Phrasal Verbs 2

100 PHRASAL VERBS

(1) cut back sth or cut sth back – decrease the amount of money that is being spent on sth.
eg : The government is cutting back on the education budget.
cut back/down - to do less of something or use something in smaller amounts.
eg: The government has announced plans to to cut back on defence spending by 10% next year.
I'm trying to cut down on caffeine.
(2) cut sth off - to stop providing something such as electricity, supplies, etc.
eg: If this bill is not paid within five days, your gas supply will be cut off.
The aim was to cut off the enemy's escape route/supplies.
(3) cut sb off - to stop people from continuing a telephone conversation by breaking the telephone connection.
eg: We were cut off before she could give me directions.
(4) cut sth out - to remove something or form a shape by cutting, usually from paper or cloth.
eg: She cut out his picture from the magazine.
(5) cut through sth - If you cut through something difficult that usually causes problems, you quickly understand it or deal with it so that it does not cause problems for you.
eg: She always manages to cut through the complex theory and get at the facts.
(6) cut sth out - to stop doing, using or eating sth
eg : I’ve been advised to cut sugar out of my diet.
(7) leave off - to stop doing something.
eg: Start reading from where you left off last time.
(8) leave sth/sb off sth - to not include something or someone on a list.
eg: He left three people off the list by mistake.
(9) leave sth aside - to not discuss one subject so that you can discuss a different subject.
eg: Leaving aside the question of cost, how many people do we need on the job?
(10) leave sth/sb behind - to leave a place without taking someone or something with you.
eg: We left in a hurry and I must have left my keys behind.
He was forced to leave the country, leaving behind his wife and children.
(11) leave sth for/to sb - to give someone responsibility for dealing with something.
eg: I've left the paperwork for you.
Leave it to me - I'll sort it out tomorrow.
leave sb/sth out - to not include someone or something.
eg: You can leave the butter out of this recipe if you're on a low-fat diet.
I've made a list of names - I hope I haven't left anyone out.
None of the other children play with her, and I think she feels rather left out (= feels that no one wants to be her friend).
Leave me out of this quarrel, please.
He hadn’t been asked to the party and was feeling very left out.
She left out an ‘m’ in ‘accommodation’.
(12)mess up - to perform poorly; bungle.
eg: She messed up on the final exam.
mess sth up - to make something untidy or dirty.
eg: Who's messed up the bookshelf?
The wind had messed up my hair.
They had come along and messed up her arrangement.
I've only just tidied this room and you've messed it up already.
Who has messed up my sewing box?
mess (sth) up - to spoil or damage something, or to do something wrong or badly.
eg: I feel I've messed up my chances of becoming a great singer.
He says that his divorce has really messed his life up.
You've really messed up this time.
mess with sb - to treat someone in a bad, rude or annoying way, or to start an argument with them.
eg: I've warned you already, don't mess with me!
(13) mess sb about/around - to treat someone badly.
eg: I'm tired of being messed around by my bank.
Don't mess me about!
(14) mess around - to spend time doing unimportant or various things, without any particular purpose or plan.
eg: They spend their weekends messing around on their boat.
My brother likes messing around with computers.
He spent the day with friends, just messing about.
(15) break in/break into sth - to get into a building or car using force, usually to steal something.
eg : The burglars broke in through the kitchen window.
(ii) My car's been broken into twice this month.
(16) break in - to interrupt when someone else is talking.
eg: As she was talking, he suddenly broke in, saying, "That's a lie".
(17) break sth off - to separate a part from a larger piece, or to become separate.
eg: He broke off a piece of chocolate.
break sth off - to end a relationship.
eg: They've broken off their engagement.
The governments have broken off diplomatic relations.
break (sth) off - to suddenly stop speaking or doing something.
eg: She broke off in the middle of a sentence.
(18) break out - If something dangerous or unpleasant breaks out, it suddenly starts.
eg: War broke out in 1914.
Fighting has broken out all over the city.
break out - to escape from prison.
eg: They broke out of prison and fled the country.
(19) break (sth) up - If an occasion when people meet breaks up or someone breaks it up, it ends and people start to leave.
eg: The meeting broke up at ten to three.
I don't want to break up the party but I really have to go now.
break up - If a marriage breaks up or two people in a romantic relationship break up, their marriage or their relationship ends.
eg: Jenny and George have broken up.
She's just broken up with her boyfriend.
(20) showed up – arrived, especially at a place where people were expecting you.
eg : My sister Val showed up at last.
(21)turn up – arrive
eg : she turned up yesterday evening.
(22)open up – start a new shop or business.
eg : She’s just opened up a restaurant serving exotic food from different coutries.
(23)lift off – leave the ground
eg : The space shuttle will lift off at 9.00 hours.
(24)see off – go to the airport in order to say goodbye.
eg : I’ll come and see you off at the airport tomorrow.
(ii) My parents saw me off at the airport.
(25)hold you up – delay you.
eg : I’m sorry to hold you up but you must sign these forms before you go in.
(26) passed by – went by
eg : Three weeks passed by before I got a reply to m
(27) stop by (sth) - to make a short visit somewhere.
eg : I’ll stop by this evening for a chat.
(ii) Could you stop by the store on the way home for some bread?
stop off (at / in … ) - to make a short visit somewhere during a trip in order to do sth.
eg : We stopped off at a hotel for the night.
(28) drop by/in - to visit someone..
eg: I dropped in on George on my way home from school.
Drop by and pick up that book sometime.
drop by / in / round | drop in on sb | drop into sth - to pay an informal visit to a person or a place.
eg : Drop by sometime.
(ii) I thought I’d drop in on you while I was passing.
(iii) Sorry we’re late—we dropped into the pub on the way.
(29) figure sb/sth out – to think about sb/sth until you understand them/it.
syn : work out
eg : We couldn’t figure her out.
(ii) I can’t figure her out.
figure out – to calculate an amount or the cost of sth
eg : Have you figured out how much the trip will cost?
figure sth/sb out - to finally understand something or someone, or find the solution to a problem after a lot of thought.
eg: I can't figure out why he did it.
I find him really odd - I can't figure him out at all.
Can you figure out the answer to question 5?
(30) think sth over – to consider sth carefully, especially before reaching a decision.
eg : He’d lke more time to think things over.
(ii) I'll think it over and give you an answer next week.
(31) shape up – tp develop in a particular way, especially in a good way.
eg : Our plans are shaping up nicely (= showing signs that they will be successful).
(ii) Things seem to be shaping up nicely.
(32) hand sth in ( to sb) – to give sth to a person in authority ,especially a piece of work or sth that is lost.
eg : You must all hand in your project by the end of next week.
(33) hand sth over - to give something to someone else.
eg:We were ordered to hand over our passports.
Why should we hand over the money to the Russians?
Trembling with fear, she handed over the money to the gunman.
The two boys scared the old man into handing over his wallet.
(34) hand sth out - to give something to each person in a group or place.
eg:While the teacher was talking, her assistant handed out pens and paper for us all.
Before you leave, I have some notices to hand out to you all.
Sam's mum handed out sweets, birthday cake and balloons to everyone at the end of the party.
Could you hand out the books for me, David? One to everyone, please.
The teacher asked her to hand out the worksheets.
They stood on the street corner handing out leaflets.
(35) get started – to begin doing sth .
eg : It’s nearly ten o’clock. Let’s get started.
(36) to hold sb or sth up means to delay sb/sth/
eg : Traffice was help up for several hours by the accident.
(ii) They’ve probably been held up by the traffic!
(37) hang on – used to ask sb to wait for a short time or to stop what they are doing .
eg : Hang on – I’m not quite ready.
(ii) Now hang on a minute – you can’t really believe what you just said?
(38) hold on – used to tell sb to wait or stop.
eg : Hold on a minute while I get my breath back.
(ii) Hold on, I'll check in my diary.
(39) to start with – at the beginning.
eg : The club had only six members to start with.
(40) let on (to sb) - to tell a secret.
eg : I’m getting married next week, but please don’t let on to anyone.
(ii) She let on that she was leaving.
(iii) Mom, you weren’t supposed to let on, I wanted to surprise her.
(41) spark up sth – to begin a conversation, an argument, a friendship etc. often suddenly.
eg : I tried to spark up a conversation with her.
(42)ran up – caused you to owe a large amount of money.
eg : My kids ran up a phone bill of $ 400.
(43) beat sb down - to persuade someone to accept a lower amount of money for something.
eg : He wanted £50 for the bike, but I managed to beat him down (to £35).
(ii)why don’t you try and beat him down to $100.
(44) rip sb off - to cheat someone by making them pay too much money for something.
eg : Bob's tickets cost much less than ours - I think we've been ripped off.
(ii)They really ripped me off last time.
(45) key sb/sth to sth - to make sb/sth suitable or appropriate for a particular purpose.
SYN : gear
eg : The classes are keyed to the needs of advanced students.
(ii) The books are keyed to the interests of very young children.
(46) jump in - to interrupt a conversation.
eg : Before she could reply Peter jumped in with an objection.
(ii) I wish you'd stop jumping in and finishing my sentences for me all the time.
(47) butt in (on sb/sth) - to interrupt a conversation rudely.
eg : How can I explain if you keep butting in?
(ii) ‘Is that normal?’ Josie butted in.

(48) slip away - to recede; slowly vanish.
eg : All those facts I had memorized just slipped away.
(49) let up - to come to a stop; cease.
eg : The rain let up.
(ii) Neil spent the entire evening moaning about his job - he just wouldn't let up.
(50) deprive sb/sth of sth - to prevent sb from having or doing sth, especially sth important.
eg : They were imprisoned and deprived of their basic rights.
(ii) Why should you deprive yourself of such simple pleasures?
(51) creep in/into something - to begin to happen or affect something.
eg : As she became more tired, errors began to creep into her work.
(ii) A few mistakes always creep in during the editing process.
(iii)One or two typing errors crept into the report.
(52) dig in - used to tell somebody to start to eat
eg : Help yourself,everybody ! Dig in!
(ii) The food's going cold - dig in!
(53) catch up (with sb) - to reach sb who is ahead by going faster.
eg : Go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you.
I’ll catch you up.
I ran after her and managed to catch up with her.
Go on to the shops without me, I'll catch you up.
- to reach the same level or standard as sb who was better or more advanced.
eg : After missing a term through illness he had to work hard to catch up with the others.
(ii) Will Western industry ever catch up with Japanese innovations?
(iii)He was off school for a while and is finding it hard to catch up.
(54) If you 'bump into' someone, you meet them by chance.

eg : I bumped into Martin in the mall.

(ii)You'll never guess who I bumped into today.
bump into sb - to meet someone you know when you have not planned to meet them.
eg : We bumped into Kate when we were in London last week.
(55) hold sb/sth back - to prevent sb/sth from moving forward or crossing sth
eg : The police were unable to hold back the crowd.
- to prevent the progress or development of sb/sth
eg : Do you think that mixed ability classes hold back the better students?
(56) screw sb up - to upset or confuse sb so much that they are not able to deal with problems in their life.
eg : Her father’s death really screwed her up.
screw up - to do sth badly or spoil sth
SYN : mess up:
You really screwed up there!
screw (sth) up - to make a mistake, or to spoil something.
eg: I reckon I screwed the chemistry exam up totally.
screw you up - When bad experiences or people screw you up, they make you anxious and unhappy or they damage your personality.
eg: It really screwed him up when he saw his friend get killed.
(57) rustle sth up (for sb) - to make or find sth quickly for sb and without planning.
eg : She’s trying to rustle up some funding for the project.
(ii) Give me a minute and I'll rustle something up for supper.
(58) straighten sth out - to deal with a confused situation by organizing things that are causing problems.
eg : I need time to straighten out my finances.
(ii) Once we get these problems straightened out, we should be all right.
(59) pull yourself together - to take control of your feelings and behave in a calm way.
eg : Stop crying and pull yourself together!
(ii) Just pull yourself together. There's no point crying about it.
(60) show sb/sth off - to show people sb/sth that you are proud of.
eg : She wanted to show off her new husband at the party.
(ii) He likes to show off how well he speaks French.
(61) piss sb off - to make sb annoyed or bored .
eg : Her attitude really pisses me off.
(ii) I’m pissed off with the way they’ve treated me.
(62) strip sth away - to remove a layer from sth.
eg : First, you need to strip away all the old plaster.
- to remove anything that is not true or necessary.
eg : The movie aims to strip away the lies surrounding Kennedy’s life.
(63) hang out - to spend a lot of time in a place.
eg: The local kids hang out at the mall.
(ii) You still hang out at the pool hall?
(iii)I've been hanging out backstage with the band.
(64) drag sth/sb into sth / drag sth/sb in - to try to get sb who is not connected with a situation involved in it.
eg : Don’t drag the children into our argument.

drag into - involve unwillingly.


eg : Don't drag me into this discussion!

(65) lay before - present to.

eg : We will lay the evidence before the court.

(66) fade away - become less.

eg : The sound gradually faded away
(ii) As the years passed, the memories faded away.

(67) sweep sth away - to get rid of sth completely.

eg: Any doubts had long since been swept away.

- to remove and/or take in a particular direction, especially in a fast and powerful way.

(ii) A large wave swept away half the sandcastle.




(68) walk away with - to win or obtain sth easily.

eg : They walked away with all the prizes.

(ii) She walked away with the gold medal.

(69) hang up - to end a telephone conversation.

eg : He started shouting so I hung up (on him).

(ii) Let me speak to Melanie before you hang up.

(iii) "Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet."


(70) finish off sth – to do the last part of sth.
eg : I have to finish off this report by Friday.
I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed.
I'll have to take this work home and finish it off tonight.
Can you finish off this crossword for me? I'm stuck.
finish sth off - to eat, drink or use the last part of something.
eg: We may as well finish off this pie - there's only a little bit left.
"Go on, finish off this tart, Paul." "Well, it seems a shame to let it go to waste."
He finished off his pint and stood up to leave.
There is a little paint left in this can, so let's finish that off first.
(71) finish with sth - to stop using or needing something.
eg: Have you finished with that magazine?
If everyone has finished with the tomato sauce, I'll put it away.
Dad won't be finished with the car until late, so I'm afraid you can't borrow it tonight.
If you've finished with the gravy, could you pass it down this end of the table?


(72) pull over - drive a car to the side of the road in order to stop.
eg : can you just pull over.
(ii) Just pull over here, and I'll get out and walk the rest of the way.
pull sth off - to succeed in doing something difficult or unexpected.
eg: The central bank has pulled off one of the biggest financial rescues of recent years.
pull sth on - to put on clothes quickly.
eg: I pulled on my jeans and ran downstairs.
(73) weed sth/sb out - to get rid of unwanted things or people from a group.
eg : The first round of interviews only really serves to weed out the very weakest of applicants.
(ii) I spent the morning weeding out the clothes that I didn't need anymore.

(74)wind up - to bring sth such as a speech or meeting to an end.
eg : The speaker was just winding up when the door was flung open.
(ii) If we all agree, let’s wind up the discussion.
(75) wipe sth out - to destroy something completely.
eg : Whole villages were wiped out in the fighting.
(ii) One bad harvest could wipe out all of a grower's profits for the previous two years.
(76) do away with sth - to get rid of something or stop using something.
SYN : abolish
eg : These ridiculous rules and regulations should have been done away with years ago.
(ii)Computerization has enabled us to do away with a lot of paperwork.
(iii) He thinks it’s time we did away with the monarchy.
(77) bear with sb - to be patient and wait while someone does something
eg : If you'll just bear with me for a moment, I'll find you a copy of the drawings.
(ii) If you will bear with me (= be patient and listen to me) a little longer, I’ll answer your question.
(78) die out - to become less common and finally stop existing.
eg : Dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
(ii) It's a custom which is beginning to die out.
(iii) This species has nearly died out because its habitat is being destroyed.
(79) pass out - to leave a military college after successfully completing the course.
eg : The new officers passed out from Britannia Royal Naval College on Thursday 1 August.
(80) fit sb/sth in / fit sb/sth in / into sth - to find time to see sb or to do sth.
eg: I’ll try and fit you in after lunch.
(ii) I had to fit ten appointments into one morning.
- to find or have enough space for sb/sth in a place.
eg: We can’t fit in any more chairs.
(81) sneak up (on sb/sth) - to move towards sb very quietly so that they do not see or hear you until you reach them.
eg: He sneaked up on his sister and shouted ‘Boo!’.
(82) miss sb/sth out - to fail to include sb/sth in sth.
SYN : omit
eg: I’ll just read through the form again to make sure I haven’t missed anything out.
(ii)You've missed out your address on the form.
(83) strike sb down - (of a disease, etc.) to make sb unable to lead an active life; to make sb seriously ill; to kill sb.
eg: He was struck down by cancer at the age of thirty.
(ii) He was struck down by polio when he was a teenager.
(84)notch sth up - to achieve something.
eg : She has recently notched up her third win at a major tennis tournament.
- to achieve sth such as a win or a high score.
eg: The team has notched up 20 goals already this season.

(85) lie behind sth - If something lies behind something else, it is the hidden cause of it
eg: Do you know what lies behind their decision?
(86) line (sb) up - to arrange people or things in a row or to stand in a row.
eg: A fight broke out behind me as we lined up to receive our food rations.
The soldiers lined us up against a wall and I thought they were going to shoot us.
(87) line sth up - to prepare, organize or arrange something.
eg: Have you got anything exciting lined up for the weekend?
I've lined up a meeting with them for tomorrow morning.
Have you got anyone lined up to do the catering at the Christmas party?
(88) rule sth or sb out - to decide or state that something is impossible or will not happen, or that something or someone is not suitable.
eg: The police haven't yet ruled out murder.
I won't rule out a June election.
The police have not ruled him out as a suspect.
(89) rule sth out - to prevent something from happening.
eg: This recent wave of terrorism has ruled out any chance of peace talks.
(90) spring from sth - to come from or be a result of something.
eg: His need to be liked obviously springs from a deep-rooted insecurity.
(91) move off sth/on (to sth) - to change from one subject to another when talking or writing.
eg: Let's move off this subject now, shall we?
"Can we move on to the next item for discussion, please?"
(92) move on - to leave the place where you are staying and go somewhere else.
eg: I've been in Paris long enough - it's time to move on.
(93) move on (to sth) to start doing or discussing sth new.
eg : Can we move on to the next item on the agenda?

(94) bounce back - to start to be successful again after a difficult period, for example after experiencing failure, loss of confidence, illness or unhappiness.
eg: Stock prices bounced back after a steep plunge earlier this week.
Children often seem to bounce back from illness more quickly than adults do.

(95) help (sb) out - If you help out, you do a part of someone's work or give someone money.
eg: Her parents helped (her) out with a £500 loan.
I don't mind helping them out, but I can't help feeling a bit put-upon.
Thanks for helping me out with that report - you saved my life!
They promised that they would help out.
Paul helped his elderly neighbour out by clearing snow from her path.
In his closing remarks, the chairman thanked everyone who had helped out.
(96) narrow sth down - to make a number or list of things smaller and clearer, by removing the things that are least important, necessary or desirable.
eg: We narrowed the list of candidates down from ten to three.
(97) kick sb out (of sth) - to make sb leave or go away (from somewhere)
eg : His wife kicked him out.
(ii) She was kicked out of the squad.
(98) chill out - to relax completely, or not allow things to upset you.
eg: I'm just chilling out in front of the TV.
Chill out, Dad. The train doesn't leave for another hour!
(99) walk away with sth - to win a prize or competition very easily.
eg: He walked away with all three gold medals.
(100) walk off with sth - to steal something or take something without asking permission.
eg: Who's walked off with my cup?