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Serial
Phrasal Verb Meaning Usage in a sentence
No.

You must take your

behave or function
1 Act up computer to the repair shop
improperly
as it is acting up.

The story of the minister

make sense, calculate a
2 Add up doesn't add up. He is
sum
completely lying.
To invite someone to a soci When Riya asked me out
3 Ask out al event or special occasion for the party, I had to deny
. because I was busy.
ask many people the same I asked around but
4 Ask around
question nobody has seen my wallet.
We should ask over Rita as
5 Ask Over invite to one's home
she is alone in her home.

stop defending your opinion Raman never backs down

6 Back down
in a debate and wins almost all cases.

The minister bawled him

7 Bawl out criticize, reprimand
out for arriving late.
Those facts do not bear on
8 Bear on have to do with
this matter at all.
I did not know that Karan
9 Bear up withstand would bear up so well in
that hard situation.
He beefed up his
Improve or make more
10 Beef up presentation with diagrams
substantial.
and statistics.
All this negative publicity
pass without creating a
11 Blow over will blow over in a couple
problem
of weeks.
• The bomb blew up before
they could
• defuse it.
explode, make explode,
• The terrorists blew the
12 Blow up suddenly become very
bridge up.
angry
• When Kavita heard the
news, she blew up and
rushed out of the room.

Get caught up in something Try not to get bogged

13 Bog Down and be unable to make down with/in unimportant
progress. details.

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• The truck broke down in

the desert.
stop working properly/ • We need to break this
14 Break down analyze in detail/become problem down in order
mentally ill to solve.
• She broke down after
her husband died.
While we were discussing
Break in/ interrupt/enter a place the situation, the little girl
15
Break into unlawfully broke in to give her
opinion.
My brother broke her
16 Break off end something
engagement to Rita off.
Violent protests broke out
17 Break out appear violently in response to the military
coup.
She doesn't want to go, but
change someone's mind,
18 Bring around we'll eventually bring her
convince someone
around.
Raman bumped into his
Meet by accident or
19 Bump in to English teacher at the
unexpectedly.
supermarket.
buy the shares of a
company or the shares the Flipkart was bought out by
20 Buy out
other person owns of a Walmart.
business

purchase the entire supply We bought up all the

21 Buy up
of something chocolates in the store.

This recipe calls for milk,

22 Call for require (as in a recipe)
not milk powder.
cancel something/order to
They called the picnic off
23 Call off stop (an invasion, guard
because of the rain.
dogs)
• Rahul called on his friend
visit/invite someone to while he was in town.
24 Call on speak in a• Professor called on
meeting or a classroom Abhishek to answer the
question.
Carry on your
continue (a conversation, a conversation, I just came
25 Carry on
game) here to take the water
bottle.
The secret agent carried
complete and/or accomplish
26 Carry out out his orders exactly as
something
planned.

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The girls in birthday party

Deck out of my daughter were
27 Dress; decorate.
(in/with) decked out in prtty
dresses.
The controversy about the
Die Away/Die
28 diminish in intensity president's illness finally
down
died down.
Elephants are in danger of
29 Die off/Die out become extinct
dying off.
The company
Decide to do without has dispensed with the
30 Dispense with
something. paper version so you'll have
to download it.
We were childhood friends
31 Drift apart Become less and less close. but we drifted apart over
the years.
You made many mistakes,
32 Do over repeat so I want you to do the
report over.
• Meg dropped in yesterday
Drop in/Drop after dinner.
33 visit someone unexpectedly
in on • Let's drop in on Julie since
we're driving by her house.
Chetan isn't on the team
34 Drop Out quit an organized activity any more. He dropped
out.
Do not feel alone in this
city, you can drop over
35 Drop Over visit someone casually
any time you feel like
talking.

They turned up the music

Be louder in order to cover
36 Drown out to drown out the noise of
another sound.
the children outside.

The storm ate away the

37 Eat away gradually destroy, erode
newly designed boards.

After Christmas, the

Reduce, become less severe
38 Ease off/up workload generally eases
or slow down
off.

Encourage someone to do You need to egg on your

39 Egg on
something.. daughter properly.

Riya embarked on a
Embark Start or engage in
40 career that lead her to
on/upon something.
fame.

Find an excuse or plausible It is not easy to explain

41 Explain away
explanation. away the missing money.

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I'll never be able to face

acknowledge something up to my friend after
42 Face up to
difficult or embarrassing getting caught stealing his
watch.

You should have a fall back

be able to use in case of
43 Fall back on if you don't succeed in the
emergency
acting career.

I had a falling out with my

sister last month and we
44 Fall out with have an argument with
haven't talked to each
other since.

Unfortunately, the trip to

Americal fell through
45 Fall through fail to happen
because I couldn't save
enough money.

They used to be very close

46 Fizzle out Gradually end. but over the years their
friendship fizzled out.

My parents always
Frown
47 Disapprove. frowned on staying up
on/upon
outside late night.

She loves to fussing over

Pay excessive attention to
48 Fuss over her son. Sometimes it
somebody or somebody.
becomes too much.

Get about It's not easy to get around

49 Move from place to place.
/around the city without a map.

It's difficult to get humor

50 Get Across cause to be understood across in another
language.

I can't get ahead even

51 Get ahead make progres though I have worked
really hard.

Get along/get • Rakesh doesn't get along

52 have a good relationship
along with with her two brothers.

• I lost my job, so I am
having a hard time getting
Get by/Get by survive without having the by this year.
53
with things you need or want • You don't need a computer.
You can get by with the
typewriter

Enough small talk. Let's

54 Get down to get serious about a topic
get down to business.

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• You should get your

jacket on because it's
put on (clothes) /enter (a
going to be cold.
bus, train), mount (a horse,
55 Get on • The train is leaving, so get
a bike)/Have a good
on quickly.
relationship
• Natasha doesn't get on
with her co-workers.
• We will never get through
all of the work by 9:00 PM.
56 Get through complete/penetrate
• We need a stronger drill to
get through this wall.
give something without
The businessman give all
57 Give away asking for anything in
of her furniture away.
exchange
Please go over your
58 Go over Review answers before handing in
your test.
The match will be difficult.
Become ill with an
59 Go down with Half of the team has gone
infectious disease.
down with the flu.
Treat something briefly
The director glossed over
60 Gloss over (make it seem
the recent drop in sales.
unimportant).
The teacher is going to
61 Hand back return hand back our
assignments today.
• The president is going to
hand his decision down
on health care tonight.
pronounce formally /give as
62 Hand down • When my clothes got too
an inheritance
small for me as a child, I
handed them down to my
sister.
Please Hang on a minute
63 Hang on wait
as I'm nearly ready.
Hang Those guys just hang
64 around/Hang stay in a place for fun around all day because
out they are doing no job.
Stop holding out and tell
not give in, continue to
65 Hold out us where you found all of
resist
these old records.
As she watched the news
Find unexpectedly or by
66 Hit on/upon she hit upon an idea for
inspiration.
her new collection.
We all started to shout
Go towards or move in a
67 Head for because the boat was
certain direction.
heading for the rocks.

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The meeting tomorrow will

Resolve by discussion;
68 Iron out be an opportunity to iron
eliminate differences.
out difficulties.
Waste time doing nothing He idles away hours every
69 Idle away
much. day watching television.
I’ve been dieting all week
Allow yourself to enjoy
70 Indulge in but today I'm going to
something.
indulge in a dessert.
We need to jack up the car
71 Jack up to raise
before we change the tire.
I jotted down the address
72 Jot down Take quick notes. while watching a
documentary on television.
Hari is always joking
73 Joke around to be humorous
around at work.
You shouldn't jump to
make a quick, poorly conclusions without
74 Jump to
thought out decision understanding the issue
properly.
You should always keep a
have handy, have
75 Keep around dictionary around to
accessible
learn new words.
prevent access to, hold Keep the kids away from
76 Keep away
back the hot dishes.
Keep the cat off the
kitchen.
Keep prevent from stepping
77 Keep the dog out of the
off/Keep out or prevent from entering
garden; he keeps digging
up the flowers.
Keep something over the
cover something with, put
78 Keep over watch to prevent it from
something above
getting wet.
Most people kneel down
79 Kneel down Go down on your knees.
to pray.
Strike someone or The tree was knocked
80 Knock down
something to the ground. down during the storm.
Cause someone to fall The boxer was knocked
81 Knock out
unconscious. out in the first round.
The author laughed off
Make light of something;
82 Laugh off the unflattering review of
minimise.
his latest book.
The company was losing
suspend someone from a
83 Lay off money, so they had to lay
job (during a slow period)
off some workers.
Rita leafed through a
84 Leaf through Turn over pages quickly. magazine in the waiting
room.

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My grandparents lived
Experience something and
85 Live through through two wars and
survive.
learned to survive.
I felt let down when I
86 Let down disappoint didn't receive a birthday
card from my sister.
It would be hard to live up
to her parent's
87 Live up to keep a standard
expectations. They are so
demanding.
I am looking forward to
Look forward
88 anticipate with pleasur traveling to New York next
to
year.
You should look over this
89 Look over examine, review article before final
publishing.
90 look up to respect, admire someone He looks up to his father.
• I can't make out my
doctor's handwriting.
decipher /succeed/ • He really made out in the
91 Make out
progress stock market last year.
• How is your son making
out in his new job?
• Don't believe anything she
says. She always makes
things up.
• You two have been friends
invent (a story) /reconcile/ for so long that I think you
92 Make up
complete what was missed should make up and end
your fight.
• Fortunately, my professor
let me make up the exam
I missed yesterday.
A young man made off
with my briefcase while I
93 Make off with Steal and hurry away.
was checking the
timetable.
• I sometimes mix the verb
tenses up.
• We need to mix up these
confuse /blend/make lively different kinds of nuts
94 Mix up
(a party) before we put them in a
bowl.
• Let's mix up this party with
a little disco music.
Alex promised to come for
Make someone say
95 Nail down a weekend but we'll have to
something precisely.
nail him down to a date.

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The movie was so boring

96 Nod off fall asleep that I nodded off before it
was finished.
Nose I hate it when my mother
97 sneak around
about/around noses around my room.
pop into one's mind, come It didn't occur to us that
98 Occur to
to one's mind we had left the iron on.
I enjoy tennis but I'm so
Leave a system or decide
99 Opt out (of) busy I had to opt out of
not to participate.
the tournament.
be successful, turn out The paln to open a new
100 Pan out
well venture didn't pan out.
After battling cancer for
several years, he finally
101 Pass away die
passed away at the age of
87.
• He passed out because
the room was too hot.
become
102 Pass out • We need to pass out
unconscious/distribute
these flyers for the concert
tomorrow.
I can't believe she passed
not take advantage (of an
103 Pass up up the opportunity to study
opportunity)
in Rome.
It took me ten years to
complete payment on a
104 Pay off pay off my credit card
debt
debt.
The President played
105 Play down make less important down his affair with the
intern.
Pop
Come or go quickly in the She popped over to the
106 across/over/d
direction specified. shop to buy a sandwich.
own/out
The chairman put forward
Propose or recommend
107 Put Forward a proposal to move to
something.
bigger offices.
108 Put off postpone Don't put off thr function.
I didn't think she was going
Overcome difficulties or
109 Pull through to make it, but she pulled
illness/barely survive
through in the end.
I cannot put up with the
110 Put up with tolerate
noise of all that traffic.
The neighbours told us to
be quiet, or cause to be
111 Quiet down quiet down last night or
quiet
they would call the police.

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• Nitish ran against Lalu in

Run Encounter difficulties or the 2000 elections inBihar.
112 against/Run problems/compete in an• The property developer ran
up against election up against strong local
opposition.
My daughter amazed
Recite without effort or everyone by reeling off all
113 Reel off
pause. the phrasal verbs she had
learned.
• Have you run down those
phone numbers I asked for
trace/criticize/loose power,
114 Run down last week?
be very tired
• His manager runs
everyone down.
• The new government is
trying to run the drug
traffickers off.
• Would you mind running
make leave /reproduce off 10 copies of this
115 Run off (photocopies) /leave quickly document for me?
/waste water • Why did you run off after
the party?
• You shouldn't swim where
the sewage runs off into
the ocean.
Let’s order now before the
116 Run out Expire, come to an end.
offer runs out.
Run
Raman ran into his uncle
117 across/Run find or meet unexpectedly /
at the shopping centre.
into
How I scraped through
Scrape
118 Succeed with difficulty. the exam is still a mystery
through
to me!
Are you going to be able to
finish something despite
119 See through see your studies through
difficulties
now that you are married?
• I don't think that young boy
arrange a relationship, killed those men.
arrange (an appointment, a Somebody set him up.
120 Set up
meeting, etc.) /falsely• I set up an appointment
incriminate a person with my doctor at 3:30 this
afternoon.
Scale Due to the crisis the
Make something smaller
121 back/scale company had to scale
than originally intended.
down down the size of the plant.
to explain something in a
He's so stupid that you
detailed way so that the
122 Spell out have to spell everything
meaning is clearly
out for him.
understood

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I need you to stand by and

123 Stand by wait answer the phone when my
broker calls.

Two of the boys were

Select for special
124 Single out singled out for extra
attention.
coaching.

In spite of the detailed

news reports, it took a
125 Sink in Be fully understood.
while for the scale of the
disaster to sink in.

Joseph joined the army

because he believes he
126 Stick up for defend oneself or opinions
must stick up for his
country.

Persuade someone to do Caroline talked John into

127 Talk into
something. buying a new car.

• Are you taking in all of

these phrasal verbs?
128 Take in learning/deceive a person
• He was taken in by the con
artist.
• Have you taken up any
new hobbies since you
moved here?
begin a new hobby, discuss• We should take this issue
129 Take up (at a later date), occupy up in the meeting
space tomorrow.
• This couch takes up too
much space in the living
room.
• Angry citizens have torn
130 Tear down destroy down the statue of the
politician.
Carolina told me off when
criticize a person she found out I was
131 Tell off
severely, reprimand gossiping about her meet
with Martin.
You need to think this
132 Think through consider carefully through carefully before
you make a decision.
I need to think up an
create or invent a false
133 Think up excuse for not going to her
story
party.
We didn't paint the whole
make the final
134 Touch up kitchen, we just touched
improvements
up the cabinets.

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They turned us away at

refuse to deal with or give
135 Turn away the border because we
service
didn't have visas.

• She turned out to be the

murderer
end up being /switch off a• Turn out the light before
136 Turn out
light /produce you go to bed.
• The weavers can turn out
two or three rugs a month.

• My keys turned up in the

find unexpectedly /increase
bedroom.
137 Turn up the volume or intensity of a
• Turn up the TV. I can't
TV, radio, or other machine
hear what they're saying.

Use all of something/Finish What a nuisance! The kids

138 Use up a product (so that there's have used up all the
none left). toothpaste.

I veer away from the same

Veer away
139 stay away from, avoid old summer blockbuster
from
films.

You can give the keys to

Express confidence in or
140 Vouch For Andy. I can vouch for
guarantee something.
him.

To see the full series, we

Wait on/Wait await the convenience
141 will have to wait on the
upon of/ serve, service (a table)
BBC.

to prevent something
(danger, harm, an attack,
I take plenty of vitamin C in
142 Ward off an assailant, etc) from
winter to ward off colds.
affecting you or harming
you.

Disappear after use or over The words printed on the

143 Wear away
time. cover had worn away.

Make someone feel weary The baby's constant crying

144 Wear down
or tired. is wearing her down."

• During the trip, Julie wore

Become unusable/Become out her shoes sightseeing.
145 Wear out
very tired • At the end of the every day
Julie was worn out.

I can whip up something

146 Whip up Prepare quickly.
to eat if you're hungry.

If he doesn't get his act

147 Wind up finish together, he is going to
wind up in jail.

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She's busy right now. She's

148 Wrap up Cover; enclose. wrapping up her Christmas
presents.
• He just yakked on and on
to continue talking in an and on.
Yak on/Yak on
149 annoying way ("on" can be• She just yakked on and
about
repeated for emphasis) on about her husband's
new job.
• They yammered on and
Yammer to talk in an annoying way on and on.
150 on/Yammer or complain ("on" can be• He just yammered on and
on about repeated for emphasis) on about how horrible the
• waiter was

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