- Phrasal Verbs (sentence examples: call back - cut up)
- Phrasal Verbs (Sentence examples: eat away – follow up)
Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
dawn on |
To begin to become known or obvious. |
The truth finally dawned on him that she really meant what she said. |
deal in |
To trade in something. |
My uncle’s business deals in genuine monkey skin. |
deal with |
To take action to solve a problem. |
They seem unable to deal with the long-standing problem. |
decide on |
To make up one’s mind about something. |
She can’t decide on the dress to wear for the occasion. |
delight in |
To get great pleasure out of something. |
Jack delights in telling stories about his days in the prison. |
depend on/upon |
To need something in order to continue doing what one wants to do. |
They know their future depends on their hard work, and not on their teachers. |
die away |
To become lesser until it disappears. |
I could only sleep after the noise caused by thunderstorm died away. |
die down |
To subside. |
The storm has died down and the sea become calmer. |
die off |
To decline in population. |
A few plant species in the area were dying off when they started breeding goats. |
die out |
To become extinct. |
The old French custom of serving the vegetables separate from the meat has died out. |
do away with |
To get rid of. |
His wife wants him to do away with his vast collection of old magazines. |
To kill. |
The gang threatened to do away with his entire family if he stood for the election. |
|
do for |
To provide for. |
Employing a temporary worker will do for the time being. |
do in |
To tire out completely. |
Painting the house really did me in. |
To kill. |
It is believed a hired killer did his boss in |
|
do out |
To clean or tidy out. |
We need to do out the room before we can rent it out. |
do out of |
To cheat. |
She was done out of $100 by a door-to-door salesman this morning. |
do over |
To do again or differently. |
The report contains errors and the boss wants him to do it over. |
do up |
To make improvement through repairing or redecoration. |
He bought an old car and did it up. |
To do something to make oneself more attractive. |
She looks more beautiful when she did her hair up. |
|
To wrap something. |
He did the birthday present up in coloured shiny paper for her. |
|
To fasten. |
Can you do up the zip at her back? |
|
do with |
To require something. |
With this warm weather, I could do with a cold drink. |
do without |
To manage without something. |
Our boat was adrift, and we had to do without solid food for two days. |
To prefer not to have something. |
I wish she would keep quiet; I can do without all this grumbling. |
|
draw away |
To move further ahead. |
After the third lap, the leading runner drew away from the pack. |
draw in |
To get involved. |
The quarrel is between you two; don’t draw me in. |
draw into |
To involve someone. |
Some of these kids get drawn into drug addiction by their peers. |
draw off |
To take off a small amount from a larger supply. |
If you want some beer, you can draw off some from that barrel. |
draw on |
To make use of |
Luckily, I have a savings to draw on to buy her a present. |
draw out |
To take money out of an account. |
We don’t know why she drew out such a large amount of money from her account. |
draw up |
To draft a legal document. |
Thinking he’s going to die soon, he drew up a will. |
To come to a stop. |
The taxi drew up in front of me. |
|
To prepare a list. |
The party drew up a list of candidates for the forthcoming election. |
|
dream away |
To pass time idly thinking of something. |
At times, I couldn’t help but dreamed away the hours. |
dream of |
To pass time idly thinking of something. |
He told me he had always dreamed of winning the first prize in the lottery. |
dream on |
To tell someone what they wish for is improbable or unrealistic. |
When I asked if she’s going to help me with the cooking, she told me to dream on. |
dream up |
To invent mentally. |
The professor dreamt up the possibility of building a new breed of robots that would think like him. |
drive at |
To really try to say something. |
He didn’t say exactly what he meant, but we knew what he was driving at. |
drive away |
To behave in a way that forces people to stay away. |
His bossiness has driven his relatives and friends away. |
drive off |
To leave in a car. |
He was probably angry when without a word, he just got into his car and drove off. |
drive out |
To force someone or something to leave. |
The new supermarket has driven out small retail shops from the area. |
drive up |
To force other things to go up. |
The rise in oil price drives up other prices. |
drop behind |
To fall behind. |
She dropped behind in her schoolwork during her illness. |
drop by |
To visit someone for a short time. |
They dropped by their grandparents every weekend. |
drop in |
To stop in for a short visit. |
He always drops in for a chat without prior notice. |
drop off |
To decrease. |
Sales usually drop off at this time of the year. |
To begin to fall asleep. |
After listening to the speech for five minutes, I was dropping off. |
|
To drive someone to a particular place. |
He dropped us off at the post office. |
|
drop out |
To withdraw before completing something. |
He shouldn’t have dropped out of school, but he did. |
To leave before finishing something. |
After three laps, he had to drop out because of injury. |
|
dry off |
To make or become dry. |
We lay on the beach to dry off after a swim. |
dry out |
To make or become dry. |
Our washing dried out very quickly in this hot weather |
dry up |
To have no more water. |
The prolonged drought had caused some of the rivers to dry up. |