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| Phrasal
Verb
| Meaning | Example |
| 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.
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| account for
| explain, give a reason
| I hope you can account for the money you spent!
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| add up
| make sense, seem reasonable
| Her story just doesn't add up.
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| agree with
| Have the same opinion as somebody else.
| I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.
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| allow for
| take into consideration,
include in a calculation
| You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams.
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| answer back
| reply rudely
| Don't answer back your mother!
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| apply for
| Make a formal request for something
(job, permit, loan etc.)
| He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper.
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| avail (oneself) of
| take advantage of something (an opportunity)
| When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of
the opportunity and buy some shares.
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| back away
| move backwards, in fear or dislike
| When he saw the dog, he backed away.
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| back down
| withdraw, concede defeat
| Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building.
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| back up
| 1) Give support or encouragement.
2) Make a copy of (file, program, etc.)
| 1) If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up?
2) It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location.
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| black out
| faint, lose consciousness
| When he fell off the horse he blacked out.
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| block off
| Separate using a barrier.
| The area was blocked off during the demonstration.
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| blow up
| 1) explode;
2) be destroyed by an explosion
| 1) The terrorists said the bomb would blow up at 9 o'clock.
2) The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it.
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| boil down to
| be summarized as
| The problem boils down to a lack of money.
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| break down
| 1) go out of order, cease to function
2) lose control of one's emotions
| 1) John's car broke down so he had to take the bus.
2) The parents broke down when they heard the bad news.
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| break into
| enter by force
| Burglars broke into the house around midnight.
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| break out
| start suddenly
| Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.
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| break out of
| escape from a place by force
| Three prisoners broke out of jail.
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| break up
| come to an end (marriage, relationship)
| After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London.
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| bring up
| raise (a child)
| She stopped working in order to bring up her children.
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| brush up on
| improve, refresh one's knowledge of something
| Mary had to brush up on her Spanish before going to South America.
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| bump into
| meet by accident or unexpectedly
| Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.
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| burn out
| 1) stop (something) working
2) become exhausted from over-working
| 1) The fuse has burnt out.
2) Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down.
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| butt in (on sthg)
| interrupt impolitely
| It's rude to butt in on a conversation like that!
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| call back
| return a phone call
| I'll call you back as soon as possible.
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| call off
| cancel
| The meeting was called off because of the strike.
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| call on/upon sby
| formally invite or request
| I now call upon the President to address the assembly.
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| calm down
| become more relaxed, less angry or upset
| He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down.
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| carry on
| continue
| He carried on gardening in spite of the rain.
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| carry out
| 1) do something as specified
(a plan, an order, a threat)
2) perform or conduct (test, experiment)
| 1) The plan was carried out to perfection.
2) Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug.
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| check in
| register at a hotel or airport
| For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight.
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| check out
| 1) pay one's bill and leave (a hotel)
2) investigate
| 1) Is Mr. Blair still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning.
2) I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out.
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| clam up
| refuse to speak
| When the teacher arrived she clammed up.
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| clamp down on
| act strictly to prevent something
| The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places.
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| close down
| Stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema).
| When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs.
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| come across
| 1) find by chance
2) appear, seem, make an impression
| 1) Julie came across some photographs of her grandparents in the attic.
2) The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview.
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| come forward
| present oneself
| The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.
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| come up against
| be faced with or opposed by
| The project came up against a lot of criticism.
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| conk out
| 1) stop working
2) stop or fall asleep (from exhaustion)
| 1) The car conked out on the motorway.
2) He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV.
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| count on
| rely or depend on (for help)
| I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre.
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| cross out
| remove by drawing a line through
| In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word.
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| cut down on
| reduce in number or size
| The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.
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| cut out
| 1) remove using scissors
2) stop doing something
| 1) She cut out a picture in a magazine.
2) I'm going to cut out eating between meals.
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| deal with
| handle, take care of (problem, situation)
| The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers.
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| die down
| calm down, become less strong
| When the applause died down, she started to sing.
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| do without
| manage without
| The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar.
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| drag on
| last longer than expected
| We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on!
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| draw up
| write (contract, agreement, document)
| An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties.
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| dress up
| 1) wear elegant clothes
2) disguise oneself
| 1) Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country?
2) Children love to dress up at Halloween.
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| drop in
| visit, usually on the way somewhere
| I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school.
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| drop off
| 1) deliver someone or something
2) fall asleep
| 1) I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like.
2) Granddad often drops off in front of the TV.
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| drop out
| leave school without finishing
| She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term.
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| ease off
| reduce, become less severe or slow down
(pain, traffic, work)
| After Christmas the workload generally eases off.
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| even out
| 1) Eliminate differences of opinion.
2) become level or regular
| 1) After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences.
2) The road was evened out to make it safer.
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| fall through
| fail; doesn't happen
| Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm.
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| figure out
| understand, find the answer
| I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves.
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| fill out
| complete (a form/an application)
| Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
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| find out
| discover or obtain information
| I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts.
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| focus on
| concentrate on something
| The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product.
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| figure out
| understand; find a solution
| We'll have to figure out a way to deliver the goods faster.
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| get at
| imply
| What exactly are you trying to get at?
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| get away
| escape
| The robbers got away in a black car.
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| get by
| manage to cope or to survive
| It's difficult to get by on a low salary.
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| get in
| enter
| How did the burglar get in?
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| get into (+noun)
| enter
| How did the burglar get into the house?
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| get off
| 1) leave (bus, train, plane)
2) remove
| 1) You should get off the bus at Trafalgar Square.
2) She can't get the stain off her sweater.
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| get on
| board (bus, train, plane)
| You can pay when you get on the bus.
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| get on with (something)
| continue to do; make progress
| Be quiet and get on with your homework.
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| get on (well) with (somebody)
| have a good relationship with
| I get on very well with my colleagues.
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| get out
| leave
| How did he get out?
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| get out of (+noun)
| leave
| How did he get out of the house?
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| get out of
| avoid doing something
| Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework.
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| get over
| recover from (illness, disappointment)
| My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it.
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| get rid of
| eliminate
| It's difficult to get rid of old habits.
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| get together
| meet each other
| Let's get together for lunch on day.
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| get up
| rise, leave bed
| I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
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| give up
| stop doing something
| Sarah gave up smoking 5 years ago.
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| go through
| experience
| Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident.
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| grow up
| spend one's childhood; develop; become an adult
| He grew up in a small village in the mountains.
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| hand in
| submit (report, homework)
| All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month.
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| hand out
| distribute
| Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration.
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| hang out
| spend time in a particular place,
or with a group of friends
| Where does he hang out these days?
Who does he hang out with?
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| hang up
| end a phone conversation
| "Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet."
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| hit at
| aim a blow at
| He hit at the wasp with the newspaper.
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| hit back
| retaliate; reply to an attack
| When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back.
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| hit on/upon
| find unexpectedly or by inspiration
| She hit upon an idea for her new collection.
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| hold on
| -wait
-grip tightly
| - 'Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown."
- She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge.
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| hurry up
| be quick, act speedily
| Hurry up! We'll miss the bus.
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| iron out
| resolve by discussion, eliminate differences
| The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron out difficulties.
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| join in
| participate
| She was too shy to join in the game.
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| join up
| -engage in, become a member of
- meet and unite with
| - John was in the Army and Tom joined up as soon as he left school.
- The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel.
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| jot down
| take quick notes
| I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV.
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| keep on
| continue doing something
| It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise.
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| keep up with
| stay at the same level as someone or
something
| Bill walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him.
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| kick off
| begin, start
| The football match kicked off at 3 o'clock.
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| leave out
| omit, not mention
| The child's name was left out of the report.
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| let down
| disappoint
| You promised to come to the party, so don't let me down!
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| look after
| take care of
| A babysitter looks after the children when they go out.
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| look ahead
| think of the future
| It's time to forget the past and look ahead.
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| look down on
| consider as inferior
| He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful.
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| look on
| be a spectator at an event
| Billy didn't take part in the fight. He just looked on.
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| look for
| try to find something
| Jane went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes.
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| look forward to
| await or anticipate with pleasure
| I look forward to seeing you soon.
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| look up to
| admire
| He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him.
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| make fun of
| laugh at/ make jokes about
| The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her.
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| make up
| invent (excuse, story)
| Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work.
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| mix up
| mistake one thing or person for another
| I don't know my neighbours' names yet. I keep mixing them up.
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| move in
| arrive in a new home or office
| You've bought a new house? When are you moving in?.
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| move out
| leave your home/office for another one.
| My neighbour is leaving. He's moving out next Saturday.
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| nod off
| fall asleep
| My grandfather often nods off in front of the television.
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| note down
| write something
| I'll call the station and note down the departure times.
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| opt out
| leave a system or decide not to participate
| I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament.
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| own up
| admit or confess something
| The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window.
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| pass away
| die
| The old lady passed away peacefully.
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| pass out
| faint
| She passed out when she heard the bad news.
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| pay back
| reimburse
| I'll lend you 20€ provided you pay me back before the end of the week.
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| put off
| postpone, arrange a later date
| The meeting was put off because of the strike.
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| put on
| turn on, switch on
| Could you put on the light please?
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| put out
| extinguish
| It took a long time to put out the fire.
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| put up
| accommodate, give somebody a bed
| We can put you up if you'd like to come for a week-end.
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| pick up
| collect somebody
| I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive.
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| point out
| indicate/direct attention to something
| She pointed out the mistake.
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| rely on
| count on, depend on, trust
| Don't worry. You can rely on me. I can keep a secret.
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| rule out
| eliminate
| The police ruled out political motives.
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| run away
| escape from a place or suddenly leave
| He ran away from home at the age of fourteen.
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| run into
| meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into)
| Sophie ran into Maria at the shopping centre.
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| run out of
| Have no more of something.
| What a nuisance! We've run out of coffee.
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| set off
| start a journey;
| Early Saturday morning we set off for the ski slopes.
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| set up
| start a business
| She set up her own company 10 years ago.
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| shop around
| compare prices
| It's always wise to shop around before buying anything.
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| show off
| brag or want to be admired
| There's David showing off in his new sports car!
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| show up
| appear/arrive
| We expected David to come but he didn't show up.
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| shut up
(impolite)
| be silent, stop talking
| Oh shut up, you idiot!
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| sit down
| take a seat
| Please come in and sit down.
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| stick up for
| defend
| It's important to stick up for one's principles.
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| take after
| resemble, in appearance or character
| Jamie really takes after his dad.
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| take care of
| look after
| I'll take care of your plants while you're away.
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| take off
| leave the ground
| The plane took off at 6 a.m.
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| take on
| hire or engage staff
| Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff.
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| tell off
| reprimand/criticize severely
| The teacher told her off for not doing her homework.
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| think over
| consider
| I'll have to think over the proposal before I decide.
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| try on
| wear something to see if it suits or fits
| I'm not sure about the size. Can I try it on?
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| turn down
| refuse
| I couldn't turn down an offer like that!
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| use up
| finish a product (so that there's none left)
| The kids have used up all the toothpaste.
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| vouch for
| express confidence in, or guarantee something
| You can give the keys to Andy. I can vouch for him.
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| watch out
| be careful
| Watch out! There's a car coming.
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| wear out
| 1) become unusable
2) become very tired
| 1) Julie wore out her shoes visiting the city.
2) At the end of the day Julie was worn out.
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| work out
| 1) do physical exercise
2) find a solution or calculate something
| 1) I work out twice a week at the gym club.
2) It's expensive but I haven't worked out the exact cost yet.
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| wipe off
| clean (board, table).
| The teacher asked Lee to wipe off the board.
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