Phrasal Verbs-I

English Phrasal Verbs

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A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb;
the combination creates a meaning different from the original verb.
Below you will find a list of phrasal verbs in alphabetical order
with their meaning and an example of use.

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Alphabetical List - A

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Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
abide by	Respect or obey (the law, a decision, a rule)	If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.
account for	Explain; give a reason	I hope you can account for the money you spent!
act on	Take action as a result of something	The police acted on the call they received.
act up	Cause pain or annoyance by functioning badly	Dad's poor knee is acting up again.
add up	Make sense; seem reasonable	Her story just doesn't add up.
adhere to	Support; follow; act in accordance with	All contestants must adhere to the rules.
advise against	Recommend not doing something	The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads.
agree with	Have the same opinion as someone else	I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.
aim at	Direct towards a target	The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker.
allow for	Take into consideration; Include in a calculation	You'd better leave early to allow for heavy traffic.
angle at	Show from a particular point of view.	The documentary was angled at young viewers.
angle for	Try to obtain something by hinting.	I suspect Tom's angling for a free ticket.
answer back	Reply rudely	Don't answer back your mother!
answer for	1) Be responsible for something. 2) Speak on behalf of someone.	1) Normally parents have to answer for their children's behaviour. 2) I agree, but I can't answer for my associate.
appeal to	1)Plead or make an earnest request. 2) Be attractive or interesting.	1) The organizers appealed to the crowd to stay calm. 2) Camping doesn't appeal to me.
apply for	Make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan, etc.)	He applied for the job advertised.
ask after	Enquire about someone's well-being.	My mother is always asking after you.
ask around	Mention it to people you see or meet.	I'll ask around and see if anyone has seen your cat.
ask out	Invite someone to lunch, dinner, the cinema ...	John has asked Mary out several times.
avail (oneself) of	Take advantage of something (an opportunity)	When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares.

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Alphabetical List - B

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Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
back away	Move backwards, in fear or dislike	When he saw the dog, he backed away.
back down	Withdraw; concede defeat.	Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the cinema.
back up	1) Give support or encouragement 2) make a copy of (file, program...)	1) If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up? 2) It is recommended to back up all files.
bail out	1) Pay money to secure someone's release 2) Rescue from financial difficulties	1) When he was arrested, his family refused to bail him out. 2) The government bailed out the bank.
bank on	Base your hopes on something/someone.	Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help.
beef up	Improve or make more substantial	He beefed up his presentation with diagrams and statistics.
black out	Faint; lose consciousness	When he fell off the horse, he blacked out.
block off	Separate using a barrier.	The area was blocked off during the demonstration.
blow up	1) Explode. 2) Be destroyed by an explosion.	1) The terrorists said the bomb would blow up at 9 o'clock. 2) The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it.
boil down to	Be summarized as	The problem boils down to a lack of money.
boot up	Start a computer by loading an operating system or program.	Just give me a few minutes to boot up the computer.
break away	Escape from captivity.	A few horses broke away from the paddock.
break down	1) Go out of order, cease to function. 2) Lose control of one's emotions.	1) John's car broke down on the way to the airport. 2) The parents broke down when they heard the bad news.
break into	Enter by force.	The burglars broke into the house around midnight.
break off	1) Stop, discontinue 2) Stop speaking	1) It was decided to break off diplomatic relations with that country. 2) She broke off in the middle of a sentence.
break out	Start suddenly.	Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.
break out of	Escape from a place by force.	Three prisoners broke out of jail.
break up	Come to an end (marriage, relationship...)	After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London.
bring up	Raise (a child).	She stopped working in order to bring up her children.
brush up on	Improve, refresh one's knowledge of something.	Mary decided to brush up on her Spanish before going to South-America.
bump into	Meet by accident or unexpectedly.	Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.
burn out	1) Stop (something) working 2) Become exhausted from overworking	1) The fuse has burnt out. 2) Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't      slow down.
butt in (on)	Interrupt impolitely.	It's rude to butt in on a conversation.

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Alphabetical List - C

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Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
call back	Return a phone call	I'll call you back as soon as possible.
call off	Cancel	The meeting was called off because of the strike.
call on/upon	Formally invite or request.	I now call upon the President to address the assembly.
calm down	Become more relaxed or less angry/upset.	He was angry at first, but he eventually calmed down.
carry on	Continue.	He carried on gardening in spite of the rain.
carry out	1) Do something as specified (plan, order, threat...) 2) Perform or conduct (test, experiment ...)	1) The plan was carried out to perfection. 2) Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug.
carry over	Postpone until later.	As regards holidays, can we carry over days from one year to the next?
catch up on	Acquire information you have missed.	I must call by mother to catch up on the latest family events.
catch up with	Reach the same stage as someone else.	I've missed some classes so I'll have to work hard to catch up with the others.
check in	Register at a hotel or airport.	For security reasons, you have to check in two hours before your flight.
check out	1) Pay one's bill and leave (a hotel) 2) Investigate or verify.	1) Is Mr. Bush still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning. 2) I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out.
cheer up	Put someone in a better mood.	I told her a joke to try and cheer her up.
clam up	Refuse to speak.	When the teacher arrived, she clammed up.
clamp down on	Act strictly to prevent something.	The government decided to clamp down on smoking in public areas.
close down	Stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema ...)	When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs.
come across	1) Find by chance. 2) Appear, seem, make an impression.	1) Julie came across some photographs of her grandparents in the attic. 2) The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview.
come forward	Present oneself.	The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.
come up against	Be faced with or opposed by.	The project came up against a lot of criticism.
conk out	1) Stop working. 2) Stop or fall asleep (from exhaustion).	1) The car conked out on the motorway. 2) He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV.
count on	Rely or depend on.	I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre.
cross out	Remove by drawing a line through.	In some exercises you are asked to cross out the incorrect word.
cut down on	Reduce in number or size.	The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.
cut out	1) Remove using scissors. 2) Stop doing something.	1) She cut out a picture in a magazine. 2) I'm going to cut out eating sweet food.

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Alphabetical List D

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

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Alphabetical List - E-F

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Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
ease off/up	Reduce, become less severe or slow down (pain, traffic, work ...)	After Christmas, the workload generally eases off.
egg on	Encourage	Egged on by his friends, the boy climbed over the wall.
embark on/upon	Start or engage in	She embarked on a career that lead her to fame.
end in	Finish in a certain way / result in	Their marriage ended in divorce.
end up	Finally reach a state, place or action	If he continues his misconduct, he'll end up in prison.
even out	1) Eliminate differences of opinion. 2) Become level or regular	1) After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences. 2) The road was evened out to make it safer.
explain away	Find an excuse or plausible explanation	How are you going to explain away the missing money?
face up (to)	Accept ad deal with something unpleasant.	Sam will have to face up to the fact that Jenny is not in love with him.
fall behind	Fail to maintain a certain level	She fell behind at school and had to study harder.
fall through	Fail / does not happen	Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm.
figure out	Understand / find the answer	I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the wardrobe.
fill out	Complete (a form/application)	Please fill out the enclosed form and send it back as soon as possible.
find out	Discover or obtain information	I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts.
fit in (with)	Feel comfortable or be in harmony with	He just doesn't fit in with the others.
fizzle out	Gradually end	Over the years their friendship fizzled out.
focus on	Concentrate on something	The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product.
fold in	Mix one ingredient with another.	Fold in the eggs with the sugar.
freak out	Panic or go crazy	She nearly freaked out when she saw the colour of her hair. It was a disaster!
frown on/upon	Disapprove	My parents always frowned on smoking.
fuss over	Pay excessive attention to	She's always fussing over her grandson.

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Alphabetical List - G

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Phrasal Verb

Meaning

Example

get along (with)

Be on good terms / work well with.

I get along (well) with my mother-in-law.

get at

Imply

What exactly are you trying to get at?

get away

Escape

The robbers got away in a black car.

get by (on)

Manage to cope or to survive.

It's difficult to get by on a low salary.

get down to

Start to actually do something.

It's time to get down to some serious work!

get in

Enter

How did the burglar get in?

get into (+ noun)

Enter

How did the burglar get into the house?

get off

1) Leave (bus, train, plane). 2) Remove from something.

1) Get off the bus at Trafalgar Square. 2) She's trying to get off the stain.

get on

Board (bus, train, plane)

You can pay when you get on the bus.

get on with

Continue to do something / make progress

Be quiet and get on with your homework.

get on (well) with

Have a good relationship with

I get on very well with my colleagues.

get out

Leave

How did he get out?

get out of (+noun)

Leave

How did he get out of the house?

get out of  (+verb)

Avoid doing something

Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework.

get over

Recover from (illness, disappointment)

Charlie had the 'flu but he got over it.

get rid of

Eliminate

It's difficult to get rid of old habits.

get round (to)

Find the necessary time to do something.

I finally got round to making the list that I promised.

get together

Meet each other

Let's get together for lunch one day.

get up

Rise / leave bed

I usually get up at 7 o'clock.

give away

1) Give something free of charge. 2) Reveal something.

1) He gave away most of his paintings. 2) The names of the witnesses will not be given away.

give back

Return something to its owner.

He promised to give back the money he borrowed..

give up

Stop ing something.

Sarah gave up smoking five years ago.

gloss over

Treat something briefly so as to avoid embarrassing details.

The director glossed over the recent drop in sales.

go along (with)

Agree with; accept.

Alex tends to go along with anything his wife says.

go back

Return

Children go back to school after the holidays.

go away

1) Leave a place 2) Disappear / fade

1) We decided to go away for a few days. 2) The stain still hasn't gone away.

go in

Enter

There's a bakery.  Let's go in and buy some bread.

go into (+ noun)

Go inside

Go into the bakery and see if they sell croissants.

go into (+ noun)

Join or enter a profession or oganization.

He decided to go into the army when he left school.

go in for

Have something as an interest or hobby.

She doesn't really go in for sports.

go out

Leave one's home to attend a social event.

Many young people go out a lot.

go (out) with

Have someone as a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Is Julie going (out) with Tom?

go through

Experience.

Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident.

go with/together

Match; harmonize (with)

The curtains don't go with the carpet. The curtains and carpet don't go together.

grow up

Spend one's childhood / become an adult

He grew up in a small village in the mountains.

Alphabetical List - G Phrasal Verb Meaning Example get along (with) Be on good terms / work well with. I get along (well) with my mother-in-law. get at Imply What exactly are you trying to get at? get away Escape The robbers got away in a black car. get by (on) Manage to cope or to survive. It's difficult to get by on a low salary. get down to Start to actually do something. It's time to get down to some serious work! get in Enter How did the burglar get in? get into (+ noun) Enter How did the burglar get into the house? get off 1) Leave (bus, train, plane). 2) Remove from something. 1) Get off the bus at Trafalgar Square. 2) She's trying to get off the stain. get on Board (bus, train, plane) You can pay when you get on the bus. get on with Continue to do something / make progress Be quiet and get on with your homework. get on (well) with Have a good relationship with I get on very well with my colleagues. get out Leave How did he get out? get out of (+noun) Leave How did he get out of the house? get out of  (+verb) Avoid doing something Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework. get over Recover from (illness, disappointment) Charlie had the 'flu but he got over it. get rid of Eliminate It's difficult to get rid of old habits. get round (to) Find the necessary time to do something. I finally got round to making the list that I promised. get together Meet each other Let's get together for lunch one day. get up Rise / leave bed I usually get up at 7 o'clock. give away 1) Give something free of charge. 2) Reveal something. 1) He gave away most of his paintings. 2) The names of the witnesses will not be given away. give back Return something to its owner. He promised to give back the money he borrowed.. give up Stop ing something. Sarah gave up smoking five years ago. gloss over Treat something briefly so as to avoid embarrassing details. The director glossed over the recent drop in sales. go along (with) Agree with; accept. Alex tends to go along with anything his wife says. go back Return Children go back to school after the holidays. go away 1) Leave a place 2) Disappear / fade 1) We decided to go away for a few days. 2) The stain still hasn't gone away. go in Enter There's a bakery.  Let's go in and buy some bread. go into (+ noun) Go inside Go into the bakery and see if they sell croissants. go into (+ noun) Join or enter a profession or oganization. He decided to go into the army when he left school. go in for Have something as an interest or hobby. She doesn't really go in for sports. go out Leave one's home to attend a social event. Many young people go out a lot. go (out) with Have someone as a boyfriend/girlfriend. Is Julie going (out) with Tom? go through Experience. Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident. go with/together Match; harmonize (with) The curtains don't go with the carpet. The curtains and carpet don't go together. grow up Spend one's childhood / become an adult He grew up in a small village in the mountains.