Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below as a reference guide when you find an expression that you don't recognize. The examples will help you understand the meanings. If you think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning.
Verb | Meaning | Example | |
ask someone out | invite on a date | Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie. | |
ask around | ask many people the same question | I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet. | |
add up to something | equal | Your purchases add up to $205.32. | |
back something up | reverse | You'll have to back up your car so that I can get out. | |
back someone up | support | My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job. | |
blow up | explode | The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence. | |
blow something up | add air | We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party. | |
break down | stop functioning (vehicle, machine) | Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm. | |
break down | get upset | The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died. | |
break somethingdown | divide into smaller parts | Our teacher broke the final projectdown into three separate parts. | |
break in | force entry to a building | Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo. | |
break into something | enter forcibly | The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children. | |
break something in | wear something a few times so that it doesn't look/feel new | I need to break these shoes in before we run next week. | |
break in | interrupt | The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death. | |
break up | end a relationship | My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America. | |
break up | start laughing (informal) | The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking. | |
break out | escape | The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren't looking. | |
break out insomething | develop a skin condition | I broke out in a rash after our camping trip. | |
bring someone down | make unhappy | This sad music is bringing me down. | |
bring someone up | raise a child | My grandparents brought me upafter my parents died. | |
bring something up | start talking about a subject | My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports. | |
bring something up | vomit | He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in the toilet. | |
call around | phone many different places/people | We called around but we weren't able to find the car part we needed. | |
call someone back | return a phone call | I called the company back but the offices were closed for the weekend. | |
call something off | cancel | Jason called the wedding off because he wasn't in love with his fiancé. | |
call on someone | ask for an answer or opinion | The professor called on me for question 1. | |
call on someone | visit someone | We called on you last night but you weren't home. | |
call someone up | phone | Give me your phone number and I willcall you up when we are in town. | |
calm down | relax after being angry | You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the car. | |
not care forsomeone/something | not like (formal) | I don't care for his behaviour. | |
catch up | get to the same point as someone else | You'll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with Marty. | |
check in | arrive and register at a hotel or airport | We will get the hotel keys when wecheck in. | |
check out | leave a hotel | You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00 AM. | |
checksomeone/somethingout | look at carefully, investigate | The company checks out all new employees. | |
check outsomeone/something | look at (informal) | Check out the crazy hair on that guy! | |
cheer up | become happier | She cheered up when she heard the good news. | |
cheer someone up | make happier | I brought you some flowers to cheeryou up. | |
chip in | help | If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted by noon. | |
clean something up | tidy, clean | Please clean up your bedroom before you go outside. | |
come acrosssomething | find unexpectedly | I came across these old photos when I was tidying the closet. | |
come apart | separate | The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough. | |
come down withsomething | become sick | My nephew came down with chicken pox this weekend. | |
come forward | volunteer for a task or to give evidence | The woman came forward with her husband's finger prints. | |
come fromsomewhere | originate in | The art of origami comes from Asia. | |
count onsomeone/something | rely on | I am counting on you to make dinner while I am out. | |
cross something out | draw a line through | Please cross out your old address and write your new one. | |
cut back onsomething | consume less | My doctor wants me to cut back onsweets and fatty foods. | |
cut something down | make something fall to the ground | We had to cut the old tree in our yarddown after the storm. | |
cut in | interrupt | Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle. | |
cut in | pull in too closely in front of another vehicle | The bus driver got angry when that car cut in. | |
cut in | start operating (of an engine or electrical device) | The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature gets to 22°C. | |
cut something off | remove with something sharp | The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured. | |
cut something off | stop providing | The phone company cut off our phone because we didn't pay the bill. | |
cut someone off | take out of a will | My grandparents cut my father offwhen he remarried. | |
cut something out | remove part of something (usually with scissors and paper) | I cut this ad out of the newspaper. | |
dosomeone/somethingover | beat up, ransack (Br.E., informal) | He's lucky to be alive. His shop wasdone over by a street gang. | |
do something over | do again (N.Amer.) | My teacher wants me to do my essayover because she doesn't like my topic. | |
do away withsomething | discard | It's time to do away with all of these old tax records. | |
do something up | fasten, close | Do your coat up before you go outside. It's snowing! | |
dress up | wear nice clothing | It's a fancy restaurant so we have todress up. | |
drop back | move back in a position/group | Andrea dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike. | |
drop in/by/over | come without an appointment | I might drop in/by/over for tea sometime this week. | |
dropsomeone/somethingoff | take someone/something somewhere and leave them/it there | I have to drop my sister off at work before I come over. | |
drop out | quit a class, school etc | I dropped out of Science because it was too difficult. | |
eat out | eat at a restaurant | I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let'seat out. | |
end up | eventually reach/do/decide | We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre. | |
fall apart | break into pieces | My new dress fell apart in the washing machine. | |
fall down | fall to the ground | The picture that you hung up last nightfell down this morning. | |
fall out | separate from an interior | The money must have fallen out of my pocket. | |
fall out | (of hair, teeth) become loose and unattached | His hair started to fall out when he was only 35. | |
figure something out | understand, find the answer | I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in this room. | |
fill something in | to write information in blanks (Br.E.) | Please fill in the form with your name, address, and phone number. | |
fill something out | to write information in blanks (N.Amer.) | The form must be filled out in capital letters. | |
fill something up | fill to the top | I always fill the water jug up when it is empty. | |
find out | discover | We don't know where he lives. How can we find out? | |
find something out | discover | We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but Samantha found it out. | |
get somethingacross/over | communicate, make understandable | I tried to get my point across/over to the judge but she wouldn't listen. | |
get along/on | like each other | I was surprised how well my new girlfriend and my sister got along/on. | |
get around | have mobility | My grandfather can get around fine in his new wheelchair. | |
get away | go on a vacation | We worked so hard this year that we had to get away for a week. | |
get away withsomething | do without being noticed or punished | Jason always gets away withcheating in his maths tests. | |
get back | return | We got back from our vacation last week. | |
get something back | receive something you had before | Liz finally got her Science notes backfrom my room-mate. | |
get back at someone | retaliate, take revenge | My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She stole my favourite hat. | |
get back intosomething | become interested in something again | I finally got back into my novel and finished it. | |
get on something | step onto a vehicle | We're going to freeze out here if you don't let us get on the bus. | |
get over something | recover from an illness, loss, difficulty | I just got over the flu and now my sister has it. | |
get over something | overcome a problem | The company will have to close if it can't get over the new regulations. | |
get round tosomething | finally find time to do (N.Amer.: get around tosomething) | I don't know when I am going to get round to writing the thank you cards. | |
get together | meet (usually for social reasons) | Let's get together for a BBQ this weekend. | |
get up | get out of bed | I got up early today to study for my exam. | |
get up | stand | You should get up and give the elderly man your seat. | |
give someone away | reveal hidden information about someone | His wife gave him away to the police. | |
give someone away | take the bride to the altar | My father gave me away at my wedding. | |
give something away | ruin a secret | My little sister gave the surprise partyaway by accident. | |
give something away | give something to someone for free | The library was giving away old books on Friday. | |
give something back | return a borrowed item | I have to give these skates back to Franz before his hockey game. | |
give in | reluctantly stop fighting or arguing | My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet, but he finally gave in. | |
give something out | give to many people (usually at no cost) | They were giving out free perfume samples at the department store. | |
give something up | quit a habit | I am giving up smoking as of January 1st. | |
give up | stop trying | My maths homework was too difficult so I gave up. | |
go after someone | follow someone | My brother tried to go after the thief in his car. | |
go after something | try to achieve something | I went after my dream and now I am a published writer. | |
go against someone | compete, oppose | We are going against the best soccer team in the city tonight. | |
go ahead | start, proceed | Please go ahead and eat before the food gets cold. | |
go back | return to a place | I have to go back home and get my lunch. | |
go out | leave home to go on a social event | We're going out for dinner tonight. | |
go out with someone | date | Jesse has been going out with Luke since they met last winter. | |
go over something | review | Please go over your answers before you submit your test. | |
go over | visit someone nearby | I haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think I'll go over for an hour or two. | |
go without something | suffer lack or deprivation | When I was young, we went withoutwinter boots. | |
grow apart | stop being friends over time | My best friend and I grew apart after she changed schools. | |
grow back | regrow | My roses grew back this summer. | |
grow up | become an adult | When Jack grows up he wants to be a fireman. | |
grow out ofsomething | get too big for | Elizabeth needs a new pair of shoes because she has grown out of her old ones. | |
grow into something | grow big enough to fit | This bike is too big for him now, but he should grow into it by next year. | |
hand somethingdown | give something used to someone else | I handed my old comic books downto my little cousin. | |
hand something in | submit | I have to hand in my essay by Friday. | |
hand something out | to distribute to a group of people | We will hand out the invitations at the door. | |
hand something over | give (usually unwillingly) | The police asked the man to hand over his wallet and his weapons. | |
hang in | stay positive (N.Amer., informal) | Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a job very soon. | |
hang on | wait a short time (informal) | Hang on while I grab my coat and shoes! | |
hang out | spend time relaxing (informal) | Instead of going to the party we are just going to hang out at my place. | |
hang up | end a phone call | He didn't say goodbye before hehung up. | |
holdsomeone/somethingback | prevent from doing/going | I had to hold my dog back because there was a cat in the park. | |
hold something back | hide an emotion | Jamie held back his tears at his grandfather's funeral. | |
hold on | wait a short time | Please hold on while I transfer you to the Sales Department. | |
hold ontosomeone/something | hold firmly using your hands or arms | Hold onto your hat because it's very windy outside. | |
holdsomeone/somethingup | rob | A man in a black mask held the bankup this morning. | |
keep on doingsomething | continue doing | Keep on stirring until the liquid comes to a boil. | |
keep something fromsomeone | not tell | We kept our relationship from our parents for two years. | |
keepsomeone/somethingout | stop from entering | Try to keep the wet dog out of the living room. | |
keep something up | continue at the same rate | If you keep those results up you will get into a great college. | |
let someone down | fail to support or help, disappoint | I need you to be on time. Don't let medown this time. | |
let someone in | allow to enter | Can you let the cat in before you go to school? | |
look aftersomeone/something | take care of | I have to look after my sick grandmother. | |
look down onsomeone | think less of, consider inferior | Ever since we stole that chocolate bar your dad has looked down on me. | |
look forsomeone/something | try to find | I'm looking for a red dress for the wedding. | |
look forward tosomething | be excited about the future | I'm looking forward to the Christmas break. | |
look into something | investigate | We are going to look into the price of snowboards today. | |
look out | be careful, vigilant, and take notice | Look out! That car's going to hit you! | |
look out forsomeone/something | be especially vigilant for | Don't forget to look out for snakes on the hiking trail. | |
look something over | check, examine | Can you look over my essay for spelling mistakes? | |
look something up | search and find information in a reference book or database | We can look her phone number upon the Internet. | |
look up to someone | have a lot of respect for | My little sister has always looked upto me. | |
make something up | invent, lie about something | Josie made up a story about why we were late. | |
make up | forgive each other | We were angry last night, but wemade up at breakfast. | |
make someone up | apply cosmetics to | My sisters made me up for my graduation party. | |
mix something up | confuse two or more things | I mixed up the twins' names again! | |
pass away | die | His uncle passed away last night after a long illness. | |
pass out | faint | It was so hot in the church that an elderly lady passed out. | |
pass something out | give the same thing to many people | The professor passed the textbooksout before class. | |
pass something up | decline (usually something good) | I passed up the job because I am afraid of change. | |
pay someone back | return owed money | Thanks for buying my ticket. I'll payyou back on Friday. | |
pay for something | be punished for doing something bad | That bully will pay for being mean to my little brother. | |
pick something out | choose | I picked out three sweaters for you to try on. | |
pointsomeone/somethingout | indicate with your finger | I'll point my boyfriend out when he runs by. | |
put something down | put what you are holding on a surface or floor | You can put the groceries down on the kitchen counter. | |
put someone down | insult, make someone feel stupid | The students put the substitute teacher down because his pants were too short. | |
put something off | postpone | We are putting off our trip until January because of the hurricane. | |
put something out | extinguish | The neighbours put the fire outbefore the firemen arrived. | |
put somethingtogether | assemble | I have to put the crib together before the baby arrives. | |
put up withsomeone/something | tolerate | I don't think I can put up with three small children in the car. | |
put something on | put clothing/accessories on your body | Don't forget to put on your new earrings for the party. | |
run intosomeone/something | meet unexpectedly | I ran into an old school-friend at the mall. | |
run oversomeone/something | drive a vehicle over a person or thing | I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway. | |
run over/throughsomething | rehearse, review | Let's run over/through these lines one more time before the show. | |
run away | leave unexpectedly, escape | The child ran away from home and has been missing for three days. | |
run out | have none left | We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash my hair with soap. | |
send something back | return (usually by mail) | My letter got sent back to me because I used the wrong stamp. | |
set something up | arrange, organize | Our boss set a meeting up with the president of the company. | |
set someone up | trick, trap | The police set up the car thief by using a hidden camera. | |
shop around | compare prices | I want to shop around a little before I decide on these boots. | |
show off | act extra special for people watching (usually boastfully) | He always shows off on his skateboard | |
sleep over | stay somewhere for the night (informal) | You should sleep over tonight if the weather is too bad to drive home. | |
sort something out | organize, resolve a problem | We need to sort the bills out before the first of the month. | |
stick to something | continue doing something, limit yourself to one particular thing | You will lose weight if you stick to the diet. | |
switch something off | stop the energy flow, turn off | The light's too bright. Could youswitch it off. | |
switch something on | start the energy flow, turn on | We heard the news as soon as weswitched on the car radio. | |
take after someone | resemble a family member | I take after my mother. We are both impatient. | |
take something apart | purposely break into pieces | He took the car brakes apart and found the problem. | |
take something back | return an item | I have to take our new TV backbecause it doesn't work. | |
take off | start to fly | My plane takes off in five minutes. | |
take something off | remove something (usually clothing) | Take off your socks and shoes and come in the lake! | |
take something out | remove from a place or thing | Can you take the garbage out to the street for me? | |
take someone out | pay for someone to go somewhere with you | My grandparents took us out for dinner and a movie. | |
tear something up | rip into pieces | I tore up my ex-boyfriend's letters and gave them back to him. | |
think back | remember (often + to, sometimes + on) | When I think back on my youth, I wish I had studied harder. | |
think something over | consider | I'll have to think this job offer overbefore I make my final decision. | |
throw somethingaway | dispose of | We threw our old furniture awaywhen we won the lottery. | |
turn something down | decrease the volume or strength (heat, light etc) | Please turn the TV down while the guests are here. | |
turn something down | refuse | I turned the job down because I don't want to move. | |
turn something off | stop the energy flow, switch off | Your mother wants you to turn the TVoff and come for dinner. | |
turn something on | start the energy, switch on | It's too dark in here. Let's turn some lights on. | |
turn something up | increase the volume or strength (heat, light etc) | Can you turn the music up? This is my favourite song. | |
turn up | appear suddenly | Our cat turned up after we put posters up all over the neighbourhood. | |
try something on | sample clothing | I'm going to try these jeans on, but I don't think they will fit. | |
try something out | test | I am going to try this new brand of detergent out. | |
use something up | finish the supply | The kids used all of the toothpaste upso we need to buy some more. | |
wake up | stop sleeping | We have to wake up early for work on Monday. | |
warmsomeone/somethingup | increase the temperature | You can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace. | |
warm up | prepare body for exercise | I always warm up by doing sit-ups before I go for a run. | |
wear off | fade away | Most of my make-up wore off before I got to the party. | |
work out | exercise | I work out at the gym three times a week. | |
work out | be successful | Our plan worked out fine. | |
work something out | make a calculation | We have to work out the total cost before we buy the house. | |
Brush up on | Review | We're getting together tonight to brush up on our Spanish skills. |
Check up on | Track | My parents are always calling to check up on me. |
Check with | Consult | Check with your professor before you research that topic. |
Chew on | Consider | We need to chew on this problem. |
Come across | Appear | They come across as very rude. |
Come through | Succeed | I just knew the manager could come through and solve the problem. |
Come up with | Conceive | No one can come up with a good advertisement for the toothpaste. |
Procure | Bob has come up with a welding torch and some scrap iron. | |
Fall back on | Retreat | We can always fall back on the ideas we came up with yesterday. |
Fear for | Worry | Sam fears for the welfare of her family since she had a stroke. |
Go over | Review | Let's go over the numbers from the annual report again. |
Hang on | Grab | They yelled for us to hang on as the raft swept down the river. |
Hold on | Wait | The server asked us to hold on while he got his notebook out. |
Launch into | Begin | With little preamble, the guest launched into her speech. |
Look after | Care for | When the neighbors went on vacation I looked after their house. |
Lean toward | Prefer | Helene usually leans toward green, leafy vegetables. |
Mean to | Intend | Protesting his innocence, Ron claims he didn't mean to offend us. |
Play along | Pretend | When he lies, I just play along as if I believe him. |
Play at | Try | What is that salesperson playing at, stealing my customers like this? |
Put up with | Tolerate | Too many people put up with terrible service in banks. |
Roll over | Acquiesce | Whenever anyone puts up a fuss he just rolls over without a fight. |
Run out of | Exhaust | Don't you hate it when you're baking a cake and you run out of flour? |
Skip out | Desert | Knowing how to skip out of troublesome engagements is an art. |
Sneak out | Abscond | When we were kids we used to sneak out of the house at night. |
Sneak up | Creep | It's funny how your birthday can just sneak up on you. |
Steal away | Leave | The lovers stole away from the rest of the party and watched stars. |
Strike up | Begin | The drummer will strike up a tempo and the parade can begin. |
Talk down to | Patronize | The librarian would always talk down to the young girl. |
Tie into | Attack | The abusive boss tied into his inexperienced staff. |
Connect | Let's see if we can tie into the network from this room. | |
Try for | Seek | Alex said she'd try for funding for all the travelers. |
Walk off with | Steal | Two of the concert-goers walked off with a box of CDs. |
Wander off | Meander | I looked around for Jenny, but she had wandered off somewhere. |
Work out | Succeed | This just isn't going to work out. |
Work toward | Pursue | We want to work toward a comprehensive plan by next year. |
Wallow in | Indulge | Sometimes a person just has to wallow in their feelings. |
Separable | ||
Brought up | Raised | Susan brought that issue up again. |
Change over | Switch | The company will change its systems over to the new software. |
Change up | Upgrade | John said he could change his style up to meet the new challenge. |
Check out | Look | We went to the show to check that new car out. |
Chew out | Scold | The coach is going to chew him out for missing that goal. |
Dial in | Calibrate | We're trying to dial the equipment in for the next test. |
Eat up | Relish | Many children really eat cartoons up on Saturday mornings. |
Fight off | Resist | I can't seem to fight this illness off any more. |
Fight out | Decide | John and Mary had to fight it out for the last brownie. |
Keep on | Persevere | Sometimes you just keep laughing on about a joke. |
Laugh off | Ignore | He teaches the kids to laugh adversity off when they can. |
Mark down | Reduce | The clerk will mark prices down later in the day. |
Mark out | Delineate | They can clearly mark the boundaries out with red tape. |
Mark up | Increase | The manager will mark up the prices that the clerk marked down. |
Pack up | Bundle | Police ordered residents to pack their things up and evacuate. |
Pick out | Select | They pick five items out from the menu every meal. |
Pick off | Eliminate | When I was a boy we used to pick tin cans off the fence with rocks. |
Put off | Postpone | It seems like I always put papers off until it's almost too late. |
Put through | Subject to | After everything they put the pledge through, he joined their fraternity. |
Read back | Review | The prosecutor asked the clerk to read the transcript back to the jury. |
Read through | Peruse | James read the book through once and then lent it to his cousin. |
Roll back | Reduce | Some department stores brag about how they roll their prices back. |
Undo | The new president acted quickly to roll the new regulations back. | |
Roll out | Introduce | Excitement was high when Ford rolled the new Thunderbird out. |
Run over | Hit | Veering off the road, the car ran a pedestrian over. |
Run through | Rehearse | Mack asked us to run the song through one more time. |
Save up | Accrue | My parents taught me to save my money up for expensive purchases. |
Seek out | Pursue | At the conference, Jill will seek the professor out for a meeting. |
Shake off | Rally | Steve was able to shake the injury off and return to the game. |
Sleep off | Lose | One can often sleep a bad headache off without pain pills. |
Strike down | Reject | The Court today will strike the new law down as unconstitutional. |
Talk down | Counsel | A good partner can talk you down from some tough places. |
Talk out of | Convince | She was able to talk the young child out of jumping into the pool. |
Talk through | Explain | Sit in the driver's seat while I talk you through the controls. |
Try on | Appraise | Why don't you wait while I try this suit on? |
Try out | Test | You can always try the car out before you buy it. |
Walk through | Demonstrate | I can walk you through the process before you do it on your own. |
Work off | Eliminate | After the holidays many folks have to work the extra pounds off. |
Work out | Solve | The problem is so complicated that he just can't work it out. |
Phrase | Example |
---|---|
A | |
agree to | I wish she would agree to my proposal. |
agree with | I agree with him on that point. |
ask after | Mr. Smith asked after John. |
B | |
back off* | She was told to back off. |
be in | Are your parents in? |
be off* | I'm off now. |
bear with | Please bear with him for a moment while he tries to put this straight. |
bend over | Bend over and pick it up yourself! |
black out | And then she just blacked out. |
blame on | Don't blame it on her. |
blow up | The bomb might have blown up. |
bowl over | Her reaction simply bowled me over. |
break away break free break loose | At last, the hostage could break away from his captors. |
break down | Finally her car broke down. |
break up | Sue and Tim broke up last year. |
bring along | This year has brought along some significant changes. |
bring down | The president was brought down by this scandal. |
bring in | My job brings in 400 dollars per week. |
bring up | (1) She was brought up in Wisconsin. (2) Why do you have to bring that up? |
build up | He needs to do some exercises to build himself up. |
burst in with | She burst in with the bad news. |
butt in* | How can we talk when you keep butting in all the time? |
C | |
call in | He called Kelly in. |
call off | I had to call off the barbecue because of the bad weather. |
calm down | Please calm down. |
carry on | Please carry on with your homework. |
check out | I will check it out. |
check up (on) | There is no need to check up on me. |
close down | The shop was closed down by the police. |
close in (on) + person | She closed in on them quietly. |
close down | The restaurant was closed down by the health department. |
come around* | I knew he would come around in the end. |
come back | Will the good old days ever come back? |
come by | (1) My aunt came by yesterday. (2) I hope he came by this money honestly.* |
come in | Can't you just come in for a few minutes? |
come over | Why don't you come over next weekend? |
cool down | It began to cool down after the thunderstorm. |
count (up) on | Can we count on you? |
cut back (on) | I have to cut back on the water usage. |
cut out* | Cut it out! |
D | |
decide (up) on | I decided on the iced tea. The court has not yet decided on a ruling. |
die off/out | That species died out million years ago. |
do again | I probably wouldn't do it again. |
do in | He tried to do his father in. |
do up | Please do your buttons up. |
do without | I guess I will have to do without lunch today. |
draw near | As the time drew near,... |
drink up* | Drink up, and let's going. |
drive on | We drove on till night. |
drive off | I said good-bye and drove off. |
drop by* | I hope you guys can drop by our house some time. |
drop in (on)* | I can't believe who dropped in on us last night. |
drop off | You can drop me off at the next red light. |
dry out | The clothes finally dried out. |
E | |
ease off | The storm eased off a little. |
eat up | Eat up, and let's go. |
edge away | The students laughed and edged away from him. |
end up | How will this end up? |
even out | The surface of the road was evened out. |
F | |
face up (to) | You have to face up to challenges. |
fall apart | The whole thing falls apart. |
fall back on/ rely on | I had to fall back on my savings. |
fall behind get behind | He's falling behind with his car payments. |
fall through | I hope the house signing doesn't fall through. |
feel for | I really feel for you. |
fight back (at) | It's hard for him to fight back. |
fight down | I fought down the anger. |
figure out* | I just can't figure her out. |
fill in | (1) I'd better fill the cracks in with something. (2) Would you fill in the form, please? |
fill in (for) | I will have to fill in for him till he gets back from his vacation. |
fill out | Would you fill out the form, please? |
fill up | (1) The hole filled up with water and had to be pumped. (2) We will fill up at the next gas station. |
finish off | (1) Finish off your cup of coffee, please. (2) I will finish my homework up in a few minutes. |
fit in(to) | It just doesn't fit in. |
fix up | Is my bike fixed up yet? |
fly in(to) | I'm flying into Stansted. |
focuse (on) | She focused on this issue. |
fool around* | Stop fooling around. |
G | |
gather up | Let's gather up our things and leave. |
get across | How can I get it across to you |
get along with | He couldn't get along with his mother-in-law. |
get at* | What exactly is he getting at? |
get back | When will you get back? |
get back at | He will get back at him someday. |
get back to | I will get back to you in a minute. |
get by (on) | She can't get by on that much money. |
get into | He managed to get himself into the class he wanted. |
get off on* | He gets off on paying soccer. |
get on | How are you getting on? |
get on with | (1) I need to get on with my homework. (2) How do you get on with Sam? |
get out of | You've got to get out of there. |
get over | (1) It took him a long time to get over the heart attack. |
get through | I tried calling you, but I couldn't get through. |
get up | Today I got up at 10 am. |
give away (to) | (1) He gave his car away to his brother. (2) Don't give the answer away. |
give in (to) | Why does she always give in to her brother? |
give up | Are you sure you want to give up your career? |
glance over | My teacher just glanced over my homework today. |
go after | He went after the man who mugged him. |
go around | There's not enough milk to go around. |
go away | Please go away! |
go back | I'll never go back. |
go in | They went in after us. |
go off | (1) The bomb went off. (2) My party went off as planned. |
go off with | I guess she went off with her new boyfriend. |
go out (with) | Will she go out with Mike next Friday evening? |
go through | (1) The truck wouldn't go through the tunnel. (2) He went through his pockets, looking for his wallet. (3) You won't believe what I've gone through. (4) I guess we need to go through the whole song a few more times. |
go under | (1) I was afraid that our ship would go under. (2) The company went under. |
go without | I just cannot go without some candy from time to time. |
H | |
hand down | He will hand this down to his granddaughter. |
hand out | The teacher handed out the test to the surprised students. |
hang around (with) | I usually spend a lot of time hanging around with my friends. |
hang on | (1) Hang on, please. (2) They couldn't hang on much longer. |
hang up | Why did you hang up on me? |
heal up | My injury healed up in around no time. |
hear out | Hear me out, will you? I have more to tell. |
heat up | How soon will lunch be heated up? |
help out | Can you help me out? |
hide out (from) | Ben was hiding out from the police. |
hit back | He hit me, but I didn't hit him back. |
hit on* | Tom was hitting on Mike's fiancée. |
hold back | I held back the anger. |
hold on | Hold on a minute! I have to check this first. |
hold out | I don't know how long they can hold out. |
hurry up | Hurry up, will you? I got some errands to run today. |
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