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.
To plead or make a request. To be attractive or interesting. He appealed to the court to change its decision.
Phrasal Verbs using Look in English - look out, look up, look after, look away and more. Below we have a list of Phrasal verbs that begin with LOOK and then an. I need to look that word up in the dictionary, I have never heard it before. It will take you a while to get used to which phrasal verbs can be separated and which can’t, so hang in there! 56 of the Most Useful Phrasal Verbs in English. Below are some of the most common phrasal verbs in the English language.
A vacation of sunbathing doesn’t appeal to me. 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. To give support or encouragement. To make a copy of (file, program, etc.).
I’m going to be very strict with him. I hope you’ll back me up on this?.
You should back up all your computer files in a secure location. 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. To explode. To get angry. Tommy blew up the red balloon. Don’t blow up at me. It’s not my fault.
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. To go out of order, cease to function.
To lose control of one’s emotions. The washing machine broke down so we had to call in the repair technician. John broke down when he heard the news. 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. stop (something) working.
become exhausted from over-working. The light bulb burnt out. Please change it. She needs to work fewer hours. Otherwise she will 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. To do something as specified (a plan, an order, a threat). To perform or conduct (test, experiment).
His orders were carried out to the letter. That company does not carry out tests on animals. Check in To register at a hotel or airport They said I must check in at least three hours before my flight.
Check out. To pay one’s bill and leave (a hotel). To investigate. Donna checked out of the hotel this morning. I don’t know if this price is correct.
I’ll check it out online. 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. To find by chance.
To appear, seem, make an impression. I was cleaning up and came across some old photos of you. The politician came across as a complete fool during the TV interview. 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. To remove using scissors. To stop doing something. She cut out a coupon from the newspaper. You need to cut out all red meat from your diet. 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. To deliver someone or something.
To fall asleep. I’ll drop off the papers later today. I often drop off in front of the TV. 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.
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. To leave (bus, train, plane). To remove.
You should get off the train in Kings Heath. I can’t get the ink stain off my shirt.
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) Has she gotten over the flu? 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. To cease opposition; yield. To To hand in; submit. We will never give in to the terrorists’ demands. I’ll give in my paper tomorrow. 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.
To wait. To grip tightly. Please hold on and a representative will answer your call. She was so scared on the rollercoaster ride that she held on for dear life. 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. To engage in, become a member of. To meet and unite with. There was a war on, so some kids were only sixteen when they joined up. Let’s separate now and join up later at the restaurant.
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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. 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. To become unusable. To become very tired. Julie wore out her shoes running the marathons. Julie was worn out after all that running.
Work out. To do physical exercise.
To find a solution or calculate something. You should work out twice a week at the gym. Can you work this out? I’m no good at math. Wipe off To clean (board, table). I’ll wash up if you wipe off the table.
See these beautiful paper cranes (birds)? They’re going to help you double or even triple your English vocabulary! Well, in the English language, one word can have many different meanings. So by, you can often end up adding two—or more—!
For example, a crane can be a bird with long legs or a tall machine that helps lift heavy objects. If you use it as a verb, you might be craning your neck (stretching it) to see something. Look, you’ve already learned three new words with just one! (Fun fact: Words like these are called homonyms. The same but have different meanings.) There are other ways that words can take on multiple meanings, though. One of these ways involves phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs open up a whole new world of possibilities. They are phrases that give verbs completely different meanings.
They are also used incredibly often in, which makes them important to know. For example, with phrasal verbs, when your kitten comes across (finds) your paper cranes and makes one fall down (drop), you can either shout “ Cut it out!” to make him stop, or you can give in and let your kitten play with the paper crafts. See how useful they are? You probably already know the verbs “come,” “fall,” “cut” and “give,” but the four bold phrasal verbs above might be new. So come on, let’s learn some phrasal verbs. What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb is a phrase that’s made up of a verb and another word or two, usually a preposition but sometimes an adverb. So before we can talk about phrasal verbs, it’s important to understand what verbs, prepositions and adverbs are. A verb is an action word. It describes something happening (i.e. hearing, seeing), a state of being (i.e. to live, to sleep), or an action being done (i.e. to read, to sing).
A preposition is a word that describes the relationship between two words. For example, the bees are above the table or under the table, but not inside the table (hopefully). Prepositions mainly deal with location or direction (i.e. on, through, around) and time (i.e. “by” or “around” a certain time). An adverb is a word that describes a verb. For example, you can run quickly or slowly and arrive to class early or late. Now that you know what verbs and prepositions are, you’re ready to start putting them together into phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs work by changing the verb’s meaning based on the preposition that follows them.
It’s easier than you think—you probably already know a number of phrasal verbs. For example, read the last sentence before this section: “So come on, let’s learn some phrasal verbs.” The words “come on” in that sentence are a phrasal verb! The word “come,” on its own, means to move towards something.
Together with the preposition “on,” though, the phrase “come on” becomes a phrase of encouragement. There are many other phrasal verbs out there! How to Learn Phrasal Verbs English phrasal verbs are everywhere, so one of the best ways to learn them is to try to listen for them. These phrases are commonly used, and would not be unusual to hear in a conversation. Do you hear a verb used together with another word very often? It might be a phrasal verb. If you’re not sure whether a phrase is a phrasal verb or just a verb that happened to be spoken with a preposition, try looking it up.
Most dictionaries have entries for phrasal verbs, so look the phrase up to be sure. You can also look up the phrase in the which is an excellent resource, so save that link! Some phrasal verb meanings are obvious—like “fall down”—but some are since they can’t be literally translated—like “come on.” To make them easier to learn, you can try grouping phrasal verbs into categories like time of day (i.e. wake up, lie down) or positive (i.e. cheer up) and negative (i.e. give up). There are so many phrasal verbs that it might seem difficult to learn them all. But many of these phrases become natural after a while—all it takes is some repetition and practice.
How to Use Phrasal Verbs in English Phrasal verbs are used just like verbs—anywhere they make sense! Usually, the verb and preposition in a phrasal verb need to be said together, like in the phrase “fall down.” In some cases, though, you can separate the verb and the preposition by putting other words in between them. For example: the phrase “turn off” can be used just like that, or it can be interrupted by stating what you’re turning off. In other words, you can say “ turn off the TV,” but you can also say “ turn the TV off.” Both are correct! Another thing to keep in mind about phrasal verbs is that they are still verbs. That means the verb part of the phrase can be changed depending on the.
So “turn off” can also be “turned off” and “turning off,” for example. It will take you a while to get used to which phrasal verbs can be separated and which can’t, so hang in there! 56 of the Most Useful Phrasal Verbs in English Below are some of the most common phrasal verbs in the English language. We organized them alphabetically so they’re easy to find, but you can group them however you want when you’re learning them! Bring Bring up — To mention something. (Note: The two parts of this phrasal verb can be separated.) “Mark was sick and had to miss the party, so please don’t bring it up, I don’t want him to feel bad for missing it.” Bring on — To cause something to happen, usually something negative. (The two parts of this phrasal verb can be separated by what’s happening.) “His lung cancer was brought on by years of smoking.” Bring it on!
— To accept a challenge with confidence. “You want to have a race? I can beat you!” Call Call on — This can mean either to visit someone, or to use someone’s or something’s knowledge.
To visit someone: “I’ll call on you this evening to see how you’re feeling.” To use someone’s knowledge: “I may need to call on the university’s excellent professors in order to answer your question.” Call off — To cancel something. “The picnic was called off because of the rain.” Cheer Cheer on — To support someone by giving them words of encouragement. (Can be separated by the name or pronoun of the person/people being cheered on). “Even though Samantha was in the last place, her brother cheered her on through the entire race.” Cheer up — This phrase can either be used as a phrase of encouragement said to someone who seems sad (just saying “cheer up!” to them), or it can mean to try to make someone happier. “Andrew was having a bad day, so his girlfriend cheered him up by taking him out for ice cream.” Come Come up (with something) — To think of an idea. “I came up with this idea for a TV show about a woman living with her best friend and daughter.
I call it ‘Two and a Half Women.’” Come up — To bring up a topic, or when something happens unexpectedly. To bring up a topic: “I wanted to tell her that I got a new job but the chance never came up.” Unexpected occurrence: “I was going to meet my friends for dinner, but something came up so I had to cancel.” Come in — To enter. “‘ Come in, the door is open!’ said the grandmother to the wolf.” Come across — To meet or find by chance. “I was cleaning the attic and I came across my high school uniform. Can you believe it still fits?” Come forward — To volunteer information about something, like a crime.
“The police are encouraging people to come forward with any information about the kidnapped girl.” Cut Cut off — This phrase can be used in several ways, but its general meaning is “to interrupt or stop something.” (Can be separated.) While driving, to get in front of another car suddenly: “That red car just cut me off and I almost crashed into it.” To stop supplying things to or communicating with someone: “His father is rich but he cut him off without any money of his own.” Cut (it) out — This phrase has the same meaning as saying “Stop it.” “Hey, cut it out! I was watching that movie, so stop changing the channel!” Cut in — To interrupt someone when they are speaking. “I was about to ask that girl on a date, but her friend cut in and I lost the chance.” Drop Drop by/in — To stop by for a visit, for a short time. “Andrew is such a great boyfriend, when he heard that his girlfriend had a cold he dropped by to bring her some soup.” Drop off — To leave something or someone in their destination. (Can be separated by the object being dropped off.) “I can give you a ride and drop you off at work.” Fall Fall apart — This phrase means “to break into pieces,” but it can be used to talk about things that are not physical, like a marriage or a person.
“They tried to save their marriage by going to therapy but in the end if fell apart anyway.” Fall down — To drop to the ground, usually by accident. “My friend slipped on a banana peel and fell down.
I thought that only happened in!” Fill Fill (someone) in — To give someone the details about something. (Is usually separated by the person getting filled in). “Quickly, let’s go! There’s no time to explain, I’ll fill you in on the way.” Fill up — To become completely full. “The little girl filled up on candy before dinner, and didn’t want to eat any of the chicken.” Get Get away — To escape. You may have heard the phrase “getaway car.” That’s the car used by criminals to run away from a crime scene, like a bank robbery.
“Carmen’s neighbor tried to show her pictures of all her cats, but Carmen managed to get away.” Get around — To solve a problem by avoiding the main issue. This phrase can also be used very informally to refer to someone who has many sexual partners. As you can imagine, it’s not very nice to say that someone “gets around”! “Some people know all the different ways to get around tax laws.” Get along (with) — To have a friendly relationship with someone. “Some people are surprised that I get along with my mother-in-law really well!” Get up — To stand up, or to wake up.
“I have so much trouble getting up in the morning that I have to set three alarms.” Get back to — To return to someone or something. This phrase is often used to say that you will return with an answer to a question or a request at a later time. “Derek’s coworker wasn’t sure what time the meeting was, so he said he’d get back to him with the time.” Get back at — To get revenge on someone. “Her ex-husband took her house so she got back at him by taking his dogs.” Give Give out — This phrase can mean to break down or stop working, or to hand out or distribute something. To stop working: “The city had to rebuild the bridge completely, because it was about to give out and fall down.” To distribute: “He has a lot of contacts because he gives out his business card to everyone he meets.” Give in — To surrender, especially in a fight or argument. “Ben’s mother gave in and let him stay out late with his friends.” Give away — To hand things out for free.
(Can be separated by the item being given away.) “When Linda’s cat had kittens, she gave them all away to good homes.” Give up — To stop trying, surrender. “After two weeks of trying to build my own table, I gave up and just bought one.” Go Go out (with) — To go on a date with someone. “Sarah was so happy when Peter finally asked her to go out with him!” Go ahead — To go in front of someone, or to give permission to do or say something.
“ Go ahead, explain to me why there is a car on my roof.” Grow Grow up — To grow up, sometimes used to tell someone to stop acting childish. “Some people tell Steve he needs to grow up, but he loves acting like a child.” Grow apart — To get distant from someone, like a friend. “When my friend moved to a different country I tried to stay close with her, but we slowly grew apart.” Hang Hang on — To keep something. “When everyone else was getting fired, Paul managed to hang on to his job.” Hang out — To spend time with someone, casually. “My friends and I used to hang out in the park after school.” Hang up — To end a call on the phone, especially if it’s before the other person is ready.
“I was in the middle of a sentence, and he hung up on me! How rude.” Hold Hold on — To hold something tightly. This phrase can also be a way of asking someone to wait for a moment. “You’d better hold on to your hat, it’s windy out there!” Hold back — To stop yourself from doing or saying something. “Amy has a great voice but whenever she’s singing in public she feels shy and holds back.” Log Log in (to) — Used with computers, this phrase means to sign into your account on a website or computer.
“Don’t forget to log in to your account to learn English better and faster.” Log out/off — Also used with computers, this phrase means to sign out of your account. “You should always log out of your accounts when you use a public computer.” Look Look up — To check the meaning of something.
(Can be separated by the item being looked up). “If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you should look it up in the dictionary.” Look out — To watch out for something. “ Look out, there’s a baseball coming your way!” Pay Pay back — To give someone back money that you owe them. (Can be separated by the person getting paid back.) When it’s written as one word, “payback” means revenge.
“Thanks for getting me lunch when I forgot my wallet at home! I’ll pay you back tomorrow.” Pay for — This phrase can either mean to give someone money for a particular purpose (like paying for a new car), or to suffer because of something you did. “He’ll pay for all the problems he caused me by being late today!” Put Put out — This phrase can mean to extinguish a fire, or to irritate someone by asking them for a favor. (In the case of annoying someone, can be separated by the person getting annoyed.) Be aware that in very informal slang, this phrase has. To extinguish a fire: “The firefighters managed to put out the fire before it spread to other houses.” To irritate someone: “I’d ask you to make me dinner but I don’t want to put you out.” Put on — To get your clothes or makeup on.
“Every morning she puts on her dress, lipstick, shoes and hat—in that order.” Take Take off — This phrase can mean to remove clothing, or to leave for a journey (i.e. Planes take off when they begin their flights). “She was very happy when she finally got home and took off her shoes. They had been hurting her feet all day!” Take out — To remove something, like from a pocket or a bag. This phrase can also mean to take someone on a date. (Can be separated by the item or person being taken out.) The phrase can also mean to remove someone, as in by killing them—but this is probably not something you would need to use in everyday conversation! To remove something: “The children sat at their desks and took out their pens and paper.” To take someone on a date: “He took her out to the most expensive restaurant in the city.” Turn Turn on/off — To switch a machine or light on or off.
“ Turn off the light, I’m trying to sleep!” Turn around — To move so that you’re facing the opposite direction. “Sally was about to get on the plane, but she turned around when someone called her name.” Turn up — When someone that was lost is found unexpectedly. “Anything I lose usually turns up under the couch. It’s my cat’s favorite hiding place.” Warm Warm up (to) — To start liking someone or something more as you spend more time with them, especially if you didn’t really like them in the beginning.
“The new puppy was scared of my husband when we first got him, but he warmed up to him pretty quickly.” Work Work out — To exercise. “I try to work out every morning, by repeatedly lifting a heavy donut to my mouth.” Work (something) out — To come up with a solution or a compromise with someone. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can work something out so that everyone is happy.” How many of these phrasal verbs did you already know? English phrasal verbs are everywhere!
Don’t be afraid of how many there are—just start with a few at a time and soon you’ll be an expert.