Phrasal Verb

Meaning

Example Sentence

give away

To present bride to bridegroom. 

Is it the bride’s father, mother or eldest brother who gives the bride away? 

To make free offer. 

The store is giving away a packet of rat poison with every packet purchased. 

To unintentionally disclose secret information. 

She was to keep it a secret, but she gave it away. 

To let others have the things we no longer need.

Since we no longer use all these clothes, why don’t we just give them away?

give back

To return.

He hasn’t given back the money I lent him two years ago.

give in

To stop opposing.

We are a weak team, but we always play to win; we never give in.

give in to

To submit.

My best friend, a henpecked husband, always gives in to his wife.

give of

To devote one own self.

She used to give of her free time to help charitable work.

give off

To send forth smell, energy, heat, etc.

Some insects give off unpleasant smell.

give out

To distribute. 

Someone is giving out free samples of a brand-new snake oil.

To fail to operate in the usual or proper way.

Near the end of the race, his legs gave out causing him to knee down.

give over to

To submit oneself to feeling or doing something.

After his girlfriend left him, he gave himself over to excessive drinking.

give up

To stop doing something. 

They searched for the missing child, but eventually gave up and made a police report. 

To surrender. 

The fugitive wanted by police gave himself up. 

To abandon what one has been trying to do.

She gave up writing a book on the diverse sizes and shapes of the dinosaurs.

give up on

To lose hope.

After waiting for two hours for the rain to stop, we soon gave up on it stopping any time soon.

give up to

To be emotionally overwhelmed.

The family of the deceased gave themselves up to considerable grief.

go about

To begin to deal with something. 

We should discuss how to go about imposing discipline in the workplace. 

To begin working at something. 

The police recruits were shown how to go about patrolling the areas. 

To do what one usually does.

Despite some civil unrest, people go about their business as usual.

go after

To try to catch someone. 

Police went after him in an abandoned house, but he had already fled. 

To try to get something.

He preaches that you can get what you go after in life if you have the determination.

go against

To disagree. 

She went against her mother’s advice when she divorced her husband. 

To be unfavourable to.

The judgment went against them, and they intend to appeal to a higher court.

go ahead

To happen. 

They went ahead with building the chemical plant despite strong local opposition. 

To give permission. to do something

When asked if I could borrow some of his tools, he told me to go ahead.

go along

To continue with something.

We will make the necessary adjustments as we go along with the project.

go along with

To agree.

I’m afraid I can’t go along with your idea.

go around

To happen in the present time. 

A rumour is going around that someone is going to be fired. 

To meet the requirement. 

The problem now is we don’t have enough chairs to go around. 

To do something that is not supported or proven by evidence. 

You can’t go around thinking everyone is unfriendly to you. 

To go here and there.

She often goes around talking to her own self.

go at

To attack with energy and enthusiasm. 

The two fighting cocks went at each other with killing intent. 

To commit oneself to an undertaking.

They went at building the levee with urgency and energy.

go away

To spend time elsewhere from home. 

We are going away to one of those tropical islands this Summer. 

To leave.

She was so angry with him that she told him to go away and leave her alone.

go back

To return for something. 

I left my wallet at home and now I’ve to go back for it. 

To return home, hotel, etc. 

We had better go back; it’s going to rain. 

To break one’s promise.

She has gone back on her word to marry him.

go back to

To do something again.

She decided not to go back to work after her delivery.

go by

To act in accordance with a rule, decision, etc. 

Go by the rules or I am not playing. 

To follow something. 

You go by that old map and now we are lost. 

To pass.

Years have gone by and there’s still no news about the escaped prisoner.

go down

To move below the horizon. 

While having a meal at a seaside resort, we watched the sun go down. 

To be accepted.

Your proposal didn’t go down well with the others at the meeting.

go for

To like a particular type of person or thing. 

Jenny is known to go for tall and handsome men with considerable wealth.

To attack physically or with words. 

The untruth of what he said about her made her go for him. 

To make great efforts to get something. 

James is determined to go for the gold medal this time. 

To like someone or something better than another or others; to choose.

Unlike her friends, she always goes for fast food.

go in

To enter a place. 

No one knows why he goes in the cemetery after dark. 

To start a business with someone.

He is not going in with his inexperienced friends to start a catering business.

go in for

To hunt and kill for food.

The rodent was injured, and the hawk went in for the kill.

go into

To join a profession. 

He hasn’t decided to go into teaching or journalism. 

To do or produce something. 

Considerable effort, time and money went into organizing the event. 

To discuss or explain in detail.

I don’t want to go into any more detail than absolutely necessary.

go off

To explode. 

The bomb went off prematurely and killed the bomber. 

To make a loud noise. 

His alarm clock went off at 6.30 and woke me up as well. 

To stop working.

The whole stadium was plunged into complete darkness when the lights went off.

go off with

To leave a loved one for someone else. 

She has gone off with her brother-in-law. 

To use something without permission.

This is the third time he’s gone off with my motorbike.

go on

To pass. 

As time went on, I became more attracted to her. 

To do something next. 

Can you go on to the next topic? This one is very boring. 

To take place. 

I just woke up and I didn’t know what was going on. 

To go on to do something or become somebody. 

He went on to become the first mayor of the city. 

To continue.

We are waiting for her to go on with the ghost story.

go out

To go to any place outside one’s home. 

I don’t usually go out unless I have to. 

To stop burning. 

The fire in the fireplace had gone out while we were sleeping. 

To have a relationship. 

He has been going out with somebody’s wife. 

To lose in a sports competition.

It’s the first time they went out at the quarter-final stage.

go over

To look at closely.

Let’s go over the figures again and see why they don’t tally.

go through

To experience. 

She went through the terrible five-hour ordeal while being held as a hostage. 

To examine carefully. 

The officers went through our luggage very carefully. 

To be discussed and voted on to become law.

A bill has to go through Parliament before it can become law.

go through with

To do something that has been agreed or promised.

Jane feels she isn’t ready yet to go through with the wedding.

go together

To be well-suited. 

Purple trousers and an orange shirt don’t go together. 

To be found together.

If you know her, you will know brain and beauty do go together.

go under

To fail. 

Many small businesses go under in the first year of operation. 

To sink.

The ship went under shortly after colliding with a giant iceberg.

go up

To be built. 

Many tall buildings have gone up since my last visit here. 

To explode. 

The accident caused one of the cars to go up in flame. 

To increase.

The price of petrol has gone up again.

go with

To suit. 

Does Ivan’s baldness go with his bushy beard? 

To have a romantic relationship. 

His wife was the only woman he ever went with. 

To combine something with something else. 

A chauffeur-driven car goes with the job. 

To accept an idea.

Bob has come up with the best plan, let’s go with it.

go without

To not have something.

A new car is something we have to go without as we cannot afford it.