Using phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. 

Some verbs are two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases). They consist of a verb and a particle:

• grow + up
  >> The children are growing up.

Often this gives the verb a new meaning:

• take + after
  >> She takes after her mother
  = She looks like her mother, or She behaves like her mother.
• count + on
  >> I know I can count on you
  = I know I can trust you, or I know I can believe you.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
abide by	Respect or obey (the law, a decision, a rule)	If you want to stay at this school, you mustabide by the rules.
account for	Explain; give a reason	I hope you can account for the money you spent!
ache for	Want something or someone very much.	He was so lonely he ached for the sound of a human voice.
act on	Take action as a result of something	The police acted on the call they received.
act out	Demonstrate something with gestures and actions.	They acted out the scene in the classroom.
act up	Cause pain or annoyance by functioning badly	Dad's poor knee is acting up again.
add up	Make sense; seem reasonable	Her story just doesn't add up.
adhere to	Support; follow; act in accordance with	All contestants must adhere to the rules.
advise against	Recommend not doing something	The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads.
agree with	Have the same opinion as someone else	I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.
aim at	Direct towards a target	The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker.
allow for	Take into consideration; Include in a calculation	You'd better leave early to allow for heavy traffic.
amount to	Reach; be equivalent to	1) The total cost amounts to 1200€. 2) His statement amounted to a confession.
angle at	Show from a particular point of view.	The documentary was angled at young viewers.
angle for	Try to obtain something by hinting.	I suspect Tom's angling for a free ticket.
answer back	Reply rudely	Don't answer back your mother!
answer for	1) Be responsible for something. 2) Speak on behalf of someone.	1) Normally parents have to answer for their children's behaviour. 2) I agree, but I can't answer for my associate.
answer to	Be responsible to/be controlled by (someone)	Who do you answer to in your job?
appeal to	1)Plead or make an earnest request. 2) Be attractive or interesting.	1) The organisers appealed to the crowd to stay calm. 2) Camping doesn't appeal to me.
apply for	Make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan, etc.)	He applied for the job advertised.
arrive at	Reach (an agreement, a decision, a conclusion)	It is hoped that they will arrive at an agreement at the end of the meeting..
ask after	Enquire about someone's well-being.	My mother is always asking after you.
ask around	Mention it to people you see or meet.	I'll ask around and see if anyone has seen your cat.
ask in	Invite someone to come inside.	I couldn't leave her standing outside in the cold so I asked her in.
ask out	Invite someone to lunch, dinner, the cinema ...	John has asked Mary out several times.
avail (oneself) of	Take advantage of something (an opportunity)	When the company is privatized, you shouldavail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares.
average out at	Result in an average (amount)	The price of lunch averages out at 10€ per person.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
back away	Move backwards, in fear or dislike	When he saw the dog, he backed away.
back down	Withdraw; concede defeat.	Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the cinema.
back off	Retreat, abandon an intention.	The thugs backed off when they saw the police.
back out	Withdraw from an agreement.	We made a deal. You can't back out now!
back up	1) Give support or encouragement 2) make a copy of (file, program...)	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.
bail out	1) Pay money to secure someone's release 2) Rescue from financial difficulties	1) When he was arrested, his family refused   to bail him out. 2) The government bailed out the bank.
band together	Unite in a group.	Consumers banded together to protest against the measures.
bank on	Base your hopes on something/someone.	Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help.
bargain for	Expect; be prepared for.	The interview was more difficult than he hadbargained for.
bear out	Confirm	The other witnesses will bear out my testimony.
bear with	Be patient.	Please bear with me please while I finish my explanation.
beef up	Improve or make more substantial	He beefed up his presentation with diagrams and statistics.
black out	Faint; lose consciousness	When he fell off the horse, he blacked out.
block off	Separate using a barrier.	The area was blocked off during the demonstration.
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.
boil down to	Be summarized as	The problem boils down to a lack of money.
boot up	Start a computer by loading an operating system or program.	Just give me a few minutes to boot up the computer.
break away	Escape from captivity.	The horses were enclosed in a paddock but a few of them managed to break away.
break away from	Leave and become independent	He broke away from the organisation and set up his own agency.
break down	1) Go out of order,  stop functioning. 2) Lose control of one's emotions.	1) John's car broke down on the way to the  airport. 2) The parents broke down when they  heard the bad news.
break (sth) down	Divide in smaller or simpler parts.	The lesson will be easier to learn if you break itdown into small sections.
break free	Detach from a physical hold.	He broke free from his attacker's grasp.
break in/into	Enter by force in order to steal something.	1)  I saw a man outside trying to break in. 2) The burglars broke into the house  around midnight.
break in on	Interrupt unexpectedly	An operator suddenly broke in on our telephone conversation.
break off	1) Stop, discontinue 2) Stop speaking	1) It was decided to break off diplomatic   relations with that country. 2) She broke off in the middle of a  sentence.
break out	Start suddenly and spread quickly	Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.
break out of	Escape from a place by force.	Three prisoners broke out of jail.
break through	Force a way through something	The car broke through the barrier.
break up	Come to an end (marriage, relationship...)	After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London.
break up	Separate into small pieces.	Jack had to use a fork to break up the soil.
break with	Discontinue something or do something in a different way.	He broke with tradition and invented new methods.
bring off	Succeed in doing something difficult	You pretended to be a journalist and he believed you? I never thought you'd bring that off!
bring up	1) Raise (a child). 2) Mention something.	1) She stopped working in order to bring up     her children. 2) His friends knew he had lost his job but     they decided not to bring up the subject.
brush up on	Improve, refresh one's knowledge of something.	Mary decided to brush up on her Spanish before going to South-America.
bump into	Meet by accident or unexpectedly.	Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.
burn out	1) Stop (something) working 2) Become exhausted from overworking	1) The fuse has burnt out. 2) Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't      slow down.
butt in (on)	Interrupt impolitely.	It's rude to butt in on a conversation.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
call back	Return a phone call	I'll call you back as soon as possible.
call off	Cancel	The meeting was called off because of the strike.
call on/upon	Formally invite or request.	I now call upon the President to address the assembly.
calm down	Become more relaxed or less angry/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	1) Do something as specified (plan, order, 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.
carry over	Postpone until later.	As regards holidays, can we carry over days from one year to the next?
catch up on	Acquire information you have missed.	I must call by mother to catch up on the latest family events.
catch up with	Reach the same stage as someone else.	I've missed some classes so I'll have to work hard to catch up with the others.
check in	Register at a hotel or airport.	For security reasons, you have to check in two hours before your flight.
check out	1) Pay one's bill and leave (a hotel) 2) Investigate or verify.	1) Is Mr. Bush 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.
cheer up	Put someone in a better mood.	I told her a joke to try and cheer her up.
chip in	Contribute to, or participate in, something done by a group.	Bob has decided to retire and we're going to buy him a present.  Do you want to chip in?
clam up	Refuse to speak.	When the teacher arrived, she clammed up.
clamp down on	Act strictly to prevent something.	The government decided to clamp down onsmoking in public areas.
close down	Stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema ...)	When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs.
come across	1) Find by chance, encounter 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.
come down with	Become ill with ...	The architect planned to attend the inauguration but unfortunately he came down with the flu over the weekend.
come forward	Present oneself; volunteer	The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.
come up against	Be faced with or opposed by.	The project came up against a lot of criticism.
come up with	Produce an idea or plan.	Sacha came up with a great idea for the party.
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.
count on	Rely or depend on.	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 size.	The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.
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 sweet food.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
deal with	Handle, take care of, address (problem, situation)	The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers.
deck out (in/with)	Dress; decorate	1) The women were all decked out in beautiful   dresses. 2) The exhibition hall will be decked out in the   colours of Europe.
die down	Calm down, become less strong.	When the applause died down, she started to sing.
dig into	1) Try to find deep inside something. 2) Start to do something. 3) Take from something.	1) He dug into his pocket and found a coin. 2) It was time to dig into the work that had  accumulated on her desk. 3) Dad had to dig into his savings to repair the  roof.
dig up	1) Break up the soil/remove by digging. 2) Discover or reveal information.	1) He tried to dig up the tree by its roots. 2) Some newspapers often try to dig up  scandalous information.
dish out	Distribute or give away a lot.	He spent the day dishing out invitations to tourists.
dispense with	Decide to do without something.	I'm afraid you'll have to download it. They've dispensed with the paper version.
do away with	Get rid of;  abolish.	Some people think it's time to do away with the monarchy.
do over	Clean or redecorate.	My parents will need to do over their living-room soon. The paintwork needs refreshing.
do up	Fasten (a garment)	Good boy Alex! You know how to do up your coat now!
do without	Manage without.	The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar.
drag on	Last longer than expected.	We expected a short speech but it dragged onand on!
drag out	1) Make something longer than necessary. 2) Make someone reveal or give information unwillingly.	1) Let's decide now and not drag out this  discussion.   2) The police finally dragged out a confession  from the suspect.
draw up	Write (contract, agreement, document).	An agreement as drawn up and signed by the two parties.
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.
drift apart	Become less and less close.	We were childhood friends but we drifted apartover the years.
drift off	Gradually fall asleep.	He sat back, closed his eyes and drifted off.
drive at	Insinuate;  be trying to say.	What exactly are you driving at?
drop behind	Fall into a position behind others.	Our sales have dropped behind those of our competitors.
drop in	Visit, usually on the way somewhere.	I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school.
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.
drop out	Leave school without finishing.	She decided to go to art school, then dropped outafter the first term.
drown out	Be louder in order to cover another sound.	She turned up the music to drown out the noise of the children outside.

get about/around	1) Move from place to place 2) Spread, circulate	1) It's not easy to get around the city without      a map. 2) News of their separation soon got about.
get along (with)	Be on good terms / work well with.	I get along (well) with my mother-in-law.
get at	Imply	What exactly are you trying to get at?
get away	Escape	The robbers got away in a black car.
get by (on)	Manage to cope or to survive.	It's difficult to get by on a low salary.
get down to	Start to actually do something.	It's time to get down to some serious work!
get in	Enter	How did the burglar get in?
get into (+ noun)	Enter	How did the burglar get into the house?
get off	1) Leave (bus, train, plane). 2) Remove from something.	1) Get off the bus at Trafalgar Square. 2) She's trying to get off the stain.
get on	Board (bus, train, plane)	You can pay when you get on the bus.
get on with	Continue to do something / make progress	Be quiet and get on with your homework.
get on (well) with	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  (+verb)	Avoid doing something	Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework.
get over	Recover from (illness, disappointment)	Charlie had the 'flu but he got over it.
get rid of	Eliminate	It's difficult to get rid of old habits.
get round (to)	Find the necessary time to do something.	I finally got round to making the list that I promised.
get together	Meet each other	Let's get together for lunch one day.
get up	Rise / leave bed	I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
give away	1) Give something free of charge. 2) Reveal something.	1) He gave away most of his paintings. 2) The names of the witnesses will not be given away.
give back	Return something to its owner.	He promised to give back the money he borrowed..
give in	Accept defeat; surrender	The authorities refused to give in to the demands of the population.
give over!	Stop doing something irritating.	Give over complaining! It doesn't help at all!
give up	1) Stop doing something. 2) Stop trying to do something	1) Sarah gave up smoking five years ago. 2) Have you found the answer? No, I give up
gloss over	Treat something briefly so as to avoid embarrassing details.	The director glossed over the recent drop in sales.
go after	Pursue (an object or a goal)	She went after her dream and is now an actress.
go along (with)	Agree with; accept.	Alex tends to go along with anything his wife says.
go away	1) Leave a place 2) Disappear / fade	1) We decided to go away for a few days. 2) The stain still hasn't gone away.
go back	Return	Children go back to school after the holidays.
go by	Pass	- A bus went by without stopping. - Time goes by so quickly!
go down	Decrease, reduce	The price of property has gone down a bit.
go down with	Become ill with an infectious disease	Half of the team has gone down with the flu.
go for	Try to gain or attain.	He trained hard and went for the gold medal.
go in	Enter	There's a nice restaurant.  Let's go in and book a table for tonight.
go into (+ noun)	Go inside	Go into the bakery and see if they sell croissants.
go into (+ noun)	Join or enter a profession.	He decided to go into the army when he left school.
go in for	Have something as an interest or hobby.	She doesn't really go in for sports.
go off	1) Explode 2) Ring/ make a loud noise 3) Stop working 4) No longer be good to eat or drink 5) No longer like or enjoy.	1)A bomb went off in a crowded restaurant. 2) The alarm clock was set to go off at 6 a.m. 3) The heating has gone off.  It's freezing! 4) The milk has gone off. Don't drink it. 5) My grandmother has gone off crosswords
go on	Continue.	Sorry for interrupting. Please go on.
go out	Leave one's home to attend a social event.	Many young people go out a lot.
go (out) with	Have someone as a boyfriend/girlfriend.	Is Julie going (out) with Tom?
go over	Review	Please go over your answers before handing in your test.
go up	Increase, rise	The price of petrol may go up.
go through	1) Experience 2) Examine, study carefully.	1) Pete went through a lot of pain after the  accident. 2) I need time to go through the contract.
go through with	Proceed with something difficult	Bill and Amy finally went through with the divorce.
go with/together	Match; harmonize (with)	The curtains don't go with the carpet. The curtains and carpet don't go together.
go without	Abstain from	I had to go without lunch to finish the report.
grow up	Spend one's childhood / become an adult	He grew up in a small village.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
hand back	Return	She read the article and then handed it back.
hand down	Pass on (by tradition, inheritance...)	My clothes were handed down to me by my older sister.
hand in	Submit (report, homework)	All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month.
hand out	Distribute	Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration.
hand over	Give to someone in authority.	The boy was forced to hand over the mobile phone he had stolen.
hang back	Be reluctant to do something	All the children rushed towards the clown except one boy who hung back.
hang on	Wait	Hang on a minute. I'm early ready.
hang on (to)	Keep a hold on something	Hang on to that rope and you'll be ok.
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?
hang up	End a telephone conversation	Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet.
head off	Start to go somewhere.	He headed off to the train station.
head for	Go/move in a certain direction.	The boat was heading for the rocks.
hit at	Aim a blow at something.	He hit at the wasp with a newspaper.
hit back	Retaliate / reply to an attack	When he was attacked, the boy hit back.
hit on/upon	Find unexpectedly or by inspiration	She hit upon an idea for her new collection.
hold on	1) Wait 2) Grip tightly	1) Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown. 2) She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge.
hold up	Show as a example	She held up the diagram for all to see.
hook up	Fasten (a garment)	I need help to hook up my dress.
hook up (with)	Link broadcasting facilities	Many networks are hooked up by satellite.
hurry up	Be quick / act speedily	Hurry up! We'll miss the bus!

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
idle away	Waste time doing nothing much.	He idles away hours every day watching television.
iron out	Resolve by discussion/ eliminate differences	The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity toiron out difficulties.
impose on/upon	Ask too much of someone.	Is it alright if I stay? I don't want to impose upon your hospitabity.
improve on/upon	Make better	The runner improved on his previous performance.
indulge in	Allow yourself to enjoy something	Ive been dieting all week but today I'm going toindulge in a dessert.
insure against	Guarantee compensation for damage etc.	The house is insured against fire.
invite out	Ask someone to join you for lunch, dinner, etc.	Harry invited her out for dinner.
join in	Participate	She was too shy to join in the game.
join up	1) Engage in, become a member of 2) Meet and unite with	1) John was in the army and Tom joined up as soon as he left school. 2) The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel.
jot down	Take quick notes	I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV.
keep at	Persevere.	His father encouraged him to keep at his studies.
keep back	Retain / force to stay back	A barrier was installed to keep back the fans.
keep on	Continue doing something	I told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise.
keep up with	Stay at the same level as someone or something	Bill walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him.
kneel down	Go down on your knees	Most people kneel down to pray.
kick off	Begin, start	The football match kicked off at 3 p.m.
knock back	Drink quickly (usually alcohol)	He knocked back a pint of beer and left.
knock down	Strike someone or something to the ground.	The child was knocked down by a car. The tree was knocked down during the storm
knock out	Cause someone to fall unconscious.	The boxer was knocked out in the first round.
know of	have heard of / have knowledge about	Do you know of anyone else attending the conference?

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
laugh off	Make light of something / minimize	He laughed off the unflattering review of his latest book.
lay off	Fire, dismiss, let go	Many factories have had to lay off workers.
leaf through	Turn over pages quickly	She leafed through a magazine in the waiting room.
leak out	Become known (information)	News of the planned merger leaked out.
leave out	Omit / not mention	Tom's name was left out of the report.
let down	1) Disappoint 2) Lengthen (skirt, pants)	1) You promised to come to the party, so don't let     me down! 2) The skirt is too short? I'll let it down for you.
light up	Illuminate	1) 1 watched the floodlights light up the castle. 2) Her face always lights up when she sees her grandson. 3) The screen lights up when you turn on a computer.
line up	Stand in a row.	The books were lined up neatly on the shelves.
live through	Experience something and survive	My grandparents lived through two wars.
liven up	Make something livelier or more attractive.	We need to liven up the presentation somehow.
log in/on	Access a program or database using a password.	You need to log in to your account before you use the services.
log off	End access to a database.	Log off the system and then turn off the computer.
look after	Take care of	A baby sitter looks after the children when their parents go out.
look ahead	Think of the future	It's time to forget the past and look ahead.
look away	Turn your head away so as not to see	The scene was so horrible that I had to look away.
look back on	Remember the past	My parents and their friends like to look back on"the good old days".
look down on	Consider as inferior	He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful.
look for	Try to find something	Jane went shopping to look for a pair of shoes.
look forward to	Await or anticipate with pleasure	I look forward to seeing you soon.
look into	Examine or investigate.	I'll look into the matter and call you back.
look on	Be a spectator at an event	Billy didn't take part in the fight.  He just looked on.
look out	Be careful/pay attention	Look out! There's a car coming.
look through	examine, usually quickly	I'll look through my mail to see if I can find your message.
look up to	Admire	He was a wonderful teacher and many studentslooked up to him.
lose out	Be unsuccessful / suffer a loss	I'm the one who'll lose out if our plan goes wrong.
lose out on	miss or be deprived of something	Because I left before the end of the year I lost out on the annual bonus. I watched the documentary until the end so as not to lose out on anything.
lose out to	be less successful	Jose was called for an interview but he lost out tothe candidate who spoke fluent English.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
make for	move in the direction of/head for	Let's make for the exit before the crowd starts to leave.
make fun of	Laugh at / make jokes about	The old lady dresses so strangely that the children make fun of her.
make (sthg) into	Convert or change into	We've made our garage into a TV room.
make of	have an opinion about something	What do you make of his latest suggestion?
make off with	Steal and hurry away	He made off with my briefcase while I was checking the timetable.
make out	be able to hear or read something	I can't make out what's written on the board
make out	fill in the details (e.g. cheque)	Just make out the cheque to our company.
make oneself out (to be)	claim to be	He made himself out to be a journalist but it wasn't true.
make up	Invent (excuse, story)	Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work.
make up	put on powder, lipstick, etc.	She spends ages making herself up/putting on make-up
make up	prepare a bed for use	You can stay here tonight. I'll make up a bed for you in the spare room.
make up	form, constitute	What qualities make up his character?.
make up (with)	End a quarrel/become friends again	It's time to shake hands and make up.
make up for	Compensate for	With hard work I can make up for the days I was absent.
mark down	Reduce the price.	The coat was marked down by 40%  - a real bargain!
miss out (on)	Lose an opportunity to do something.	If you leave before Saturday you'll miss out on the party.
mix up	Mistake one thing or person for another	I don't know the members' names yet. I tend to mix them up
move in	Arrive in a new home or office	You've bought a new house?  When are youmoving in?
move out	Leave your home/office for another one.	My neighbour is leaving.  He's moving outnext Saturday.
nail down	Make someone say something precisely	He promised to come but we'll have to nailhim down to a date.
name after	Give the same name as another person	William was named after his grandfather.
narrow down	Reduce a list or a number of options.	The list of suspects has been narrowed downto three people.
nod off	Fall asleep	My grandfather often nods off in front of the television.
nose about/around	Try to discover by searching.	I don't like people nosing around my desk.
note down	Write something down	I'll call the station and note down the departure times.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
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.
own up	Admit or confess something	The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window.
pass away	Die	The old lady passed away peacefully.
pass on	Transmit	Don't forget to pass on the information.
pass out	Faint / lose consciousness	She passed out when she heard the bad news.
pay back	Reimburse	I will lend you 20€ provided you pay meback before the end of the week.
pick on	Choose someone to blame, punish, bully, etc.	The other children were always picking on Charlie because of his red hair.
pick out	Select;  choose	Will you help me pick out a handbag to go with my outfit?
pick up	Learn	Children are quick to pick up a new language.
pick up	Collect; give someone a lift	James is coming to pick me up at 8 o'clock.
play up	Cause pain or discomfort.	My stomach is starting to play up again after all that heavy food.
play up	Emphasize or make something seem more important.	He always plays up his achievements.
play down	Minimize or make something appear less important	The government played down the gravity of the situation.
pop across/over/ down/out	Come or go quickly in the direction specified	She popped over to visit her mother after lunch.
pop in	Make a brief visit	He sometimes pops in for a cup of coffee.
pop up	Arise, occur	The question popped up during the meeting.
pull through	Overcome difficulties or illness	My grandmother caught pneumonia but she pulled through.
put away	Return something to its normal place after using it.	Please put away the dictionary when you've finished using it.
put back	Replace, return to its proper place	Put it back on the shelf please.
put off	Postpone / arrange a later date	The meeting was put off because of the strike.
put on	Turn on / switch on	Could you put on the light please?
put on	Wear a garment or piece of clothing.	Put on your coat - it's getting cold.
put out	Extinguish	It took a long time to put out the fire.
put (yourself) out	Go to a lot of trouble / be inconvenienced.	Please don't put yourself out for us.
put (something) out	Leave/place something outside the house.	Don't forget to put out the dustbin.
put through	Connect two people (on the phone)	I'll put you through to Mr. Brown.
put up	Erect, build	He put up a tent for the children.
put (someone) up	Accommodate / give someone a bed	We can put you up if you'd like to come for the week-end.
put up with	Tolerate	I don't know how you can put up with all the noise.
pick up	Collect somebody	I'll pick you up at the station.
point out	Indicate / direct attention to something	The teacher pointed out the mistake.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
reel off	Recite without effort or pause	She amazed everyone by reeling off all the phrasal verbs she had learned.
rely on	Count on / depend on / trust	Don't worry. You can rely on me.  I can keep a secret.
rig out	Dress or equip	The old lady arrived all rigged out in her best clothes.
rig-out	Outfit	Stella arrived in the most extraordinary rig-out!
ring back	Return a phone call  (Also: callback)	John rang and asked if you could ring him back.
ring off	End a phone call	He gave his name and then rang off.
rub out	Erase	Write it in pencil so that you can rub it out.
rule out	Eliminate	The 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 (also : bump into)	Sophie ran into Maria at the shopping centre.
run out of	Have no more of something	What a nuisance! I've run out of coffee.
scale back/down	Make something smaller than originally intended.	Due to the crisis the company had to scale down the size of the plant.
scrape together scrape up	Manage to find or collect enough of something you need, usually money	We finally scraped together enough money to buy an old car.
scrape through	Succeed with difficulty	How I scraped through the exam is a mystery!
set off	Start a journey	Early Saturday morning we set off for the ski slopes.
set up	Start a business	She set up  her own company 10 years ago.
settle for	Accept  something not quite satisfactory.	I was hoping for a better proposal but I'll settlefor the amount you offer.
shop around	Compare prices	It's always wise to shop around before buying anything.
show off	Brag or want to be admired	There's David showing off in his new sports car!
show up	Appear / arrive	We expected William to come but he didn't show up.
shut up (impolite)	Be silent, stop talking	Oh shut up you idiot!
sign away	Give up one's rights or ownership	He signed away his property and joined a religious community.
sign in	Register (e.g. at a hotel)	Let's go and eat as soon as we've signed in.
sign out	Pay your bill and leave (e.g. a hotel)	He signed out and left for the airport.
sign over (to)	Transfer ownership of something	He signed over the house to his two children.
sign up (for)	Enroll in an activity	Emma signed up for a computer course.
sign up (with)	Sign an agreement to work for somebody	Paul has signed up with a news agency.
single out	Select for special attention	Two boys were singled out for extra coaching.
sink in	To be fully understood	It took a while for the scale of the disaster to sink in.
sit down	Take a seat	Please come in and sit down.
sleep in	Sleep later than usual	Tomorrow is Saturday, so I can sleep in!
sleep over	Stay overnight at someone else's home.	You're welcome to sleep over if you don't want to drive in this weather.
slip up	Make a mistake	You slipped up there! His name is Alex, not Alan!
slow down	Decelerate	You're driving too fast. Slow down!
sober up	Get rid of the effects of too much alcohol	Jack went for a long walk to sober up.
sort out	organise, resolve a problem	Students should sort out their books at the end of the school year.
speed up	accelerate	We need to speed up the registration procedure.
stand for	1) Represent, mean 2) Tolerate	1) VAT stands for value added tax. 2) I'm not going to stand for such behaviour!
stand up	Rise from a sitting position	The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived.
stick around	Stay somewhere for some time	I'll stick around until the end of the parade.
stick out	Come out	His shirt was sticking out from his trousers.
stick out	Become noticeable	With that dress you'll really stick out!
stick (sth) out	Tolerate, accept to continue	Lunch with my girlfriend's colleagues was boring but I had to stick it out - I had no choice!
stick to	Continue without changing anything	We must decide on a plan of action and stick toit.
stick together	Support each other.	Good friends always stick together.
stick up for	Defend	It's important to stick up for one's principles.
stick with	Continue using or doing something	I'll stick with this grammar book because it has everything I need.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
take after	Resemble in appearance or character	Jamie really takes after his dad.
take apart	Dismantle or separate the components	The technician has to take the machine apartin order to repair it.
take away	Buy food at a restaurant and carry it elsewhere to eat it.	Two beef curries to take away please.
take away	Cause something to disappear	The doctor gave me tablets to take away the pain.
take back	Agree to receive back/ be returned.	We will take back goods only if you can produce the receipt.
take back	Retract or withdraw something said	I take back what I said about cheating.
take care of	Look after	I'll take care of your plants while you're away.
take off	Leave the ground	The plane took off at 7 o'clock.
take in	Allow to stay in one's home	She's always taking in stray cats and dogs!
take in	Note with your eyes and register.	She took in every detail of her rival's outfit.
take in	Understand what one sees, hears or reads / realize what is happening.	The man immediately took in the scene and called the police.
take on	Hire or engage staff	Business is good so the company is taking onextra staff.
take out	Remove / extract	She took out a pen to note the address.
take out	Invite someone to dinner, the theatre, cinema, etc.	He took her out for a meal on her birthday.
talk into	Persuade someone to do something	I talked John into buying a new car.
talk out of	Persuade someone not to do something	I tried to talk Amy out of leaving her job.
tear up	Rip into pieces	Tear up the boxes before you put them in the bin.
tell off	Reprimand / criticize severely	The teacher told her off for not doing her homework.
test out	Carry out an experiment	The theory hasn't been tested out yet.
think over	Consider	I'll have to think over the proposal before I decide.
throw away	Discard as useless or unwanted.	You can throw away that book - it's a load of rubbish!
throw up	Vomit / be sick	I nearly threw up when I saw the injured passengers.
tire out	Exhaust completely	The children tired out their grandmother.
touch down	Land on the runway	The plane touched down exactly on time.
toy with	Think about, without serious intent	I've been toying with the idea of starting to walk to work.
track down	Find by searching	The police finally tracked down the main suspect.
trade in	Give as part payment for a new article.	I traded in my car for a new model.
try on	Put on or wear something to see if it suits or fits	I'm not sure about the size.  Can I try it on?
turn away	Refuse entrance to someone	Hundreds of fans were turned away from the football stadium.
turn down	1)Lower the volume. 2)Refuse	1)Please turn down the music;  it's too     loud. 2) I couldn't turn down an offer like that!
turn off	Stop by turning a switch, tap or knob.	Turn off the lights please before you leave.
turn up	1) Arrive, appear 2) Raise the volume	1) She turned up an hour late. 2) Could you turn up the radio please?

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
use up	Finish a product ( so that there's none left)	The kids have used up all the toothpaste.
veer away from	Avoid, stay away from	I veer away from hypochondriacs if I can.
vie with	Compete or rival with someone	The athletes vied with each other for first place.
vouch for	Express confidence in, or guarantee something	You can give the keys to Andy.  I can vouch forhim.
ward off	Keep away or repel (something dangerous or unpleasant).	I take plenty of vitamin C to ward off colds.
warm up	1) Reheat something. 2) Make more lively or more      relaxed.	1) She warmed up some left-over soup. 2) He told a  few jokes to warm up the     atmosphere.
wash up	Wash the dishes after a meal.	Who's going to help me wash up?
watch out	Be careful	Watch out! There's a car coming.
water down	1) Dilute or make weaker by adding      water 2) Make less severe	1) If you water down the medicine it will be     easier to take. 2) He watered down his remarks so as not     to offend anyone.
wear away	To disappear after use or over time.	The words on the cover had worn away.
wear down	Make someone feel weary/tired.	The baby's constant crying wore her down.
wear off	Gradually disappear.	The effect of the painkiller began to wear off.
wear out	1) Become unusable 2) Become very tired	1) Julie wore out her shoes sightseeing. 2) At the end of the day Julie was worn out.
whip up	Prepare quickly.	I can whip up something to eat if you're hungry.
wolf down	Eat greedily and quickly.	The boys wolfed down the whole cake in no time!
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.
wind up	Finish or put an end to something	- Before winding up his speech he thanked   everyone for their presence. - He decided to wind up his business and   retire.
wind up	Arrive finally in a place.	We finally wound up in a village with a spectacular view.
wipe off	Clean (board, table)	The teacher asked Lee to wipe off the board.
wrap up	Cover; enclose	She's busy wrapping up her Christmas presents.
wrap up	Complete (a task, a discussion)	The salesman hoped to wrap up a few deals.
write back	Reply to a letter	I wrote back to accept the invitation.
write (sth) down	Note something on a piece of paper.	He wrote down the address of the hotel.