- Phrasal Verbs (Sentence examples: pass around/round – polish up)
- Phrasal Verbs (Sentence examples: read into – rush out)
Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
pull ahead |
To move in front. |
On the final lap, a fellow competitor pulled ahead of him. |
pull apart |
To separate. |
They pulled the two fighting cocks apart to end the cockfighting contest. |
|
To criticize harshly. |
His suggestion was pulled apart as impractical. |
pull at |
To pull quickly and sometimes repeatedly. |
The little boy pulled at the puppy’s tail. |
To pull quickly and repeatedly. |
He pulled at her coat sleeve. |
|
pull away |
To go or leave, as used for a vehicle. |
The ambulance pulled away from where it was parked and sped down the highway. |
To move ahead. |
On the final lap, he pulled away from the other runners. |
|
To withdraw or take away. |
He tried to hold her hand, but she pulled it away. |
|
pull back |
To gain a point, goal, etc. |
The visiting team pulled a goal back to end the match in a draw. |
To withdraw. |
The soldiers were ordered to pull back from their positions around the city. |
|
pull down |
To demolish. |
They had to pull down the old disused crumbling building. |
pull in |
To arrive. |
The train pulled in just as we arrived at the station. |
To come to a stop. |
I pulled in at the side of the road to make a quick phone call. |
|
To take someone into custody. |
A few of the protesters were pulled in when they clashed with the police. |
|
To attract. |
Tennis is a popular sport that always pulls in large crowds. |
|
To earn. |
In this country, you don’t pull in much as a teacher. |
|
pull off |
To accomplish by effort, skill, or courage in spite of difficulties. |
Three men pulled off the biggest bank robbery in town. |
To separate and go in a different direction. |
We pulled off the highway and stopped for a break. |
|
pull out |
To withdraw. |
They pulled out of the business deal when they sensed something amiss. |
To depart. |
We waved to them as the train pulled out of the station. |
|
To retreat. |
The troops will be pulled out as soon as order is restored to the area. |
|
pull over |
To stop a vehicle at the side of a road. |
The policeman waved me to pull over. |
pull through |
To get through an illness or difficult situation. |
The doctors expected him to pull through despite the severe injuries he sustained in the accident. |
pull up |
To stop a vehicle. |
He pulled up outside a convenience store. |
put across |
To come out with ideas, etc. in a way that is easily understood. |
She put her opposing views across during the discussion. |
To make something easily understood. |
The book puts across complex ideas in a way anyone can understand. |
|
To communicate one’s ideas to other people so as to promote oneself. |
The candidate put herself across very well to the voters. |
|
put aside |
To save money for a specific purpose. |
Every month she puts aside a sum of money to buy a car. |
To give time to an activity. |
She puts aside an hour each day to meditate. |
|
To suddenly ignore what one is doing and turn one’s attention to something else. |
Everyone put aside what they were doing and tuned in to a news flash about a major explosion at the city’s airport. |
|
To ignore temporarily. |
We are going to get the two sides to put aside their differences. |
|
put away |
To put something back in its regular place. |
The boys rushed to put away the toys when they heard their mummy is home. |
To confine someone to a place such as prison, hospital, etc. |
He should be put away for being so violent, especially when he is drunk. |
|
To save money. |
We put away as much as we can to meet future needs. |
|
To kill quickly in a humane way. |
They put away the badly diseased stray dog. |
|
put back |
To return something to its usual place. |
You must put the books back when you have finished with them. |
To postpone. |
The members have unanimously agreed to put back the party election. |
|
put by |
To set aside money for the future. |
I’m putting by an amount of money each month for a new bike. |
put down |
To forcibly put an end to riot, rebellion, etc. |
The public demonstration was brutally put down by troops. |
To criticize. |
This heartless fellow seemed to enjoy putting me down when there were people around. |
|
To kill an animal painlessly. |
He’s not put down his lame horse. |
|
To pay a sum of money as the first instalment. |
I think we have had enough to put down on a new car. |
|
To regard something as being caused by something else. |
The fans put the loss of their team down to too many inaccurate passing of the ball. |
|
To write down something such as name, phone number, etc. |
Everyone who entered the place had to put their names down in the visitors’ book. |
|
To leave something on a surface such as the floor, etc. |
You can put the box down in that corner (of the room). |
|
To return the telephone receiver to its proper place. |
She put down the telephone and cursed loudly. |
|
To include in a list. |
You haven’t put a couple of items down on the shopping list. |
|
To drop off passengers. |
He told the taxi driver to put us down at the library. |
|
put forward |
To propose for consideration. |
He put forward some very convincing arguments. |
To show a later time. |
Some countries put their clocks forward at certain time of the year. |
|
To start at an earlier time. |
The opening time of the exhibition has been put forward owing to the large crowd waiting to go in. |
|
put in |
To use up time doing something. |
For the past week, we had to put in extra time to complete it before the deadline. |
To make a formal offer. |
The consortium put in a multimillion pound bid for the football club. |
|
To spend time, energy, effort, etc working on something. |
All the team members have put in a great deal of effort. |
|
To submit a claim. |
The workers put in individual claims arising out of accidents at work. |
|
To bring to the attention of someone. |
If you meet the boss, put in a good word for me. |
|
To present oneself for a short time. |
I feel I must put in at least a brief appearance at the party. |
|
put in for |
To make a request. |
We have put in for a room with a view of the sea. |
put off |
To arrange for something to take place at a later time. |
Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. |
To distract. |
She’s preparing for her exams and will not allow anything to put her off. |
|
To cause someone to feel dislike. |
Her highly critical attitude really put me off. |
|
To cancel or postpone an appointment with someone. |
He keeps asking her to go out with him, but she keeps putting him off. |
|
put on |
To pretend have a particular quality, appearance, feeling, behavior, etc. |
Despite her hurt feelings she put on a smiling face. |
To add to one’s weight. |
She is the only one in the family who is putting on excess weight. |
|
To wear clothes. |
She put a pair of faded jeans and a sweater on before she went outside. |
|
To cause someone to believe something that is not true. |
I thought she was putting me on when she said she’s taking me out for dinner. |
|
To risk a sum of money on an outcome of a race, game, etc. |
I will not put money on that horse. |
|
To bring something into operation or use. |
He had to suddenly put on the brakes to try to avoid hitting the dog. |
|
To add. |
The airline is putting on extra flights for the sporting event. |
|
To organize a public event. |
They are putting on a firework display to celebrate the ceremonial occasion. |
|
put out |
To extinguish. |
The firefighters took hours to put out the huge fire. |
put through |
To pay for someone’s education. |
John’s parents managed to put him and his siblings through university. |
To cause someone to undergo an unpleasant experience. |
The group of tourists was put through a terrible two-day ordeal. |
|
To connect someone by telephone to another person. |
She put me through to a wrong person. |
|
To transfer a telephone call from one person to another person. |
Ask the receptionist to put your call through to my room. |
|
put to |
To present something for consideration or discussion. |
After the speeches were delivered, we were allowed to put questions to the speakers. |
To challenge someone to deny the truth of an allegation or statement. |
I put it to you that you have been lying about how you spend the company’s money. |
|
put up |
To display considerable skill in a contest. |
Despite being an underdog, the team put up an outstanding performance. |
To temporarily provide lodging for someone. |
Where are we going to put up for the weekend at the resort when all the hotels are fully booked? |
|
To build. |
They are putting up a bus terminus north of the city where the wasteland is. |
|
To make money available in advance for a particular purpose. |
He managed to persuade his friend to put up the money for the venture. |
|
To erect. |
They put up a monument to the firefighters who lost their lives. |
|
To nominate. |
The party is putting up six female candidates in the general election. |
|
To place something prominently so that it may readily be seen. |
Election posters were put up all over the city. |
|
To make payment for the release of an accused person. |
A wealthy uncle has put up bail for him. |
|
To stay somewhere. |
We lost our way and had to put up at a cave for the night. |
|
put up to |
To encourage someone to act in a wrong way. |
He has been playing truant from school lately, and we think someone must have put him up to it. |
put up with |
To be subjected to a bad or unpleasant situation that is continuing for a long time. |
He is not going to put up with his nagging wife any longer. |