PHRASAL VERBS

PHRASAL VERB MEANING EXAMPLE

abide by obey a law or a rule If you want to keep your job here, you must abide by our rules.
account for explain, give a reason I hope you can account for the time you were out!
act up behave or function improperly I need to take my car to the mechanic because it's acting up again.
add up make sense The facts in the case just don’t add up.
add up to equal, calculate the total Your purchases add up to $205.32. I added up the receipts.
advise against recommend not doing sth I advise against walking alone in this neighborhood.
allow for take INTO consideration We need to allow for unexpected charges along the way.
plead or make a request He appealed to the court to change its decision.
appeal to
be attractive or interesting A vacation of sunbathing doesn’t appeal to me.
ask over invite to one's home Why don't we ask the Johnsons over for dinner?
ask around ask many people the same quest. I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.
back away move backwards IN fear When he saw the bear, he backed away in fright.
back down on withdraw, concede defeat Local authorities backed down on their threats.
back out (of) not keep (a promise, agreement) Sam backed out of the agreement at the last second.
give support My wife backed me up OVER my decision to quit my job.
back up make a copy of (file) You should back up all your computer files in a secure location.
move backwards, reverse You need examples to back up your opinion.
bawl out infl criticize, reprimand She bawled him out FOR arriving late.
bite The soldier had to bear down on the leather strap.
bear down on
take strong measures against The U.S.A. is bearing down on drug traffickers.
bear on have to do with This information may bear on this case.
bear up withstand I didn't think he would bear up so well in that situation.
bear with be patient Please bear with me while I fill out the paperwork.
black out faint, lose consciousness Jenna fell in the parking lot and blacked out.
blow in infl visit unexpectedly My cousin blew in unexpectedly with his entire family.
blow over pass without creating a problem All this negative publicity will blow over in a couple of weeks.
 explode The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence.
blow up get angry Don’t blow up AT me. It’s not my fault.
add air We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party.
boil down to be essentially a matter of It all boils down to who has more power.
break off end something Sally broke her engagement to John off.
break away separate from a crowd One of the wolves broke away from his pack.
split Our teacher broke the final project down into three separate parts.
make unhappy This sad music is bringing me down.
break down
start talking about a sth My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports.
stop functioning Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm.
interrupt The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death.
break in
wear sth new until it is comfortable I need to break these shoes in before I go hiking.
start suddenly Rioting broke out after the government raised the fuel prices again.
use sth extravagant for celebration He broke out the champagne to celebrate his promotion.
break out (in sth)
develop a skin condition I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.
escape The murderer broke out of the prison.
end a relationship My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America.
break up divide into smaller parts I broke the cracker up into pieces and put it in the soup.
disperse (a crowd), stop (a fight) The police broke the demonstration up before it got out of control.
bring about cause to happen Democracy brought about great change in the lives of the people.
bring back re-introduce Most people are against bringing back the death penalty.
bring along bring with When we go to the forest, bring your wildlife guide along.
bring (a)round change sb's mind, convince sb She doesn't want to go, but we'll eventually bring her around.
My trip across the Sahara was difficult, but I brought a new
bring away learn or gain (from an experience)
appreciation for life away from the experience.
bring off succeed at sth difficult You robbed the bank! I can't believe you brought that off.
bring on cause sth I can't believe she got so angry. What brought that on?
bring out highlight, stress Your new shirt brings out the color of your eyes.
bring over bring to someone's house When you visit me, why don't you bring over your son.
bring down destroy The scandal may bring down the government.
bring to revive consciousness We used smelling salts to bring her to after she fainted.
vomit He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in the toilet.
bring up raise a child She brought up five children.
mention a subject Bring it up at the meeting.
brush off infl ignore sth or sb Mary brushed her ex-boyfriend off at the party.
brush up on refresh one’s knowledge of sth I must brush up on my French before going to Paris next month.
burn down destroy by setting fire to The children burned the house down while playing with matches.
burn up destroy by fire He burnt up the files.
stop (sth) working The light bulb burnt out. Please change it.
burn out
be tired from over-working She needs to work fewer hours. Otherwise she will burn out.
burn up be hot I am burning up in here. Oen the window.
buy out buy the shares of a company Pacific Inc. was bought out by a company from Oregon.
buy up purchase the entire supply of sth We bought up all the beer in the store.
call up telephone I called Sam up to see if he wanted to go to the movies.
call around phone many different people We called around but we weren't able to find the car part we needed.
call back / up call sb later If he’s not here know, I’ll call him up later.
call for require (as in a recipe) This recipe calls for milk, not water.
cancel The game was called off because of bad weather.
call off
order to stop (invasion, guard dog) He called off the dogs when he saw it was his neighbor.
visit somebody We called on you last night but you weren't home.
call on
invite ab to speak (meeting, class) Professor Tanzer called on Tim to answer the question.
calm down relax after being angry You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the car.
like I don't care for his behaviour.
care for
nurse someone or something He cared for the bird until its wing healed.
continue on a subsequent day,
carry over The meeting carried over into lunch time.
page
carry on continue The soldiers carried on walking in order to get to the post before dark.
carry on about continue in an annoying way He kept carrying on about how much money he makes.
carry out do something and accomplish That company does not carry out tests on animals.
catch on infl slowly start to understand He caught on after a few minutes.
catch up make up for lost time I will never catch up. I am too behind in my work.
catch up on become up-to-date I need to catch up on world events. I haven't seen the news in ages.
speed up to be at the same place I had to run to catch up with the others. You'll have to run faster if
catch up with
as sb in front of you you want to catch up WITH Marty.
check off make a mark next to (sth on a list) Check each name off the list.
check over examine the condition of sth He checked over the old car to see if it was worth buying.
check back return to see if everything is OK We will check back tomorrow to make sure the project is finished.
check by go to a place to see if it is OK We need to check by the office to see if the documents are ready.
check for try to find They checked for termites before they bought the house.
check into investigate, look for We are checking into discount flights to London.
check on make sure something is OK Let's check on the baby again before we go to sleep.
investigate I don’t know if this price is correct. I’ll check it out online.
check out
look at (informal) Check out the crazy hair on that guy!
check up on investigate The police are checking up on the bomb threats.
check with ask a person for confirmation He needs to check with his parents before he goes.
cheer up become happier She cheered up when she heard the good news.
chip in help If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted by noon.
clam up refuse to speak When the police started asking questions, the suspect clammed up.
They decided to clamp down on parking in handicapped parking
clamp down on act strictly to prevent sth
places.
clear out infl leave Everybody clear out! We're closed.
close down close a place permanently The corner market closed down because they didn't have customers.
close up close temporarily They are closing the ski resort up for the summer.
The rebels were closing in on the capital, so the government called in
close in on approach and threaten
the army.
come / go down with becoming ill I think I'm coming down with flu.
come about happen Can you tell me how the accident came about?
 find or meet by chance I was cleaning up and came across some old photos of you.
come across
appear, make an impression The politician came across as a complete fool during the TV interview.
accompany sb If you want, you can come along.
come along (with)
progress How's the research paper coming along.
come apart separate The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough.
leave a place with a particular I came away from the meeting feeling like the presentation was a
come away
feeling or impression success.
come back return What time are you coming back?
get, receive How did you come by that new Mercedes?
come by
visit a person at their house I'll come by later this afternoon.
come down with become sick with He came down with the flu.
come forward present oneself Has the owner of the winning lotto ticket come forward?
come from originate in The art of origami comes from Asia.
come into inherit He came into his mother’s fortune.
be removed When I lifted the jug, the handle came off in my hand.
come off
fall from sth He came off his horse and then from his bicycle.
publish The magazine comes out every month.
come out appear The rain stopped and the sun came out.
turn out, end up The pictures came out great.
come out with + produce and distribute a product Microsoft is coming out with a new video game system next month.
come over visit someone at their house Why don't you come over after work for dinner.
come round / to become conscious Your mother hasn't yet come round FROM the anaesthetic.
come through do what is needed or expected Terry really came through for us in the end.
come up to approach; to equal The job offer didn't come up to her expectations.
come up with think of sth He came up with an idea while he was cooking.
come with include (an accessory) The computer system doesn't come with a printer.
count in include Did you count expenses in?
count out exclude You can count James out. He hates playing poker.
count up add Count the change up and see how much we have.
count on rely / depend / bank ON You can count on me to keep your secret.
crack down on become tougher on sth The police have been cracking down on drunk driving.
crack up (at) laugh uncontrollably about sth I cracked up at his joke.
cross out draw a line through to eliminate Please cross out your old address and write your new one.
cut back / down on consume less My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods.
interrupt Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle.
come too close in front of another The bus driver got angry when the car cut in.
cut in
vehicle
start operating The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature gets to 22°C.
take out of a will My grandparents cut my father off when he remarried.
cut off remove with something sharp The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured.
stop providing The phone company cut off our phone because we didn't pay the bill.
remove using scissors She cut out a coupon from the newspaper.
cut out
stop doing sth You need to cut out all red meat from your diet.
deal with handle, take care of (problem) Catherine is not good at dealing with stress.
die away diminish in intensity The applause died away after 5 minutes.
die down calm down, become less strong After the storm died down, we went outside to see the damage.
die off / out become extinct Whales are in danger of dying off.
disagree with cause to feel sick (food, drink) Spicy food disagrees with me.
do away with discard, abolish It's time to do away with all of these old tax records.
do over do again She wants me to do my essay over because she doesn't like my topic.
do without manage without She didn’t get a salary this month, so she’ll do without extra treats.
do with do, use I don't know what to do with all the food that's left over.
drag on last longer than expected The suspect’s trial dragged on longer than we had expected!
draw up write (contract, document) They drew up a contract and had me sign it.
dress down reprimand severely The mother dressed her son down for skipping school.
decorate You could dress this house up with some bright colors
dress up
wear elegant clothes She always dresses up at work.
dress down dress casually I am dressing down because we're going to a barbecue by the beach.
drive back repulse The invaders were driven back by the army.
drop back move back in a position, group Andrea dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike.
drop in / by / over on come without an appointment Let's drop in on Julie since we're driving by her house.
drop off fall asleep I often drop off in front of the TV.
drop out quit a class, school Zack dropped out of college and joined the army.
ease off reduce (pain, traffic, work) Traffic usually eases off about 7pm
eat up devour Ken ate the cookies up.
eat away gradually destroy, erode The heavy rains ate away at the sandstone cliffs.
eat in eat inside the home We usually eat in instead of going out for dinner.
eat out eat outside the home They eat out once a week.
end in finish in a certain way; result in Her marriage ended in divorce.
end up eventually reach / do / decide We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre.
acknowledge sth difficult or I'll never be able to face up to my colleagues after getting so drunk
face up to
embarrassing last night at the work party.
fall apart break into pieces My new dress fell apart in the washing machine.
be able to use in case of Yuki can fall back on her degree in biology if she doesn't succeed in
fall back on
emergency her acting career.
Cheryl has missed several days of school and now she is falling behind
fall behind (in) go slower than scheduled, lag
in her homework.
Interest in the project fell off when they realized it wouldn't be
fall off decrease
profitable.
I had a falling out with my sister. We haven't talked to each other
fall out (with) have an argument with
since.
fall through fail to happen His plans to trek through South America fell through when he got sick.
feel up grope She sued her boss for sexual harassment after he felt her up.
feel up to have the energy to do sth I don't feel up to going out tonight because I had a long day at work.
figure up calculate I need to figure my expenses up before I give you an estimate.
figure on expect Where do you figure on living when you move to the the U.S.A.?
figure out find the answer He’s trying to figure out how to earn enough money to go to Spain.
fill in (for) substitute for Miguel filled in for me at the meeting yesterday because I was sick.
fill up fill to the top I always fill the water jug up when it is empty.
find out discover We don't know where he lives. How can we find out?
Tom had difficulty focusing on work the day before his holiday
focus on concentrate on sth
started.
I don't know when I’m going to get round to writing the thank you
get (a)round to finally find time to do sth
cards.
remove (a spider from your shirt) Can you get this spider off my shirt?
get off
send (a package) I finally got my sister's birthday present off yesterday.
get across / over make understandable I tried to get my point across / over to the judge but she didn't listen.
get ahead make progress I can't get ahead even though I work two jobs.
get ahead of surpass You need to work overtime in order to get ahead of schedule.
get along with have a good relationship It’s important to get along with your team supervisor.
have mobility My grandfather can get around fine in his new wheelchair.
get around
avoid ab or sth Some people get around paying taxes by hiring a good accountant.
get at imply What are you getting at? Do you think I’m to blame?
get away (with) do without being noticed Jason always gets away with cheating in his Maths tests.
get back return We got back from our vacation last week.
get back receive something you had before Liz finally got her Science notes back from my room-mate.
get back at retaliate, take revenge My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She stole my hat.
get back into become interested in sth again I finally got back into my novel and finished it.
get by succeed, live Students without jobs have a hard time getting by.
It's nearly impossible to get by on making minimum wage. You don't
get by on / with manage to cope or to survive
need a computer. You can get by with the typewriter.
get down to get serious about a topic Enough small talk. Let's get down to business.
have a good relationship with He doesn’t get on very well with the other members of the
get on with continue to do committee.
continue an activity After they split up, she had a hard time getting on with her life.
get out of avoid doing something Edna’s trying to get out of working the night shift.
 recover from an illness, difficulty I just got over the flu and now my sister has it.
get over
overcome a problem The company will have to close if it can't get over the new regulations.
get rid of eliminate Please get rid of that old t-shirt. It’s so ragged.
penetrate The door was jammed, so we couldn't get through.
get through finish Have you gotten through with your homework yet?
complete We will never get through all of these boxes by 9:00 PM.
reveal hidden information His wife gave him away to the police.
take the bride to the altar My father gave me away at my wedding.
give away
betray (a secret) My little sister gave the surprise party away by accident.
give sth to sb for free The library was giving away old books on Friday.
give in reluctantly stop fighting , surrender My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet, but he finally gave in.
distribute They were giving out free perfume samples at the department store.
give out
infl become very tired I hope this car doesn't give out in the middle of the desert.
give up quit a habit I am giving up smoking as of January 1st.
give off release (a smell, light) That white flower gives off a beautiful smell.
follow somebody My brother tried to go after the thief in his car.
go after
try to achieve something I went after my dream and now I am a published writer.
go against compete, oppose We are going against the best soccer team in the city tonight.
go ahead start, proceed Please go ahead and eat before the food gets cold.
go away leave a place, travel I'm going away on business.
go away leave I yelled at the dogs to make them go away.
go back return to a place I have to go back home and get my lunch.
go back on not keep (one's word, a promise) Don't trust him. He always goes back on his promises.
go by go past, go close to, visit quickly We go by the coffee shop everyday.
go down decrease The cost of flight tickets is going down.
take an opportunity She didn’t hesitate for a second and she just went for it.
put a lot of effort in sth Go for it, John! You know you can beat him.
go for
choose sth I think I'll go for the fruit salad.
prefer sth She goes for tall slim men.
go in for infl participate Are you going to go in for soccer this year at school?
go into discuss in detail I really don't want to go into that now.
explode The bomb went off in a crowded street.
leave a place She went off to get a drink.
go to sleep Hasn't the baby gone off yet?
go off
get worse Her books have gone off in recent years.
become inedible The milk went off because it was standing in the sun.
stop liking sth Jane seems to be going off Paul.
go on (with) continue I always read a newspaper to find out what is going on in the world.
stop working The lights went out when I was preparing dinner.
go out leave your house She went out with her boyfriend yesterday.
stop burning (a fire) The fire went out after three days.
review Please go over your answers before you submit your test.
go over
visit sb nearby I haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think I'll go over TO her.
experience a difficult situation Andy went through a lot of pain after his mother died.
go through
examine in detail, study carefully I need to have my lawyer go through this contract before I sign it.
accompany a person I am going with Alejandro to the party.
go with
have a boyfriend/girlfriend I am going with Yuri.
go without suffer lack or deprivation When I was young, we went without winter boots.
grow apart stop being friends over time My best friend and I grew apart after she changed schools.
grow back regrow My roses will grow back this summer.
grow into grow big enough to fit This bike is too big now, but he should grow into it by next year.
grow out of get too big for She needs new shoes because she has grown out of her old ones.
grow under go out of business The restaurant went under after it lost its liquor license.
grow up change from a child to adult Their children have all grown up and left home now.
hand back return Is the teacher going to hand back our tests today?
hand over relinquish control of Hand your car keys over. You're too drunk to drive.
hand in / out submit (report, HW) I have to hand in my essay by Friday.
hand down give sth used to sb else I handed my old comic books down to my little cousin.
 pronounce formally The president is going to hand his decision down on health care.
hand over give (usually unwillingly) The police asked the man to hand over his wallet and his weapons.
hang around stay in a place for fun Those guys just hang around all day.
hang in stay positive Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a job very soon.
hang on wait a short time Hang on while I grab my coat and shoes!
infl spend time relaxing Instead of going to the party we are just going to hang out at my
hang out
stay in a place for fun place. What are you doing? – I'm just hanging out.
hang up end a phone conversation If you hang up now, I’ll never speak to you again.
have on wear Do you have your hiking boots on?
have over invite guests to your home Why don't we have Mr. and Mrs. Jones over for dinner tonight.
hear from receive news from (letter, e-mail) Have you heard from Steve lately?
hear of know about sth or sb Have you heard of chocolate covered ants?
find on accident I hit on the idea while watching the Simpsons show.
hit on
flirt with Jay's friend Marc was trying to hit on my sister last night.
build up become greater, larger All the pressure built up and he was off work for weeks with stress.
The police held the demonstrators back while the politicians entered
hold back / off restrain
the building. Mr. Johnson held the dog off while we crossed the yard.
delay (a flight, traffic) The accident held traffic up for an hour.
hold up
rob with a weapon Five men held the bank up yesterday.
hold back hide an emotion Jamie held back his tears at his grandfather's funeral.
hold off on delay We should hold off on making dinner until your parents arrive.
wait a short time Please hold on while I transfer you to the Sales Department.
hold on
grasp tightly Make sure you hold on TO the hand rail as you walk down the stairs.
hold onto hold firmly using your hands Hold onto your hat because it's very windy outside.
hold out (against) not give in, resist They held out against enemy attack.
iron out resolve by discussion The two countries met at the conference to iron out their differences.
join in participate Yes David, you can join in the discussion any time you like.
engage in, become a member of There was a war on, so some kids were only 16 when they joined up.
join up
meet and unite with Let’s separate now and join up later at the restaurant.
joke around to be humorous Mike is always joking around at work.
jump in enter a conversation Feel free to jump in at any moment while we are talking.
jump to make poorly thought decision You shouldn't jump to conclusions.
keep around have handy, have accessible I always keep a dictionary around to translate new words.
keep away prevent access to, hold back Keep the kids away from the cookies.
keep over cover sth, put sth above I keep a tarp over my bicycle at night to prevent it from getting wet.
keep up continue You are doing a great job! Keep it up.
keep at not give up, to persevere You should keep at your studies.
keep from not tell We kept our relationship from our parents for two years.
keep on continue doing sth Keep on stirring until the liquid comes to a boil.
keep out stop from entering Try to keep the wet dog out of the living room.
Everybody said she would never finish the puzzle, but she kept to it
keep to continue, persist in (an activity)
until it was done.
keep up (with) stay at the same level as sb I read the paper every day to keep up with the news.
kick back sit or lie back (to relax) After work, I like to kick back in front of the TV and relax.
kick in begin taking effect The medicine takes one hour to kick in.
kick off begin, start The rugby match kicked off at 3 o’clock.
knock down hit and make sb fall to the ground He knocked his opponent down three times in the first round.
lay off suspend sb from a job The company was losing money, so they had to lay off 100 workers.
Why don't we lay the pieces of the table out before we put it
lay out arrange
together.
lay down establish (laws, rules) Lori lays down the law in her class. English only!
lay into / in (on) scold or criticize severely I saw Reto's mom lay into / in him when he came home late last night.
lay away save for the future Why don't you lay away your wedding outfit?
leave out omit, not mention Please check your form again and make sure nothing is left out.
let out release I am happy my brother was let out of prison early.
let down disappoint I need you to be on time. Don't let me down this time.
let up weaken in intensity I told her NO a thousand times, but she won't let up.
let in allow to enter Can you let the cat in before you go to school?
lie down rest, recline (on a couch, bed) I'm going to lie down on the sofa for a while.
lie with be decided by Whether or not you can go to the party lies with your father.
illuminate Let's get some candles to light this room up.
light up
smoke Do you have to light up another cigarette?
live in a way that a shameful or
live down Jose will never live down singing that song at the karaoke bar.
embarrassing event is forgotten
live on survive from I could live on bread and cheese.
It would be hard to live up to her parent's expectations. They are so
live up to keep a standard
demanding.
look after take care of I have to look after my sick grandmother.
look back on to remember nostalgically When I look back on my childhood, I often feel angry.
look down on think you’re better, inferior TO sb Ever since we stole a chocolate bar, your dad has looked down on me.
look for try to find I'm looking for a red dress for the wedding.
look forward to be excited about sth, anticipate I'm looking forward to the Christmas break.
look into investigate We are going to look into the price of snowboards today.
look on be a spectator at an event If you don’t want to take part in the game you can look on.
look out (for) be especially vigilant for Don't forget to look out for snakes on the hiking trail.
look over check, examine Can you look over my essay for spelling mistakes?
read or examine sth quickly She looked through her notes before the exam.
look through
ignore by pretending not to see sb She just looked straight through me.
look up search information in a book We can look her phone number up on the Internet.
look up to have a lot of respect for, admire My little sister has always looked up to me.
make over do again The teacher made me do my homework over.
manage to do sth, suceed He really made out in the stock market last year.
distinguish, decipher I could just make out a figure in the darkness.
make out
claim She's not as rich as people make out.
progress How is your son making out in his new job?
make off leave hurriedly She made off from the shop and disappeared.
make up invent, lie about sth Josie made up a story about why we were late.
 forgive each other We were angry last night, but we made up at breakfast.
constitute Women make up 56% of the student numbers.
substitute Can I leave early this afternoon and make up the time tomorrow?
make up for compensate Nothing can make up for the loss of a child.
confuse two or more things I mixed up the twins' names again!
mix up
make lively (a party) Let's mix up this party with a little disco music.
nod off fall asleep You were so tired after the game that you nodded off on the couch.
nose around sneak around I hate it when my mother noses around my room.
occur to pop into one's mind It didn't occur to us that we had left the iron on.
open up share feelings I'm glad that John feels comfortable enough around me to open up.
She is out to get revenge now that her husband left her for another
out to + verb try to
woman.
own up admit or confess sth Come on. Own up. We know you did it!
pan out be successful, turn out well The trip to Vegas didn't pan out.
pass off try to convince that sth is real He tried to pass the fake watch off as a real Rolex.
pass away / on die His uncle passed away last night after a long illness.
not accept (an invitation to eat) Jennifer passed on the invitation to join us for dinner.
pass on
transmit Please pass this message on to your co-workers.
faint It was so hot in the church that an elderly lady passed out.
pass out
distribute We need to pass out these flyers for the concert tomorrow.
pass up decline (usually something good) I passed up the job because I am afraid of change.
pay off bribe Don't try to pay the policeman off if you get pulled over for speeding.
pick on tease, bully She keeps picking on me! Make her stop.
pick out choose I picked out three sweaters for you to try on.
get skill unconsciously Here's a tip I picked up from my mother.
answer a phone The phone rang and rang and nobody picked up.
pick up improve, get better Trade usually picks up in the spring.
infl start again, continue Let's pick up where we left off yesterday.
infl grow, increase Business is really picking up this quarter.
play up to flatter for your personal advantage She has been playing up to the boss because she wants a promotion.
point out indicate with your finger I'll point my boyfriend out when he runs by.
make sth to collapse The government decided to pull down a building.
pull down
earn He pulls down about $300,000 a year.
pull in park (a vehicle) Mark pulled in too quickly and crashed into the wall.
pull out depart (a vehicle) Our train pulls out at 8:00, so don't be late.
pull through barely survive I didn't think she was going to make it, but she pulled through.
put across communicate clearly I thought Ms. Smith put her ideas across rather clearly in the meeting.
put away return to the proper place I told you kids to put your toys away.
put down insult, say bad things about She always puts down people who don't share her opinions.
have a guest stay in your house for
put up Can you put me up while I'm in town.
a short time
put down suppress, quell The rebellion was brutally put down.
officially submit a request (in the
put in He put in for a transfer to the division in Los Angeles.
armed forces or public services)
put off postpone, arrange a later date Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.
turn on It’s very dark in here. Please put on the light on.
perform or organize a show We’re still putting on a play which is going to be on Monday.
put on
increase the weight She has put on some weight since I’ve last saw her.
deceive I didn't believe a thing he said. I think he was putting me on.
extinguish The neighbours put the fire out before the firemen arrived.
put out
inconvenience sb I don't want to put you out, but could you pick me up at the airport.
put together assemble I have to put the crib together before the baby arrives.
put up with tolerate I don't think I can put up with three small children in the car.
The neighbors told us to quiet down last night or they would call the
quiet down be quiet, or cause to be quiet
police.
read up on research a topic for a reason I need to read up on the company before I go on the job interview.
rule out eliminate Since he had a sound alibi, the police ruled him out as a suspect.
run off reproduce (photocopies) Would you mind running off 10 copies of this document for me?
 make leave The new government is trying to run the drug traffickers off.
run / bump into meet unexpectedly I ran into an old school-friend at the mall.
run / get away escape from He ran away from home and joined the circus.
run across meet by chance I ran across some old photos while I was cleaning my house.
run against compete in an election Gore ran against Bush in the 2000 elections in the U.S.A.
loose power, be very tired You need to wind your watch so it doesn't run down.
trace Have you run down those phone numbers I asked for last week?
run down
criticize My boss runs everyone down.
hit with a car My dog was run down by a bus.
campaign for a government
run for Gore is running for president of the U.S.A.
position
leave quickly Why did you run off after the party?
run off
waste water You shouldn't swim where the sewage runs off into the ocean.
run out of have no more of something. We’ve run out of milk. I’ll just pop next door to borrow some.
run over drive a vehicle over sb or sth I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway.
run over / through rehearse, review Let's run over / through these lines one more time before the show.
see through finish sth despite difficulties Are you able to see your studies through now that you have a baby?
see about arrange or consider sth My dad said he was going to see about buying me a car.
see off go to a station … to say goodbye to
see to make sure sth happens, arrange I'll see to it that Mr. Ramirez gets your message.
sell out tell on sb My partner in crime sold me out for a reduced jail sentence.
send back return (usually by mail) My letter got sent back to me because I used the wrong stamp.
set off start a journey Let’s set off early to miss the rush hour traffic.
arrange (appointment, meeting) Our boss set up a meeting with the president of the company.
set up trick, trap The police set up the car thief by using a hidden camera.
start a business They set up their own company when they were still in high school.
settle on make a decision after some time I settled on the job at the oil company.
settle up pay one's debts We need to settle up before you move.
show off brag or want to be admired He’s such a show-off. He has to tell everybody about his computer.
show up appear / arrive I don’t think she’ll show up tonight. Her daughter is sick.
shut off stop from functioning If you don't pay your electric bill, your power is going to get shut off.
Because Mary's level in English is lower than the rest of the students,
slow down / up make move more slowly
she slows the class down.
sort out organize, resolve a problem We need to sort the bills out before the first of the month.
spell out to explain in a detailed way He's so stupid that you have to spell everything out for him.
stand up infl not arrive (date, appointment) I arranged to meet Joe at the library at 8:00, but he stood me up.
stand by wait I need you to stand by and answer the phone when my broker calls.
represent I won't stand for people criticizing me.
stand for
tolerate SCUBA stands for "self contained underwater breathing apparatus."
stand out be very noticeable Soledad is so beautiful! She really stands out in a crowd.
defend oneself against sb / sth one I think you should stand up to your older brother and tell him to stop
stand up to / for
believes in pushing you around. Everyone must stand up for what they believe in.
spend the night at a person's It takes you so long to take the bus home, so why don't you just stay
stay over
house over?
stick to persevere, keep trying You will lose weight if you stick to the diet.
stick up for defend My big brother always stuck up for me when I got into a fight.
switch / turn off stop the energy flow The light's too bright. Could you switch it off.
switch / turn on start the energy flow, light up We heard the news as soon as we switched on the car radio.
take away remove, seize or capture The soldiers took the captives away.
take back retract sth you said I demand that you take back what you said.
write down what is said Would you mind taking down my messages while I am on vacation?
take down
remove (from a high place) The government made the shop take down their bright, neon sign.
take for consider, view as Do you take me for an idiot?
deceive a person He was taken in by the con artist.
take in
learning Are you taking in all of these phrasal verbs?
take out accompany a person on a date I can't meet you tonight because I am taking Fernanda out to dinner.
take aback surprise I was taken aback when she said that she has been accepted.
take after resemble a parent or relative I take after my father. Who do you take after?
take apart purposely break into pieces He took the car brakes apart and found the problem.
take care of look after Please take care of my cat when I’m away.
take off leave (work for a period of time) I was sick last week, so I took a few days off of work.
take on accept (responsibilities, work) She has taken on too much responsibility in this project.
pay for sb to go swh with you My grandparents took us out for dinner and a movie.
take out
remove, extract Please take out your mobile phones and turn them off.
It was suggested mammals took over from dinosaurs 65 mil. years
replace sth
take over (from) ago.
take control of
If the President is assassinated, the Vice-president will take over.
occupy space This couch takes up too much space in the living room.
take up begin a new hobby Have you taken up any new hobbies since you moved here?
discuss (at a later date) We should take this issue up in the meeting tomorrow.
I hope my parents talk their relationship problems over before they
talk over discuss
get divorced.
talk back (to) respond impolitely to an adult Children should not talk back to their parents.
tear down destroy The county decided to tear down the dilapidated school.
tear up rip into pieces I tore up my ex-boyfriend's letters and gave them back to him.
tell off to reprimand / scold The coach told her off for not trying hard enough.
report a crime to the police or bad Every time I did something wrong when I was a child, my sister would
tell on
behavior to a parent tell on me.
think through consider carefully You need to think this through carefully before you make a decision.
think up create or invent a false story I need to think up an excuse for not going to her party.
think back remember When I think back TO / ON my youth, I wish I had studied harder.
think over consider Take your time and think it over before you decide.
remove by force from (room,
throw out Mary threw out her roommate because she stopped paying rent.
school)
throw away dispose of, discard We threw our old furniture away when we won the lottery.
throw up vomit If you drink too much alcohol, you might throw up.
tie up tie securely When we dock, make sure you tie the boat up.
tire out cause someone to be very tired Speaking English all day tires me out.
touch up make the final improvements We didn't paint the whole kitchen, we just touched up the cabinets.
The presidential candidates touched on the subject of health care
touch on talk about sth for a short time
during the debates.
try out test I am going to try this new brand of detergent out.
turn around change or reverse direction Turn the car around and go back home.
turn away refuse to deal with or give service They turned us away at the border because we didn't have visas.
turn over give to authorities They turned the wallet over to the police.
refuse I asked her out but she turned me down flat.
turn down
decrease the volume (heat, light) Please turn the TV down while the guests are here.
infl go to bed It's getting late. I think it is about time to turn in.
turn in
submit You need to turn your essays in next week.
turn into become different, transform When she kissed the frog, it turned into a handsome prince.
turn on attack unexpectedly The pit bull suddenly turned on the small child.
be in the end It turned out the school isn’t as elite as it appeared to be.
turn out produce The weavers can turn out two or three rugs a month.
switch off a light Turn out the light before you go to bed.
appear suddenly Our cat turned up after we put posters up all over the neighbourhood.
turn up
increase the volume (heat, light) Can you turn the music up? This is my favourite song.
use up finish the supply Your parents used up all the coffee!
veer away from stay away from, avoid I veer away from the same old summer blockbuster films.
wait on serve, service (a table) Each waitress waits on three different tables in the restaurant.
wait up (for) not sleep because you are waiting Let's wait up for Mary to see how her date went.
increase the temperature You can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace.
warm up
prepare body for exercise I always warm up by doing sit-ups before I go for a run.
wash up clean oneself Make sure you wash up before dinner.
watch out (for) be careful of sth Watch out! There’s a dog in the road.
wear off fade away Most of my make-up wore off before I got to the party.
wear out become unusable Julie wore out her shoes running the marathons.
 become very tired Julie was worn out after all that running.
cause an animal or a child to
The kids always get wound up when Uncle Henry comes over.
wind up behave wildly
He wound up the toy dog and set it on the floor.
tighten the spring of (a watch)
massacre or destroy The tidal wave wiped out the small fishing village.
wipe out
cause to be very tired After surfing all day, I was completely wiped out.
wipe off to clean (board, table) I’ll wash up if you wipe off the table.
find a solution or calculate sth Can you work this out? I’m no good at math.
work out
be successful Our plan worked out fine.
write down record Write down the directions so you don't forget them.
write out write down every word or letter He wrote out the lyrics so I could understand what the singer said.
write up prepare a report He wrote up a business proposal in order to get a loan.
yak on (about) talk in an annoying way about sth She just yakked on and on about her husband's new job.
yammer on (about) complain about sth He just yammered on and on about how horrible the waiter was.
zero in on discover, pinpoint I think I have zeroed in on what has been causing the problem.
zip around move quickly from place to place I zipped around town after work today.
zone out stop paying attention He zoned out during class.
zonk out fall asleep Jill was so exhausted after the test that she zonked out before dinner.
zoom in (on) focus on sth, pinpoint She zoomed in on his face while taking the picture.