by
accident.give sthgawaygive sthg to sby for freeThe library
was giving away old books on Friday.give sthg backreturn
a borrowed itemI have to give these skates back to Franz
before his hockey game.give inreluctantly stop fighting or
arguingMy boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet, but he
finally gave in.give sthg outgive to many people (usually at
no cost)They were giving out free perfume samples at the
department store.give sthg upquit a habitI am giving
up smoking as of January 1st.give upstop tryingMy maths
homework was too difficult so I gave up.go after sbyfollow
sbyMy brother tried to go after the thief in his car.go
after sthgtry to achieve sthgI went after my dream and now
I am a published writer.go againstsbycompete, opposeWe
are going against the best soccer team in the city
tonight.go aheadstart, proceedPlease go ahead and eat
before the food gets cold.go backreturn to a placeI have
to go back home and get my lunch.go outleave home to go
on a social eventWe're going out for dinner tonight.go out
withsbydateJesse has been going out with Luke since they
met last winter.go over sthgreviewPlease go over your
answers before you submit your test.go overvisit sby nearbyI
haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think I'll go over for an
hour or two.go withoutsthgsuffer lack or deprivationWhen I
was young, we went withoutwinter boots.grow apartstop
being friends over timeMy best friend and I grew apart after
she changed schools.grow backregrowMy roses grew
back this summer.grow intosthggrow big enough to fitThis
bike is too big for him now, but he should grow into it by
next year.grow out ofsthgget too big forElizabeth needs a
new pair of shoes because she has grown out of her old
ones.grow upbecome an adultWhen Jack grows up he
wants to be a fireman.hand sthgdowngive sthg used to sby
elseI handed my old comic books down to my little
cousin.hand sthg insubmitI have to hand in my essay by
Friday.hand sthg outto distribute to a group of peopleWe
will hand out the invitations at the door.hand sthgovergive
(usually unwillingly)The police asked the man to hand
overhis wallet and his weapons.hang instay positive
(informal)Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a job very
soon.hang onwait a short time (informal)Hang on while I
grab my coat and shoes!hang outspend time relaxing
(informal)Instead of going to the party we are just going
to hang out at my place.hang upend a phone callHe didn't
say goodbye before he hung up.hold sby/ sthgbackprevent
from doing/goingI had to hold my dog back because there
was a cat in the park.hold sthgbackhide an
emotionJamie held back his tears at his grandfather's
funeral.hold onwait a short timePlease hold on while I
transfer you to the Sales Department.hold onto sby/
sthghold firmly using your hands or armsHold onto your hat
because it's very windy outside.hold sby/ sthguprobA man in
a black mask held the bank upthis morning.keep on
doing sthgcontinue doingKeep on stirring until the liquid
comes to a boil.keep sthgfrom sbynot tellWe kept our
relationship from our parents for two years.keep sby/
sthgoutstop from enteringTry to keep the wet dog out of the
living room.keep sthg upcontinue at the same rateIf
you keep those results up you will get into a great
college.let sby downfail to support or help, disappointI need
you to be on time. Don't let me down this
time.let sby inallow to enterCan you let the cat in before you
go to school?log in (or on)sign in (to a website, database
etc)I can't log in to Facebook because I've forgotten my
password.log out (or off)sign out (of a website, database
etc)If you don't log off somebody could get into your
account.look aftersby/ sthgtake care ofI have to look
after my sick grandmother.look down onsbythink less of,
consider inferiorEver since we stole that chocolate bar your
dad has looked down on me.look for sby/ sthgtry to
findI'm looking for a red dress for the wedding.look
forward to sthgbe excited about the futureI'm looking
forward to the Christmas break.look into sthginvestigateWe
are going to look into the price of snowboards today.look
outbe careful, vigilant, and take noticeLook out! That car's
going to hit you!look out forsby/ sthgbe especially vigilant
forDon't forget to look out for snakes on the hiking
trail.look sthg overcheck, examineCan you look over my
essay for spelling mistakes?look sthg upsearch and find
information in a reference book or databaseWe can look her
phone number up on the Internet.look up to sbyhave a lot of
respect forMy little sister has always looked up to
me.make sthg upinvent, lie about sthgJosie made up a story
about why we were late.make upforgive each otherWe were
angry last night, but we made up at
breakfast.make sby upapply cosmetics toMy
sisters made me up for my graduation
party.mix sthg upconfuse two or more thingsI mixed up the
twins' names again!pass awaydieHis uncle passed
away last night after a long illness.pass outfaintIt was so
hot in the church that an elderly lady passed
out.pass sthg outgive the same thing to many peopleThe
professor passed the textbooks outbefore
class.pass sthg updecline (usually sthg good)I passed
up the job because I am afraid of
change.pay sby backreturn owed moneyThanks for buying
my ticket. I'll pay you back on Friday.pay for sthgbe
punished for doing sthg badThat bully will pay for being
mean to my little brother.pick sthg outchooseI picked
out three sweaters for you to try on.point sby/
sthg outindicate with your fingerI'll point my
boyfriend out when he runs by.put sthg downput what you
are holding on a surface or floorYou can put the
groceries down on the kitchen counter.put sby downinsult,
make sby feel stupidThe students put the substitute
teacher down because his pants were too
short.put sthg offpostponeWe are putting off our trip until
January because of the hurricane.put sthg outextinguishThe
neighbours put the fire out before the firemen
arrived.put sthgtogetherassembleI have to put the
crib together before the baby arrives.put up withsby/
sthgtolerateI don't think I can put up with three small
children in the car.put sthg onput clothing/ accessories on
your bodyDon't forget to put on your new earrings for the
party.run into sby/ sthgmeet unexpectedlyI ran into an old
school-friend at the mall.run over sby/ sthgdrive a vehicle
over a person or thingI accidentally ran over your bicycle in
the driveway.run over/ through sthgrehearse,
reviewLet's run over/through these lines one more time
before the show.run awayleave unexpectedly, escapeThe
child ran away from home and has been missing for three
days.run outhave none leftWe ran out of shampoo so I had
to wash my hair with soap.send sthgbackreturn (usually by
mail)My letter got sent back to me because I used the wrong
stamp.set sthg uparrange, organizeOur boss set a
meeting up with the president of the
company.set sby uptrick, trapThe police set up the car thief
by using a hidden camera.shop aroundcompare pricesI want
to shop around a little before I decide on these boots.show
offact extra special for people watching (usually boastfully)He
always shows off on his skateboardsleep overstay
somewhere for the night (informal)You should sleep
over tonight if the weather is too bad to drive
home.sort sthg outorganize, resolve a problemWe need
to sort the bills out before the first of the month.stick
to sthgcontinue doing sthg, limit yourself to one particular
thingYou will lose weight if you stick to the
diet.switch sthgoffstop the energy flow, turn offThe light's
too bright. Could you switch it off.switch sthgonstart the
energy flow, turn onWe heard the news as soon as
we switched on the car radio.take after sbyresemble a
family memberI take after my mother. We are both
impatient.take sthgapartpurposely break into
piecesHe took the car brakes apart and found the
problem.take sthgbackreturn an itemI have to take our new
TV back because it doesn't work.take offstart to flyMy
plane takes off in five minutes.take sthg offremove sthg
(usually clothing)Take off your socks and shoes and come in
the lake!take sthg outremove from a place or thingCan
you take the garbage out to the street for me?
take sby outpay for sby to go somewhere with youMy
grandparents took us out for dinner and a
movie.tear sthg uprip into piecesI tore up my ex-boyfriend's
letters and gave them back to him.think backremember
(often + to, sometimes + on)When I think back on my
youth, I wish I had studied harder.think sthgoverconsiderI'll
have to think this job offer overbefore I make my final
decision.throw sthgawaydispose ofWe threw our old
furniture away when we won the
lottery.turn sthgdowndecrease the volume or strength (heat,
light etc)Please turn the TV down while the guests are
here.turn sthgdownrefuseI turned the job down because I
don't want to move.turn sthg offstop the energy flow, switch
offYour mother wants you to turn the TV offand come for
dinner.turn sthg onstart the energy, switch onIt's too dark in
here. Let's turn some lights on.turn sthg upincrease the
volume or strength (heat, light etc)Can you turn the
music up? This is my favourite song.turn upappear
suddenlyOur cat turned up after we put posters up all over
the neighbourhood.try sthg onsample clothingI'm going
to try these jeans on, but I don't think they will
fit.try sthg outtestI am going to try this new brand of
detergent out.use sthg upfinish the supplyThe kids used all
of the toothpaste up so we need to buy some more.wake
upstop sleepingWe have to wake up early for work on
Monday.warm sby/ sthg upincrease the temperatureYou
can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace.warm
upprepare body for exerciseI always warm up by doing sit-
ups before I go for a run.wear offfade awayMost of my
make-up wore off before I got to the party.work
outexerciseI work out at the gym three times a week.work
outbe successfulOur plan worked
out fine.work sthg outmake a calculationWe have to work
out the total cost before we buy the house.