Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal
Verb
Meaning Example
A abide by respect or obey. (the law, a decision, a rule)
If you want to
stay at this
school, you
must abide by
the rules.
account for explain, give a reason
I hope you can
account for
the money you
spent!
add up make sense, seem reasonable
Her story ust
doesn!t add
up.
agree with have the same opinion as somebody else.
I agree with
you. I think she
deserves the
award too.
allow for
take into consideration,
include in a calculation
"ou!d better
leave early to
allow for traffic
ams.
answer back reply rudely
#on!t answer
back your
mother!
apply for
make a formal re$uest for something
(ob, permit, loan etc.)
He applied for
the ob he saw
advertised in
the
newspaper.
avail (oneself) of take advantage of something (an opportunity)
%hen the
company is
privati&ed, you
should avail
yourself of
the opportunity
and buy some
shares.
back away move backwards, in fear or dislike
%hen he saw
the dog, he
backed away.
back down withdraw, concede defeat
'ocal
authorities
backed down
on their plans
to demolish
the building.
back up
() give support or encouragement
)) make a copy of (file, program, etc.)
() If I tell the
boss we!ve got
too much
work, will you
back me up*
)) It is
recommended
to back up all
files in a
secure
location.
black out faint, lose consciousness
%hen he fell
off the horse
he blacked
out.
block off +eparate using a barrier.
,he area was
blocked off
during the
demonstration.
blow up
() explode-
)) be destroyed by an explosion
() ,he
terrorists said
the bomb
would blow up
at . o!clock.
)) ,he car
blew up but
luckily there
was nobody in
it.
boil down to be summari&ed as
,he problem
boils down to
a lack of
money.
break down
() go out of order, cease to function
)) lose control of one!s emotions
() /ohn!s car
broke down
so he had to
take the bus.
)) ,he parents
broke down
when they
heard the bad
news.
break into enter by force
0urglars broke
into the house
around
midnight.
break out start suddenly
1ioting broke
out as a result
of the strike.
break out of escape from a place by force
,hree
prisoners
broke out of
ail.
break up come to an end (marriage, relationship)
2fter her
marriage
broke up,
3mma went to
live in 'ondon.
bring up raise (a child)
+he stopped
working in
order to bring
up her
children.
brush up on improve, refresh one!s knowledge of something
4ary had to
brush up on
her +panish
before going to
+outh
2merica.
bump into meet by accident or unexpectedly
5edro
bumped into
his 3nglish
teacher at the
supermarket.
burn out
() stop (something) working
)) become exhausted from over6working
() ,he fuse
has burnt out.
)) ,om will
burn himself
out if he
doesn!t slow
down.
butt in (on sthg) interrupt impolitely
It!s rude to
butt in on a
conversation
like that!
! call back return a phone call
I!ll call you
back as soon
as possible.
call off cancel
,he meeting
was called off
because of the
strike.
call on"upon sby formally invite or re$uest
I now call
upon the
5resident to
address the
assembly.
calm down become more relaxed, less angry or upset
He was angry
at first but he
eventually
calmed down.
carry on continue He carried on
gardening in
spite of the
rain.
carry out
() do something as specified
(a plan, an order, a threat)
)) perform or conduct (test, experiment)
() ,he plan
was carried
out to
perfection.
)) ,ests are
carried out to
determine the
efficiency of a
new drug.
check in register at a hotel or airport
7or security
reasons you
have to check
in two hours
before your
flight.
check out
() pay one!s bill and leave (a hotel)
)) investigate
() Is 4r. 0lair
still at the
hotel* 8o, he
checked out
this morning.
)) I don!t know
if the address
is still valid. I!ll
check it out.
clam up refuse to speak
%hen the
teacher arrived
she clammed
up.
clamp down on act strictly to prevent something
,he
government
has decided to
clamp down
on smoking in
public places.
close down stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema).
%hen the
factory closed
down, the
employees lost
their obs.
come across
() find by chance
)) appear, seem, make an impression
() /ulie came
across some
photographs of
her
grandparents
in the attic.
)) ,he
candidate
came across
as a dynamic
person during
the interview.
come forward present oneself
,he police
have asked
any witnesses
to come
forward.
come up against be faced with or opposed by
,he proect
came up
against a lot
of criticism.
conk out
() stop working
)) stop or fall asleep (from exhaustion)
() ,he car
conked out on
the motorway.
)) He was so
exhausted, he
conked out in
front of the ,9.
count on rely or depend on (for help)
I!m counting
on the taxi
driver to find
the theatre.
cross out remove by drawing a line through
In some
exercises, you
are asked to
cross out the
incorrect word.
cut down on reduce in number or si&e
,he doctor told
him to cut
down on
cigarettes.
cut out
() remove using scissors
)) stop doing something
() +he cut out
a picture in a
maga&ine.
)) I!m going to
cut out eating
between
meals.
# deal with handle, take care of (problem, situation)
,he manager
is good at
dealing with
difficult
customers.
die down calm down, become less strong
%hen the
applause died
down, she
started to sing.
do without manage without
,he shops are
closed so we!ll
have to do
without sugar.
drag on last longer than expected
%e expected a
short speech
but it dragged
on and on!
draw up write (contract, agreement, document)
2n agreement
was drawn up
and signed by
the two
parties.
dress up
() wear elegant clothes
)) disguise oneself
() #o people
dress up to go
to the opera in
your country*
)) :hildren
love to dress
up at
Halloween.
drop in visit, usually on the way somewhere
I sometimes
drop in to see
my
grandparents
on my way
home from
school.
drop off
() deliver someone or something
)) fall asleep
() I!ll drop you
off at the bus
stop if you like.
)) ;randdad
often drops
off in front of
the ,9.
drop out leave school without finishing
+he decided to
go to art
school then
dropped out
after the first
term.
E ease off
reduce, become less severe or slow down
(pain, traffic, work)
2fter
:hristmas the
workload
generally
eases off.
even out () eliminate differences of opinion.
)) become level or regular
() 2fter a long
discussion
they managed
to even out
their
differences.
)) ,he road
was evened
out to make it
safer.
$ fall through fail- doesn!t happen
<ur planned
boat trip fell
through
because of the
storm.
figure out understand, find the answer
I!m trying to
figure out how
to assemble
the
bookshelves.
fill out complete (a form=an application)
5lease fill out
the enclosed
form and
return it as
soon as
possible.
find out discover or obtain information
I!m going to
call the cinema
to find out
what time the
film starts.
focus on concentrate on something
,he
advertising
campaign will
focus on the
$uality of the
product.
figure out understand- find a solution
%e!ll have to
figure out a
way to deliver
the goods
faster.
% get at imply
%hat exactly
are you trying
to get at*
get away escape
,he robbers
got away in a
black car.
get by manage to cope or to survive
It!s difficult to
get by on a
low salary.
get in enter
How did the
burglar get in*
get into (&noun) enter How did the
burglar get
into the
house*
get off
() leave (bus, train, plane)
)) remove
() "ou should
get off the bus
at ,rafalgar
+$uare.
)) +he can!t
get the stain
off her
sweater.
get on board (bus, train, plane)
"ou can pay
when you get
on the bus.
get on with
(something)
continue to do- make progress
0e $uiet and
get on with
your
homework.
get on (well) with
(somebody)
have a good relationship with
I get on very
well with my
colleagues.
get out leave
How did he
get out*
get out of (&noun) leave
How did he
get out of the
house*
get out of avoid doing something
+ome
husbands
manage to get
out of doing
any
housework.
get over recover from (illness, disappointment)
4y
grandmother
had
pneumonia but
she got over
it.
get rid of eliminate
It!s difficult to
get rid of old
habits.
get together meet each other
'et!s get
together for
lunch on day.
get up rise, leave bed
I usually get
up at > o!clock.
give up stop doing something
+arah gave up
smoking ?
years ago.
go through experience
5ete went
through a lot
of pain after
the accident.
grow up spend one!s childhood- develop- become an adult
He grew up in
a small village
in the
mountains.
' hand in submit (report, homework)
2ll application
forms must be
handed in
before the end
of the month.
hand out distribute
+amples will
be handed
out at the end
of the
demonstration.
hang out
spend time in a particular place,
or with a group of friends
%here does
he hang out
these days*
%ho does he
hang out
with*
hang up end a phone conversation
@#on!t hang
up. I haven!t
finished yet.@
hit at aim a blow at
He hit at the
wasp with the
newspaper.
hit back retaliate- reply to an attack
%hen he was
attacked by
the others, the
boy hit back.
hit on"upon find unexpectedly or by inspiration
+he hit upon
an idea for her
new collection.
hold on
6wait
6grip tightly
6 !'old on
please. I!ll put
you through to
4r. 0rown.@
6 +he held on
to the railing
as she crossed
the bridge.
hurry up be $uick, act speedily
'urry up(
%e!ll miss the
bus.
) iron out resolve by discussion, eliminate differences ,he meeting
tomorrow will
be an
opportunity to
iron out
difficulties.
* +oin in participate
+he was too
shy to +oin in
the game.
+oin up
6engage in, become a member of
6 meet and unite with
6 /ohn was in
the 2rmy and
,om +oined up
as soon as he
left school.
6 ,he two
groups of
tourists +oined
up at the hotel.
+ot down take $uick notes
I +otted down
the address
while watching
the
programme on
,9.
, keep on continue doing something
It told him to
be $uiet but he
kept on
making noise.
keep up with
stay at the same level as someone or
something
0ill walks so
fast it!s difficult
to keep up
with him.
kick off begin, start
,he football
match kicked
off at A
o!clock.
- leave out omit, not mention
,he child!s
name was left
out of the
report.
let down disappoint
"ou promised
to come to the
party, so don!t
let me down!
look after take care of
2 babysitter
looks after the
children when
they go out.
look ahead think of the future It!s time to
forget the past
and look
ahead.
look down on consider as inferior
He tends to
look down on
anyone who is
not successful.
look on be a spectator at an event
0illy didn!t take
part in the
fight. He ust
looked on.
look for try to find something
/ane went to
the shops to
look for a pair
of shoes.
look forward to await or anticipate with pleasure
I look forward
to seeing you
soon.
look up to admire
He was a
wonderful
teacher and
many students
looked up to
him.
M make fun of laugh at= make okes about
,he old lady
dresses so
strangely that
the kids make
fun of her.
make up invent (excuse, story)
+ome
employees
make up
excuses when
they arrive late
for work.
mix up mistake one thing or person for another
I don!t know
my neighbours!
names yet. I
keep mixing
them up.
move in arrive in a new home or office
"ou!ve bought
a new house*
%hen are you
moving in*.
move out leave your home=office for another one.
4y neighbour
is leaving. He!s
moving out
next +aturday.
. nod off fall asleep
4y grandfather
often nods off
in front of the
television.
note down write something
I!ll call the
station and
note down the
departure
times.
/ opt out leave a system or decide not to participate
I enoy tennis
but I!m so busy
I had to opt
out of the
tournament.
own up admit or confess something
,he boy
owned up. He
said he kicked
the ball
through the
window.
P pass away die
,he old lady
passed away
peacefully.
pass out faint
+he passed
out when she
heard the bad
news.
pay back reimburse
I!ll lend you
)BC provided
you pay me
back before
the end of the
week.
put off postpone, arrange a later date
,he meeting
was put off
because of the
strike.
put on turn on, switch on
:ould you put
on the light
please*
put out extinguish
It took a long
time to put out
the fire.
put up accommodate, give somebody a bed
%e can put
you up if you!d
like to come
for a week6
end.
pick up collect somebody
I!ll pick you up
at the station
when you
arrive.
point out indicate=direct attention to something
+he pointed
out the
mistake.
0 rely on count on, depend on, trust
#on!t worry.
"ou can rely
on me. I can
keep a secret.
rule out eliminate
,he police
ruled out
political
motives.
run away escape from a place or suddenly leave
He ran away
from home at
the age of
fourteen.
run into
meet by accident or unexpectedly (alsoD bump
into)
+ophie ran
into 4aria at
the shopping
centre.
run out of have no more of something.
%hat a
nuisance!
%e!ve run out
of coffee.
1 set off start a ourney-
3arly +aturday
morning we
set off for the
ski slopes .
set up start a business
+he set up her
own company
(B years ago.
shop around compare prices
It!s always
wise to shop
around before
buying
anything.
show off brag or want to be admired
,here!s #avid
showing off in
his new sports
car!
show up appear=arrive
%e expected
#avid to come
but he didn!t
show up.
shut up
(impolite)
be silent, stop talking
<h shut up,
you idiot!
sit down take a seat
5lease come
in and sit
down.
stick up for defend
It!s important
to stick up for
one!s
principles.
2 take after resemble, in appearance or character
/amie really
takes after his
dad.
take care of look after
I!ll take care of
your plants
while you!re
away.
take off leave the ground
,he plane
took off at E
a.m.
take on hire or engage staff
0usiness is
good so the
company is
taking on
extra staff.
tell off reprimand=critici&e severely
,he teacher
told her off for
not doing her
homework.
think over consider
I!ll have to
think over the
proposal
before I
decide.
try on wear something to see if it suits or fits
I!m not sure
about the si&e.
:an I try it
on*
turn down refuse
I couldn!t turn
down an offer
like that!
3 use up finish a product (so that there!s none left)
,he kids have
used up all
the toothpaste.
V vouch for express confidence in, or guarantee something "ou can give
the keys to
2ndy. I can
vouch for him.
4 watch out be careful
%atch out!
,here!s a car
coming.
wear out
() become unusable
)) become very tired
() /ulie wore
out her shoes
visiting the city.
)) 2t the end
of the day /ulie
was worn out.
work out
() do physical exercise
)) find a solution or calculate something
() I work out
twice a week
at the gym
club.
)) It!s
expensive but I
haven!t
worked out
the exact cost
yet.
wipe off clean (board, table).
,he teacher
asked 'ee to
wipe off the
board.