200 common phrasal verbs.docx

8/11/2019 200 common phrasal verbs.docx

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Verb Meaning Example

asksomeoneout invite on a dateBrian askedJudy outtodinner and a movie.

ask around ask many people the samequestion

I asked aroundbut nobodyhas seen my wallet.

add up tosomething equalYour purchases add up to$205.32.

backsomethingup reverseYou'll have to back upyourcar so that I can get out.

backsomeoneup supportMy wife backedme upovermy decision to quit my job.

blow up explodeThe racing car blew upafterit crashed into the fence.

blowsomethingup add airWe have to blow50 balloonsupfor the party.

break downstop functioning (vehicle,machine)

Our car broke downat theside of the highway in thesnowstorm.

break down get upset The woman broke downwhen the police told her thather son had died.

breaksomethingdown divide into smaller partsOur teacher brokethe final

project downinto threeseparate parts.

break in force entry to a buildingSomebody broke inlastnight and stole our stereo.

break intosomething enter forciblyThe firemen had to breakintothe room to rescue thechildren.

breaksomethinginwear something a few timesso that it doesn't look/feelnew

I need to breakthese shoesinbefore we run next week.

break in interruptThe TV station broke intoreport the news of the

president's death.

break up end a relationship My boyfriend and I broke


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upbefore I moved toAmerica.

break up start laughing (informal)The kids just broke upassoon as the clown started

talking.

break out escapeThe prisoners broke outof

jail when the guards weren'tlooking.

break out insomething develop a skin conditionI broke out ina rash afterour camping trip.

bringsomeonedown make unhappyThis sad music is bringingme down.

bringsomeoneup raise a childMy grandparents broughtme upafter my parents died.

bringsomethingup start talking about a subjectMy mother walks out of theroom when my father bringsupsports.

bringsomethingup vomitHe drank so much that hebroughthis dinner upin thetoilet.

call aroundphone many differentplaces/people

We called aroundbut weweren't able to find the car

part we needed.

callsomeoneback return a phone callI calledthe company back

but the offices were closedfor the weekend.

callsomethingoff cancelJason calledthe wedding off

because he wasn't in love

with his fianc.

call onsomeone ask for an answer or opinionThe professor called onmefor question 1.

call onsomeone visit someoneWe called onyou last night

but you weren't home.

callsomeoneup phoneGive me your phone numberand I will callyou upwhenwe are in town.

calm down relax after being angry You are still mad. You need


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to calm downbefore youdrive the car.

not care forsomeone/something

not like (formal)I don't care forhis

behaviour.

catch upget to the same point assomeone else

You'll have to run faster thanthat if you want to catch upwith Marty.

check inarrive and register at a hotelor airport

We will get the hotel keyswhen we check in.

check out leave a hotelYou have to check outof thehotel before 11:00 AM.

checksomeone/somethingout

look at carefully, investigate The company checks outallnew employees.

check outsomeone/something

look at (informal)Check outthe crazy hair onthat guy!

cheer up become happierShe cheered upwhen sheheard the good news.

cheersomeoneup make happierI brought you some flowersto cheeryou up.

chip in helpIf everyone chips inwe canget the kitchen painted bynoon.

cleansomethingup tidy, cleanPlease clean upyour

bedroom before you gooutside.

come acrosssomething find unexpectedlyI came acrossthese old

photos when I was tidying

the closet.

come apart separateThe top and bottom comeapartif you pull hardenough.

come down withsomething

become sickMy nephew came downwithchicken pox thisweekend.

come forwardvolunteer for a task or to

give evidence

The woman came forwardwith her husband's finger

prints.


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come fromsomewhere originate inThe art of origami comesfromAsia.

count onsomeone/something

rely onI am counting onyou tomake dinner while I am out.

crosssomethingout draw a line throughPlease cross outyour oldaddress and write your newone.

cut back onsomething consume lessMy doctor wants me to cutback onsweets and fattyfoods.

cutsomethingdownmake something fall to the

ground

We had to cutthe old tree inour yard downafter the

storm.

cut in interruptYour father cut inwhile Iwas dancing with your uncle.

cut inpull in too closely in front ofanother vehicle

The bus driver got angrywhen that car cut in.

cut instart operating (of an engineor electrical device)

The air conditioner cuts inwhen the temperature gets to22C.

cutsomethingoffremove with somethingsharp

The doctors cut offhis legbecause it was severelyinjured.

cutsomethingoff stop providingThe phone company cut offour phone because we didn't

pay the bill.

cutsomeoneoff take out of a willMy grandparents cutmyfather offwhen he remarried.

cutsomethingoutremove part of something(usually with scissors and

paper)

I cutthis ad outof thenewspaper.

dosomeone/something

overbeat up, ransack (Br.E.,informal)

He's lucky to be alive. Hisshop was done overby astreet gang.

dosomethingover do again (N.Amer.)My teacher wants me to domy essay overbecause she

doesn't like my topic.


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do away withsomething

discardIt's time to do away withallof these old tax records.

dosomethingup fasten, closeDoyour coat upbefore yougo outside. It's snowing!

dress up wear nice clothingIt's a fancy restaurant so wehave to dress up.

drop backmove back in a

position/group

Andrea dropped backtothird place when she fell offher bike.

drop in/by/overcome without anappointment

I might drop in/by/overfortea sometime this week.

dropsomeone/somethingoff

take someone/somethingsomewhere and leave them/itthere

I have to dropmy sister offat work before I come over.

drop out quit a class, school etcI dropped outof Science

because it was too difficult.

eat out eat at a restaurantI don't feel like cookingtonight. Let's eat out.

end up eventually reach/do/decide

We ended uprenting a

movie instead of going to thetheatre.

fall apart break into piecesMy new dress fell apartinthe washing machine.

fall down fall to the groundThe picture that you hung uplast night fell downthismorning.

fall out separate from an interiorThe money must have fallen

outof my pocket.

fall out(of hair, teeth) become looseand unattached

His hair started to fall outwhen he was only 35.

figuresomethingout understand, find the answerI need to figure outhow tofit the piano and the

bookshelf in this room.

fillsomethinginto write information in

blanks (Br.E.)

Please fill inthe form withyour name, address, and

phone number.


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fillsomethingoutto write information in

blanks (N.Amer.)The form must be filled outin capital letters.

fillsomethingup fill to the topI always fillthe water jug upwhen it is empty.

find out discoverWe don't know where helives. How can we find out?

findsomethingout discoverWe tried to keep the time ofthe party a secret, butSamantha foundit out.

getsomething

across/overcommunicate, makeunderstandable

I tried to getmy pointacross/overto the judge butshe wouldn't listen.

get along/on like each otherI was surprised how well mynew girlfriend and my sistergot along/on.

get around have mobilityMy grandfather can getaroundfine in his newwheelchair.

get away go on a vacationWe worked so hard this yearthat we had to get awayfor a

week.

get away withsomething

do without being noticed orpunished

Jason always gets away withcheating in his maths tests.

get back returnWe got backfrom ourvacation last week.

getsomethingbackreceive something you had

before

Liz finally gother Sciencenotes backfrom my room-mate.

get back atsomeone retaliate, take revengeMy sister got back atme forstealing her shoes. She stolemy favourite hat.

get back intosomethingbecome interested insomething again

I finally got back intomynovel and finished it.

get onsomething step onto a vehicleWe're going to freeze outhere if you don't let us get onthe bus.

get oversomething recover from an illness, loss, I just got overthe flu and


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difficulty now my sister has it.

get oversomething overcome a problemThe company will have toclose if it can't get overthenew regulations.

get round tosomethingfinally find time to do(N.Amer.: get around tosomething)

I don't know when I amgoing to get round towriting the thank you cards.

get togethermeet (usually for socialreasons)

Let's get togetherfor a BBQthis weekend.

get up get out of bedI got upearly today to studyfor my exam.

get up stand You should get upand givethe elderly man your seat.

givesomeoneawayreveal hidden informationabout someone

His wife gavehim awaytothe police.

givesomeoneaway take the bride to the altarMy father gaveme awayatmy wedding.

givesomethingaway ruin a secretMy little sister gavethesurprise party awayby

accident.

givesomethingawaygive something to someonefor free

The library was giving awayold books on Friday.

givesomethingback return a borrowed itemI have to givethese skatesbackto Franz before hishockey game.

give inreluctantly stop fighting orarguing

My boyfriend didn't want togo to the ballet, but he

finally gave in.

givesomethingoutgive to many people (usuallyat no cost)

They were giving outfreeperfume samples at thedepartment store.

givesomethingup quit a habitI am giving upsmoking asof January 1st.

give up stop tryingMy maths homework wastoo difficult so I gave up.

go aftersomeone follow someone My brother tried to go after


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the thief in his car.

go aftersomething try to achieve somethingI went aftermy dream andnow I am a published writer.

go againstsomeone compete, opposeWe are going againstthe

best soccer team in the citytonight.

go ahead start, proceedPlease go aheadand eat

before the food gets cold.

go back return to a placeI have to go backhome andget my lunch.

go outleave home to go on a social

event

We're going outfor dinner

tonight.

go out withsomeone dateJesse has been going outwithLuke since they metlast winter.

go oversomething reviewPlease go overyour answers

before you submit your test.

go over visit someone nearbyI haven't seen Tina for a longtime. I think I'll go overfor

an hour or two.

go withoutsomething suffer lack or deprivationWhen I was young, we wentwithoutwinter boots.

grow apart stop being friends over timeMy best friend and I grewapartafter she changedschools.

grow back regrowMy roses grew backthissummer.

grow up become an adultWhen Jack grows uphewants to be a fireman.

grow out ofsomething get too big forElizabeth needs a new pairof shoes because she hasgrown out ofher old ones.

grow intosomething grow big enough to fitThis bike is too big for himnow, but he should growintoit by next year.

handsomethingdown give something used to I handedmy old comic


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someone else books downto my littlecousin.

handsomethingin submitI have to hand inmy essay

by Friday.

handsomethingoutto distribute to a group of

peopleWe will hand outtheinvitations at the door.

handsomethingover give (usually unwillingly)The police asked the man tohand overhis wallet and hisweapons.

hang instay positive (N.Amer.,informal)

Hang inthere. I'm sureyou'll find a job very soon.

hang on wait a short time (informal) Hang onwhile I grab mycoat and shoes!

hang outspend time relaxing(informal)

Instead of going to the partywe are just going to hangoutat my place.

hang up end a phone callHe didn't say goodbye beforehe hung up.

hold

someone/somethingback

prevent from doing/going

I had to holdmy dog back

because there was a cat inthe park.

holdsomethingback hide an emotionJamie held backhis tears athis grandfather's funeral.

hold on wait a short timePlease hold onwhile Itransfer you to the SalesDepartment.

hold onto

someone/something

hold firmly using your hands

or arms

Hold ontoyour hat because

it's very windy outside.

holdsomeone/somethingup

robA man in a black mask heldthe bank upthis morning.

keep on doingsomething

continue doingKeep onstirring until theliquid comes to a boil.

keepsomethingfromsomeone

not tellWe keptour relationshipfromour parents for twoyears.

keep stop from entering Try to keepthe wet dog out


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someone/somethingout of the living room.

keepsomethingup continue at the same rateIf you keepthose results upyou will get into a greatcollege.

letsomeonedownfail to support or help,disappoint

I need you to be on time.Don't letme downthis time.

letsomeonein allow to enterCan you letthe cat inbeforeyou go to school?

log in(or on)sign in (to a website,database etc)

I can't log into Facebookbecause I've forgotten mypassword.

log out(or off)sign out (of a website,database etc)

If you don't log offsomebody could get intoyour account.

look aftersomeone/something

take care ofI have to look aftermy sickgrandmother.

look down onsomeonethink less of, considerinferior

Ever since we stole thatchocolate bar your dad haslooked down onme.

look forsomeone/something

try to find I'm looking fora red dressfor the wedding.

look forward tosomething

be excited about the futureI'm looking forward totheChristmas break.

look intosomething investigateWe are going to look intothe price of snowboardstoday.

look outbe careful, vigilant, and take

notice

Look out! That car's going to

hit you!

look out forsomeone/something

be especially vigilant forDon't forget to look out forsnakes on the hiking trail.

looksomethingover check, examineCan you look overmy essayfor spelling mistakes?

looksomethingupsearch and find informationin a reference book ordatabase

We can lookher phonenumber upon the Internet.

look up tosomeone have a lot of respect for My little sister has always


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looked upto me.

makesomethingup invent, lie about somethingJosie made upa story aboutwhy we were late.

make up forgive each other We were angry last night,but we made upat breakfast.

makesomeoneup apply cosmetics toMy sisters mademe upformy graduation party.

mixsomethingup confuse two or more thingsI mixed upthe twins' namesagain!

pass away dieHis uncle passed awaylastnight after a long illness.

pass out faintIt was so hot in the churchthat an elderly lady passedout.

passsomethingoutgive the same thing to many

peopleThe professor passedthetextbooks outbefore class.

passsomethingupdecline (usually somethinggood)

I passed upthe job because Iam afraid of change.

paysomeoneback return owed money Thanks for buying my ticket.I'll payyou backon Friday.

pay forsomethingbe punished for doingsomething bad

That bully will pay forbeingmean to my little brother.

picksomethingout chooseI picked outthree sweatersfor you to try on.

pointsomeone/somethingout

indicate with your fingerI'll pointmy boyfriend outwhen he runs by.

putsomethingdownput what you are holding ona surface or floor

You can putthe groceriesdownon the kitchen counter.

putsomeonedowninsult, make someone feelstupid

The students putthesubstitute teacher down

because his pants were tooshort.

putsomethingoff postponeWe are putting offour tripuntil January because of thehurricane.


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putsomethingout extinguishThe neighbours putthe fireoutbefore the firemenarrived.

putsomethingtogether assemble

I have to putthe crib

togetherbefore the babyarrives.

put up withsomeone/something

tolerateI don't think I can put upwiththree small children inthe car.

putsomethingonput clothing/accessories onyour body

Don't forget to put onyournew earrings for the party.

run into

someone/something meet unexpectedly

I ran intoan old school-

friend at the mall.

run oversomeone/something

drive a vehicle over a personor thing

I accidentally ran overyourbicycle in the driveway.

run over/throughsomething

rehearse, reviewLet's run over/throughthese lines one more time

before the show.

run away leave unexpectedly, escapeThe child ran awayfromhome and has been missing

for three days.

run out have none leftWe ran outof shampoo so Ihad to wash my hair withsoap.

sendsomethingback return (usually by mail)My letter got sent backtome because I used the wrongstamp.

setsomethingup arrange, organize

Our boss seta meeting up

with the president of thecompany.

setsomeoneup trick, trapThe police set upthe carthief by using a hiddencamera.

shop around compare pricesI want to shop aroundalittle before I decide on these

boots.

show off act extra special for peoplewatching (usually boastfully) He always shows offon hisskateboard


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sleep overstay somewhere for the night(informal)

You should sleep overtonight if the weather is too

bad to drive home.

sortsomethingout organize, resolve a problem

We need to sortthe bills out

before the first of the month.

stick tosomethingcontinue doing something,limit yourself to one

particular thing

You will lose weight if youstick tothe diet.

switchsomethingoff stop the energy flow, turn offThe light's too bright. Couldyou switchit off.

switchsomethingon start the energy flow, turn onWe heard the news as soonas we switched onthe car

radio.

take aftersomeone resemble a family memberI take aftermy mother. Weare both impatient.

takesomethingapart purposely break into piecesHe tookthe car brakes apartand found the problem.

takesomethingback return an itemI have to takeour new TVbackbecause it doesn'twork.

take off start to flyMy plane takes offin fiveminutes.

takesomethingoffremove something (usuallyclothing)

Take offyour socks andshoes and come in the lake!

takesomethingout remove from a place or thingCan you takethe garbageoutto the street for me?

takesomeoneoutpay for someone to go

somewhere with you

My grandparents tookus out

for dinner and a movie.

tearsomethingup rip into piecesI tore upmy ex-boyfriend'sletters and gave them back tohim.

think backremember (often + to,sometimes + on)

When I think backon myyouth, I wish I had studiedharder.

thinksomethingover considerI'll have to thinkthis joboffer overbefore I make myfinal decision.


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throwsomethingaway dispose ofWe threwour old furnitureawaywhen we won thelottery.

turnsomethingdown

decrease the volume or

strength (heat, light etc)

Please turnthe TV down

while the guests are here.

turnsomethingdown refuseI turnedthe job down

because I don't want tomove.

turnsomethingoffstop the energy flow, switchoff

Your mother wants you toturnthe TV offand comefor dinner.

turnsomethingon start the energy, switch on

It's too dark in here. Let's

turnsome lights on.

turnsomethingupincrease the volume orstrength (heat, light etc)

Can you turnthe music up?This is my favourite song.

turn up appear suddenlyOur cat turned upafter we

put posters up all over theneighbourhood.

trysomethingon sample clothingI'm going to trythese jeanson, but I don't think they will

fit.

trysomethingout testI am going to trythis new

brand of detergent out.

usesomethingup finish the supplyThe kids usedall of thetoothpaste upso we need to

buy some more.

wake up stop sleepingWe have to wake upearlyfor work on Monday.

warmsomeone/somethingup

increase the temperatureYou can warmyour feet upin front of the fireplace.

warm up prepare body for exerciseI always warm upby doingsit-ups before I go for a run.

wear off fade awayMost of my make-up woreoffbefore I got to the party.

work out exerciseI work outat the gym threetimes a week.


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work out be successful Our plan worked outfine.

worksomethingout make a calculationWe have to work outthetotal cost before we buy thehouse.

200 common phrasal verbs.docx

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