List 14 - Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verbs (Sentence examples: accede to - buy up)
Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
accede to |
To agree to do something |
She would not accede to parental pressure to get married. |
account for |
To provide explanation for. |
Increasing disappearance of icebergs in the Arctic is accounted for by global warming. |
agree to |
To consent. |
She agreed to meet me only after I’ve apologized to her. |
agree with |
To think the same. |
I don’t like you but I agree entirely with what you have said. |
amount to |
To be the same as. |
His decision amounts to an outright refusal. |
answer back |
To react rudely. |
He was told off for answering her back. |
answer for |
To be responsible for something wrong that one did. |
David will have to answer for his impoliteness. |
attribute to |
To say something is caused by someone or something else. |
He attributed his success to his wife’s constant encouragement. |
back away |
To move away; to withdraw. |
He backed away when challenged to a fight. |
back down |
To withdraw from a commitment. |
The government backed down over the issue after widespread protests. |
back off |
To retreat. |
They told him to back off after he put too much pressure on them. |
back out |
To withdraw from doing something or before it is completed. |
We were shocked when he backed out of the project at the last minute. |
back up |
To confirm what someone says is true. |
The witnesses backed up his account of the incident. |
blow away |
To kill by shooting with a gun. |
They threatened to blow the hostages away if the soldiers attempted a rescue mission. |
blow out |
To burst. |
One of our tyres/tire blew out while we were on our way to catch a train. |
blow over |
To become weaker. |
We waited until the storm blew over before continuing our journey. |
blow up |
To explode; to destroy by explosion of a bomb. |
A suicide bomber blew up a van carrying soldiers. |
boil away |
To heat until liquid disappears. |
I overslept and the water boiled away leaving the kettle intensely hot. |
boil down to |
To be the main reason or equivalent of. |
What his endless arguments boil down to is that he wants others to believe him. |
boil over |
To lose control of one’s temper. |
The discussion boiled over into a shouting match. |
break away |
To move from or ahead of a group. |
The leading runner broke away from the pack on the final lap. |
break down |
To fail owing to some reason. |
After ten years, their marriage broke down irretrievably leading to a divorce. |
break in |
To enter a building forcibly or illegally. |
He was arrested for trying to break in through the window of a house. |
break into |
To forcibly enter a building to steal. |
They broke into a research laboratory and removed all the animals. |
break off |
To give up [a habit]. |
She found it hard to break herself off biting nails. |
To discontinue a relationship. |
Jack broke off with Jill after only three months. |
|
break out |
To escape from a place such as a prison. |
A plan by some prisoners to break out of the prison was foiled by the prison guards. |
break through |
To force oneself through an obstruction. |
The mod managed to break through the police cordon. |
break up |
To disperse a crowd. |
The police used tear gas to break up the protest demonstration. |
To come to an end. |
The house-warming party broke up around midnight. |
|
bring about |
To cause something to happen. |
Global warming will bring about changes in man’s attitude towards the environment. |
bring around/round |
To make someone regain consciousness. |
They were trying to bring him around by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. |
bring back |
To reuse something. |
More and more people are advocating that the death penalty be brought back. |
bring down |
To cause to collapse. |
Corruption and bribery scandals had brought down the government. |
bring forth |
To produce. |
A quarrel about money that brought forth tragic deaths. |
bring forward |
To make something happen earlier. |
The matches have been brought forward to avoid the bad weather. |
bring in |
To invite someone for a purpose. |
The police had to be brought in to settle a seemingly private dispute. |
bring on/upon |
To make something happen. |
There are people who bring misfortune upon themselves. |
bring out |
To make a good quality noticeable. |
Disasters bring out the best in human nature when many volunteer in rescue operations. |
bring together |
To make people come into close association. |
What brought them together is their common interests. |
bring up |
To care and educate a child. |
The divorcee brought up her six children single-handedly. |
brush aside |
To be unwilling to consider something. |
He brushed their suggestions aside, saying they are not practical. |
brush off |
To refuse to give one’s attention to something. |
The film star brushed off a rumour of his impending divorce. |
brush up |
To resume practicing a skill. |
I must brush up on my driving before I get a car. |
burn away |
To be destroyed by fire. |
Fire burnt away the building leaving only the pillars standing. |
burn down |
To be destroyed by fire. |
By the time the firemen arrived, the fire had burnt the houses down. |
burn out |
To stop burning as there’s nothing left to burn. |
The fire was too huge to be extinguished and had to be left to burn itself out. |
burn up |
To be destroyed completely by fire. |
The forest fire burnt up vast tracts of woodland. |
buy into |
To believe wholeheartedly in something. |
That’s your personal belief; I’m not buying into it. |
buy off |
To bribe. |
The accused man’s father tried to buy the judge off but was arrested. |
buy out |
To purchase stock, etc in order to gain complete control of a company, etc. |
He bought out some shareholders and now he has a controlling interest in the business. |
buy up |
To purchase all that is available of something. |
The dealer bought up a huge quantity of a scarce commodity in anticipation of its price increase. |
Phrasal Verbs (sentence examples: call back - cut up)
Phrasal Verb |
Phrasal Verb Meaning |
Example Sentence |
call back |
To return a telephone call. |
I have already called her ten times and she hasn’t called back. |
call for |
To demand. |
The students are calling for more books for the library. |
call in |
To telephone someone at a particular place. |
The manager called in to say he was on the way. |
To ask for someone’s help or services. |
They tried to settle the matter without calling in the police. |
|
call off |
To postpone or cancel. |
The couple called off their engagement by mutual consent. |
call on |
To make a brief visit. |
She must be hiding every time I called on her as she’s never in. |
call up |
To select, e.g. as a player. |
That was the first time he was called up to play for the team. |
carry on |
To continue doing something. |
When heavy rain started falling, we carried on playing football. |
carry out |
To do or complete something. |
She screamed at them when her instructions were not carried out to the letter. |
carry over |
To extend beyond a place or time. |
Letting his problems at work carry over into his private life caused him to drink to excess. |
catch on |
To become popular. |
He became popular when his new bawdy song caught on very fast. |
catch up |
To reach same standard as others. |
Having been ill for the last few days, I now have got to catch up on my studying. |
catch up with |
To finally discover someone had done wrong and punish them. |
After all these years the law finally caught up with him. |
clean out |
To remove dirt, rubbish, etc from a place. |
They have to clean out the attic before they move out. |
clean up |
To make a place free from dirt, stains, rubbish, etc. |
The group of volunteers gathered to clean up the beach. |
clear away |
To remove unwanted things or put them back to where they belong so that the place becomes tidy. |
The children quickly cleared away all their toys before mum reached home. |
clear off |
To leave quickly. |
They cleared off from chatting in the canteen when the boss entered. |
clear out |
To make a place tidy by getting rid of unwanted things. |
It’s time to clear your bedroom out; it’s cluttered up with piles of books and old magazines. |
clear up |
To improve, especially weather. |
The weather cleared up and we went for a drive along the coast. |
close down |
To cease operation such as a business, shop, etc. |
The factory was forced to close down by falling demand for its products. |
close in |
To move in on a target and prevent its escape. |
The police are closing in on the gang’s hideout. |
close off |
To not allow access. |
Two lanes were closed off for roadwork. |
close out |
To dispose of something cheaply. |
The store is closing out a particular brand of shoes. |
close up |
To not open for the time during which something is being done. |
The supermarket is closed up for renovation. |
come about |
To happen. |
How did it come about that we didn’t meet when we’re both there at the same time? |
come across |
To meet or find by chance. |
I came across a bronze statue of a brontosaurus in an antique shop. |
come along |
To go somewhere with. |
I wanted to go to the cinema but my girlfriend refused to come along with me. |
come apart |
To separate into pieces. |
My glasses came apart when I walked right into someone in the dark. |
come around |
To change one’s opinion. |
He came around after I showed him all the evidence. |
To visit someone at home. |
I expected you to come around for the drinking session, but you didn’t. |
|
come at |
To rush threateningly at someone. |
I dreamed he came at me with a dagger and demanded, “Your money or your life?” |
come back |
To regain success after setback. |
He came back from five-nil down to level at seven-all. |
come before |
To be more important. |
She said her children would always come before her career. |
come between |
To cause conflict between two persons. |
He doesn’t allow anything, not even his wife, to come between him and his work. |
come by |
To find something that is difficult to get. |
Plum jobs are hard to come by these days. |
come down |
To travel south. |
They are coming down from Iceland this weekend. |
come down on |
To punish. |
Her parents really came down hard on her for playing truant. |
come down to |
To be the most important factor. |
When it comes down to her political beliefs, she is not prepared to compromise. |
come down with |
To suffer something infectious, though not serious. |
He just came down with a cold, so we have to postpone the trip. |
come for |
To arrive so as to get something or someone. |
You had better hide; they are coming for you. |
come forward |
To volunteer to provide information. |
Despite the high reward offered, no one has come forward with any information. |
come from |
To have started from. |
He comes from a long line of actors. |
come in |
To be useful when needed. |
These small tools come in handy when we need them. |
come of |
To happen because of something. |
His persistent cough comes of smoking heavily. |
come off |
To take place or occur. |
Despite all our efforts, the social gathering did not come off very well. |
come out |
To become known. |
The truth of the matter will come out sooner or later. |
come out of |
To result from something |
The police combed the entire area for evidence, but nothing came out of it. |
come out with |
To say something that is unexpected. |
He came out with his own interpretation which is not entirely accurate. |
come over |
To make a casual visit. |
If you come over next week, we can do it together. |
come to |
To regain consciousness. |
She came to about an hour after he was admitted to the hospital. |
come through |
To become clear or obvious. |
Her anger came through in her facial expression. |
come under |
To experience or suffer. |
The politician came under widespread criticism for what he proposed. |
come up |
To move towards. |
A stranger came up to me and asked for the way to the museum. |
come up against |
To deal with. |
In parliament, he had to come up against experienced opposition members. |
come up for |
To be dealt with in the future. |
The proposal will come up for revision next week. |
come up with |
To think of a plan for something. |
They intend to come up with a solution soon. |
To think of an idea. |
We welcome anybody who can come up with an alternative plan. |
|
come upon |
To discover by chance. |
We came upon a headless corpse when we stepped into a disused mine. |
To find what one has been looking for. |
The police finally came upon the spot where the murder supposedly took place. |
|
count down |
To call out numbers in descending order to zero. |
We like to join in when they count down before the launch of a rocket. |
count in |
To include someone. |
If you are having a drinking session this evening, you can count me in. |
count on |
To depend. |
You can count on my help whenever you need it. |
count out |
To not include someone. |
If you are going on a shopping spree this weekend, count me out. |
cross off |
To remove an item from a list by drawing a line through it. |
As you perform each task, cross it off the list. |
cross out |
To draw a line through something that is written wrongly. |
When you make a mistake, cross it out. |
cut across |
To take a shorter route than an alternative longer one. |
We’d better cut across the park and get home before it rains. |
cut away |
To remove unwanted parts. |
We spend the whole afternoon cutting away the dead branches. |
cut back |
To reduce. |
Businesses are cutting back on staff to remain profitable. |
cut down |
To reduce the quantity. |
You ought to cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke. |
cut in |
To interrupt. |
His annoying habit is to cut in whenever a conversation is going on. |
To suddenly drive into the space in front of another car. |
The stupid driver suddenly cut in right in front of us. |
|
cut off |
To stop someone from continuing talking by interrupt them. |
He tried to explain but they cut him off and warned him not to be late again. |
cut out |
To tell someone to stop doing something. |
Can you fellows cut it out? I’m trying to read. |
cut up |
To cut into pieces. |
The murderer cut up the victim’s body into eight pieces. |
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