phrasal verbs for esl learners

Essential Phrasal Verbs Guide

Copyright © 2010 SANOOK ENGLISH

Mieder van Loggerenberg E-mail: [email protected]

Index

Phrasal Verbs Definition ………………………………………………………………………..……………………………… 1

Separable or Inseparable Phrasal Verbs? ………………………………………………………………….………….. 2

Prepositional Verbs …………………………….………………..………………………………………………………………. 3

Phrasal-prepositional Verbs …….…………………………………………………………….…………………………….. 3

Phrasal Verbs List A ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 5

Phrasal Verbs List B ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 6

Phrasal Verbs List C ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 10

Phrasal Verbs List D …………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………. 16

Phrasal Verbs List E ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 18

Phrasal Verbs List F ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 18

Phrasal Verbs List G ………………………….…..…………………………..…………………………………………………. 20

Phrasal Verbs List H …………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………. 25

Phrasal Verbs List I ………….……………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 27

Phrasal Verbs List J ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 27

Phrasal Verbs List K ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 27

Phrasal Verbs List L ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 28

Phrasal Verbs List M …………………………..……………………………..…………………………………………………. 30

Phrasal Verbs List N ………………………….…….………………………..…………………………………………………. 32

Phrasal Verbs List O ………………………….…….………………………..…………………………………………………. 32

Phrasal Verbs List P ………………………….…….………………………..………………….………………………………. 32

Phrasal Verbs List Q ………………………….…….………………………..…………………………………………………. 35

Phrasal Verbs List R ………………………….…….………………………..…………………………………………………. 35

Phrasal Verbs List S ………………………….…….………………………..………………………………………….………. 36

Phrasal Verbs List T ………………………….…….………………………..………………………………………….………. 41

Phrasal Verbs List U ………………………….…….………………………..………………………………………….………. 44

Phrasal Verbs List V ………………………….…….………………………..………………………………………….………. 44

Index

Phrasal Verbs List W ………………………….….…………………………..…………………………………………………. 44

Phrasal Verbs List Y ………………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………. 46

Phrasal Verbs List Z ………………………………………….………………..…………………………………………………. 46

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Phrasal Verbs Definition Phrasal verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at phrasal verbs proper. Phrasal verbs are made of: verb + adverb Phrasal verbs can be: Intransitive (no direct object) Transitive (direct object) Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:

phrasal verbs meaning examples direct object

intransitive phrasal verbs

get up rise from bed I don't like to get up.

break down cease to function He was late because his car broke down.

transitive phrasal verbs

put off postpone We will have to put off

the meeting.

turn down refuse They turned down my offer.

Separable Phrasal Verbs When phrasal verbs are transitive (that is, they have a direct object), we can usually separate the two parts. For example, "turn down" is a separable phrasal verb. We can say: "turn down my offer" or "turn my offer down". Look at this table:

transitive phrasal verbs are separable

They turned down my offer.

They turned my offer down.

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However, if the direct object is a pronoun, we have no choice. We must separate the phrasal verb and insert the pronoun between the two parts. Look at this example with the separable phrasal verb "switch on":

direct object pronouns must go between the two parts of transitive phrasal verbs

John switched on the radio. These are all possible.

John switched the radio on.

John switched it on.

John switched on it. This is not possible.

Separable or Inseparable Phrasal Verbs? Some dictionaries tell you when phrasal verbs are separable. If a dictionary writes "look (something) up", you know that the phrasal verb "look up" is separable, and you can say "look something up" and "look up something". It's a good idea to write "something/somebody" as appropriate in your vocabulary book when you learn a new phrasal verb, like this: get up break down put something/somebody off turn something/somebody down This tells you whether the verb needs a direct object (and where to put it).

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Prepositional Verbs Prepositional verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at prepositional verbs. Prepositional verbs are made of: verb + preposition Because a preposition always has an object, all prepositional verbs have direct objects. Here are some examples of prepositional verbs:

prepositional verbs meaning examples direct object

believe in have faith in the existence of

I believe in God.

look after take care of He is looking after the dog.

talk about discuss Did you talk about me?

wait for await John is waiting for Mary.

Prepositional verbs cannot be separated. That means that we cannot put the direct object between the two parts. For example, we must say "look after the baby". We cannot say "look the baby after":

prepositional verbs are inseparable

Who is looking after the baby? This is possible.

Who is looking the babyafter? This is notpossible.

Phrasal-prepositional Verbs Phrasal-prepositional verbs are a small group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at phrasal-prepositional verbs. Phrasal-prepositional verbs are made of: verb + adverb + preposition

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Look at these examples of phrasal-prepositional verbs:

phrasal-prepositional verbs

meaning examples direct object

get on with have a friendly relationship with

He doesn't get on with his wife.

put up with tolerate I won't put up with your attitude.

look forward to anticipate with pleasure

I look forward to seeing you.

run out of use up, exhaust We have run out of eggs.

Because phrasal-prepositional verbs end with a preposition, there is always a direct object. And, like prepositional verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs cannot be separated. Look at these examples:

phrasal-prepositional verbs are inseparable

We ran out of fuel.

We ran out of it.

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Phrasal Verbs List

Phrasal verb Meaning Example

1. abide by to respect or obey the law, a decision or a rule

If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.

2. account for to explain or give a reason Well, how do you account for the fact that there's $20,000 missing?

3. ace out to defeat someone We were aced out by a rival agency

4. act like to behave in a way that's like something

He's acting like an idiot.

5. act up to misbehave (people) The children acted up all evening.

6. act up to not work properly (machines) I'd better take my car to the garage because it's been acting up lately.

7. add on to include in a calculation or on a list It'll cost more once you've added the VAT on.

8. add up to total by adding I've added all my expenses up and you owe me $250.

9. add up to make sense (negative) His evidence just doesn’t add up.

10. add up to to have the total The bills add up to $70.

11. agree to to agree to something I wish she would agree to my proposal.

12. agree with to agree I agree with him on that point.

13. allow for to take into consideration or include in a calculation

You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams.

14. answer back to reply rudely Don't answer back your mother!

15. answer for to take responsibility for something wrong you have done

The public had hoped to see the politician answer for his actions before a tribunal.

16. answer to to explain your actions or decisions to someone in a higher position

We were living in a police state, where the police answered to no one.

17. apply for to make a formal request for a job, permit, loan etc.

He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper.

18. arrive at to achieve an agreement or decision, especially after thinking about it or discussing it for a long time

We discussed the matter at length but failed to arrive at a decision.

19. ask about or around

to make inquiries I asked around to see if anyone knew the address I was looking for.

20. ask after to inquire about Jim was asking after you.

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21. ask for to request something We stopped our car to ask for directions

22. ask in to invite someone into your house, office etc.

The woman asked the door salesman in.

23. ask out to ask for a date Joe asked her out last night.

24. ask over to invite to your home I would like to ask our neighbors over tomorrow tonight for dinner.

25. auction off to get rid of something by selling it at an auction

We auctioned off our old furniture and got a great price.

26. avail (oneself) of

to take advantage of something (an opportunity)

When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares.

27. average out to calculate the average of a set of numbers

When I average out what I spend on clothes it comes to about $50 a month.

28. back away to move backwards, in fear or dislike When he saw the dog, he backed away.

29. back down to abandon your position in an argument

He backed down when it became clear that nobody else supported him.

30. back off to not interfere or aggravate something

She was told to back off.

31. back off to yield in an argument He backed off when he realized that he was at fault.

32. back out to break an agreement The two companies were going to merge, but one of them backed out at the last minute.

33. back up to support Everyone backed him up when he complained about the conditions at work.

34. back up to move backward I won't be able to open the door unless you back up.

35. back up to drive a vehicle backwards (in reverse)

You need to back your car up if you want to open the garage door.

36. back up to confirm a story, facts, or information

Dave will back me up if you don’t believe me.

37. back up to make a copy of something in case there are problems with the original

It's a good thing I backed the files up before my computer crashed.

38. bargain for to take into account I hadn't bargained for there being so much traffic, so I was late for work.

39. be back to have returned after a long or short absence

It’s great to be back again after all those years.

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40. be down to have decreased Sales are down by nearly 30%, so we'll have to start thinking about reducing the number of staff.

41. be down to not be working (computers or phones)

The phones were down for three days after the floods.

42. be in to be present or available Are your parents in?

43. be in on to know something that isn't common knowledge

Were you in on this scam?

44. be in on to be involved in something I wasn't in on the plan at the beginning, but then someone asked me to join.

45. be off to not be at work That's the fourth time she's been off this month.

46. be off to leave I'm off now.

47. be off to go bad (food) The milk was off so I couldn’t make coffee.

48. be off to be cancelled (usually used in the present tense of an event or an arrangement)

Tonight’s concert is off due to bad weather.

49. be out to be away from home or from a place for a short time but not overnight

Everyone must have been out when I went by earlier.

50. be out of to not have any more The printer's out of ink again.

51. be over to be finished My problems are finally over since I won the lottery.

52. be taken aback to be surprised and confused John was taken aback when he opened the door and discovered that his house was burgled.

53. be up to be out of bed Don't expect her to answer the door bell at eight o'clock on Sunday morning. She won't be up.

54. be up to have increased Profits are up 60% this year, so we'll be able to pay a dividend.

55. bear out to confirm the truth Suzan’s alibi was borne out by her sister.

56. bear with to try to understand or to be patient Please bear with him for a moment while he tries to put this straight.

57. beat up to hurt someone badly by hitting and punching

Two men beat Dave up and left him lying unconscious on the pavement.

58. beg off to decline an invitation She begged off when I asked her to come to the party.

59. bend over to take something by reaching down Bend over and pick it up yourself!

60. black out to faint And then she just blacked out.

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61. blame on to accuse Don't blame it on her.

62. block off to separate using a barrier The area was blocked off during the demonstration.

63. blow up to destroy or explode The suicide-bomber blew up the restaurant.

64. blow up to suddenly become very angry He blew up when I told him that I broke his phone.

65. blow up to inflate Will you blow the balloons up for me?

66. blow up to destroy or explode They used dynamite to blow the building up.

67. blurt out to suddenly say something without thinking

Don't blurt out your answers without thinking.

68. boil down to to be summarized as The problem boils down to a lack of money.

69. bone up on to review or study thoroughly If you're going to travel to Japan, you'd better bone up on your Japanese.

70. boss around to tell people what to do (often and needlessly)

You'd think he owned the company the way he bosses everyone around.

71. bounce back to recover from something unpleasant The company went bankrupt, but managed to bounce back with new management.

72. bowl over to be surprised or humored Her reaction simply bowled me over.

73. branch out to expand into new areas We're involved in all areas of the hotel business now, but we started with a restaurant and then branched out.

74. brass off to be angry, upset or fed up I’m really brassed off because I didn’t get paid in full.

75. break away to separate oneself from something At last, the hostage could break away from his captors.

76. break down to stop working or cease to function This new photocopier is always breaking down.

77. break down to lose control emotionally or mentally

Alex broke down and cried when his mother died.

78. break down to separate something into component parts

When we broke the total cost down, we realized that we were losing money.

79. break down by to analyze I want everything broken down by departments so I can see who's spending what.

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80. break down by to show separately When you break the figures down by category, you can see that most of our spending is on R&D.

81. break in to wear something new until it feels comfortable

I hope it doesn't take too long to break these shoes in.

82. break in to get someone or something accustomed to a new routine

The manager at my new job hasn't given much time for breaking me in.

83. break into to enter by using force or illegally Somebody broke into Jane's apartment while she was at the movies.

84. break off to end, interrupt or discontinue Peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians have broken off after an unprovoked attack.

85. break out to start suddenly (unpleasant things e.g. wars, fires, violence etc.)

In 1939 World War Two broke out.

86. break out in to become covered by something He broke out in spots when he had chickenpox.

87. break out in a cold sweat

to show signs of great fear He broke out in a cold sweat when he was caught stealing.

88. break up to end or separate any kind of relationship

Sue and Tim broke up last year.

89. break up to stop an activity The principle broke up the fight between the two boys.

90. break up to disperse or scatter or come to an end

The meeting finally broke up at 5:00 pm.

91. bring about to cause something to happen The crisis was brought about by their behavior.

92. bring along to experience This year has brought along some significant changes.

93. bring along to take something or somebody with you

You can bring your friend along to the field trip.

94. bring back to return something Don't forget to bring my pen back to me when you're finished.

95. bring back to expect something to be returned You can borrow my pen, but bring it back to me when you're finished.

96. bring down to be arrested, humiliated or destroyed

The president was brought down by this scandal.

97. bring forward to arrange to have or do earlier Next week's meeting has been brought forward from Tuesday to Monday.

98. bring in to earn My job brings in 400 dollars per week.

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99. bring off to accomplish something difficult, impossible or unlikely

No one thought he could pass the test, but he brought it off.

100. bring on to cause the onset of an illness Walking in the rain brought on his cold.

101. bring on to cause trouble for oneself You have brought this on yourself.

102. bring out to launch a product They're bringing out a new line of summer clothing next month.

103. bring round to influence someone to your point of view

I brought the committee round to my point of view after much discussion.

104. bring up to be in a place from childhood to adulthood

She was brought up in Wisconsin.

105. bring up to mention (as a topic of discussion) He didn’t bring it up in the meeting.

106. bring up to take care of somebody from a young age until adulthood (children are educated at school)

Her grandparents brought her up after her parents died in an accident.

107. brush up to renew your knowledge of something

If you brush your languages up, maybe you can get a better job.

108. brush up on to review or study thoroughly for a short time

Frank had to brush up on his French before he went to France

109. build up to improve or strengthen something He needs to do some exercises to build up his strength.

110. bump into to meet by accident or unexpectedly John bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.

111. burn down to be destroyed by fire (upright things: buildings etc.)

His barn burned down before the fire fighters arrived.

112. burn out to stop working (machines) The fuse has burnt out.

113. burn out to become exhausted from over-working

Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down.

114. burn up to be destroyed by fire (only for people and non-upright things)

All of his furniture was burned up when his house burned down.

115. burn up to cause someone to become very angry

He really burns me up when he smokes in the office.

116. burst in with to enter suddenly and loudly She burst in with the bad news.

117. butt in to impolitely interrupt a conversation or an action

Don't butt in when I’m talking!

118. butter up to praise someone excessively with the hope of getting some benefit

He's been buttering his boss up all week. Hoping that he will get promoted.

119. buzz off to go away Buzz off! You are annoying me.

120. call back to return a phone call I'll call you back as soon as possible.

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121. call for to need to do something The shareholders are calling for a change in management because of last year's bad results.

122. call for to demand something This situation calls for urgent action before it's too late.

123. call in to call someone to you He called Kelly in.

124. call off to cancel something that has been scheduled

I had to call off the barbecue because of the bad weather.

125. call off to abandon something that has already begun

The football matched was called off after the spectators started rioting.

126. call on ask someone for an answer in class I don't know why the teacher never calls on you for the answer.

127. call on ask someone for an answer in class I don't know why the teacher never calls on you for the answer.

128. call out to announce or say something in a loud voice

The teacher called out the names.

129. call up to telephone somebody He called me up this morning.

130. call up to look for and open something on the computer

I called up the document and added the new paragraphs.

131. call up to mobilize for military service Mark was called up when the war broke out.

132. call upon to formally invite or request someone I now call upon the President to address the assembly.

133. calm down to become calm, less agitated or upset My father was very angry and it took him ten minutes to calm down.

134. care for to like or want (negative) it may be used as a question

Would you care for something to drink?

135. care for to take care of, supply care to, attend or watch

She is caring for her grandmother at home.

136. carry off to complete successfully, despite having problems

Jane had a difficult role to play, but she carried it off.

137. carry on to continue I'll be out of the office this afternoon, so you can just carry on with whatever you were doing.

138. carry out to do We're carrying out a survey at the moment to see which of our products is the most popular.

139. carry out to complete or perform The job was carried out by an outside consultancy firm.

140. carry out to complete a plan The attack was successfully carried out.

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141. cash in to obtain cash or profit from doing something

She cashed in on her husband’s life insurance after he died.

142. catch on to become popular David’s new hair-style is really catching on around the world.

143. catch on to develop understanding or knowledge of something

Tom had never used a computer before but he caught on very quickly and now he is a computer programmer.

144. catch up on to do work you should already have finished

There was no one to cover you when you were off sick, so you've got a lot of work to catch up on.

145. catch up with to reach the same point We left 5 minutes before John, nut he caught up with us by the time we got home.

146. catch up with to reach the same standard I haven't got time to study. I'll never catch up with everyone in class.

147. change over to to change to a new system or position Spain changed over to the euro at the beginning of 2002.

148. chase away or off

to force a person or animal to leave a place with threats or by attacking them

We managed to chase the dog away.

149. chat up to talk to someone in a friendly way because you are sexually attracted to them

Normally I find it very hard to chat up a girl but that evening I was drunk and had no inhibitions.

150. check in at to report, register or let someone know officially that you have arrived

Jack checked in at the hotel. Note: I should check into the hotel by 6:00

151. check into to investigate or inquire I will check into the problem as soon as I’m free.

152. check off to make a mark to indicate that something on a list has been completed

Please check each one off the list when you've finished it.

153. check out to investigate I don't know if the address is still valid, I'll check it out.

154. check out to follow procedures for borrowing something (usually for a limited period of time)

The library won't allow you to check encyclopedias out.

155. check out of to follow procedures for leaving a hotel, etc.

Don't forget to take your room key to the front desk when you check out of the hotel.

156. check up on to visit or observe someone There is no need to check up on me.

157. cheer up to become happier or help someone feel less worried, depressed or sad

He cheered up when he heard that he had passed his exam.

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158. chew out to scold someone severely His father chewed him out after he came home late from the party.

159. chew over to think about something or discuss it very carefully

I can't imagine John being the kind of person to openly argue, but rather chew it over in silence and, eventually, decide for himself.

160. chicken out to lose the courage or confidence to do something, often at the last minute

Sam said he was going to ask Suzie for a date, but he chickened out.

161. chill out to relax completely, to calm down We chilled out last night and watched a movie at home for a change.

162. chip in to contribute or donate money to something done by a group

He never chips in whenever we have an office party.

163. clam up to suddenly become quiet or refuse to talk about something

When I asked her what happened, she clammed up.

164. clamp down on to act strictly to prevent something The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places.

165. clear off to disappear or to be removed During the night the fog cleared off.

166. clear up to tidy and clean or remove dirt and clean

I cleared up the mess from the kids in the back garden.

167. clear up to find an answer or an explanation for something or settle it

I think this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon.

168. clear up when bad weather clears up, it improves

The weather is horrible at the moment. I hope it clears up later.

169. climb down to admit you were wrong He had to climb down after his colleagues proved him wrong.

170. close down to close permanently or stop operating

If we don't improve production we'll have to close down the factory.

171. close in on to approach someone or something without being noticed

She closed in on them quietly.

172. come about to happen Let me explain how the situation came about.

173. come across to find (unexpectedly) or meet by chance

He came across a wallet full of money as he was walking down the street.

174. come across to appear, seem, make an impression The speaker came across as a dynamic person.

175. come around to eventually accept something I knew he would come around in the end.

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176. come back to happen or appear again Will the good old days ever come back?

177. come by to visit My aunt came by yesterday.

178. come by to earn or get I hope he came by this money honestly.

179. come down to to end or accept a matter of something

It all comes down to whether you are prepared to accept less money.

180. come down with

to become ill with something He came down with the flu over the weekend.

181. come forward to present oneself The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.

182. come in to ask or invite someone to come Can't you just come in for a few minutes?

183. come in for to receive something - especially criticism or blame

The government has come in for a lot of criticism over the decision.

184. come into to receive something (usually money or property) after someone's death

He came into a fortune when his father died.

185. come off to take place successfully I'm afraid that deal didn't come off after all.

186. come out to be published or made public When the scandal came out all his sponsors terminated his contract.

187. come out to appear She came out of the room when her mother called her.

188. come over to visit Why don't you come over next weekend?

189. come round to regain consciousness It took him 5 minutes to come round after he fainted.

190. come through to receive a call, message, document, authorization, money, results

As the final results came through by fax, it couldn't have been any worse.

191. come through to survive or recover from something eg. a car crash, accident, operation, illness etc.

My cousin was in a serious car accident last week. Fortunately, he came through.

192. come to to total a cost Your charges for the room come to $120.

193. come to to regain consciousness She fainted when I told her she won the lottery, when she came to I told her it was just a joke.

194. come up to be mentioned Did anything interesting come up in the meeting?

195. come up to appear A new vacancy has come up because one of the managers has retired.

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196. come up to have an unexpected situation to go to

Look, something has come up, and I can't meet you.

197. come up against

to experience difficulty We've come up against a bit of a problem.

198. come up to to experience something to your expectations or standard

The play didn't come up to expectations.

199. come up with to think of The manager's secretary came up with a really good idea in the meeting.

200. conk out to stop working The car conked out on the motorway.

201. conk out to stop or fall asleep from exhaustion He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV.

202. cool down to become less excited I thought we could finally calmly discuss our argument, now that she had cooled down a bit.

203. cool down to reduce the temperature It began to cool down after the thunderstorm.

204. cop out to avoid responsibility because you are afraid or you don't want to keep your promise

I hoped Mike would focus on the important issue, but he copped out.

205. cough up to give somebody something because you have to

The health minister said the government must cough up more money if it wants to maintain a high-quality health system.

206. count on to rely, trust or depend on someone I'm counting on you to wake me up tomorrow.

207. crack down on to act more strictly If we want to save money we should begin by cracking down on unnecessary spending.

208. crop up to appear or happen unexpectedly Something's cropped up, so I won't be able to come to the meeting.

209. cross off to delete something from a list You can cross him off because he isn’t coming .

210. cross out to draw a line through something That's not how you spell it. Cross it out and write it again.

211. cut back on to use less of something I have to cut back on the water usage.

212. cut down on to reduce consumption If we cut down on photocopies we won't need to buy so much toner.

213. cut down on to reduce in size or amount (smoking, cigarettes, drinking, spending, production etc.)

Peter cut down on smoking.

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214. cut off to disconnect a phone call I was just talking to someone in the sales department, but I was cut off.

215. cut off to stop service or supply (water, electricity, etc.)

Her lights were cut off because she didn’t pay the power bill.

216. cut out to remove something by using a scissors or a knife

She cut out a picture in a magazine.

217. cut out to stop doing something I'm going to cut out eating between meals.

218. dash off to leave in a hurry He dashed off before I could talk to him.

219. dash off to write it in a hurry (letter, note, email)

Feel free to dash off an email to us at any time.

220. dawn on to suddenly begin to understand something

The truth finally dawned on him.

221. deal with to take action on something We should deal with the staff problems now before they get too serious.

222. deal with to be responsible for The computer maintenance team can deal with any type of emergency.

223. deal with to have as its subject The report deals with the introduction of new technology.

224. deal with to do business with This company has many years of experience in dealing with customers from abroad.

225. decide on to make a decision I decided on the iced tea.

226. die away to gradually become weaker until it disappears; fades (noise, sound, voice, light, breeze)

The strange noise finally died away.

227. die down to calm down or become quiet When the applause died down, she started to sing.

228. die out to disappear completely or to become extinct

The dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.

229. dig over to break the ground into smaller pieces with a spade so that plants can grow (soil, patch, garden, flowerbed)

He spent the morning digging over the vegetable patch.

230. dig up to search for and find it (scandal, the past, idea, excuse, facts, information)

The paparazzi dug up all his secrets from his past.

231. dig up to remove it from the ground using a fork or spade

If you dig up potatoes and the skin rubs off easily then it’s not ripe yet.

232. do away with to murder What if they do away with the old man?

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233. do away with to abolish We've finally done away with the manual system for goods registration.

234. doss down to sleep there temporarily or to sleep there instead of going home

If you can find another blanket I'll just doss down on the sofa.

235. do in to cheat or deceive He tried to do his father in.

236. do in to kill or to murder The said that the murdered man was done in between 10 and 11 o'clock last night.

237. do over to do something again I'll have to do everything over.

238. do up to repair or improve the condition and appearance of something

We are having our living room done up.

239. do up to fasten, button, zip or tie clothing It was a very cold day, so Brian did up all the buttons on his overcoat.

240. do without to not get or manage without I guess I will have to do without lunch today.

241. doze off to fall into a light sleep Judy dozed off while she was watching television.

242. drag on to continue slowly and boringly The meeting dragged on for hours and we still didn't come to a decision.

243. drag out to prolong unnecessarily The presentation should only last two hours, but they want me to drag it out for three.

244. drag up to mention some unpleasant fact from the past

Why are you dragging up my past?

245. draw near to be near the end or a date, deadline or place

As the time drew near we got ready to leave.

246. draw up to prepare If you decide to buy the company, we can draw up a contract within seven days.

247. draw up to compose We'll have to draw up a list of all the people who might want to attend the conference.

248. draw up to come to a stop A white sports car drew up outside the door.

249. dress up to wear elegant clothes Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country?

250. dress up to disguise oneself Children love to dress up at Halloween.

251. drink up to start or finish a drink Drink up so that we can go.

252. drive off to leave I said good-bye and drove off.

253. drive on to drive pass or to rive continuously We drove on till night.

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254. drop by to visit (usually without scheduling a specific time)

My sister dropped by the house over the weekend.

255. drop in to pay a short visit, often without warning

She decided to drop in and see her friend.

256. drop off to stop a vehicle and let someone get out

You can drop me off at the next red light.

257. drop off to deliver something or someone The mailman dropped off a letter today.

258. drop off to fall asleep (often unintentionally) The baby has just dropped off.

259. drop out of to withdraw from, or stop taking part in something

Sam dropped out of the race because he felt tired and ill.

260. drop out of to stop attending or leave school or an organization

He dropped out of school.

261. drum up to try to make people interested in something (support, enthusiasm, interest, business, trade)

The State Governor is about to go on a tour of the state to drum up support for his reform policy.

262. dry out to become dry The clothes finally dried out.

263. ease off to become less severe The storm eased off a little.

264. eat out to have a meal in a restaurant Why don't we eat out tonight?

265. eat up to start or finish a meal Eat up, and let's go.

266. edge away to walk away The students laughed and edged away from him.

267. egg on to encourage doing something negatively

His friends egged them on until they started fighting.

268. end up to get a result or consequence You will end up with lung cancer if you don’t stop smoking.

269. end up to finish in a certain way, or place or to finally arrive at an unexpected place

We ended up staying there for lunch.

270. end up as to eventually become Who would have thought she would end up as the boss?

271. end up doing to eventually do something I ended up doing it myself.

272. even out to become level or regular The road was evened out to make it safer.

273. even out to eliminate differences of opinion After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences.

274. face up to to accept a situation and take action He finally faced up to the problem and he's going to call a meeting to discuss it next week.

275. face up to to have courage to deal or admit something

You have to face up to your responsibilities.

276. fall about to show amusement Every one fell about when Jane told her joke.

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277. fall apart to break into many pieces and become useless

My car is falling apart from all the rust.

278. fall back on to use as a last resort If the worst comes to the worst, we've got our savings to fall back on.

279. fall behind to be not able to pay for something He's falling behind with his car payments.

280. fall for to fall in love with someone I fell for you the moment I saw you.

281. fall for to be deceived It was an unlikely story but he fell for it.

282. fall off to decrease The number of people coming into the office has fallen off since we set up the website.

283. fall out to quarrel The evening ended badly because they fell out over who should pay the bill.

284. fall out with to quarrel with somebody Peter has fallen out with his boss.

285. fall through to not succeed We've put so much effort into this project that I'll be very annoyed if it falls through.

286. fall through to not happen (something that was planned but didn't happen)

Our trip to Mexico fell through when I got sick.

287. feel for to feel sympathy or empathy I really feel for you.

288. feel up to to feel strong enough or comfortable enough to do something

He didn't feel up to walking to work, so he took the bus.

289. fight back to disagree It's hard for him to fight back.

290. fight down to try to avoid to do something negatively

I fought down the anger.

291. figure out to logically find the answer or solving a problem by thinking about it carefully

I finally figured it out the calculus problem.

292. figure out to understand why someone behaves the way she or he does

I can't figure out what’s wrong with her, one minute she is happy the next she is furious.

293. fill in to repair something I'd better fill the cracks in with something.

294. fill in to substitute for someone at work One of the secretaries is filling in for the receptionist.

295. fill in to add information or complete a form

It took me an hour to fill in the application form.

296. fill in on to supply information that someone doesn't know

Could you fill me in on what happened?

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297. fill out to become heavier or to gain weight Jerry used to be really skinny, but in the last year he's begun to fill out.

298. fill out to complete a form or an application Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.

299. fill up to add something into something until it is full

The hole filled up with water and had to be pumped.

300. find out to discover He found out about the redundancy plans from the union representative.

301. find out to learn or get information about something

I only found out today that the meeting was cancelled.

302. finish off to complete or finish something Finish off your cup of coffee, please.

303. finish up to complete or finish something I will finish my homework up in a few minutes.

304. fit in to have or find enough time Well, I'm busy on Monday but I could fit you in on Wednesday morning at 11.

305. fit in to work well with others in a group I think we'll have to terminate his contract because he doesn't fit in with the other people in the office.

306. fit in to complement or be in harmony with The new look doesn’t fit in with the company.

307. fix up to repair or improve something Is my bike fixed up yet?

308. fly in to travel by airplane to a specific place or time

I'm flying in on Saturday.

309. focus on to concentrate on one thing She focused on this issue.

310. follow up to act upon a suggestion Thanks for the information about that book, I'll follow it up.

311. follow up to continue or do something additional at a later time

We'll follow up this lesson next week.

312. fool around to behave in a silly or irresponsible way

Stop fooling around.

313. gather up to collect something or to form a move closer in a group

Let's gather up our things and leave.

314. get across to make somebody understand How can I get it across to you

315. get across to make people understand The company is in financial trouble, and this meeting has been called to get that message across.

316. get along with to have a relationship without difficulties

Why can't you and your sister get along?

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317. get around to avoid having to do something directly

She got around the required math classes by doing well on a math test.

318. get around to move from place to place She gets around by bicycle, bus, or taxi.

319. get around to to do something eventually Maybe I'll get around doing my homework tomorrow morning.

320. get at to imply something about personal matters

What exactly is he getting at?

321. get away to escape The prisoner got away from the guards and ran into the forest.

322. get away with to do something wrong or illegal without being discovered or punished

Jack got away with robbing the bank last year.

323. get back to return When will you get back?

324. get back at to return a bad deed to what somebody

He will get back at him someday.

325. get back to to return or call back someone I will get back to you in a minute.

326. get by to survive financially or a difficult situation or cope

It's going to be hard to pay the rent now that you've lost your job, but somehow we'll get by.

327. get by on to survive financially or a difficult situation

She can't get by on that much money.

328. get down to make you feel depressed This cold weather really gets me down.

329. get down to to seriously begin to deal with something

It's time we got down to some real work.

330. get down to to start I'll just introduce everyone, and then we'll get down to business.

331. get in to enter She just got in her car and drove away.

332. get in to arrive Do you know what time Fred gets in?

333. get into to be accepted at a place He managed to get himself into the class he wanted.

334. get into to enter How did the burglar get into the house?

335. get off to leave or exit a vehicle When you get off the bus, come home directly.

336. get off to be excused (for a period of time) from work or any regularly scheduled activities

Some schools got New Years Day off but ours didn't.

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337. get off to make it possible for someone to avoid punishment

Everyone knew he was guilty, but his lawyer was clever and got him off.

338. get off to remove She can't get the stain off her sweater.

339. get off on to enjoy something He gets off on playing soccer.

340. get on to live or progress How are you getting on?

341. get on to make progress in life or work Sue is getting on very well in her new job.

342. get on to enter a large vehicle or board She got on the plane about 20 minutes ago.

343. get on for to be approaching a certain age, time or number

He must be getting on for seventy.

344. get on with to have a good relationship with someone

The old manager was very easy to get on with.

345. get on with to continue with something I need to get on with my homework.

346. get out of to leave or avoid something You've got to get out of there.

347. get out of to leave a vehicle You'll have to get out of the car.

348. get over to be surprised I couldn't get over how well she looked.

349. get over to recover from an illness or painful experience

It took him a long time to get over the heart attack.

350. get over with to come to the end of something, usually unpleasant

I'll be glad to get this awful business over with.

351. get rid of to eliminate, dispose of, give away or throw away

Why don't you get rid of that ugly shirt?

352. get rid of to dismiss or cause someone to leave The manager got rid of him because he was a poor worker.

353. get round to solve or avoid a problem They got round the problem by doing something else.

354. get round to persuade someone to do what you want or to persuade someone to let you do what you want

He managed to get round his father to buy him a car.

355. get round to to find time to do - also around) Sorry, but I haven't got round to fixing the tap yet.

356. get through to contact someone (usually by telephone)

I've been trying to get through to you for hours!

357. get through to finish or complete something He got through his work by five o'clock.

358. get through to try to make someone understand something

I’m not getting through to you, let me explain again.

359. get together to meet someone Let's get together for lunch on day.

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360. get up to leave bed after sleeping and begin your daily activities

Today I got up at 10 am.

361. get up to to do something (usually bad when it’s about children)

The children are getting up to something in the garden.

362. give away to betray someone His false identity papers gave him away.

363. give away to to give without receiving payment He gave his car away to his brother.

364. give away to to reveal something Don't give the answer away.

365. give in to stop resisting or to surrender Tom gave in after David hurt his hand.

366. give in to to allow or accept something difficult Why does she always give in to her brother?

367. give off to have a smell or odor coming from something

The cheese had begun to give off a strange smell.

368. give out to be finished or exhausted When our money gave out we had to borrow.

369. give out to give something or distribute something

The teacher gave out the books, so that the pupils could read the story.

370. give over to abandon or devote to something The rest of the time was given over to playing cards.

371. give over to stop something Why don't you give over your bad behavior?

372. give up to stop or discontinue something Are you sure you want to give up your career?

373. give up to stop trying to do something (often because it is too difficult)

The dog gave up after attempting for 10 minutes catching the cat.

374. give up to believe that someone or something is dead or lost

After ten days the ship was given up for lost.

375. give up to stop doing something (usually a habit)

He knows smoking isn't good for his health, but he can't give it up.

376. give up to surrender oneself (usually to someone)

The criminal gave himself up to the police.

377. glance over to read or watch something briefly My teacher just glanced over my homework today.

378. go after to pursue or trying to catch something or someone

He went after the man who mugged him.

379. go ahead to proceed I've spoken to the client and he says we can go ahead with the advertising campaign.

380. go along with to agree to OK, I'll go along with that idea.

381. go around to distribute equally There's not enough milk to go around.

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382. go away to leave Please go away!

383. go back to return I'll never go back.

384. go back on to break a promise The management has gone back on its promise.

385. go down to become less swollen The swelling went down 5 hours after the bee stung him.

386. go down well or badly

to be received The ideas we had for the future didn't go down well at the meeting.

387. go for to attack The dog went for him.

388. go in to follow They went in after us.

389. go in for to enter a competition Are you thinking of going in for the race?

390. go in for to make a habit of something I don't go in for that kind of thing.

391. go into to talk about something in detail You don't need to go into all the details, just tell me yes or no.

392. go off to explode The bomb went off.

393. go off to happen successfully My party went off as planned.

394. go off to become bad (food) This milk has gone off.

395. go off with to start arguing or accusing someone harshly

I guess she went off with her new boyfriend.

396. go on to happen What's going on? Why isn't anyone working?

397. go on to happen (negative) Something funny is going on.

398. go on to continue She went on working until the day before she had the baby.

399. go out with to go somewhere with someone Will she go out with Mike next Friday evening?

400. go out with to have a date with You went out with Sharon last night, didn't you?

401. go round to be enough There weren't enough life-jackets to go round.

402. go through to be completed successfully If we get the buyer's signature this afternoon, the deal can go through by the end of the week.

403. go through to enter and then exit something The truck wouldn't go through the tunnel.

404. go through to search for or examine something He went through his pockets, looking for his wallet.

405. go through to experience You won't believe what I've gone through.

406. go through to do again I guess we need to go through the whole song a few more times.

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407. go through to revise Go through your notes before the presentation to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.

408. go through with

to complete a promise or plan (usually unwillingly)

When she had to steal food to feed her children couldn't go through with it.

409. go under to go bankrupt The company went under.

410. go under to sink I was afraid that our ship would go under.

411. go with to match or suit something or look pleasing together (for clothes, furniture, etc.)

Tom wanted to see if checked trousers go with a striped jacket.

412. go with to date regularly and steadily Is Gina going with Jim? I see them together all the time.

413. go without to abstain from or not use I just cannot go without some candy from time to time.

414. goof off to be lazy or to do nothing in particular

I'm just going to stay home and goof off today.

415. grow on to start liking something that you didn’t like before

This new record is growing on me.

416. grow up to develop from a child into an adult Joe has grown up into a fine young man.

417. grow up to behave responsibly or to behave as an adult and not a child

I wish he would grow up because he is behaving like a child.

418. hand down to give something that you can’t use anymore or to inherit

He will hand this down to his granddaughter.

419. hand in to submit written work You have to hand your homework in at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

420. hand out to distribute The teacher handed out the test to the surprised students.

421. hand over to give to someone else She handed over the running of the company to her son after she retired.

422. hang around with

to be with someone socially I usually spend a lot of time hanging around with my friends.

423. hang on to wait Hang on a minute. I've just got to make a phone call.

424. hang on to to keep in your possession Do we really need to hang on to these old files?

425. hang onto to keep I think we should hang onto the car until next year.

426. hang out to spend time in a particular place or with a group of friends

He likes hanging out at the mall.

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427. hang up to end a phone conversation by replacing the receiver

Why did you hang up on me?

428. have it in for to be deliberately unkind to someone My teacher has (got) it in for me.

429. have it out with

to express feelings so as to settle a problem

I put up with the problem for a while but in the end I had it out with her.

430. have on to deceive You're having me on.

431. have to do with to be about something This class has to do with science and technology.

432. heal up to get better or to heal My injury healed up in around no time.

433. hear out to listen Hear me out first, I have something to say.

434. heat up to make warm How soon will lunch be heated up?

435. help out to assist Can you help me out?

436. hide out from to hide Ben was hiding out from the police.

437. hit at to aim a blow at He hit at the wasp with the newspaper.

438. hit back to return a hit or to retaliate He hit me, but I didn't hit him back.

439. hit it off to get on well with Mark and Sarah really hit it off at the party.

440. hit on to flirt with someone Tom was hitting on Mike's fiancée.

441. hit on to think of I think you've hit on something very important there.

442. hit upon to discover by chance (often an idea) They hit upon the solution quite by chance.

443. hold back to not show, or do something I held back the anger.

444. hold on to grip tightly She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge.

445. hold on to wait (especially on the telephone) His assistant asked him to hold on.

446. hold out to wait I don't know how long they can hold out.

447. hold out to offer hope We don't hold out much hope that the price will fall.

448. hold up to delay Sorry I'm late. I was held up by my last appointment.

449. hold up to rob, especially using a weapon

A robber held up the bank.

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450. hold up to raise or lift to a higher than normal position

The winner of the race proudly held his trophy up for all to see.

451. hold up to stop or delay something The traffic was held up for a few hours because of an accident that blocked the road.

452. hold with to agree with I don't hold with the idea of using force.

453. hurry up to make haste Hurry up, will you? I got some errands to run today.

454. idle away to do nothing Don't idle the whole day away.

455. insist (on) to not take no for an answer He insisted on helping me

456. invite over to invites someone to your place Let's invite them over for dinner.

457. iron out to eliminate differences or resolve difficulties

We can iron tour differences out if you want to.

458. jack up to raise something We'll have to jack the back of the car up before we can change the tire.

459. jack up to raise a price The car dealer bought my old Ford for $750 and jacked the price up to $1,500 when they sold it.

460. join in to participate She was too shy to join in the game.

461. join up to engage in or become a member of something

Tom joined up the army as soon as he left school.

462. join up to meet and unite with The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel.

463. jot down to take quick notes I jotted down the address while watching the program on TV.

464. jump all over to severely scold someone His boss jumped all over him because he's been late for work three times this week.

465. jump in to assist You can jump in as soon as you a free.

466. jump into to go into something I just jumped into the pool and had a refreshing swim.

467. keep at to try many times I need to keep at this.

468. keep off to stay away Please keep off the lawn.

469. keep on to not remove something It's a little chilly in here, so I better keep my coat on.

470. keep on to not dismiss from work When the factory closed, the only person kept on was the accountant.

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471. keep on to continue (followed by an -ing verb) I'm not ready to stop yet. I think I'll keep on working for a while.

472. keep on to continue to remind someone to do something

You'll have to keep on him or he'll never do all the things you want him to do.

473. keep out of to avoid or not interfere Keep out of this and mind your own business.

474. keep out of to not enter My door is closed. Keep out!

475. keep up to continue Well done' Keep up the good work.

476. keep up with to stay at the same level as someone or something

Bill walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him.

477. key in to type into the computer He keyed the information in wrongly.

478. kick off to begin or start something The soccer match kicked off at 3 o'clock.

479. kick out to expel or force someone to leave The bartender kicked him out when he got too drunk.

480. knock off to stop Will you knock it off!

481. knock oneself out

to work much harder than normal or than what is expected

He knocked himself out to be sure we didn't miss the deadline.

482. knock out to make unconscious That medicine really knocked me out.

483. lay down to state a rule The company has laid down strict procedures for this kind of situation.

484. lay off to dismiss from work (employer can’t afford workers not about bad performance)

Last year the company lay off a hundred workers because business was very bad.

485. lead up to to come to a specific place A narrow path leads up to his cabin.

486. lead up to to come to the point or reason She was just leading up to something when he interrupted.

487. leak out to become known He leaked out top secret information to the enemy for a lot of money.

488. leave out to forget or omit Oh, no! When I made the list of those who attended the meeting, I left your name out!

489. leave out of to not include Leave me out of it, please.

490. leave up to to control the decision They left this decision up to me.

491. let down to disappoint someone Sorry to let you down, but I can't give you a lift today.

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492. let in to allow to enter or affect Don't let strangers in.

493. let in on to allow to be part of a secret We haven't let Tina in on the plans yet.

494. let off to excuse someone from punishment, duty, or doing something

As Dave was young, the judge let him off with a fine.

495. let on to inform about a secret We're planning a surprise for Helen, but don't let on.

496. let out to allow a person or an animal to leave a place or to release

They let Fred out of prison after five years.

497. let up become less intense or slower It's been raining hard for a long time. Will it ever let up?

498. lie down to sleep or be in a sleeping position I need to lie down and take a little nap.

499. light up to make something brighter or more visible by using a light

We lighted the house up with the headlights of our automobile.

500. lighten up to relax or not to be serious Hey, lighten up a little. Enjoy the day.

501. line up to stand in a line Everyone, please line up.

502. live up to to reach an expected standard That meal did not live up to my expectations.

503. look after to take care of someone or something Looking after a baby is a full-time job.

504. look ahead to think of the future It's time to forget the past and look ahead.

505. look back at to reminiscent or to compare When I look back on him, I am amazed at all he has accomplished.

506. look back on to remember, think about or reflect on the past

When they looked back on their many years together, they realized that their marriage had been a very happy one.

507. look down on to hold in contempt or regard as inferior

He looks down on everyone else because he's the only one in the department who went to Oxford.

508. look for to try to find something or someone He looked for his key everywhere.

509. look forward to to anticipate something pleasantly for a future event

I'm really looking forward to vacation.

510. look forward to to anticipate with pleasure I look forward to hearing from you.

511. look in on to visit in order to check something's or someone's condition

I plan to look in on my father today because he just got back from the hospital.

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512. look into to investigate or to carefully examine a situation or event and try to discover the reasons for it

The police have promised to look into the problem.

513. look like to resemble something in appearance Does he look like his father or his mother?

514. look on to be a spectator at an event Billy didn't take part in the fight, he just looked on.

515. look on to consider We look on this town as our real home.

516. look out for to be cautious Look out for that car!

517. look over to check, review or examine someone or something carefully and fully

Could you look my report over? I think I may have some typos.

518. look round to visit and tour round a place They looked round the house.

519. look up to improve Things must be looking up - we're getting a Christmas bonus this year!

520. look up to find information (when you know where it is)

Can you look the phone number up for me, please?

521. look up to find or visit someone When I'm in Chicago next month, I'll be sure to look him up.

522. look up to to respect or admire someone Everyone looked up to the old manager because he always listened to what people had to say.

523. loom up to be visible An old cottage loomed up in the distance.

524. loosen up to relax or not to be too sensitive Relax and loosen yourself up.

525. luck out to be unexpectedly lucky She lucked out because the meeting was postponed and could go home early.

526. make for to go to or toward They made for the refrigerator as soon as they got home.

527. make for to result in or cause something Many hands make for light work.

528. make fun of to make jokes about (unkindly) Children always make fun of fat kids.

529. make it out to to write a cheque Shall I make the cheque out for cash?

530. make off with to run away with The thief made off with a valuable necklace.

531. make out to understand Can you make out what she is saying?

532. make out to pretend He made out that he hadn’t seen the No Smoking sign.

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533. make out to manage to see, hear or understand something or someone (used in the negative with can't and couldn’t)

I couldn’t quite make out what the notice said.

534. make out to understand someone's behavior She is so odd, I can't make her out.

535. make out with to kiss or have intercourse There are hot pictures of him making out with a nun.

536. make up to invent, sometimes with the purpose of deception

I made up that story.

537. make up to consist of Class participation will make up 25% of your final grade.

538. make up to compensate for something missed or not done by doing extra or equivalent work

When everyone comes back from holiday we'll have to work extra hours to make up for lost time.

539. make up for to compensate for Ron made up for being late by apologizing to June and giving her a big bunch of flowers.

540. make up with to re-establish a friendly relationship by admitting guilt

Jack and his girlfriend were very angry with each other, but last night they finally made up with each other.

541. march on to pass or continue Time marches on.

542. mark down to reduce the price (as an incentive to buy)

The store marked the shoes down by 40%.

543. mark up to increase the price (for resale) His import shop is profitable because he buys things inexpensively and then marks them up.

544. mess up to make something untidy or disorderly

He messed up his room.

545. mess up to damage The dirty water messed my pants up.

546. mess up to affect negatively Losing my job really messed my life up.

547. miss out to fail to include You have missed out a word here.

548. miss out to lose a chance, opportunity or possibility

Five people got promoted, but I missed out again.

549. mistake for to think wrongly that someone or something is another

I mistook a piece of old rope for a dangerous snake.

550. mix up to cause to become confused This math equation is really mixing me up.

551. move in(to) to move to a place to live there I moved into a new apartment last month.

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552. move on (to) to start a new topic Alright, let's move on to our next point.

553. move out (of) to stop living in a place I moved out of my old apartment last month.

554. move up to promote someone How long will it be before they can move her up?

555. nail up to hang something on the wall Please nail this picture up.

556. nail up to close or seal a doorway Who nailed up the door? I can't get out.

557. nod off to fall sleep (usually unintentionally) The speech was so boring that several people in the audience nodded off before it was finished.

558. note down to write something I'll call the station and note down the departure times.

559. open up to allow access They opened up the border a few weeks ago.

560. opt out to leave a system or decide not to participate

I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament.

561. order in(to) to tell someone to enter The officer ordered me in.

562. own up to confess None of the children would own up to breaking the window.

563. own up to to admit to I suppose I should own up to stealing money from my employer.

564. pack in to stop an activity John has packed in his job.

565. pan out to succeed or happen as expected (negative when in statements)

My trip to Chicago didn't pan out.

566. pass away or on

to die I was very sorry to hear that your grandfather passed away.

567. pass out to faint or lose consciousness He passed out after standing in the heat for 3 hours.

568. pass out to distribute Please can you pass these handouts out to everyone?

569. pass over to not consider for promotion If they pass me over for promotion again this year I'm going to find a new job.

570. pay back to reimburse I'll lend you $20 provided you pay me back before the end of the week.

571. pay back to take revenge She paid him back for all his insults.

572. pay off to get a positive result The time I spent in this project didn't pay off.

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573. pay off to finish paying money you owe Once we pay off the bank loan, I can save some money.

574. phase in to introduce gradually We'll be phasing the changes in over the next few years so as to minimize disruption to the production process.

575. pick on to bully or intentionally try to make someone upset

You should be ashamed of teasing your little brother.

576. pick out to choose or select I picked out a nice present for your birthday.

577. pick up to learn by experience I picked up a little French while I was in Quebec.

578. pick up to improve Sales should pick up around October.

579. pick up to increase The storm picked up about midnight.

580. pick up to lift someone or something Help me pick up this guy from the sidewalk.

581. pick up to collect someone or something (usually with a vehicle)

I will pick her up from school.

582. pick up to get or buy something Could you pick some more up on your way home this evening?

583. pick up to refresh or revitalize Drinking coffee always picks me up in the morning.

584. pile up to have more and more things on top of each other

Exams are piling up on my desk.

585. pin down to force to give a clear statement I asked him to name a suitable day, but I couldn't pin him down.

586. pitch in to help or join together to accomplish something

We'll be finished soon if everyone pitches in.

587. plan out to discuss, organize and prepare for something

They met and planned out their strategy.

588. play along to join someone or to pretend with someone to deceive someone else

The guy with the guitar came in and played along.

589. play up to behave or work badly The car is playing up again.

590. point out to draw attention to something or someone

I pointed out that I would be on holiday anyway.

591. pop up to appear I don't know where he's going to pop up next.

592. power up to start a large vehicle Okay, let's power up the engine and get going.

593. pull in(to) to arrive at a house A stranger just pulled into our driveway.

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594. pull off to succeed in doing something The negotiations went on and on, but he finally pulled off the deal.

595. pull off to manage to succeed It was a tricky plan, but we pulled it off.

596. pull out of to not continue or commit to The buyer pulled out of the deal when we refused to reduce the price.

597. pull over to drive a vehicle to the side of the rode

When the policeman indicated that I should pull over, I knew he was going to give me a ticket.

598. pull up to pull something or someone upright or to a higher level

He reached down and pulled her up.

599. push on to continue with some effort Let's push on and try to reach the coast by tonight.

600. put across to explain an idea Harry is clever but he can't put his ideas across.

601. put across to to make someone understand I tried to put this across to them as best I could.

602. put away to return something to the proper place

Will you help me put these books away?

603. put back to return something to the proper place

Do you want me to put these books back on the shelves?

604. put down to to explain the cause of Diane's poor performance was put down to nerves.

605. put forward to make a suggestion The new manager put forward her ideas for cutting costs as soon as the meeting started.

606. put forward to offer a proposal or a plan or for consideration

She put forward the idea of introducing traffic lights at the crossroads as a way of preventing traffic jams.

607. put in for to request officially I've put in for three weeks' holiday next August.

608. put in for to apply for a job Sue has put in for a teaching job.

609. put off to postpone, delay or avoid I keep asking for an appointment, but he keeps putting me off.

610. put off to discourage, or distract someone from doing something

He was trying to read, but the noise from the television put him off and he had to stop.

611. put off until to postpone until a certain date Can't you just put this off until tomorrow?

612. put on to begin to wear or something You'd better put a sweater on because it’s cold outside.

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613. put on to try to make someone believe something that is ridiculous or untrue

He was just putting us on you shouldn’t believe a word he says.

614. put oneself out to take trouble to help someone Please don't put yourself out making a meal.

615. put out to inconvenience someone I hate to put you out, but I need a ride to the train station.

616. put out to extinguish Steve put the light out.

617. put through to connect by phone Hello, could you put me through to the Sales Department, please?

618. put together to assemble We put a team together on very short notice.

619. put up to return something to the proper place

Please put your toys up.

620. put up to accommodate or provide someone with a place to sleep

I'll be happy to put you up for a few days.

621. put up with to accept or tolerate without complaining

I just don't know why I even put up with you.

622. quiet down to make someone more relaxed or less agitated

Try to quiet him down.

623. quiet down to tell someone not to be noisy Ask him to quiet down.

624. rattle off to say or read something very fast She rattled off the long list of names.

625. reach out to try taking something not close to you

I reached out, but there was nothing I could get hold of.

626. read over or through

to read something so as to understand it

Please read this text over and tell me what it is about.

627. reckon on to expect something I think we can probably reckon on a minimum of 25 people coming to the party.

628. rely (up)on to depend on or trust someone or something

Can we rely on you in this case?

629. ride out to remain or continue to do something that is difficult or unpleasant

Things are rough around here, but I think I can ride it out.

630. ring back to phone again I'll ring you back as soon as it's finished.

631. ring off to end a phone call I'll have to ring off now because the meeting's about to start.

632. rip off to cheat, take advantage of someone or charge too much for something

The merchants at the market will rip you off if you’re a foreigner.

633. round off to change from a fraction to the nearest whole number

Round all prices off to the amounts e.g. round $41.75 off to $42.00.

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634. rub away to rub something to make it clean I used that towel to rub away the dirt on my shoes.

635. rule on to make a final statement, result or decision

When will the court rule on your decision?

636. rule out to eliminate something or someone If we lower the prices, we can't rule out the possibility that customers will buy it.

637. run away to leave and not return My cat ran away last week.

638. run down to deteriorate or become worse The gangsters are running down the neighborhood.

639. run down to lose power I think my phone’s battery is running down.

640. run down to criticize She's always running down her husband.

641. run in to use a new (or reconditioned) engine carefully until it is ready for normal use

He is running in his new car, so he can't drive fast.

642. run into to meet by chance I was on my way to work when I ran into an old friend.

643. run off to leave quickly I ran off as fast as I could.

644. run off with to leave with someone or something with the intention not to be found

The kidnappers ran off with her little daughter.

645. run out to have no more I can't print any more copies. The ink's run out.

646. run over to drive over or through something with a vehicle

He ran over his neighbor's cat.

647. run over to exceed a time limit I ran over the time allotted for the presentation.

648. run over to repeat or revise something Let's run over the plan once more.

649. run through to check by repeating I want to run through the presentation just once more to make sure I've got it right.

650. run up to let a bill or expense accumulate I ran up a huge telephone bill at the hotel.

651. run up against to encounter a problem We've run up against a slight problem.

652. rush in(to) to decide too quickly I'm not going to rush into buying a house.

653. save up to accumulate money in order to buy something

I'm saving up money for a new car.

654. scale down to reduce in size We're scaling down on the original plan due to our budget.

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655. see off to say goodbye to someone who is going on a journey at the place of departure (e.g. airport, station etc.)

We saw him off at the train station.

656. see through to know someone’s true nature or personality

I knew what he was up to, because I saw through him.

657. see through to complete something I'll see this project through.

658. see through to realize the truth I saw through his intentions.

659. see to to deal with I'll see to the customers if you help me with the deliveries.

660. see to to service or maintain You need to see to the car, I couldn’t start it today.

661. sell out (to) to sell your business to make a profit or to not wanting it anymore

He refused to sell out to a large corporation.

662. sell out (to) to reveal someone that trusts you identity or location for money or a reward

The police caught the criminal after his wife sold him out for the reward money for his capture.

663. send away for to send something or someone to a different location for something

She had to send her daughter away to a boarding school hoping to discipline her.

664. send for to ask someone to bring someone else to you

He sent for his secretary.

665. send over (to) to tell someone to go to a specific place

She sent me over to her office.

666. send up to make fun of by imitating someone Jean is always sending up the French teacher.

667. set about to start working We must set about re-organizing the office.

668. set back to cause a delay in scheduling The protest set the competition back by 2 days.

669. set back to cost A new car will set us back $20,000.

670. set in to establish itself (especially weather) I think we are going to be set in for rain today.

671. set off to start a journey If we set off early, we should be on time for the meeting.

672. set on to be adamant about something He was set on driving home after having too many beers.

673. set out to give in detail of something in writing

This document sets out all the Union demands.

674. set out to arrange I've set out the refreshments in the hall.

675. set out to start an action She set out to exercise every day but she ended up doing house chores.

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676. set up to establish The company was set up by the current director in 1987.

677. set up to start We can set up a committee to look at the possibility of changing the company's pension scheme.

678. set up to install equipment Set up the screen and the camera in front of the table.

679. set up for to make arrangements for something I will set up a meeting for next week.

680. settle down to retire or stop working or to live permanently in one place

One day they will settle down in a small cabin in the mountains.

681. settle down to become composed or less excited Will you please settle down and relax?

682. share together to share something with somebody We shared a room together in college.

683. shoot up to increase rapidly The price of gas shot up this month, now everything costs more.

684. shoot up to grow taller rapidly Jane shot up just after she turned thirteen.

685. shop around to compare prices It's always wise to shop around before buying anything.

686. show off to boast deliberately to make others feel inferior to you

Stop showing off.

687. show up to arrive or appear She didn’t show up at school for 3 days.

688. show up do a noticeably better job (often unexpectedly) than someone else

She really showed you up in front of the boss.

689. shut up to be silent or to stop talking (impolite)

Oh shut up, you idiot!

690. sign in to sign your name when entering certain places

Did you remember to sign in?

691. sign up for to officially or willingly join something Did you remember to sign up for the class?

692. sink in to slowly realize or understand something

How long is it going to take to sink in?

693. sit around to not do anything Don't just sit around the whole day.

694. sit down to go in a sitting position or take a seat

Please, sit down and relax.

695. sit in on to join someone but usually just to observe

You guys mind if I sit in on your discussion?

696. sit out to be excluded or not wanting to join I'm not playing. I better sit out this time.

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697. sit up to sleep later than usual to do something

I sat up and read a book.

698. sit up to sit making your back straight I wouldn't get such terrible backaches if I sat up properly.

699. sleep in to stay in bed longer than usual I slept in this morning.

700. slim down to lose weight and look healthier You have slimmed down a lot since last spring break.

701. slip up to make a mistake Someone slipped up and my application was lost.

702. slow down to reduce the speed or motion of something

You're going too fast, please slow down.

703. smash into to have an accident by moving into or against something causing damage

The car smashed into the side of a bus.

704. soak up to absorb or to become filled with something

The sponge soaked up the spilt milk.

705. sober up to gain full control of your senses A cup of coffee will sober you up when you had too much to drink.

706. sort itself out to solve the problem without looking for the solution

Things will sort itself out by the end of the month.

707. sort out to find a solution I will sort out your problem as soon as possible.

708. speak up to speak more loudly The music is too loud, can you speak up?

709. speak up for to talk for someone normally because you’re more influential

You can speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

710. split up to separate 1 group into 2 or more groups

We had to split the class up into two groups.

711. spread out to move further apart so as to cover more ground

He told them to spread out and continue their search.

712. stand around to not work normally by socializing with someone during working hours

Don't stand around, get back to work.

713. stand by to wait for a short time Stand by while I search for another song.

714. stand by to keep to an agreement The company agreed to stand by its original commitment.

715. stand for to represent or mean something or an abbreviation or acronym for something

The letters B.B.C. stand for the British Broadcasting Corporation.

716. stand for to tolerate (usually negative) I won’t stand for this kind of behavior in my house.

717. stand in for to take someone's place I’m standing in for her because she had an emergency at home.

718. stand out to be noticeably better than other people

She is so beautiful that she really stands out in a crowd.

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719. stand up to rise to a standing position When the prime minister entered the room, everyone stood up.

720. stand up to make a date or appointment then not come without informing them

She stood him up and went with another man instead to the party.

721. stand up to to resist or bear stress The engine won't stand up to the strain.

722. stand up to to speak against someone having more power or someone treating you badly

She stood up to her boss when he accused her of something she didn’t do.

723. start over to do something again from the beginning

I messed up the stock take, so I have to start all over.

724. start up to switch on a vehicle or machine Start your car up and let's go.

725. stay over to visit someone for one night Can my friend stay over, please?

726. step aside to move away from someone so that they can walk on

Step aside, please. You're in my way.

727. step down to resign The Chairman has stepped down after criticism from shareholders.

728. step up to increase If we get any more orders we'll need to step up production.

729. stick together to not separate usually to support each other

We must stick together.

730. stick up for to defend someone’s rights You must learn to stick up for yourself.

731. stop by to visit briefly Please stop by before you go on vacation.

732. stop over to wait at a location before continuing a journey usually when flying

We stopped over in Chicago for two nights.

733. storm in(to) to enter a place loudly to confront someone about a problem

He stormed into the room, shouting and yelling.

734. storm out (of) to exit a place loudly because not wanting to be there

He got angry and stormed out of the meeting.

735. straighten out to solve a problem We have to straighten this mess out.

736. straighten out to adjust something to be straight and neat

They straightened out the line of people.

737. strip down to get undressed but usually not removing your underwear

The doctor told me to strip down for the examination.

738. stumble (upon) to accidentally meet or find someone or something

I just stumbled upon a friend I haven’t seen for many years.

739. sum up to summarize the main points If I had to sum it up in one word, I would say that the image of this company is reliability.

41


740. swell up to increase size for parts of the body usually caused by injury

I bumped my ankle and it swelled up.

741. switch off to make an appliance or machine to stop working

I forgot to switch the TV off before I went to bed.

742. switch on to make an appliance or machine to start working

Can you please switch the light on?

743. take (it) out on to make someone else suffer because of one's own sufferings

I know you are unhappy, but don't take it out on me!

744. take after to resemble or behave like a relative Both my sister and I take after our father.

745. take apart to disassemble something Don't take my TV apart.

746. take away to take something or someone to an unknown location

The police took her daughter away.

747. take back to return something I should take the book back to the library.

748. take care of to provide care or watch someone’s health

She has been taking care of her father since he returned from the hospital.

749. take care of to make arrangements for something or take responsibility for something

I will take care of the business while you are away.

750. take care of to kill someone discreetly The gangster took care of his business rival.

751. take down to note information You'll need to take down everything we say in the meeting.

752. take down to record in writing The police officer took down my details so that they can contact me.

753. take in to deceive or cheat someone Don't be taken in by her demure behavior, she just wants sympathy.

754. take off to rise from the ground (airplane) When does your plane take off?

755. take off to leave suddenly Sorry, I have to take off now.

756. take off to remove something you’re wearing Take your coat off, please.

757. take off to reprimand or scowl someone After I teased her she took off with me in front of everybody.

758. take off to make arrangements to be absent from work

She's taking today and tomorrow off from work.

759. take on to acquire a new characteristic My grandmother has taken on a new lease of life since her operation.

760. take on to do something extra She has taken on a second job due to financial difficulties.

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761. take on to assume responsibility Your secretary can take on the extra work until we find a permanent replacement.

762. take on to employ someone We'll need to take on extra staff over the summer to cover the people on holiday.

763. take out to obtain a legal or official document The company can take out a short-term loan to pay for the new computer system.

764. take out to sign an insurance agreement Ann has taken out life insurance.

765. take over to gain control of or to assume responsibility for something or someone

The army tried to take over the country.

766. take over from to replace She will be taking over from you while you’re on maternity leave.

767. take to to develop a liking for You'll soon take to your new boss, I'm sure.

768. take up to occupy time The meeting took up my whole morning

769. take up to begin a hobby or leisure-time activity

I’m thinking of taking up dancing over the weekends.

770. talk back (to) to reply when not needed in an arrogant way

Don't ever talk back to her.

771. talk into to persuade someone to do something

She talked me into going skiing with her.

772. talk out to discuss a problem hoping to solve it Let's just talk this matter out.

773. talk out of to dissuade from doing something He tried talking me out of doing drugs.

774. team up (with) to join someone to form a group I don't want to team up with him.

775. tear off to remove something attached to something else

She tore the label off the bottle.

776. tear up to destroy completely by tearing Brian tore up the letter angrily.

777. tell off to speak to someone bluntly and negatively, saying exactly what he or she did wrong

Our teacher told us off for being late.

778. tell on to give information of what you did wrong to someone that can punish you

I'm going to call your father and tell on you.

779. think back (to) to try recalling something that happened in the past

Try and think back to the morning of June 5.

780. think of to have an idea I quickly had to think of something.

781. think over to consider something carefully I needed a few minutes to think it over.

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782. think through to consider something carefully Let me think this through and then tell you in the morning.

783. think up to have an idea I'll think something up.

784. throw away to discard something You shouldn't throw those newspapers away; they're recyclable.

785. throw out to discard something You should throw the food out, it smells terrible.

786. throw out to forcibly make someone leave (usually because of bad behavior)

The manager should throw those trouble makers out.

787. throw up to vomit I was so nauseous I almost threw up.

788. tick off to irritate or upset someone It really ticks her off when someone is late for an appointment.

789. tick off to show that something has been completed by putting a tick (check) next to it

Just tick of what you have completed on the list.

790. tidy away to arrange, clean or make something neat

Please tidy your stuff away.

791. tidy up to arrange, clean or make something neat

Tidy up your room, it looks like a pig sty.

792. tie in with to be in agreement with I'm afraid your party doesn't quite tie in with our arrangements.

793. touch on to mention I'd like to touch on a number of subjects in this meeting.

794. track down to trace the whereabouts of The police tracked down the killer and arrested him.

795. trick into to deceive someone in doing something

He tried to trick her into doing it his way.

796. try on to wear something briefly to check its fit or how it looks

May I try the shirt on to see if it fits?

797. try out to test something or someone by using it

She decided to try the new soap out because she wanted to see if it was better than her usual soap.

798. try out (for) to try to win a place on a team or other organization

If you like to sing, you should try out for the choir.

799. turn around the change and leave in the opposite direction

The car turned around and went the other way.

800. turn around to move so that someone or something is facing the opposite direction

Can you turn around and look at me?

801. turn around to make changes so that something that was unprofitable to be profitable

He turned the business around in about six months.

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802. turn down to refuse or reject I'm afraid your application has been turned down again.

803. turn down to reduce Can't we turn the heating down?

804. turn down to decrease the volume Turn the music down a little, will you?

805. turn down to refuse or reject something or someone

Another company offered me a job but I turned them down.

806. turn in to give or deliver or submit something to someone

I've written my report, but I haven't turned it in.

807. turn in to go to bed I'm pretty tired, so I guess I'll turn in.

808. turn in to report or deliver wrongdoers to the authorities

Two days after the robbery, the thieves turned themselves in.

809. turn into to drive into a side road Turn into Jackson street.

810. turn into to change or to become He turned into a selfish husband after 20 years of marriage.

811. turn off to stop something by turning a handle or switch

Do you mind if I turn the light off?

812. turn off to bore or repel someone That music turns me off, please play something else.

813. turn on to start something by turning a handle or switch

I'm going to turn the air-con on.

814. turn on to excite someone What kind of music turns you on?

815. turn out to produce The factory will be able to turn out twice the number of cars it with new machinery.

816. turn out to come to a meeting or to form a crowd

Thousands of fans turned out to welcome the team.

817. turn out to be to end as Your plan for cutting costs turned out to be very successful.

818. turn up to move something in an upwards position

Turn your hat up, please.

819. turn up to be discovered by chance Don't worry about that missing book; it's bound to turn up sooner or later.

820. turn up to increase the volume Can you turn the radio up a little?

821. turn up to appear or arrive unexpectedly Not many people turned up for the lesson.

822. use up to use until there is no more You can use the water up.

823. vouch for to express confidence in or guarantee something

You can lend him the money, I can vouch for him.

824. wait for to wait until someone or something arrives or is finished with something

I'm tired of waiting for the bus.

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825. wait on to serve (usually customers in a restaurant, shop, etc.)

The waitress who just waited on me was very impolite.

826. wake up to stop sleeping I usually wake up around 5:00 AM each day.

827. wake up to rouse someone or cause someone to stop sleeping

Will you wake me up at 6:00 AM?

828. walk off to leave or to taking time to recover or calm down

They just walked off without saying goodbye.

829. walk out to leave in protest The factory staff walked out when they heard that their salaries were reduced.

830. walk out on to leave someone My sister walked out on Fred because she was fed up with him.

831. watch out for to be careful of something If you take that road, watch out for ice during the winter.

832. watch over to watch or take care of someone Can you watch over the kids while we're gone?

833. wear off to disappear gradually The pain in Jim's foot wore off after he took some painkiller.

834. wear off to lose effect - especially a drug These painkillers wear off after about two hours.

835. wear out to become exhausted Fred was worn out by carrying the heavy box.

836. wear out to overuse something I've almost worn this pair of shoes out.

837. weigh up to assess We'll have to weigh the situation up very carefully before we take any action.

838. wind down to reduce business The business has been winding down ever since the director left it to his brother.

839. wipe off (of) to clean something Don't use your sleeve to wipe the ice cream off of your hand.

840. work out to be all right in the end Everything will work out fine.

841. work out to solve a problem I can't work this calculation out at all.

842. work out to calculate an amount or to solve a problem by calculation or study

The hotel bill worked out at over $500.

843. work out to exercise John goes to the gym to work out.

844. work out to solve a problem or resolve a difficult situation or to produce a way of dealing with a problem or situation by thinking

I know we disagree on many points, but I believe we can work things out.

845. work over to beat someone all over his body They really worked him over.

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846. wrap up to cover something with paper to mail or give to someone

Wrap up the presents quickly.

847. wrap up to wear enough clothes to keep warm Be sure you wrap up when you leave the house, because it’s cold outside

848. wrap up to finish or bring something to a conclusion

I hope we'll be able to wrap the discussion up soon.

849. write away for to start writing energetically I wrote away for a book on poetry.

850. write down to record something in writing I want to write it down your address.

851. write up to record or report in writing Be sure you write report up as soon as possible.

852. yell out to scream suddenly from pain The pain caused me to yell out.

853. zip up to close something with a zip I had better zip my jacket up.

854. zonk out to fall asleep quickly because of exhaustion

I was so tired that I zonked out as soon as I got home.

phrasal verbs for esl learners

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