PhrasalVerbs:Verb Meaning Example

ask someone out invite on a date Brian asked Judy out todinner and a movie.

ask around ask manypeople the samequestion

I asked around but nobodyhas seen my wallet.

add up to something equal Your purchases add upto $205.32.

back something up reverse You'll have to back up yourcar so that I can get out.

back someone up support My wife backed me up overmy decision to quit my job.

blow up explode The racing car blew up afterit crashed into the fence.

blow something up add air We have to blow 50balloons up for the party.

break down stop functioning(vehicle,machine)

Our car broke down at theside of the highway in thesnowstorm.

break down get upset The woman brokedown when the police toldher that her son had died.

break somethingdown divide intosmaller parts

Our teacher broke the finalproject downinto threeseparate parts.

break in force entry to abuilding

Somebody broke in lastnight and stole our stereo.

break into something enter forcibly The firemen had to breakinto the room to rescue thechildren.

break something in wear somethinga few times sothat it doesn'tlook/feel new

I need to break theseshoes in before we run nextweek.

break in interrupt The TV station broke in toreport the news of thepresident's death.

break up end arelationship

My boyfriend and I brokeup before I moved toAmerica.

break up start laughing(informal)

The kids just broke up assoon as the clown startedtalking.

break out escape The prisoners broke out ofjail when the guards weren'tlooking.

break out insomething develop a skincondition

I broke out in a rash afterour camping trip.

bring someone down make unhappy This sad musicis bringing me down.

bring someone up raise a child Mygrandparents brought me up after my parents died.

bring something up start talkingabout a subject

My mother walks out of theroom when myfather brings up sports.

bring something up vomit He drank so much thathe brought his dinner up inthe toilet.

call around phone manydifferentplaces/people

We called around but weweren't able to find the carpart we needed.

call someone back return a phonecall

I called thecompany back but theoffices were closed for theweekend.

call something off cancel Jason called thewedding off because hewasn't in love with hisfiancé.

call on someone ask for ananswer oropinion

The professor called on mefor question 1.

call on someone visit someone We called on you last nightbut you weren't home.

call someone up phone Give me your phone numberand I willcall you up whenwe are in town.

calm down relax after beingangry

You are still mad. You needto calm down before youdrive the car.

not careforsomeone/something

not like (formal) I don't care for hisbehaviour.

catch up get to the samepoint assomeone else

You'll have to run faster thanthat if you want to catchup with Marty.

check in arrive andregister at ahotel or airport

We will get the hotel keyswhen wecheck in.

check out leave a hotel You have to check out ofthe hotel before 11:00 AM.

checksomeone/somethingout

look at carefully,investigate

The company checks out allnew employees.

checkoutsomeone/something

look at(informal)

Check out the crazy hair onthat guy!

cheer up become happier She cheered up when sheheard the good news.

cheer someone up make happier I brought you some flowersto cheer youup.

chip in help If everyone chips in we can

get the kitchen painted bynoon.

clean something up tidy, clean Please clean up yourbedroom before you gooutside.

come acrosssomething findunexpectedly

I came across these oldphotos when I was tidyingthe closet.

come apart separate The top and bottom comeapart if you pull hardenough.

come downwithsomething

become sick My nephew came downwith chicken pox thisweekend.

come forward volunteer for atask or to giveevidence

The woman cameforward with her husband'sfinger prints.

come fromsomewhere originate in The art of origami comesfrom Asia.

countonsomeone/something

rely on I am counting on you tomake dinner while I am out.

cross something out draw a linethrough

Please cross out your oldaddress and write your newone.

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

cut something down make somethingfall to theground

We had to cut the old tree inour yarddown after thestorm.

cut in interrupt Your father cut in while Iwas dancing with your uncle.

cut in pull in tooclosely in frontof another

The bus driver got angrywhen that carcut in.

vehicle

cut in start operating(of an engine orelectricaldevice)

The air conditioner cutsin when the temperaturegets to 22°C.

cut something off remove withsomething sharp

The doctors cut off his legbecause it was severelyinjured.

cut something off stop providing The phone company cutoff our phone because wedidn't pay the bill.

cut someone off take out of a will My grandparents cut myfather off when heremarried.

cut something out remove part ofsomething(usually withscissors andpaper)

I cut this ad out of thenewspaper.

dosomeone/somethingover

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

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

do something over do again(N.Amer.)

My teacher wants meto do my essayover becauseshe doesn't like my topic.

do away withsomething discard It's time to do awaywith all of these old taxrecords.

do something up fasten, close Do your coat up before yougo outside. It's snowing!

dress up wear niceclothing

It's a fancy restaurant so wehave todress up.

drop back move back in aposition/group

Andrea dropped back tothird place when she fell offher bike.

drop in/by/over come without anappointment

I might dropin/by/over for teasometime this week.

dropsomeone/somethingoff

takesomeone/something somewhereand leavethem/it there

I have to drop mysister off at work before Icome over.

drop out quit a class,school etc

I dropped out of Sciencebecause it was too difficult.

eat out eat at arestaurant

I don't feel like cookingtonight. Let's eat out.

end up eventuallyreach/do/decide

We ended up renting amovie instead of going to thetheatre.

fall apart break intopieces

My new dress fell apart inthe washing machine.

fall down fall to theground

The picture that you hung uplast nightfell down thismorning.

fall out separate froman interior

The money must have fallenout of my pocket.

fall out (of hair, teeth)become looseand unattached

His hair started to fallout when he was only 35.

figure something out understand, findthe answer

I need to figure out how tofit the piano and thebookshelf in this room.

fill something in to writeinformation inblanks (Br.E.)

Please fill in the form withyour name, address, andphone number.

fill something out to writeinformation inblanks(N.Amer.)

The form must be filledout in capital letters.

fill something up fill to the top I always fill the waterjug up when it is empty.

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

find something out discover We tried to keep the time ofthe party a secret, butSamantha found it out.

get somethingacross/over

communicate,makeunderstandable

I tried to get mypoint across/over to thejudge but she wouldn'tlisten.

get along/on like each other I was surprised how well mynew girlfriend and mysister got along/on.

get around have mobility My grandfather can getaround fine in his newwheelchair.

get away go on a vacation We worked so hard this yearthat we had to get away fora week.

get awaywithsomething

do without beingnoticed orpunished

Jason always gets awaywith cheating in his mathstests.

get back return We got back from ourvacation last week.

get something back receivesomething youhad before

Liz finally got her Sciencenotes backfrom my room-mate.

get back at someone retaliate, takerevenge

My sister got back at mefor stealing her shoes. Shestole my favourite hat.

get back intosomething becomeinterested insomething again

I finally got back into mynovel and finished it.

get on something step onto a We're going to freeze out

vehicle here if you don't let us geton the bus.

get over something recover from anillness, loss,difficulty

I just got over the flu andnow my sister has it.

get over something overcome aproblem

The company will have toclose if it can'tget over thenew regulations.

get round tosomething finally find timeto do(N.Amer.:getaroundto something)

I don't know when I amgoing to get roundto writing the thank youcards.

get together meet (usuallyfor socialreasons)

Let's get together for aBBQ this weekend.

get up get out of bed I got up early today tostudy for my exam.

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

give someone away reveal hiddeninformationabout someone

His wife gave him away tothe police.

give someone away take the bride tothe altar

My father gave me away atmy wedding.

give something away ruin a secret My little sister gave thesurprise partyaway byaccident.

give something away give somethingto someone forfree

The library was givingaway old books on Friday.

give something back return aborrowed item

I have to give theseskates back to Franz beforehis hockey game.

give in reluctantly stop My boyfriend didn't want to

fighting orarguing

go to the ballet, but hefinally gave in.

give something out give to manypeople (usuallyat no cost)

They were giving out freeperfume samples at thedepartment store.

give something up quit a habit I am giving up smoking asof January 1st.

give up stop trying My maths homework was toodifficult so I gave up.

go after someone follow someone My brother tried to goafter the thief in his car.

go after something try to achievesomething

I went after my dream andnow I am a published writer.

go against someone compete,oppose

We are going against thebest soccer team in the citytonight.

go ahead start, proceed Please go ahead and eatbefore the food gets cold.

go back return to a place I have to go back home andget my lunch.

go out leave home togo on a socialevent

We're going out for dinnertonight.

go out with someone date Jesse has been going outwith Luke since they metlast winter.

go over something review Please go over youranswers before you submityour test.

go over visit someonenearby

I haven't seen Tina for along time. I think I'll goover for an hour or two.

go without something suffer lack ordeprivation

When I was young, we wentwithoutwinter boots.

grow apart stop beingfriends overtime

My best friend and I grewapart after she changedschools.

grow back regrow My roses grew back thissummer.

grow up become an adult When Jack grows up hewants to be a fireman.

grow out ofsomething get too big for Elizabeth needs a new pairof shoes because shehas grown out of her oldones.

grow into something grow big enoughto fit

This bike is too big for himnow, but he should growinto it by next year.

hand something down give somethingused tosomeone else

I handed my old comicbooks down to my littlecousin.

hand something in submit I have to hand in my essayby Friday.

hand something out to distribute to agroup of people

We will hand out theinvitations at the door.

hand something over give (usuallyunwillingly)

The police asked the manto hand overhis wallet andhis weapons.

hang in stay positive(N.Amer.,informal)

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

hang on wait a shorttime (informal)

Hang on while I grab mycoat and shoes!

hang out spend timerelaxing(informal)

Instead of going to the partywe are just going to hangout at my place.

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

holdsomeone/somethingback

prevent fromdoing/going

I had to hold mydog back because there wasa cat in the park.

hold something back hide an emotion Jamie held back his tears athis grandfather's funeral.

hold on wait a shorttime

Please hold on while Itransfer you to the SalesDepartment.

holdontosomeone/something

hold firmly usingyour hands orarms

Hold onto your hat becauseit's very windy outside.

holdsomeone/somethingup

rob A man in a blackmask held the bank upthismorning.

keep ondoingsomething

continue doing Keep on stirring until theliquid comes to a boil.

keep something fromsomeone

not tell We kept ourrelationship from ourparents for two years.

keepsomeone/somethingout

stop fromentering

Try to keep the wetdog out of the living room.

keep something up continue at thesame rate

If you keep thoseresults up you will get into agreat college.

let someone down fail to support orhelp, 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 beforeyou go to school?

log in (or on) sign in (to awebsite,database etc)

I can't log in to Facebookbecause I've forgotten mypassword.

log out (or off) sign out (of awebsite,database etc)

If you don't logoff somebody could get intoyour account.

lookaftersomeone/something

take care of I have to look after my sickgrandmother.

look down onsomeone think less of,consider inferior

Ever since we stole thatchocolate bar your dadhas looked down on me.

lookforsomeone/something

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

look forwardtosomething

be excited aboutthe future

I'm looking forward to theChristmas break.

look into something investigate We are going to lookinto the price of snowboardstoday.

look out be careful,vigilant, andtake notice

Look out! That car's going tohit you!

look outforsomeone/something

be especiallyvigilant for

Don't forget to look outfor snakes on the hikingtrail.

look something over check, examine Can you look over my essayfor spelling mistakes?

look something up search and findinformation in areference bookor database

We can look her phonenumber up on the Internet.

look up to someone have a lot ofrespect for

My little sister hasalways looked up to me.

make something up invent, lie aboutsomething

Josie made up a story aboutwhy we were late.

make up forgive eachother

We were angry last night,but we made up atbreakfast.

make someone up apply cosmeticsto

My sisters made me up formy graduation party.

mix something up confuse two or I mixed up the twins'

more things names again!

pass away die His uncle passed away lastnight after a long illness.

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

pass something out give the samething to manypeople

The professor passed thetextbooks outbefore class.

pass something up decline (usuallysomethinggood)

I passed up the job becauseI am afraid of change.

pay someone back return owedmoney

Thanks for buying my ticket.I'll pay youback on Friday.

pay for something be punished fordoing somethingbad

That bully will pay for beingmean to my little brother.

pick something out choose I picked out three sweatersfor you to try on.

pointsomeone/somethingout

indicate withyour finger

I'll point myboyfriend out when he runsby.

put something down put what youare holding on asurface or floor

You can put thegroceries down on thekitchen counter.

put someone down insult, makesomeone feelstupid

The students put thesubstituteteacherdown because hispants were too short.

put something off postpone We are putting off our tripuntil January because of thehurricane.

put something out extinguish The neighbours put thefire out before the firemenarrived.

put somethingtogether assemble I have to put thecrib together before thebaby arrives.

put upwithsomeone/something

tolerate I don't think I can put upwith three small children inthe car.

put something on putclothing/accessories on yourbody

Don't forget to put on yournew earrings for the party.

runintosomeone/something

meetunexpectedly

I ran into an old school-friend at the mall.

runoversomeone/something

drive a vehicleover a person orthing

I accidentally ran over yourbicycle in the driveway.

runover/throughsomething

rehearse, review Let's runover/through these linesone more time before theshow.

run away leaveunexpectedly,escape

The child ran away fromhome and has been missingfor three days.

run out have none left We ran out of shampoo so Ihad to wash my hair withsoap.

send something back return (usuallyby mail)

My letter got sent back tome because I used thewrong stamp.

set something up arrange,organize

Our boss set ameeting up with thepresident of the company.

set someone up trick, trap The police set up the carthief by using a hiddencamera.

shop around compare prices I want to shop around alittle before I decide on

these boots.

show off act extra specialfor peoplewatching(usuallyboastfully)

He always shows off on hisskateboard

sleep over stay somewherefor the night(informal)

You should sleepover tonight if the weatheris too bad to drive home.

sort something out organize,resolve aproblem

We need to sort thebills out before the first ofthe month.

stick to something continue doingsomething, limityourself to oneparticular thing

You will lose weight ifyou stick to the diet.

switch something off stop the energyflow, turn off

The light's too bright. Couldyou switch itoff.

switch something on start the energyflow, turn on

We heard the news as soonas weswitched on the carradio.

take after someone resemble afamily member

I take after my mother. Weare both impatient.

take something apart purposely breakinto pieces

He took the carbrakes apart and found theproblem.

take something back return an item I have to take our newTV back because it doesn'twork.

take off start to fly My plane takes off in fiveminutes.

take something off removesomething(usuallyclothing)

Take off your socks andshoes and come in the lake!

take something out remove from aplace or thing

Can you take thegarbage out to the street forme?

take someone out pay for someoneto gosomewhere withyou

Mygrandparents took us out for dinner and a movie.

tear something up rip into pieces I tore up my ex-boyfriend'sletters and gave them backto him.

think back remember(often + to,sometimes +on)

When I think back on myyouth, I wish I had studiedharder.

think something over consider I'll have to think this joboffer overbefore I make myfinal decision.

throw somethingaway dispose of We threw our oldfurniture away when wewon the lottery.

turn something down decrease thevolume orstrength (heat,light etc)

Please turn theTV down while the guestsare here.

turn something down refuse I turned thejob down because I don'twant to move.

turn something off stop the energyflow, switch off

Your mother wants youto turn the TVoff and comefor dinner.

turn something on start theenergy, switchon

It's too dark in here.Let's turn some lights on.

turn something up increase thevolume orstrength (heat,

Can you turn the music up?This is my favourite song.

light etc)

turn up appear suddenly Our cat turned up after weput posters up all over theneighbourhood.

try something on sample clothing I'm going to try thesejeans on, but I don't thinkthey will fit.

try something out test I am going to try this newbrand of detergent out.

use something up finish the supply The kids used all of thetoothpaste up so we need tobuy some more.

wake up stop sleeping We have to wake up earlyfor work on Monday.

warmsomeone/somethingup

increase thetemperature

You can warm yourfeet up in front of thefireplace.

warm up prepare body forexercise

I always warm up by doingsit-ups before I go for a run.

wear off fade away Most of my make-up woreoff before I got to the party.

work out exercise I work out at the gym threetimes a week.

work out be successful Our plan worked out fine.

work something out make acalculation

We have to work out thetotal cost before we buy thehouse.