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phrasal verbs

Terms

undefined, object
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boil down to
can be reduced to All his arguments boil down to a belief in the supernatural.
shut down
close, stop working They shut down the factory. The factory shut down.
polish off
finish We polished off the rest of the apple pie.
stand by
support I hope you will stand by me.
deal with
handle successfully She can deal with any situation.
iron out
remove I am sure we can iron out every difficulty.
get by
barely succeed She studied just hard enough to get by.
fill out
complete I filled out the form.
talk into
persuade Can you talk him into changing his mind?
turn off
deactivate by using a switch I turned off the radio.
call off
cancel We called off the meeting.
put up to
urge to do wrong She put me up to playing a trick on the teacher.
boil away
disappear by boiling If the water boils away, the stew will burn.
count on
depend on We are counting on you.
tune in
find a station on the radio We tuned in to listen to the hockey game.
bank on
depend on We are banking on good weather tomorrow.
look out for
watch for Look out for fallen branches.
wash out
remove by washing We washed out the dye. The dye washed out.
bounce back
recover He bounced back from his previous defeat.
knock out
make unconscious Boxers are often knocked out.
come down to
can be reduced to Your choices come down to these.
rule out
remove from consideration None of the possibilities can be ruled out yet.
keep on
persist in He kept on changing the subject.
fall off
become less Attendance at the concerts has fallen off.
think over
consider I need some time to think it over.
hang up
break a telephone connection After receiving a busy signal, I hung up the phone.
clean up
tidy The mayor asked everyone to help clean up the city streets.
put up with
endure, tolerate Bus passengers must often put up with crowded conditions.
do away with
abolish We want to do away with delays.
keep to
adhere to The train will keep to the schedule.
take in
absorb We tried to take in the new information.
live down
live so that past faults are forgotten This will be hard to live down!
abide by
adhere to We abided by the rules.
go on
continue Please go on. Don't let me interrupt you.
ferret out
find with difficulty We managed to ferret out the information.
take up on
accept an offer I would like to take you up on your offer.
survive on
survive using During the winter, we had to survive on turnips and parsnips.
paper over
repair superficially They attempted to paper over their differences.
make up for
compensate for She tried to make up for her past mistakes.
wear out
gradually destroy by wearing or using My jacket is wearing out, although it is only a year old.
touch on
mention She touched on many important subjects.
log on to
contact a computer She logged on to the new system.
bow out of
withdraw He bowed out of the race.
go over
review I would like to go over the report again.
get across
transmit We got our point across to the audience.Our point got across to the audience.
fade away
become less The sound gradually faded away.
do without
survive without We had to do without. We had to do without electricity.
look down on
regard as inferior He looks down on his classmates.
look through
examine quickly We looked through the magazines while we were waiting.
zero in on
focus on Let us zero in on the heart of the problem.
hand down
give to someone younger The tradition was handed down from father to son.
put back
return to original location Please put the book back on the shelf.
confide in
share a secret The two friends confided in each other.
talk over
discuss Let us talk it over before we decide.
look up to
admire We looked up to her.
watch over
guard The shepherd watched over the sheep
sell off
dispose of by selling We sold off all the books and furniture.
drop in
visit Please drop in any time.
turn away
refuse admission The event was so popular that many people had to be turned away.
try on
test clothes by putting them on I tried on the new suit, but it didn't fit me.
grow out of
become too big for My son has grown out of most of his clothes.
live on
survive using What did you live on?
roll up
wrap into a cylinder I rolled up the window blind. The window blind rolled up.
watch out for
beware of Watch out for snakes.
wear off
gradually disappear The feeling of excitement gradually wore off
take over
assume control They will take over at the beginning of June.
deal in
stock, sell He deals in gold and jewels.
lay off
put out of work The company laid off seventy workers.
read up on
read about Whenever I travel, I like to read up on the place I am going to visit.
build on
develop from We want to build on our success.
wade through
slowly peruse We had to wade through a pile of documents.
pull down
demolish Many old buildings are pulled down to make way for new ones.
drum into
teach by repetition We drummed the safety rules into the children.
border on
be near, be next to Their excitement bordered on hysteria.
draw into
involve gradually We managed to draw her into the conversation.
go back on
break a promise He never goes back on his word.
tear up
destroy by tearing She tore up the letter.
sail through
succeed easily She sailed through. She sailed through the exam.
pass by
pass I passed by. I passed by the house.
let in on
allow to share We let them in on the secret.
hang around
stay near We hung around. We hung around the movie theater.
look up
find (information) We looked up the word in a dictionary.
live up to
maintain a standard She has lived up to her reputation as a great singer.
water down
dilute The soup has been watered down.
pension off
dismiss with a pension He was pensioned off at the age of sixty.
go along with
agree, not resist I'm willing to go along with your idea.
dry out
become dry The sun dried out the earth. The earth dried out.
get through
survive, finish I don't know how I can get through all this work.
drag into
involve unwillingly Don't drag me into this discussion!
lay before
present to We will lay the evidence before the court.
step in
intervene The government had to step in to save the business.
glance off
hit and bounce off The ball glanced off. The ball glanced off the wall.
point out
draw attention to She pointed out the advantages of the proposal.
creep up on
approach undetected Old age tends to creep up on one.
play down
de-emphasize He played down the importance of the news.
pull off
succeed Do you think she can pull off her plan?
launch into
start He launched into an explanation.
break through
appear The sun broke through. The sun broke through the clouds.
sit through
sit and endure It was all I could do to sit through the lecture without falling asleep.
walk away with
win easily They walked away with all the prizes.
decide on
settle on They decided on a course of action.
summon up
gather I attempted to summon up my courage.
break up
break into pieces The icebreaker broke up the ice. The ice broke up.
come up against
meet an obstacle They came up against many difficulties.
trade in
give as part payment Why don't you trade in your old vacuum cleaner for a new one?
ask for
request They asked for an extension.
warn off
warn to leave We were warned off. We were warned off the premises
cut across
use a short route I cut across the parking lot.
make of
understand Can you make anything of this message?
clean up after
tidy for She spent half her time cleaning up after the children.
break into
enter by force Thieves broke into the store.
pitch in
help If everyone pitches in, the work will be done in a few minutes.
blow over
pass I wonder when the trouble will blow over.
stumble across
find accidentally He stumbled across an interesting fossil.
look after
take care of I will look after the children.
let down
disappoint We will let him down if we don't arrive on time.
figure out
solve, understand I can't figure out what happened.
get at
reach The store was so crowded, it was hard to get at the food.
hand in
give to person in authority The students handed their assignments in to the teacher.
stick up for
defend, support Will you stick up for me?
cross off
put a line through I crossed his name off. I crossed his name off the list.
talk down to
speak patronizingly He always talks down to people younger than he is.
bring around
persuade We gradually brought her around to our point of view.
pick on
be unkind to Because he was the youngest, the other boys picked on him.
guard against
take precautions We must guard against possible attack.
size up
assess I quickly sized up the situation.
bring back
return She brought back her library books.
look forward to
anticipate I'm looking forward to the holidays.
rub off on
acquire from someone Some of his enthusiasm has rubbed off on me.
move out
give up possession of living quarters He moved out yesterday.
grow up
become an adult What do you want to do when you grow up?
turn off
leave a road We turned off. We turned off the main highway
single out
select from others You have been singled out for special attention.
double up
bend over We were doubled up with laughter.
run up against
meet One runs up against many different kinds of people.
give in
admit defeat I will never give in!
go through
examine in detail Have you gone through the evidence?
bring up
raise Bringing up children is never easy.
get over
recover from Have you got over the flu yet?
get away
escape I hooked a fish, but it got away.
leave out
omit Tell me what happened. Don't leave anything out!
burn down
destroy by fire We burned down the old barn. The old barn burned down.
call for
demand This calls for an investigation.
set back
delay This could set back the project by several years.
log on
contact a computer Do you know how to log on?
bear with
be patient with Please bear with the delay.
watch out
beware Watch out! The roads are icy.
mill around
(of a crowd)move randomly. The students milled around.The studentsmilledaround thelobby.
stammer out
stammer They stammered out their apologies.
smooth over
improve We tried to smooth over the situation
sort out
organize It will take some time to sort out this mess.
verge on
approach His behavior verges on rudeness.
hold against
blame for Please don't hold my mistakes against me.
buckle down
work seriously You may fail your courses if you don't buckle down to work.
hold out for
not compromise We want to hold out for better conditions.
frown on
disapprove of Absenteeism is frowned on.
fill in
complete Please fill in this form.
go with
look good with Those shoes don't go with that outfit.
pull through
recover from, survive.The doc pulled her through the illness.Shepulledthroughtheillness.
stay up
not go to bed We stayed up until midnight.
break in
make something new fit for use I broke in my new hiking boots.
go against
oppose Don't go against the rules.
keep up with
be on the same level as She has a hard time keeping up with her brother.
touch down
land (of planes) The plane touched down.
wriggle out of
avoid She always tries to wriggle out of her responsibilities.
take out on
vent bad feelings on She took her dissatisfaction with her job out on her neighbors.
lounge around
relax in We lounged around. We lounged around the living room.
track down
search for and find We finally tracked him down at the bookstore.
burst into
suddenly enter He burst into the room.
get over with
undergo, finish If I must visit the dentist, I prefer to get it over with as soon as possible.
expand on
say more about Please expand on what you said before.
leaf through
turn the pages She leafed idly through the book.
come down with
become ill with She came down with a cold.
scrape through
barely succeed They scraped through. They scraped through the course.
back up
support I will back up your story.
level off
stop rising Prices finally leveled off.
run over
injured by a vehicle Children must be careful not to be run over by cars.
wear out
gradually destroy by using I wore out the sweater. The sweater wore out
come out in
develop He came out in a rash.
hold back
restrain, delay He is so enthusiastic, it is hard to hold him back.
carry on with
continue with We carried on with our conversation.
stock up on
lay in supplies We should stock up on bananas.
leave behind
leave, not bring I accidentally left my umbrella behind.
settle for
reluctantly accept Since there was no kale, we had to settle for cabbage.
give up on
stop trying I've given up on the situation.
pull out of
leave (of vehicles) The train pulled out of the station.
die down
become less After a few days, the excitement died down.
talk out of
dissuade from We tried to talk him out of retiring.
lead up to
be a preparation for The first thirty chapters of the book lead up to the dramatic conclusion.
hand over
transfer We had to hand the evidence over to the police.
butter up
flatter We buttered him up, hoping that he would agree to our proposal.
pass up
not take advantage I couldn't pass up such an opportunity.
prey on
hunt and eat; disturb Ospreys prey on fish; the idea preys on my mind.
try out
test by using Would you like to try out my fountain pen?
let into
allow to share Shall we let her into the secret?
play off against
encourage to fight In the last century, the British weakened their enemies by playing them off against one another.
breathe in
inhale We breathed in the fresh air.
see through
not be deceived by I instantly saw through the disguise.
dispose of
get rid of If he moves, he will have to dispose of his furniture.
back down from
withdraw, avoid She never backs down from a challenge.
go without
not have They went without. They went without food.
cheer on
cheer, encourage I will be there to cheer you on.
call on
ask, order We will call on you to give a speech.
get in on
manage to participate in I want to get in on the planning for the new school.
think up
invent What will they think up next?
go through with
fulfill, carry out Are you going to go through with your plan to conduct a survey?
blare out
make a loud sound The loudspeakers blared out the music.The music blared out.
hand on
give to another person I am not sorry to hand the responsibility on to you.
get into
become involved with I don't want to get into an argument.
show around
conduct on a tour.We showed the visitors around. We showed the visitors around the city.
shrug off
dismiss as unimportant He attempted to shrug off the mistake.
hinge on
depend on Everything hinges on her decision.
reel off
recite a long list She reeled off a long list of names.
stick to
adhere to We shall stick to the original plan.
fall back on
turn to for help Because of unexpected expenses, we had to fall back on our savings.
take after
resemble an ancestor He takes after his grandfather.
bail out
rescue If you run into difficulties, who will bail you out?
pass out
faint It was so hot, I almost passed out.
read into
find other meanings You are reading too much into her remarks.
scale down
reduce Because of lack of funds, we had to scale down our plans.
rally round
gather to give support We rallied round. We rallied round our class president.
pass around
distribute I passed the papers around. I passed the papers around the class.
rise above
be superior to He rose above his circumstances and managed to succeed.
write off
cancel, regard as They were forced to write off several irretrievable debts.
pull in
arrive (of vehicles) The bus pulled in next to the curb.
sum up
summarize He summed up the discussion in a few well-chosen words.
play along
pretend to agree Let's play along until we find out what his plans are.
wake up
stop sleeping I woke her up. She woke up.
turn on
activate by using a switch Please turn on the light.
add up to
amount to It is hard to see what that adds up to.
provide for
prepare for We have provided for any emergency.
cry out for
urgently require The education system is crying out for improvement.
come upon
discover We came upon a small lake.
lap up
accept eagerly The public lapped up the story.
wear away
gradually remove Water wore away the rock. The rock wore away.
tamper with
interfere with Someone has tampered with the lock.
get away with
not be punished He got away with being late for school.
call up
telephone Why don't you call him up?
fit in with
be suited to You don't fit in with this group.
inquire into
investigate Please inquire into the alternatives.
set off
leave They set off at six o'clock in the morning.
boil over
overflow by boiling The soup boiled over.
push on with
go ahead, continue I must push on with my work.
log off
break contact with a computer system The system was overloaded, so I had to log off.
part with
give up reluctantly She refused to part with her necklace.
fill up
make full We filled up the glasses with water.
drum up
raise She has drummed up support for the plan.
grow on
become more attractive to I'm sure the idea will grow on you.
fool around with
not be serious, have as a hobby He likes to fool around with computers.
cloud over
become overcast Although it clouded over in the afternoon, the rain held off.
nod off
go to sleep Half the bus passengers nodded off.
phase out
cease gradually The practice will gradually be phased out.
come up with
produce She came up with a solution to the problem.
rub out
erase Be sure to rub out all the pencil marks.
dawn on
realize Finally the truth dawned on him.
frighten into
control by fear The little girl frightened her brother into obeying her.
make up
invent She likes to make up stories.
liven up
become lively He livened up the party. The party livened up.
back out of
not fulfill I wish I could back out of the agreement.
put away
put in proper place It is time to put the toys away.
chop down
fell They chopped down the dead tree.
show up
arrive She showed up at noon.
move in
take possession of living quarters When are you moving in?
pick up
collect You may pick up the papers at the office.
enlarge on
say more about Please enlarge on your proposal.
pull out
leave (of vehicles) The train pulled out at ten o'clock.
phase in
introduce gradually The new program will be phased in over the next six months.
catch up to
overtake The boy ran quickly to catch up with his friends.
put off
postpone We cannot put off the meeting again.
come across
find accidentally She came across some old papers.
rope in
persuade to help We roped in everyone we could to help with the work.
laugh at
mock, make fun of Don't laugh at me!
put down to
attribute to We put his bad temper down to fatigue.
write up
compose in writing I used my notes to write up the report.
run into
meet accidentally I ran into my cousin downtown.
brush up on
refresh knowledge of I must brush up on my English.
give off
send out Skunk cabbage gives off an unpleasant odor.
catch on
be widely accepted Do you think the idea will catch on?
call in
ask to assist I think it is time we called in an expert.
fend off
repel The goalie fended off every attack.
thrust upon
force upon We thrust the responsibility upon the treasurer.
enter into
begin, commence The brothers entered into an agreement.
set against
make antagonistic She likes to set people against one another.
dwell on
emphasize He dwelt on the risks involved.
settle in
become used to How are you settling in to your new job?
blow up
destroy by an explosion Troops blew up the bridge.The bridge blew up.
write into
add to in writing The terms were written into the lease
stand for
represent What does the abbreviation etc. stand for?
send for
ask to be sent You will have to send for your transcripts.
shout down
stop from speaking by shouting The crowd shouted down the speaker.
step down
resign He stepped down for health reasons.
look into
investigate He will look into the situation.
give back
return I gave back the bicycle I had borrowed.
sound out
talk with to learn the opinion of We attempted to sound him out.
take off
leave the ground The plane took off on time.
write down
make a note I wrote down the instructions.
turn back
reverse direction Every fall the clocks must be turned back by one hour.
run across
find accidentally They ran across some interesting information.
side with
support in a dispute Why did you side with him?
account for
explain He accounted for the discrepancy.
reckon on
calculate on I hadn't reckoned on being the center of attention.
pin down
get a commitment When the guest speaker is pinned down, we can set a date for the conference.
cut back on
reduce The government has cut back on spending.
dispense with
proceed without The chairman dispensed with formalities.
settle down
become peaceful After the excitement, the students found it difficult to settle down.
calm down
become calm I calmed down the child. The child calmed down.
take out
invite to a restaurant May I take you out for supper?
set on
order to attack We will set our dogs on any intruders.
send away for
order by mail We sent away for warm winter boots.
tide over
provide for temporarily.This money will tide me over.Thismoneywilltideme over the weekend.
face up to
accept and deal with It is best to face up to one's problems.
join in
become involved in I joined in. I joined in the game.
breathe out
exhale I breathed out a sigh of relief.
reason with
try to persuade It is hard to reason with an angry person.
get down to
begin dealing seriously with It is time to get down to business.

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