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. |