Phrasal Verbs
A
Act out
The children often act out their favourite scenes from the movie.
Aim for
She aims for perfection in everything she does.
Answer back
He always answers back to his parents. He's so spoilt and he doesn't respect them at all!
Ask around
I don't know where he is right now, but I'll ask around for you.
Ask out
I asked her out on a date, but she said no.
B
Back away
The dog backed away when it saw the stranger approaching.
Back down
He never backs down from a fight.
Back off
Back off! Stop getting so close!
Back up
When your friend gets in an argument, you should back them up.
The soldiers were backed up by the reserve army.
Beat up
Unfortunately, he got beat up in a fight last night.
Blow over
Let's go to the pub and wait for this terrible situation to blow over.
The strong winds blew over many cars.
Blow up
A bomb blew up in front of him and he was severely injured.
Boil down to
Basically, all of your problems boil down to your smoking habits.
Break down
My car broke down on the way to the wedding.
Let's break down this problem into easy, simple pieces.
Break in
A burglar broke into my house last night.
Break out
The prisoner broke out of prison last week.
Break through
We have to break through this glass to get inside.
The scientists have announced a major breakthrough in their research.
Bring about
The new policy brought about significant changes in the company's operations and management structure.
Bring back
We need to bring back some discipline to this team.
Bring in
We need to bring in a specialist to help us.
Bring out
She always brings out the best in me.
The band is bringing out a new album this year.
Bring up
He was brought up in the countryside.
Don't bring up the party in front of him. He wasn't invited.
Brush up on
I need to brush up on my French before my visit to Paris.
Build up
His anger built up until eventually he exploded.
Bump into
I bumped into Dave the other day. He didn't look well.
A car bumped into my car, but then it just drove away!
Butt into
He's so rude! He always butts into other people's conversations.
Sorry for butting in, but I really need to say something.
C
Call off
I'm sorry but we need to call off the meeting this afternoon. I have to go to the hospital this afternoon.
Carry away
We've only won one game, so let's not get carried away. There's still 37 games left to play.
After falling off the boat, he was carried away by the sea and was never seen again.
Carry on
Keep calm and carry on.
I carried on playing golf even after my dad died.
I tried to carry on reading, but it got dark so I stopped.
Carry out
The government is carrying out a survey about which is the most popular tourist destination.
Catch on
The latest fashion trend caught on very quickly.
Catch up
He tried to catch up with the leader of the race, but he was too far behind.
I have to catch up with my class because I missed so many lessons when I was ill.
Let's meet and catch up over a cup of coffee.
Cheat on
He cheated on his girlfriend so she broke up with him.
Cheer on
The fans cheered on their team and this helped them to win the match.
Cheer up
Cheer up! I know your girlfriend left you, but life isn't that bad.
He tried to cheer his friend up by taking him on a holiday.
Chicken out
I know you're scared, but don't chicken out now. You'll regret it for the rest of your life.
Chill out
Chill out! It's a party!
You need to chill out! It's not that serious.
Clear up
I just want to clear something up: what project are we doing?
The sky is starting to clear up and now you can see the sun.
Clog up
The sink is clogged up and the water won't go down.
My nose is clogged up and I can't breathe out of it.
Come across
I came across some money on the floor, so I picked it up.
I came across a nice bag at the shopping centre, so I bought it for you.
Come between
I don't want this issue to come between us. Let's deal with it now and forget about it.
Come down with
She came down with the flu and couldn't go to work.
Come out
I'll come out when it stops raining.
It was difficult when he came out at first, but now he's in a relationship with another man and he's very happy.
Come off
He came off as a really nice guy, but I found out later that he's horrible.
Come up with
We came up with a new game. It was fun!
She always comes up with a good excuse for not doing her homework.
Couple with
My lack of sleep, coupled with a lack of food, made me very cranky.
Count on
You can always count on me to be there for you when you need me.
Cover up
The board tried to cover up the scandal.
Crack down
The government have said they will crack down on drug use this year.
Cut down
I need to cut down on sugar. I've just been diagnosed with diabetes.
I need to cut down on coffee. I'm not sleeping well at night.
Cut out
I need to completely cut sugar out of my diet. It's killing me.
D
Deal with
I can't deal with all the stress that my work gives me.
I can't deal with my colleagues. They don't stop talking!
Dip into
The mayor dipped into the city's budget in order to buy himself a new car.
Do with
I could really do with a cup of tea.
I could do with some help right now!
Doze off
To fall asleep unintentionally or lightly. Example: I dozed off during the boring lecture.
Drag down
Negative people drag you down in life.
Draw up
We need to draw up a new plan, this one is simply not working.
Draw upon
The author drew upon Greek literature as inspiration for her new book.
Drop off
I dropped off to sleep so I missed the rest of the film.
The number of illnesses has dropped off recently.
I drop off my kids at school in the morning and I pick them up in the afternoon.
Drop out
He decided to drop out of high school because he didn't think it was worth it.
Dwell on
We shouldn't dwell on the past; let's focus on the future!
E
End up
We wanted to go to the beach, but because of the weather, we ended up going to the pub instead!
F
Factor in
We need to factor in the weather when planning our wedding.
Fall behind
She missed a few classes due to an illness, and she's started to fall behind the other students.
The runner was tired, and he started to fall behind the other runners.
Fall for
He fell for her the moment he set eyes on her. They're now married with two kids.
Fall out
They fell out after he forgot her birthday.
Fall through
Our plans for the weekend fell through because of the rain.
Feel up to
I know it's my birthday, but I really don't feel up to going to a disco tonight.
Flip out
He just flipped out and broke a table. Gosh, he was so angry!
Follow up
Hello, I'm just following up on an email I sent you last week. I have yet to receive a reply.
Freak out
Don't freak out, but I completely forgot to do my homework.
He freaked out when he heard the bad news.
G
Get along with
I get along with my brother. We have a good relationship.
Get around to
I don't have time to do it right now, but I'll get around to it later.
Get away with
She got away with cheating on the test because the teacher didn’t notice.
Get back at
Man Utd were angry after their defeat to Liverpool, and they wanted to get back at them by winning their next game together.
Get by
A lot of families have just enough money to get by.
Get down
The bad weather always gets him down. He's then miserable and doesn't want to do anything.
Get down from that tree! It's dangerous!
Get in on
She wanted to get in on the secret plan that her friends were making.
Get into
He got into trouble for breaking the window with his ball.
I tried golf, but I could never really get into it.
He got into the building via the window.
Get out of
I really need to get out of the meeting this afternoon. It's going to be so boring!
We need to get out of this difficult situation.
I can't get out of my house. Can you help me?
Get over
I know things may seem bad now, but you'll get over this breakup eventually.
We need to get over this hill first before it gets easier.
Get over with
I just want to get over with this project as soon as possible.
Give away
They are giving away free samples. Let's go get some!
His accent gave him away as an outsider.
Give in
He gave in to peer pressure and started smoking.
I gave in to the temptation and I ate all the pizza.
Give up
Never give up! You can achieve anything if you want it enough.
I have to give up smoking. It's destroying my health.
He gave himself up to the police. It was pointless trying to run away from them.
Go along
She didn’t agree with the idea, but she decided to go along with it to avoid conflict.
Go off
We went off course by 50 miles.
A bomb went off last night.
I used to like mushrooms when I was young, but since then I've gone off them.
The milk has gone off because we didn't drink it fast enough.
Go on
He's always going on about how many girlfriends he's had, but the truth is he's never had one.
Go on! You can do it!
Go over
Let's go over this again; I didn't fully understand it.
We need to go over that mountain before we reach the hotel.
Go through
Let's go through the plan again.
He is going through a tough period right now.
Go through with
He couldn't go through with the wedding, so he took a taxi and ran away.
Goof around
They were goofing around in class and making funny noises. The teacher got angry and gave them all detention.
Grow up
More and more children are growing up in cities.
Everyone needs to grow up at some point.
Grow out of
He grew out of his clothes very fast so we need to get him some new ones.
Gross out
His behaviour really grosses me out. He's so disgusting!
H
Hand back
The teacher will hand back our homework after she's marked them.
Hand in
He handed himself into the police after he realised his situation was hopeless.
I need to hand in my homework or my teacher will be angry at me.
Hand out
The teacher handed out the homework last week. Didn't you receive it?
She spent her whole afternoon handing out leaflets to people.
Hand over
"Hand over all your belongings before you enter the building."
Hang out
Do you want to hang out at the park later?
He hangs out with a bad group of friends.
Hold against
If you want to date my ex, that's OK. I won't hold it against you.
I support Man Utd, so don't hold it against me!
Hold off
Let's hold off on this project for a while. We'll come back to it at a later date.
Hold on
Can you hold on for just one second please? I need to answer this phone call.
Hit on
Every time she goes to a bar, ugly guys always hit on her.
Someone hit him on the head with a hammer.
Hit off
We hit it off the moment we met.
Hit up
Hit me up the next time you're in town. We can get a coffee together.
K
Keep away
Keep those chocolates away from me! If I eat one, I'll eat all of them.
Keep away from the crocodiles. They're very dangerous.
Keep on
He kept on talking the whole night. He just wouldn't stop.
Keep up
I can't keep up with her. She's running too fast.
I'm really struggling to keep up with my school work. There's simply too much.
Kick out
Let's kick racism out of football. We don't want it here.
He was kicked out of the pub because he was drunk.
He was kicked out of school because he was a bad student.
Knock down
We have to knock down the building.
Knock out
That last punch knocked him out completely.
He suffered a knockout in the last round.
L
Lay off
Due to the recession, the company had to lay off thousands of workers.
Leave out
He felt left out because everyone went to the party without him.
Let down
"You really let me down. You said you would help me, but you didn't."
When driving on ice, sometimes it's better to let down your tyres a little bit.
Let off
He was let off with a warning.
They do exercise in order to let off some steam.
People let off fireworks on New Year's Eve.
Let out
He was let out of prison early for good behaviour.
Lighten up
Lighten up! It's a party. Stop being so serious.
The new lamp really lightens up the room.
Look after
Can you look after your little brother this afternoon? Your dad and I are going out for dinner.
Look down on
He always looks down on people who have less money than him. He really thinks he's better than them.
Look for
I'm looking for a new job. Do you know anyone who's hiring?
Look forward to
I'm really looking forward to my holiday next week. It's going to be so good!
Look into
The death looked suspicious so the police decided to look into it.
Look up to
I've always looked up to her and I've always tried to be like her as much as possible.
M
Make off
The robbers made off with the money.
Make out
I can't make out what he's saying / I can't make out who that is; they're standing too far away.
They made out at the party last night.
Make up
They had a fight but they made up the next day.
He made up a story to explain why he was late.
The test will make up 50% of your final grade.
The team needs to make up for the lost time.
Mess up
I messed up the presentation and forgot to mention the main point. It was a disaster.
N
Narrow down
We need to narrow down our options. We simply have too many at the moment!
Nod off
The meeting was so boring that I started to nod off towards the end.
P
Pass around
Please pass the food around the table.
Pass away
My mum passed away a few years ago.
Pay off
It's important to pay off your debts as soon as you can.
All of this hard work at school will one day pay off.
Pick on
I don't know why, but the teacher always picks on me. She's nice to everyone else.
Pile up
Work keeps piling up! I don't know when I'm going to be able to do it.
Point out
She pointed out the mistake in his report.
Pour into
The government is pouring money into new businesses.
Puff up
He puffed up his chest to make himself look bigger.
Put down
I don't know why you always put your brother down like that. Stop being mean to him and say something positive!
Put forward
I would like to put forward an idea for the project.
Put off
I need to go to the doctor's, but I keep putting it off.
The food looked great, but the smell really put me off.
Put up
I can put you up for the night if you need a place to stay.
Let's put up the Christmas decorations early this year.
Put up with
I can't put up with him; he's so annoying!
R
Revolve around
She thinks the whole world revolves around her.
Rule out
I think we can rule out this option; it's very unlikely.
Run around
I've been running around all day. This is the first moment where I've been able to relax.
Run into
I ran into my old boss at the supermarket the other day. We had a small chat, it was good to catch up.
Run out of
We've run out of food. Can you go to the supermarket to buy some more, please?
Run up
Costs are running up on this project. We need to start reducing them.
S
Scrape through
Despite being the underdogs, the team managed to scrape through to the next round.
See to
We'll see to this problem later, we don't have time for it now.
Send off
The referee sent the player off after he made a bad tackle.
Set back
The scandal set his career back at least two years.
We have suffered a major setback in our progress.
Set out
He set out to conquer the world.
Set up
He wants to set up a new company.
I don't know how to set up my office.
Settle down
After a lifetime of adventures, she decided to settle down in the countryside with her family.
Settle down class! You need to be quiet for this test.
Settle in
It took a while to settle in, but now she really enjoys living at her new flat.
Settle for
He was desperate for a girlfriend, so instead of finding the love of his life, he settled for the first girl he met.
Shake up
We need to shake things up. It's starting to get a bit boring.
Shoot past
The police shot past us on the motorway. They were chasing someone.
Show off
He wants to show off his new Ferrari.
He is such a show-off.
Shrug off
He shrugs off criticism and just focuses on his game.
Snap at
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I didn't sleep well last night.
Sort out
You need to sort your life out. You're going nowhere.
Let's sort out a meeting for a later date.
Sound out
I would like to sound out your views on this subject.
Spin off
eBay spun off PayPal as a separate company.
Spring up
Lots of new businesses are springing up around the town.
Stand for ~ Stand against
We stand for equality for every person. We stand against discrimination.
Stand up for
You should always stand up for what you believe in.
Step on
Step on it! The police are chasing us!
I stepped on a rock and cut my foot.
Stop off
Can you stop off at the shop on the way back home? We need milk.
Stir up
She is always trying to stir up trouble.
Switch off
Can you switch off the light, please?
At the end of the day I love to watch TV and switch off for an hour.
"Sorry, what did you say? I switched off for a moment."
Suck up
He always sucks up to the boss. He's so desperate for a promotion.
T
Take aback
I was taken aback by what I heard.
Take after
You take after your father; he had a good sense of humour as well.
Take in
The news of his death was very difficult to take in. I just simply couldn't believe it.
Take off
It's too hot, so I'm going to take off my coat.
The plane will take off in 5 minutes.
Take on
I can't take on any more work at the moment. I'm overloaded.
The company is looking to take on more employees for the holiday season.
Take over
Our company will be taken over by a bigger company.
Our company is the subject of a takeover from another company.
Thank you for giving the introduction to my presentation. I'll take over from here.
Take up
A lot of men take up golf when they retire.
Thank you for the offer. I'll take you up on that sometime.
Talk into
I didn't want to go to the party, but he talked me into it, so I went in the end.
Talk out of
Originally I wanted to go to the party, but my friend talked me out of it, so I didn't go in the end.
Tell apart
The twins look so similar, I can't tell them apart.
Think ahead
You need to think ahead and plan for any possible problems before they happen.
Throw up
After drinking five shots of vodka, he threw up in the toilet.
Track down
The police are trying to track down the suspect.
Turn down
I was offered a great job in Paris, but unfortunately I had to turn it down.
Can you turn the music down, please?
Turn in
I'm going to turn in for the night, I'm very tired.
Turn on
It's cold in here. Let's turn on the heating.
Turn off
It's hot in here. Let's turn on the air conditioning.
Turn out
I was expecting the party to be boring, but it turned out to be fun.
Turn up
I can't hear the music. Can you turn it up please?
U
Use up
You have to use up your voucher before it expires.
We are in danger of using up all the Earth's natural resources.
W
Walk out
The employees decided to walk out at 11 o'clock in protest at their low salaries.
The employees staged a walkout at 11 o'clock.
Wear down
I feel really worn down after a long day of work.
Wind up
She always winds her brother up by playing music too loudly.
In the past, you had to wind up the engine to get it to start.
Work out
We need to work out what the problem is before we do anything else.
I need to work out more. I'm starting to get fat.
Wrap up
Let's wrap up this meeting quickly, we have to go somewhere after this.
Write off
They had to write off the car after the accident.
The car was a complete write-off after the accident.