PHRASAL VERBS
PHRASAL VERBS
A phrasal verb is an idiom which consists of:
§ a
verb followed by a preposition
§ a
verb followed by an adverb, or
§ a
verb followed by an adverb, followed by a preposition.
The phrasal verbs in the following examples are printed
in bold type.
e.g. I ran into an old friend.
We put off washing the dishes.
They all look up to him.
In these examples, the phrasal verb to run into consists of the verb to run followed by the preposition into, the phrasal verb to put off consists of the verb to put followed by the adverb off, and the phrasal verb to look up to consists of the verb to look followed by the adverb up, followed by the preposition to.
e.g. I ran into an old friend.
We put off washing the dishes.
They all look up to him.
In these examples, the phrasal verb to run into consists of the verb to run followed by the preposition into, the phrasal verb to put off consists of the verb to put followed by the adverb off, and the phrasal verb to look up to consists of the verb to look followed by the adverb up, followed by the preposition to.
or
Phrasal verbs consist of a verb plus a particle (preposition, adverb).
The particle can change the meaning of the verb completely, e.g.:
§ look
up – consult a reference book (look a word up in a dictionary)
§ look
for – seek (look for her ring)
§ look
forward – anticipate with pleasure (look forward to meeting someone)
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.
Or
A phrasal verb is a verb made up of a verb and another
word (either a preposition or
a particle). Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:
§ to
catch up
§ to
blow up
§ to
break in
§ to
break down
§ to
cut back
A phrasal verb has a different meaning to the verb used
in the phrasal verb. (For example, to catch up does not mean the same as
to catch.)
A phrasal verb is also known as multi-word verb or a compound verb.
A phrasal verb is also known as multi-word verb or a compound verb.
LIST OF COMMONLY USED PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal Verb
|
Meaning
|
Example
|
abide by
|
To
respect or obey a decision, a law or a rule
|
If
you want to keep your job here, you must abide by our rules.
|
account for
|
To
explain, give a reason
|
I
hope you can account for the time you were out!
|
add up
|
To
make sense, seem reasonable
|
The
facts in the case just don’t add up.
|
advise against
|
To
recommend not doing something
|
I
advise against walking alone in this neighborhood.
|
agree with
|
To
have the same opinion as someone else.
|
I
agree with you. I think you should go as well.
|
allow for
|
To
take into consideration
|
We
need to allow for unexpected charges along the way.
|
appeal to
|
|
|
apply for
|
To
make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan etc.)
|
He
applied for a scholarship for next semester.
|
back away
|
To
move backwards, in fear or dislike
|
When
he saw the bear, he backed away in fright.
|
back down
|
To
withdraw, concede defeat
|
Local
authorities backed down on their threats to build on that part of the
beach.
|
back up
|
|
|
bank on
|
To
base your hopes on something / someone
|
I’m
banking on you to help with the charity event.
|
black out
|
To
faint, lose consciousness
|
Jenna
fell in the parking lot and blacked out.
|
block off
|
To
separate using a barrier.
|
The
police blocked off the street after the explosion.
|
blow up
|
|
|
boil down to
|
To
be summarized as
|
It
all boils down to who has more power.
|
boot up
|
To
start a computer by loading an operating system or program
|
You
need to boot up your computer before you begin to work.
|
break away
|
To
separate from a crowd
|
One
of the wolves broke away from his pack.
|
break down
|
|
|
break into
|
To
enter by force
|
Burglars
broke into my car last night.
|
break out
|
To
start suddenly
|
Rioting
broke out after the government raised the fuel prices again.
|
break out of
|
To
escape from a place by force
|
Several
prisoners broke out of jail.
|
break up
|
To
come to an end (marriage, relationship)
|
She
broke up with Daniel after dating him for five years.
|
bring up
|
To
raise (a child)
|
Sara
is bringing up her children by herself.
|
brush up on
|
To
improve, refresh one’s knowledge of something
|
I
must brush up on my French before going to Paris next month.
|
bump into
|
To
meet by chance or unexpectedly
|
I
bumped into Adam at the bank. He says “hello”.
|
burn out
|
|
|
call back
|
To
return a phone call
|
Could
please call back in ten minutes?
|
call off
|
To
cancel
|
The
game was called off because of bad weather.
|
calm down
|
To
become more relaxed, less angry or upset
|
It
took Kylie several hours to calm down after she saw the accident.
|
carry on
|
To
continue
|
The
soldiers carried on walking in order to get to their post before dark.
|
carry out
|
|
|
check in
|
To
register at a hotel or airport
|
They
said I must check in at least three hours before my flight.
|
check out
|
|
|
clam up
|
To
refuse to speak
|
When
the police started asking questions, the suspect clammed up.
|
clamp down on
|
To
act strictly to prevent something
|
The
local authorities have decided to clamp down on illegal parking in
handicapped parking places.
|
come across
|
|
|
come forward
|
To
present oneself
|
Has
the owner of the winning lotto ticket come forward?
|
count on
|
To
rely or depend on (for help)
|
You
can count on me to keep your secret.
|
cut down on
|
To
reduce in number or size
|
I’ve
decided to cut down on the amount of sweets I eat.
|
cut out
|
|
|
deal with
|
To
handle, take care of (problem, situation)
|
Catherine
is not good at dealing with stress.
|
die down
|
To
calm down, become less strong
|
After
the storm died down, we went outside to see the damage it had caused.
|
do without
|
To
manage without
|
She
didn’t get a salary this month, so she’ll have to do without extra treats.
|
drag on
|
To
last longer than expected
|
The
suspect’s trial dragged on longer than we had expected!
|
draw up
|
To
write (contract, agreement, document)
|
They
drew up a contract and had me sign it.
|
dress up
|
wear
elegant clothes
|
Their
wedding gave us a chance to dress up and get out of the house.
|
drop in
|
To
visit, usually on the way somewhere
|
Why
don’t you drop in to see us on your way home?
|
drop off
|
|
|
drop out
|
To
leave school without finishing
|
Zack
dropped out of college and joined the army.
|
ease off
|
To
reduce, become less severe or slow down (pain, traffic, work)
|
Traffic
usually eases off about 7pm
|
end in
|
To
finish in a certain way; result in
|
Her
marriage ended in divorce.
|
end up
|
To
finally reach a state, place or action
|
If
you don’t improve your work habits, you’ll end up being fired.
|
fall through
|
To
fail; doesn’t happen
|
His
plans to trek through South America fell through when he got sick.
|
figure out
|
To
understand, find the answer
|
He’s
trying to figure out how to earn enough money to go on the trip to Spain.
|
fill out
|
To
complete (a form/an application)
|
Please
fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
|
find out
|
To
discover or obtain information
|
I’m
going to to find out who’s responsible for the power cut.
|
focus on
|
To
concentrate on something
|
Tom
had difficultty focusing on work the day before his holiday started.
|
get along (with)
|
To
be on good terms; work well with
|
It’s
important to get along with your team supervisor.
|
get at
|
To
imply
|
What
are you getting at? Do you think I’m to blame?
|
get away
|
To
escape
|
I
think we should get away for the weekend.
|
get by
|
To
manage to cope or to survive
|
Students
without jobs have a hard time getting by.
|
get in
|
To
enter
|
When
did you get in last night?
|
get into (+noun)
|
To
enter
|
How
did you get into your car without the keys?
|
get off
|
|
|
get on
|
To
board (bus, train, plane)
|
I’m
trying to get on the flight to Brussels.
|
get on with
(something)
|
To
continue to do; make progress
|
After
they split up, she had a hard time getting on with her life.
|
get on (well) with
(somebody)
|
To
have a good relationship with
|
He
doesnt get on very well with the other members of the committee.
|
get out
|
To
leave
|
He
had a hard time getting out of Newark because of the snow?
|
get out of
|
To
avoid doing something
|
Edna’s
trying to get out of working the night shift.
|
get over
|
To
recover from (illness, disappointment)
|
Mary
had the chickenpox last week but she got over it.
|
get rid of
|
To
eliminate
|
Please
get rid of that old t-shirt. It’s so ragged.
|
get together
|
To
meet each other
|
Let’s
get together for your birthday on Saturday.
|
get up
|
To
rise, leave bed
|
Will
you please get up? You’ve got a class in 20 minutes.
|
give in
|
|
|
give up
|
To
stop doing something
|
Morris
gave up drinking 10 years ago.
|
go through
|
To
experience
|
Andy
went through a lot of pain after his mother died.
|
grow up
|
To
spend one’s childhood; develop; become an adult
|
He’s
like Peter Pan. He never really grew up at all.
|
hand in
|
To
submit (report, homework)
|
Please
hand in your papers before Friday.
|
hand out
|
To
distribute
|
Susan
volunteered at the shelter where she handed out warm clothes.
|
hang out
|
To
spend time in a particular place or with a group of friends
|
Which
pub does the team hang out at after the game?
|
hang up
|
To
end a phone conversation
|
If
you hang up now, I’ll never speak to you again.
|
hold on
|
|
|
hurry up
|
To
be quick, act speedily
|
Hurry
up and finish your lunch or we’ll miss the train.
|
iron out
|
To
resolve by discussion, eliminate differences
|
The
two countries met at the conference to iron out their differences.
|
join in
|
To
participate
|
Yes
David, you can join in the discussion any time you like.
|
join up
|
|
|
keep on
|
To
continue doing something
|
If
you keep on making that noise I will get annoyed.
|
keep up with
|
To
stay at the same level as someone or something
|
I
read the paper every day to keep up with the news.
|
kick off
|
To
begin, start
|
The
rugby match kicked off at 3 o’clock.
|
leave out
|
To
omit, not mention
|
Please
check your form again and make sure nothing is left out.
|
let down
|
To
disappoint
|
I
feel so let down because they promised me a puppy but all I got was a doll.
|
look after
|
To
take care of
|
Andy
can you look after your sister until I get back?
|
look down on
|
To
consider as inferior
|
She’s
such a snob. She always looks down on anyone who is poor.
|
look on
|
To
be a spectator at an event
|
If
you don’t want to take part in the game you can look on for now.
|
look for
|
To
try to find something
|
Harry
went to the shop to look for a new computer.
|
look forward to
|
To
await or anticipate with pleasure
|
I’m
looking forward to my birthday. It’s in two days time.
|
look up to
|
To
admire
|
I
always looked up to my father. He was a great man.
|
make fun of
|
To
laugh at/ make jokes about
|
It’s
not nice to make fun of people in wheelchairs.
|
make up
|
To
invent (excuse, story)
|
That’s
a good excuse. Did you make up it up yourself?
|
mix up
|
To
mistake one thing or person for another
|
She
had so many cats that she kept mixing up their names.
|
move in
|
To
arrive in a new home or office
|
Did
you hear? Our new neighbors are moving in this afternoon.
|
move out
|
To
leave your home/office for another one.
|
When
are you moving out? We need your office for the new guy.
|
nod off
|
To
fall asleep
|
You
were so tired after the game that you nodded off on the couch.
|
own up
|
To
admit or confess something
|
Come
on. Own up. We know you did it!
|
pass away
|
To
die
|
Your
grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep last night.
|
pass out
|
To
faint
|
He
didn’t drink enough water so he passed out at the end of the race.
|
pay back
|
To
reimburse
|
I’ll
pay you back as soon as I get the loan.
|
put off
|
To
postpone, arrange a later date
|
Don’t
put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.
|
put on
|
To
turn on, switch on
|
It’s
very dark in here. Please put on the light on.
|
put out
|
To
extinguish
|
The
fire fighters were able to put out fire in ten minutes.
|
put up
|
To
accommodate, give somebody a bed
|
I
can put you up until the weekend but then I’m going away.
|
pick up
|
To
collect somebody
|
I’ll
pick you up at around 7:00 to take you to the airport.
|
point out
|
To
indicate/direct attention to something
|
As
I already pointed out, there was a mistake in your calculation.
|
rely on
|
To
count on, depend on, trust
|
You
can rely on me. I always arrive on time.
|
rule out
|
To
eliminate
|
Since
he had a sound alibi, the police ruled him out as a suspect.
|
run away
|
To
escape from a place or suddenly leave
|
He
ran away from home and joined the circus.
|
run into
|
To
meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into)
|
I’m
so glad I ran into you. I need to ask you something.
|
run out of
|
To
have no more of something.
|
We’ve
run out of milk. I’ll just pop next door to borrow some.
|
set off
|
To
start a journey;
|
Let’s
set off early to miss the rush hour traffic.
|
set up
|
To
start a business
|
They
set up their own company when they were still in high school.
|
shop around
|
To
compare prices
|
Don’t
buy that. Let’s shop around and see if we can find something cheaper.
|
show off
|
To
brag or want to be admired
|
He’s
such a show off. He has to tell everybody about his new computer.
|
show up
|
To
appear/arrive
|
I
don’t think she’ll show up tonight. Her daughter is sick.
|
shut up (impolite)
|
To
be silent, stop talking
|
Shut
up, you’re spoiling the movie!
|
sit down
|
To
take a seat
|
I
think you should sit down. It’s bad news.
|
stand up
|
To
rise from a sitting position
|
The
whole stadium stood up for the national anthem.
|
stick up for
|
To
defend
|
My
big brother always stuck up for me when I got into a fight.
|
take after
|
To
resemble, in appearance or character
|
Angie
really takes after her grandmother.
|
take care of
|
To
look after
|
Please
take care of my cat when I’m away.
|
take off
|
To
leave the ground
|
The
plane will take off as soon as the fog lifts.
|
take on
|
To
hire or engage staff
|
I
hear they’re taking on extra staff for this event.
|
take out
|
To
remove; extract
|
Please
take out your mobile phones and turn them off.
|
tell off
|
To
reprimand/criticize severely
|
The
coach told her off for not trying hard enough.
|
think over
|
To
consider
|
Take
your time and think it over before you decide.
|
try on
|
To
wear something to see if it suits or fits
|
Go
ahead, try it on and see if it fits?
|
turn down
|
To
refuse
|
I
asked her out but she turned me down flat.
|
use up
|
To
finish a product (so that there’s none left)
|
Your
parents used up all the coffee!
|
watch out
|
To
be careful
|
Watch
out! There’s a dog in the road.
|
wear out
|
|
|
work out
|
|
|
wipe off
|
To
clean (board, table).
|
I’ll
wash up if you wipe off the table.
|
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