Pharsal Verbs

Phrasal Verb

ask around

add up tosomething

asksomeoneout

blowsomethingup

Meaning

To ask the same question from many people

To equal/corroborate a fact

To invite someone on a date

To exaggerate

Example Sentences I have not seen him here but I will ask around. I am not sure if there are vacancies, but I will ask around the office. She explained why the work was not ready, but her story does not add up. The clues we found at the house and the museum must add up to something. I want to ask her out but she is dating someone. I wish I could muster the courage to ask her out. The girls in school always blow gossip up to huge proportions. My mother blows my achievements up in front of guests. The captain will not back him up just because he is his son.

backsomeoneup

To support

You may be wrong but I will back you up because you are my brother.

blow up

To explode

The army is going to blow up that building

with a bomb. Our calculations were wrong and the rocket blew up just after liftoff.

break down

breaksomething down

break intosomething

To stop functioning (usually for vehicle, machine, etc.)

To divide and subdivide

To enter forcibly/ interrupt

The old train is certain to break down if it is not maintained properly. He was driving recklessly and the old car broke down. They broke the students down into groups of four. The detective said they were still breaking the information down to make sense of it. The newspaper reported a break-in at the bank. Last night, two thieves broke into the house next door. A break up can lead to emotional trauma.

break up

To end a relationship

break out

To escape

break out

To spread

After being together for five years they have decided to break up. The Taliban helped 500 inmates escape of the Afghan jail. Ten inmates broke out of prison in the southern town yesterday. There was a world panic when SARS broke out in

China in 2002. The news about the adulterous affair will break out in tomorrow’s newspaper.

bringsomeonedown

To upset someone or to make someone unhappy

The boss manages to bring down my mood every day. His pessimistic comments bring down the whole group. I was broke up in a conservative Hindu family.

bringsomeoneup

bringup

call around

raise a child

To initiate a conversation on a subject

To phone different places/people

After being abandoned by his parents in Ghana he was brought up by an Italian couple. My sister walks out of the room when I bring up the subject of sports. I will bring up the issue of cleanliness in the meeting today. We called around but we could not find the spare part we needed. I have not seen him today but I will call around and inquire. Please me back when you get this message.

callsomeoneback

To return a phone call

I could not answer your call earlier but I will call back shortly.

callsomethingoff

callsomeoneup

To abandon or cancel

To phone someone

The referee has decided to call off the game due to bad weather. They have decided to call off the wedding due to financial troubles. The boss wants you to call up the client now. She will call you up later to discuss the issue. It is going to be okay, please calm down.

calm down

relax after being angry

catch up

To get to the same point as someone else/ or to work hard in order to equal with someone

check in

To reach and register at a hotel or airport

The crew asked us to calm down during turbulence. You will have to walk faster if you want to catch up with Maya. You have studied a lot more and I need to catch up. When you arrive at the airport, you have to check in at the airline desk. At a hotel, check-in is normally required in order to obtain a room key. You will have to return the room when you check out of the hotel.

check out

To leave a hotel

Please ensure that you are in possession of all your belongings before checking-out of the

hotel.

cheer up

chip in

cleansomethingup

Used as an expression to ask someone to be happy

To contribute/help

To tidy a place

She cheered up when she heard that the result was positive. Cheer up, it is your birthday! If everybody chips in, we can get a bottle of the most expensive wine. I do not have enough money for a pizza so all of you need to chip in as well. They need to clean up the platform because it is really dirty. You must clean up the room before the president arrives. I came across these books when I was tidying the cupboard.

come across something

find unexpectedly

come apart

To separate/ fall down/ break down

come down with something

To become sick

While reading this book I came across new information regarding dinosaurs. The flimsy decorations came apart halfway through the celebrations. The group of friends came apart once they went to different colleges. Her son came down with

the flu last weekend. My throat is sore; I think I am coming down with a cold.

come forward

come from somewhere

count on someone/something

crosssomethingout

cut back on something

To support/ to take an initiative

To originate in

To rely on a person or thing

To draw a line through something

To use or consume less of something

The hospital is anxious for more donors to come forward. Who will come forward and take the responsibility? He resides in Brazil although he comes from Spain. Most of the stench comes from the open drain behind the house. Can I count on you to complete this essay by tonight? I could not complete the task so I am counting on you to do it. Kindly cross out your old telephone number and write the new one. That word is wrong and you need to cross it out as soon as possible. My financial advisor has asked me to cut back on unnecessary expenditure. We need to cut back on driving since the price of petrol is at an all-time high.

cut into

cutsomethingoff

cutsomethingoff

cutsomethingout

To interrupt in between something or someone

To cut something with something sharp

To stop providing/to break all relations with someone

To remove pieces or part of something

He cut into the argument with a point of his own. He asked if could cut in on the dance between Tim and me. The butter is frozen. Cut off a small blob and let it rest outside so that it melts faster. He cut off a small piece from the large slab of cheese using a knife. The cable company cut off our connection because we did not pay our bill. After he was convicted, his family decided to cut him off. She looked over the article and cut the introduction out and rewrote it. She cut a piece out of the chunk of cheese and placed it on the counter. You sang the wrong words this time; we will have to do it over.

dosomethingover

To do something again

My homework assignment was unacceptable, so my teacher asked me to do it over.

do away with something

To dispose of or discard something

It is time to do away with all these old files.

My mother asked me to do away with all the unusable toys.

dress up

drop back

To be dressed in a fancier or better way than normal

To move back in a position

The party is at a fancy restaurant so we need to dress up appropriately. I was asked to dress up for the mayor’s party. He dropped back to fifth position because he fell off his motorcycle. The coach asked the attacking players to drop back. I thought I’d drop in and say hi.

drop in/by/over

To come without an appointment

Drop someone/something off

To take someone/something somewhere and leave them/it there

drop out

To quit a class, school, etc.

eat out

To eat outside of home, usually in a restaurant

I was surprised when she dropped in unannounced at midnight. Can you drop me off at the bus stop? I will drop him off at the train station before reaching the venue. He dropped out of the chess club because it was too difficult for him. She dropped out of college but managed to set up her own company. I eat out almost five days a week. I do not feel like cooking

today so let’s eat out?

end up

To do/to eventually reach/to decide

If you do not work, you will end up on the streets. He studied history at college but ended up working at a bank. This wall will fall apart if we do not use cement.

fall apart

fall down

To break into pieces

To fall on the ground/ to fall off from somewhere to the ground

The house of cards stood for a minute but then fell apart. If he does not walk carefully on the ledge, he will fall down. He was walking carelessly and thus, fell down. The veteran cricketer has fallen out of favour.

fall out

To separate

The coach and the player had a fall out and the latter decided to quit. She needs to figure out what the problem is.

figuresomethingout

fillsomethingin

To study/understand

To write information in a form, etc.

We need to figure out the route before commencing the trek. Fill in the blank spaces and submit the sheet. You must fill in the form in order to obtain a ticket.

fillsomethingup

To fill something completely or to the top

I want you to fill up the tank with diesel. She wanted to fill up the entire glass with wine. How do I find out where he lives?

find out

getsomething across/over

To search/discover

To communicate

I need you to find out whether he is lying or not. He is a good orator and has no problem getting his message across. He could not get across the message. One must get along with their colleagues.

get along/on

get away

To like each other

To go on a vacation or a leave

get away with something

do something (usually something wrong) without being noticed or punished

get back

To return

It is about time you buried the hatchet and got along with each other They are planning a romantic get away for their anniversary. We have not travelled in a while so we are planning a getaway this summer. He will not get away with an abusive remark like that. You cannot steal cars in broad daylight and expect to get away with it. She did not get back

home until 5 o’clock. The boss needs you to get back from the Bahamas and complete the report.

get back atsomeone

get onsomething

get oversomething

get together

To retaliate/to take a revenge

To step onto something

To recover/overcome

To meet

get up

To stand/get out of bed

givesomethingaway

To reveal/give something for free/donate

My brother got back at me for eating his piece of cake. After being humiliated in public, she decided to get back at her with ruthless intent. The train was full so we could not get on. To reach the chandelier, you must get on the stool. The stock market is slowly getting over the recession. You need to get over the fact that he stole your bicycle. Do you want to get together this Saturday? Let’s get together at the mall this weekend. Please get up, this seat is reserved for ladies. You are not allowed to sit there, so, kindly get up. The ice cream company is giving away free scoops tomorrow.

Before dying, he had pledged to give away half his money to charity. You must give the bone back to the dog. givesomethingback

give in

give up

To return

To unwillingly stop fighting or arguing

To stop trying

You have her mobile phone and need it give it back to her. The dictator finally gave in to the mounting prodemocracy protests. After arguing for over two hours, I decided to give in to her demands. This exam is really difficult and I think I am going to give up. Never give up, never surrender! The big dog is going to go after the cat.

go aftersomeone

go aftersomething

go againstsomeone or something

To follow someone

To try to achieve something

To oppose

The police decided to go after the criminal after he had robbed a bank.” My father always encouraged me to go after my goals. She is really working hard going after the top prize. Does he really want to go against the policies of the company? You cannot go against the coach and expect to

remain with the team.

go ahead

go back

go out

go out withsomeone

go oversomething

go over

To proceed/start/initiate something

To return to a place

To leave home to go out for an occasion, etc.

To date someone

To pay a visit to someone/something nearby

To check or review

The General wants us to go ahead with the plan. The centre has asked the states to go ahead with FDI in the retail sector. This place is very dangerous; I suggest you go back home. He needs us to go back to the office and collect his belongings.” Let’s go out for dinner tonight to celebrate your promotion! I will go out in the evening to watch the play. Tim has wanted to go out with Mary for a long time now. She is going out with two boys at the same time. It’s great that Hari has moved next door; I can just go over to his place whenever I’m bored! She is going over to his place later tonight. Here are your insurance papers, please go over them carefully so that you know all the details. We need to go over this

brochure and select a location for the meeting.

grow apart

To end a friendship

We used to be great friends, but after college we began to grow apart. We were good friends but grew apart after graduating from college. It is always hard for parents when their children grow up.

grow up

grow out of something

grow intosomething

To become an adult

To get too big for something, usually a piece of clothing

To grow big enough to fit

The puppy was tiny when they found it but it grew up to be a huge dog. I will buy a new pair of trousers if and when I grow out of this pair. I have gained weight and grown out of the pants I purchased last summer. Initially he had some trouble at the new office, but things went smoothly after he grew into his role. She has become taller and grown into the dress.

handsomethingdown

To give something used to someone else

When I was a child, I was handed down my brother’s clothes. Please hand down your old books to underprivileged children.

handsomethingout

handsomethingover

hang in

To distribute to a group of people

To give (usually unwillingly)

To stay strong and positive

The party members were spreading their propaganda by handing out fliers. The boss is going to hand out a list of responsibilities to everybody today. The thieves asked us to hand over all our belongings. The landlord requested us to hand over the keys to the apartment. When my friend was diagnosed with cancer, all I could say to him was, “Don’t lose hope. Hang in there.” Don’t lose heart, hang in there!

hang on

hang out

hang up

To wait for a short time

To spend time relaxing or chilling out

To end a phone call

Hang on, let me get ready and then we can leave. Hang on, I’m coming too! My friends and I generally hang out at malls. Let’s hang out at the bar after work tonight. When I get angry with someone on the phone, I simply hang up. I did not wish to talk to him anymore so I decided to hang up the

phone.

Hold someone/something back

holdsomethingback

hold on

keep on doing something

To prevent from doing/going

To hide an emotion/to be stopped by something or someone

To wait for a short time

continue doing

keepsomethingfrom someone

To not tell/not do/to keep a secret

Keep someone/something out

To stop someone or something from entering at a place

If you have a complaint, don’t hold back; you cannot fix the problem if you do not voice it. You must hold him back from committing such a dangerous stunt. He was a great athlete, but he was held back from succeeding by his parents, who wanted him to study instead. He held back his tears even though he was distraught. She asked the taxi driver to hold on while she located her wallet. He has asked you to hold on to his book until he returns. He asked them to keep on working while he looked around. The musicians kept on playing even though it was raining. Why do you keep secrets from me? You have a wonderful voice so you must not keep from singing. The insects must be kept out at all costs. The gate has been

installed to keep out stray dogs. Keep up the good work! keepsomethingup

To continue at the same rate

Keep up this speed for the rest of the journey and we will reach on time. You can rely on her; she will never let you down.

letsomeonedown

letsomeonein

look after someone/something

look down on someone

look for someone/something

To disappoint someone

To permit to enter

To take care of

To belittle someone/ to consider someone inferior to oneself

To try to find

You have let me down with this disappointing performance. Please lock the door and do not let anybody in. Yes, he is a guest so please let him in. Nurses are supposed to look after patients. I need you to look after my dog while I’m away. She always looks down on her staff and treats them badly. A lot of people look down on them because they are poor. Do you want to look for the pen we lost yesterday? Let us look for the ball in the garage.

look forward to something

To be excited about some future plan, etc.

Are you looking forward to tonight’s football match?

I am really looking forward to the weekend!

look intosomething

look out

To investigate

To be careful

We are going to look into the price of cars today. They need to look into the matter carefully in order to avoid a lawsuit. Don’t forget to look out for mosquitoes in the swamp. Look out for speeding buses on the highway.

look out for someone/something

To be extra careful or vigilant

The guide told them to look out for pickpockets in the marketplace. Look out for hurricane alerts on the island at this time of the year. Give the document a look over for errors.

looksomethingover

look up tosomeone

makesomethingup

To check/examine

To respect someone immensely

To lie about something

The teacher wants the student to look over his answers once again. I look up to my sister because she is a wonderful human being. I look up to my coach because he was a great sportsman. When asked why I hadn’t done my homework, I made up a story about having done it but forgotten that that day was the day of

submission. You must stop making up stories because we know you are lying.

make up

makesomeoneup

mixsomethingup

To forgive each other

To apply cosmetics

To get confused

He returned my money very late, but tried to make up for it by treating me to lunch. He is taking her out to dinner to make up for being at work on their anniversary. She was so nervous she almost went on stage without any make up. That actor uses a lot of make up before shooting a scene. We got through most of the show without any mix ups, but right at the end the lead actor forgot one of his lines. The experienced striker pounced on a defensive mix-up to fire home into an open goal.

pass away

To die

I took two weeks off work because my grandfather passed away. Our dog had been ill for a few months and passed away last night.

pass out

To lose consciousness

It was so hot in the examination hall that one of the students passed out for a couple

of minutes. He walking in the sun and passed out due to the heat.

paysomeoneback

To return the owed money

There should be no money issues between friends, so when I lend money to my friends I tell them they can pay back whenever it is convenient for them. You can borrow money now but you must pay back within a week.

pay forsomething

picksomethingout

To be punished for doing something bad

To choose

It is my policy to pay for everything when I am out on a date. The police swore that the terrorist would pay for destroying the building. I always let my mother pick out my clothes, because she has excellent taste. The concierge at the hotel helped us pick out a nice restaurant.

Point someone/something out

To point or indicate using your finger

I tried to give the tourists directions orally, but they couldn’t understand me, so I pointed out the turning they were supposed to take. I have asked the professor to point out all the mistakes in my

assignment.

putsomethingoff

To postpone

I was very tired that day, so I put off the meeting till after the weekend. The boss has asked us to put off our lunch plan to a later hour. We had to put together the presentation in 2 days.

putsomething together

put up with someone/something

putsomethingon

run into someone/something

To assemble

To bear or tolerate something or someone

To wear a dress/accessories on your body

To meet someone unexpectedly

The different parts have been provided in order to put together this mountain bike. My roommate told me to move out, saying, “I can’t put up with your irresponsible ways anymore!” The company is not going to put up with inappropriate behaviour at the workplace. I did not need to put on the t-shirt to know it was too big for me. Pick out a dress, put it on, and decide whether you like it or not. I ran into an old friend from college the other day. It was a pleasant surprise when I ran into him at the mall the other day.

run over someone/something

run away

run out

To drive a vehicle over a person or thing

To leave unexpectedly/ to escape

To have nothing left of something

Your toy is broken because I ran over it with my car. The truck accidently ran over a cat on the highway. The bride had run away with someone else on the wedding day. The children made a plan to run away from home to join the circus.” They ran out of sandwiches at the cafe. She couldn’t make tea as they had run out of milk. I sent back the steak because it raw.

sendsomethingback

setsomethingup

setsomeoneup

To return

To arrange/organize

To trick/trap someone or something

This product is not what we had ordered and we are going to send it back. They want to set up a lemonade stall at the fair. The government needs to set up a commission for the riot victims. The hunter set the lion up for the trap but it escaped. The people at the bank were part of a set up by the police to catch the criminal.

show off

sleep over

sortsomethingout

stick tosomething

To act boastfully when people watch

To stay somewhere out of home, for the night

To organise/ to resolve a situation

To continue doing something

He wants to show off his house by illuminating it. Most people simply love to show off their wealth in front of their friends. Jack is planning a sleepover at his place on his birthday. The first sleepover at a friend’s place can be a big deal for some children. You may want the lawyers to sort the issue out. We need to sort out these cards and arrange them according to size. You will not lose weight if you do not stick to the diet. Most people do not stick to the same job for a long period. Could you switch the light off please?

switchsomethingoff

switchsomethingon

To turn off

To turn on

Please switch off the television before going to bed. He turned the machine on again and it stopped making a noise. Grandmother wants you to switch on the radio for her.

I need to take my money back from him. takesomethingback

take off

To return something

To start flying

He can keep my bag for now but I’m going to take it back tomorrow.” I feel that the most thrilling part of any plane journey is when it takes off. The plane finally took off after taxiing for twenty minutes.

takesomethingoff

takesomethingout

To remove something (usually items of clothing)

To remove from a place

takesomeoneout

To take someone out with yourself and also to pay for them

tearsomethingup

To rip something into pieces

I was about to take off my clothes when I realised there was someone else in the room. I want you to take this off the list and include that instead. She took out some money from the safe. Please take out the garbage after dinner. My girlfriend was very depressed because she had lost her job so I took her out for dinner. On the last day of college the professor took the students out for lunch. My boss simply tears up the articles he doesn’t like. The cat tore up the

newspaper.

think back

To recall or remember

Whenever I think back to my school days, tears of nostalgia come to my eyes. Think back to the time when we were at the beach.

thinksomethingover

throwsomething away

turnsomethingdown

turnsomethingdown

To consider

To trash something or to dispose of

To decrease the volume

To refuse

turnsomethingoff

To switch off

turnsomethingon

To switch on

You must think this job offer over before taking a decision. This is my proposal, think it over, and let me know. I like that bag, please do not throw it away. These dirty clothes need to be thrown away. I want to turn down the volume. The old man has asked me to turn down the volume. He asked her to marry him but she turned him down. He turned down the offer from ABC Corporation. He turned off the lights before going to bed. Please turn off the fans when you leave. She forgot to turn on

the charger so her cell stayed off. He asked her to turn on the coffee machine.

trysomethingout

usesomethingup

To test

To use something entirely or to finish all

Do you want to try out this new shampoo? Most people refrain from trying out a new cuisine. I get very tense when my friends come over because they use up all my supplies. I cannot print this page because all the ink in the printer has been used up. I generally wake up at about 7 in the morning.

wake up

warm up

wear off

To stop sleeping

To prepare the body for exercise

To diminish in quality because of frequent use

You need to wake up early in the morning for karate practice. It is a good idea to warm up before engaging in strenuous physical activity. It is essential to warm up a little before swimming. The difference between superior and inferior products is that the latter wear out much more quickly. The sole of this old shoe has worn out.

work out

To exercise

My lifestyle has gotten so sedentary since I joined the office that I have signed up for daily work outs at the gym. Only a few people take gym memberships to actually work out.

work out

To be successful with something

I really hope that things work out for you. This job will work out only if I can get my own office.