PHRASAL VERBS ALPHABETICAL ORDER

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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.

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 in for

Have something as an interest or hobby.

She doesn't really go in for sports.

go through

Experience.

Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident.

grow up

Spend one's childhood / become an adult

He grew up in a small village in the mountains.

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example hand back Return She read the article and then handed it back. hand down Pass on (by tradition, inheritance...) My clothes were handed down to me by my older sister. hand in Submit (report, homework) All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month. hand out Distribute Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration. hand over Give to someone in authority. The boy was forced to hand over the mobile phone he had stolen. hang back Be reluctant to do something All the children rushed towards the clown except one boy who hung back. hang on Wait Hang on a minute. I'm early ready. hang on (to) Keep a hold on something Hang on to that rope and you'll be ok. hang out Spend time in a particular place or with a group of friends Where does he hang out these days? Who does he hang out with? hang up End a telephone conversation Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet. head off Start to go somewhere. He headed off to the train station. head for Go/move in a certain direction. The boat was heading for the rocks. hit at Aim a blow at something. He hit at the wasp with a newspaper. hit back Retaliate / reply to an attack When he was attacked, the boy hit back. hit on/upon Find unexpectedly or by inspiration She hit upon an idea for her new collection. hold on 1) Wait 2) Grip tightly 1) Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown. 2) She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge. hold up Show as a example  She held up the diagram for all to see. hook up Fasten (a garment) I need help to hook up my dress. hook up (with) Link broadcasting facilities Many networks are hooked up by satellite. hurry up Be quick / act speedily Hurry up! We'll miss the bus!

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
reel off	Recite without effort or pause	She amazed everyone by reeling off all the phrasal verbs she had learned.
rely on	Count on / depend on / trust	Don't worry. You can rely on me.  I can keep a secret.
rub out	Erase	Write it in pencil so that you can rub it out.
rule out	Eliminate	The police ruled out political motives.
run away	Escape from a place or suddenly leave	He ran away from home at the age of fourteen.
run into	Meet by accident or unexpectedly (also : bump into)	Sophie ran into Maria at the shopping centre.
run out of	Have no more of something	What a nuisance! I've run out of coffee.
set off	Start a journey	Early Saturday morning we set off for the ski slopes.
set up	Start a business	She set up  her own company 10 years ago.
shop around	Compare prices	It's always wise to shop around before buying anything.
show off	Brag or want to be admired	There's David showing off in his new sports car!
show up	Appear / arrive	We expected William to come but he didn't show up.
shut up (impolite)	Be silent, stop talking	Oh shut up you idiot!
sign away	Give up one's rights or ownership	He signed away his property and joined a religious community.
sign in	Register (e.g. at a hotel)	Let's go and eat as soon as we've signed in.
sign out	Pay your bill and leave (e.g. a hotel)	He signed out and left for the airport.
sign over (to)	Transfer ownership of something	He signed over the house to his two children.
sign up (for)	Enroll in an activity	Emma signed up for a computer course.
sign up (with)	Sign an agreement to work for somebody	Paul has signed up with a news agency.
single out	Select for special attention	Two boys were singled out for extra coaching.
sink in	To be fully understood	It took a while for the scale of the disaster to sink in.
sit down	Take a seat	Please come in and sit down.
sleep in	Sleep later than usual	Tomorrow's Saturday, so I can sleep in!
sober up	Get rid of the effects of too much alcohol	Jack went for a long walk to sober up.
stand up	Rise from a sitting position	The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived.
stick up for	Defend	It's important to stick up for one's principles.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example take after Resemble in appearance or character Jamie really takes after his dad. take apart Dismantle or separate the components The technician has to take the machine apart in order to repair it. take away Buy food at a restaurant and carry it elsewhere to eat it. Two beef curries to take away please. take away Cause something to disappear The doctor gave me tablets to take away the pain. take back Agree to receive back/ be returned. We will take back goods only if you can produce the receipt. take back Retract or withdraw something said I take back what I said about cheating. take care of Look after I'll take care of your plants while you're away. take off Leave the ground The plane took off at 7 o'clock. take in Allow to stay in one's home She's always taking in stray cats and dogs! take in Note with your eyes and register. She took in every detail of her rival's outfit. take in Understand what one sees, hears or reads / realize what is happening. The man immediately took in the scene and called the police. take on Hire or engage staff Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff. take out Remove / extract She took out a pen to note the address. take out Invite someone to dinner, the theatre, cinema, etc. He took her out for a meal on her birthday. tell off Reprimand / criticize severely The teacher told her off for not doing her homework. test out Carry out an experiment The theory hasn't been tested out yet. think over Consider I'll have to think over the proposal before I decide. throw away Discard as useless or unwanted. You can throw away that book - it's a load of rubbish! throw up Vomit / be sick I nearly threw up when I saw the injured passengers. tire out Exhaust completely The children tired out their grandmother. touch down Land on the runway The plane touched down exactly on time. toy with Think about, without serious intent I've been toying with the idea of starting to walk to work. track down Find by searching The police finally tracked down the main suspect. trade in Give as part payment for a new article. I traded in my car for a new model. try on Put on or wear something to see if it suits or fits I'm not sure about the size.  Can I try it on? turn away Refuse entrance to someone Hundreds of fans were turned away from the football stadium. turn down 1)Lower the volume. 2)Refuse 1)Please turn down the music;  it's too     loud. 2) I couldn't turn down an offer like that! turn off Stop by turning a switch, tap or knob. Turn off the lights please before you leave. turn up 1) Arrive, appear 2) Raise the volume 1) She turned up an hour late. 2) Could you turn up the radio please?   Phrasal Verb Meaning Example use up Finish a product ( so that there's none left) The kids have used up all the toothpaste.   vie with Compete or rival with someone The athletes vied with each other for first place. vouch for Express confidence in, or guarantee something You can give the keys to Andy.  I can vouch for him.   ward off Keep away or repel (something dangerous or unpleasant). I take plenty of vitamin C to ward off colds. warm up 1) Reheat something. 2) Make more lively or more relaxed. 1) She warmed up some left-over soup. 2) He told a  few jokes to warm up the     atmosphere. wash up Wash the dishes after a meal. Who's going to help me wash up? watch out Be careful Watch out! There's a car coming. water down 1) Dilute or make weaker by adding water 2) Make less severe 1) If you water down the medicine it will be     easier to take. 2) He watered down his remarks so as not     to offend anyone. wear out 1) Become unusable 2) Become very tired 1) Julie wore out her shoes sightseeing. 2) At the end of the day Julie was worn out. whip up Prepare quickly. I can whip up something to eat if you're hungry. wolf down Eat greedily and quickly. The boys wolfed down the whole cake in no time! work out 1) Do physical exercise 2) Find a solution or calculate something 1) I work out twice a week at the gym club. 2) It's expensive but I haven't worked out      the exact cost yet. wind up Finish or put an end to something - Before winding up his speech he thanked   everyone for their presence. - He decided to wind up his business and   retire. wind up Arrive finally in a place. We finally wound up in a village with a spectacular view. wipe off Clean (board, table) The teacher asked Lee to wipe off the board.   FROM:http://www.learn-english-today.com