801  

soften … up

To become or make someone soft or softer.

To make someone less powerful or effective, especially in a gradual or insidious way so that they will be vulnerable or more vulnerable.

802

sop … up

To soak up liquid by using something such as a cloth, sponge, etc.

803

sort … out

To deal with someone who causes difficulty or annoyance, e.g. We sorted out a misunderstanding over the terms of an agreement by discussing in great detail.

To deal with something such as a problem, difficulty, etc., e.g. The staff stayed on late to sort the pile of printed documents out into individual reports.

sort through

To classify or categorize or arrange things into an order.

804

sound off

To express one’s opinions in a loud or forceful way.

sound … out

To seek the opinions of others before undertaking something.

805

soup … up

To improve something by making it more interesting or impressive.

806

space … out

To feel disorientated or confused, e.g. He doesn’t seem to concentrate on what he is saying; he’s spaced out because it doesn’t make sense.

807

speak for

To express one’s opinions, thoughts, feelings, position, beliefs, etc.

speak of

To be a clear indication of the existence of an incident or event, e.g. the large presence of policemen spoke of trouble.

speak out

To publicly protest by expressing one’s opinions frankly, especially when this could be a risk to oneself.

speak to

To talk to someone in order to advise, inform about something, etc.

speak up

To express one’s views publicly or speak in favour of someone or something.

To ask someone to speak loudly or more loudly.

808

speed by

To pass very quickly, e.g. The months and years speed by and soon we are not young any more.

speed up

To move or work, or make something move or work faster, e.g. They have to speed up to meet the deadline.

809

spell … out

To say or write the letters that made up a word.

To explain something clearly and in detail.

810

spill over

(Conflict, etc.) to spread and affect other places or people.

811

spin … off

(A parent company) to turn a subsidiary into a new and separate company.

spin out

(Vehicles) to be out of control, e.g. fast-moving car spins out of control on the wet road.

spin ... out

To make something such as money, food, etc. last as long as one possibly can, especially because one has limited amount of it.

812

splash down

(Spacecraft) to return to Earth by landing in the sea.

splash out on

To spend vast sum of money on something, e.g. They splash out on more decoration of their house.

813

split off

To separate or break away from someone or something.

split on

To commit betrayal by informing on someone.

split up

To end a marriage or a relationship.

To divide into groups, parts, sections, etc.

814

spread out

(People) to move apart from each other so as to occupy a bigger area.

To open out something on a flat surface such as a table.

815

spring from

To originate or come from somewhere.

spring … on

To present or give something such as information, etc. to someone suddenly or unexpectedly that causes surprise or shock.

spring up

To suddenly appear or start to exist.

816

spruce up

To make someone or something neater, tidier or smarter.

817

spy … out

To seek out secret information on someone or something.

818

square … away

To finish something in a satisfactory way.

square off

To assume an aggressive attitude.

square … off

To calm or pacify someone.

square up to

To face and deal with a difficult situation or person.

square with

To reconcile two ideas, situations, facts, etc. to show that they can exist together.

819

stack up

To measure up or compare.

820

stake … out

To keep someone or some place under close observation, especially because of suspected criminal activities.

821

stamp … out

To forcibly put an end to something.

822

stand against

To contest against another candidate in an election.

stand alone

To be unequalled.

stand around

To stand somewhere and not do anything, e.g. He grumbles that the supervisor has nothing to do but stands around watching him every minute.

stand by

To look on without getting involved.

To stay loyal and support someone, e.g. will always stand by him.

To maintain the validity of one’s words or action, e.g. He stands by what he said earlier.

To be ready to do what is required, e.g. A lifeguard always stands by at the swimming pool.

stand down

To leave one’s position or office.

To leave the witness box in court after giving evidence.

stand for

To represent something in the form of abbreviation, symbol, etc., e.g. I think most people know what UN stands for.

To not tolerate or endure something, e.g. More and more people the world over will not stand for racism.

To support a particular set of ideas, values, or principles, e.g. Voters should demand that candidates state what they stand for so that they (voters) know what they are voting for.

stand in

To temporarily take over the work of someone who is away.

stand off

To move or keep away.

stand out

To be conspicuous or clearly noticeable.

stand out against

To be clearly better than someone else.

To be strongly opposed to an idea, plan, etc.

stand over

To watch someone closely to ensure they work properly.

stand to

To move to a position, ready for action.

stand up

To be in a standing position, e.g. As soon as she finished singing, everyone stood up to give her a standing ovation.

To be able to withstand close scrutiny, test, etc.

stand ... up

To fail to keep an appointment, etc., e.g. I was supposed to go fishing with Jack today, but he stood me up

stand up for

To speak or act in support or defence of someone or something.

stand up to

To defend oneself against or refuse to be unfairly treated by someone.

823

stare … out/down

To look at someone at length until they feel forced to look elsewhere.

824

start in

To begin doing something.

start in on

To begin to do or deal with something.

To attack someone or something verbally.

start off

To begin in a certain way, e.g. The event started off in fine weather but midway through it began to rain.

To begin a journey, e.g. We will start off as soon as they arrive.

start on

To begin doing some of the things, e.g. We will start on the mowing first before we proceed to the planting.

start on at

To start to talk by criticizing someone and their behaviour, e.g. She started on at him for always returning home late from work.

start out/up

To begin a business enterprise or undertaking.

start over

To restart doing something in order to do it better.

start up

To begin operation, e.g. I usually start up the car’s engine to warm it up before driving it.

To begin something, e.g. He started up a restaurant in the neighbourhood, but closed down after six months.

825

starve … into

To force someone to do something by denying them food.

starve … out

To force someone out of a place by denying them food.

826

stave in

To break something inwards or be broken inwards by something.

stave ... off

To avert something bad or dangerous happening to one.

827

stay off

To keep away from, e.g. Visitors to the temple were advised to stay off the grass whenever or wherever they walk.

stay on

To continue doing something such as working, studying, etc. after the usual time or the others have left, e.g. He decides to stay on in the library while the others leave for home.

stay out

To decide to return home late, e.g. On weekend, Jack stays out late boozing with his mates.

To not get involved in a situation, especially a bad one, e.g. The neighbour’s wife and mine have been quarrelling for the past days, I choose to stay out of it.

stay up

To go to bed later than normal, e.g. He is a night owl who enjoys staying up late.

828

steam … open/off

To make use of steam to do something such as opening and removing a stamp from an envelope, etc.

steam up

To cover or become covered with steam.

To be or become extremely agitated or angry.

829

stem from

To originate in or be caused by something.

830

step down

To resign from one’s official position.

step forward

To volunteer one’s services.

step in

To get involved in a difficult situation in order to help.

To act or serve in place of someone.

step on

To place one’s foot on something, e.g. My big fat auntie accidentally stepped on my toe; it’s terribly painful that tears roll down my cheeks.

step out

To go out of a room or building, etc., usually for a short time, e.g. He steps out for a smoke.

step ... up

To increase something such as amount, speed, etc. of something.

831

stick around

To stay for a while longer, e.g. We were asked to stick around for a while so as to have a drink together, but we’ve already waited for half an hour.

stick at

To continue to do what one is doing with the same determination.

stick by

To continue to support someone.

stick ... on

To blame someone for a mistake or wrongdoing.

stick out

To be particularly noticeable, e.g. His two oversized ears stick out more than usual.

To extend from a surface, e.g. Be careful when you handle that plant, it has sharp thorns sticking out.

To extend a part of one outward, e.g. This dog certainly looks rather tired, with its tongue sticking out dripping with saliva and body shaking.

To tolerate an unpleasant or difficult situation, e.g. I found the roller coaster ride more scary than exciting, but I stuck it out.

stick out for

To refuse to accept less than what one wants

stick to

To continue to do what one thinks or believes is proper, e.g. He always considers very carefully before making a decision, and once a decision is made he sticks to it.

To talk or write relevantly, e.g. A speaker or writer should stick to the subject in question, and not wander off to something else.

stick together

To cooperate or remain united for mutual benefit.

stick ... .up

To rob someone at gunpoint, e.g. No one was aware that a couple of men were sticking up a store until police arrived.

To put up something such as a sign, notice, etc., e.g. Someone stuck a picture of Popeye up on the public toilet wall.

(Something) to point out from a surface.

stick up for

To defend oneself or someone else when others will not.

stick with

To stay close to someone physically or romantically.

To do something as planned despite the difficulty.

(Something) to remain in one’s memory, e.g. The nightmare I had has stuck with me since.

832

sting … for

To overcharge someone for something, e.g. The mechanic stung him for a big amount for a minor repair to his car.

833

stink … out

To fill a place with a particularly unpleasant smell, e.g. The new coat of paint is stinking out the whole office.

834

stir … up

To deliberately cause conflict between people by spreading rumours or gossip, etc.

To cause something to rise, e.g. The strong wind stirs up a lot of dust.

835

stitch up

To apply stitches to cloth or wound in order to fasten or cure.

To satisfactorily finalize a deal or agreement.

stitch ... up

To handle a situation in such a way as to disadvantage someone.

836

stock up

To accumulate a supply of something, e.g. They stock up on whisky for the forthcoming celebration.

837

stoke up

To add coal or wood to a fire.

To stir up strong emotions among people

To eat a large amount of food to get the energy required for sustained activity.

To stock something such as clothing, etc. for one’s needs.

838

stoop to

To lower one’s dignity so far as to commit a morally wrongful act.

839

stop back

To return to a place one has previously been.

stop by

To visit a place or person briefly when on one’s way to somewhere else.

stop … down

To reduce the lens aperture in a camera to allow less light in when one is photographing.

stop in

To visit a place or person briefly when on one’s way to somewhere else.

stop off

To make a brief visit to a place, especially to rest or visit someone, en route to one’s destination, e.g. We stopped off at our parents’ house for a day on our way to the island.

stop out

To stay out later than usual.

stop over

To make a short stay somewhere before resuming one’s journey, e.g. We stopped over at our grandparents’ house for a drink on our way home.

stop up

To stay up late.

840

stow away

To hide oneself on a ship, aircraft, etc. in order to travel secretly or without paying.

841

straighten … out

To make something straight, e.g. The workers are working to straighten out the winding road.

To deal with the causes of a difficult problem with a view to resolving it, e.g. They meet for discussion to straighten out the remaining issues.

To help someone overcome their bad behaviour or personal problems, e.g. We don’t condemn the kids’ behaviour or punish them, instead we try to understand them and help them to straighten out.

straighten up

To decide to change one’s way of behaving and become a better person.

842

stretch out

To lie down in order to rest or sleep.

843

strike back

To retaliate.

strike … down

To cause someone to fall by hitting them very hard.

(Disease) to make someone die or seriously ill.

strike off

To stop doctors, lawyers, etc. from practising their profession by removing their names from the official list of those who are allowed to practise.

strike on/upon

To discover something such as a good idea, etc.

strike out

To remove an item from a list by drawing a line through it.

To do something new on one’s own such as living alone, starting a business, etc.

strike up

To begin to play a piece of music.

To start a friendship or conversation with someone.

844

string along

To deceive someone over a length of time.

string … out

To prolong something.

To be anxious or tense over something.

string together

To be joined or spread in a straight line, e.g. pearls, islands.

To be able to put two things such as words, sentences, etc. together to make sense to other people, e.g. Can a drunk string two words together to make sense?

string ... up

To put someone to death by hanging, e.g. He was finally strung up for the multiple murders he committed.

845

strip away

To gradually get rid of something such as habits, customs, etc.

strip ... of

To deprive someone of something such as rank, power, property, citizenship, etc.

846

struggle on

To continue obstinately a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

847

stub … out

To snuff out a cigarette butt by pressing the lighted end against something.

848

stumble on/across

To find something or meet someone by chance and unexpectedly.

849

stump up

To pay a sum of money.

850

subject … to

To cause or force someone to undergo something unpleasant or difficult.

851

subscribe for

To accept to hold shares in a company.

subscribe to

To agree to receive something, especially a periodical, regularly by paying in advance.

To believe and support an idea, view, belief, etc.

852

suck up

To be completely obedient and attentive to the comfort or wishes of others in order to gain a personal advantage.

853

sucker … into

To fool or trick someone into doing something.

854

suffer from

To be affected by an illness, especially one that lasts a long time.

To have a problem that hinders success.

855

suit … to

To make something appropriate for someone.

856

sum up

To summarize something briefly such as a report, speech, etc.

857

suss … out

To understand or realize the true character or nature of something.

858

swallow … up

To take in and cause to disappear, e.g. rise in earning being swallowed up by increases in food and other prices.

859

swarm with

To be crowded or overrun with people, animals, etc., e.g. the beach is swarmed with people.

860

swear by

To have great confidence in something, e.g. He swears by the quality of the new model of a product.

swear … in

To admit someone to a position or office by having them take an oath, e.g. the person elected as president having to take the presidential oath on assuming office.

swear off

To promise to refrain or abstain from doing something.

swear to

To make a formal declaration that something is true.

861

sweat out

To continue doing something difficult until completion.

To do strenuous physical exercise.

sweat off

To get rid of something such as bodily fat, illness, etc. by sweating through doing something such as aerobic exercises, etc.

862

sweep … aside

To remove someone or something quickly.

To ignore what someone says.

sweep … away

To cause the death of someone and/or completely destroy something, e.g. floods sweep people and houses away.

sweep up

To clean a place by using a brush, broom, etc.

863

swing around/round

To turn or make something turn around quickly.

swing by

To make a short visit to a place or someone for a particular purpose.

864

switch off

To use a switch to turn off something such as television, etc., e.g. It often happens here that no one switches off the television when no one is watching it.

To cease paying attention or listening to someone.

switch on

To turn on something such as electric light, television, machine, etc. by using a switch.

switch over

To change from something such as a system, dress, television station, etc. to another.

865

swot up

To study intensively and with perseverance, e.g. Students just have to swot up in order to pass their examinations.

866

tack … on

To add something to something else later when needed.

867

tag along

To accompany someone uninvited.

tag … on

To add something thought of later to something else.

868

tail away

To gradually become less and less in amount, intensity, etc.

tail back

(Traffic) to become more and more congested until it forms a long queue that is very slow in moving or not moving at all.

tail off

To become less, smaller, weaker, etc.

869

take aback

To be very surprised about something, e.g. She was really taken aback by what he had just said.

take  after

To bear a close resemblance to an older relative such as a parent, etc.

take against

To begin to develop a feeling of dislike of someone.

take ... apart

To dismantle something.

To easily defeat an opponent in something, such as a game, sport, etc.

take away from

To reduce the worth or belittle the quality of something.

take back

To withdraw what one has said or written, e.g. If it is not true, I’m sorry and I take back what I’ve said.

To return something that is unsatisfactory back to a shop for exchange or refund, e g. The sales assistant said I could take it back within a week if there is any problem with it.

To bring back what one owns, e.g. Visitors are advised to take back their umbrellas when they leave the premises.

take ... down

To jot or write down something spoken.

take in

To include something, e.g. The bill has not yet taken in the additional charges of transporting it.

To be cheated or deceived by someone, e.g. Many were taken in by the vendor’s claim that the craft products were handmade.

take ... in

To let someone stay in one’s house, e.g. Our cousin has no place to stay, so we take him in.

To understand and retain something such as facts, ideas, etc.

take off

(Aircraft, etc.) To leave the ground for the air.

(Business) to become more and more successful.

take ... off

To remove a piece of or all of one’s clothing.

To make a deduction of an amount.

To be absent from work, e.g. I’ll take the whole of next week off.

To leave hastily without informing anyone.

take on

To assume a quality or appearance without any specific reason, e.g. to take on a very upset, worried, etc. look.

take ... on

To engage new workers.

To be ready or willing to meet an opponent in a contest, competition, etc.

To undertake a task or responsibility.

take ... out

To remove something from a container, etc., e.g. He took out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and gave it to the cashier.

To bring someone with one to some place such as a restaurant, beach, cinema, etc. Every weekend my dad takes me out to the park or some other place.

To vent one’s feelings on others, e.g. He takes it out on his children wherever he gets angry.

To kill someone, or destroy something, e.g. The police sharpshooter took out the hostage-taker with a single shot.

To get an official service, e.g. taking out an insurance policy.

take over

To take responsibility for something, usually from someone, e.g. Jack takes over the running of the company while his father is away.

To bring something from one place to another, e.g. I help my colleague take some office files over to his house.

To gain control of a place, country, town, etc., e.g. The invading army took over the city after the defending troops abandoned it.

take to

To begin to develop a liking for someone, e.g. He began to take to her after working for six months together.

To acquire a habit, e.g. He took to drink after his wife left him.

take up

To start a new job or have a new responsibility, e.g. He took up the supervisory post when the former supervisor left.

To accept a challenge from someone, e.g. He took up the challenge of not smoking for a whole week.

To do selected subjects in school, e.g. She took up history as it is one of her favourite subjects.

To fight using weapons, e.g. Many villagers took up arms and join the rebel group.

To pursue a course of action, e.g. They are taking up this matter with the local authority.

To occupy one’s time, attention, etc., e.g. Building the kennel may take up two weekends.

take up on

To accept an offer, e.g. Jack was disappointed that Jill refused to take him up on his offer of a dinner.

870

talk around

To convince someone to change their opinion and accept a specific point of view.

talk back

To reply defiantly, rudely or disrespectfully.

talk ... down

To belittle or dismiss the good quality or worth of something, e.g. The opposition leader was booed in parliament when he talked down the government’s economic management of the country.

talk down to

To speak condescendingly to someone, e.g. His habit of talking down to others has alienated them.

talk ... into

To persuade someone to do or not to do something, e.g. If you had not talked me into smoking, I wouldn’t be such a heavy smoker today.

talk ... out

To discuss an issue or problem and how to tackle it.

talk … out of

To persuade someone not to do certain things, e.g. They talked her out of taking her own life.

talk ... over

To have a thorough discussion about something before adopting a decision, e.g. They talk it over many times before deciding to migrate.

talk ... through

To discuss something completely with regard to every detail in order to gain a better or complete comprehension of it.

talk to

To converse with someone, e.g. He loves talking to people and can talk at length on any subject.

871

tamper with

To interfere with something without authority in order to cause damage to it.

872

tangle with

To get involved in an argument or fight with someone.

873

tank up

To fill the tank of a vehicle with fuel.

874

tap … in

To press buttons or keys on telephone, computer, etc, to begin operating it.

875

taper off

To gradually become less, smaller or fewer in size, amount, intensity, or degree.

876

tart … up

To improve something but only on the surface of it.

To make oneself look attractive by wearing makeup, jewellery, or through better dressing.

877

tax … with

To blame someone for or accuse them of a fault or wrongdoing.

878

team up

To work jointly with someone on an activity or project.

879

tear … apart

To be violently broken into pieces, e.g. vultures tearing a carcass apart.

To cause serious conflict between people within a family, group, organization, etc., e.g. Dispute over family property is tearing the siblings apart.

tear at

To pull violently at someone or something.

tear away

To leave suddenly, quickly and in an uncontrolled manner, e.g. The car tore away noisily attracting much attention.

To leave a person or place despite a strong feeling of wanting to stay.

tear ... down

To pull or knock down something, e.g. Some of the buildings will be torn down as the area is earmarked for redevelopment.

tear into

To launch a strong verbal attack against someone.

To attack someone or something fiercely, e.g. two wolves tearing into each other.

tear off

To leave suddenly and quickly, e.g. He tore off when he realized he was almost late for a meeting.

tear ... up

To pull or rip apart or to pieces, e.g. He angrily tore up the letter from a company’s lawyer demanding payment from him.

To damage something, e.g. They tore up the seats in the stadium when their team lost the match.

880

tease … out

To extract, obtain or ascertain information from a large amount of material by painstaking effort.

881

tee off

To hit the ball off the tee to begin a game of golf.

882

teem with

To be full of or swarming with people, fish, animals, etc.

883

tell against

To make one unsuccessful in one’s endeavour to achieve, e.g. He wants to be a basketball player but his height tells against him.

tell ... apart

To be able to identify someone or something separately despite their close similarity or resemblance, e.g. The only way to tell twins apart is to call their names, which are the only thing that makes identical twins different.

tell of

To give a detailed account of someone or something, e.g. The novel tells of a mother’s heroic efforts to save her family.

tell ... off

To express one’s strong disapproval to someone of what they have or have not done.

tell on

To inform someone in authority of someone else’s wrongdoing, e.g. He smoked in the school toilet which is forbidden, and he is furious that someone has told on him.

884

thin out

To make or become less thick, e.g. As soon as the warehouse fire was put out, the crowd of onlookers began to thin out.

885

think about

To consider the possibility or advantages of something, e.g. I have been thinking about migrating for the past ten years, and I’m still thinking.

think ahead

To plan for one’s future, e.g. When I think ahead I decide not to get married.

think back

To think of past events, e.g. She couldn’t help thinking back to the day she almost lost her life in a road accident.

think of

To have an opinion of something, e.g. Many of them think highly of the new President.

To remember things, e.g. Some of them can’t think of the name of the country’s first President.

To have fond memory of someone, e.g. He often thinks of her whenever they are not together.

think ... out

To think of all the relevant things before making a decision.

think ... over

To consider carefully all factors before committing oneself, e.g. He prefers to think it over before he decides to join them in that commercial venture.

think ... through

To consider carefully the possible consequences of getting involved in an activity.

think … up

To think of new ideas, plans, etc., e.g. He has to think up a way to be a famous magician in order to fulfil his ambition.

886

thrash out

To discuss something thoroughly in order to reach a decision.

887

throttle back

To control the flow of fuel or power to an engine.

888

throw … away

To dispose of unwanted or useless things, e.g. Please threw away the old newspapers including today’s which I haven’t read.

To waste or fail to seize an opportunity or advantage, e.g. I threw away an opportunity to befriend her and know her better when I was too shy to approach her at the party.

throw ... in

To include something extra, such as free gifts, with things which are being sold without an increase in their prices.

To inject a remark in a conversation without forethought.

To start to do something with enthusiasm.

throw ... off

To escape from someone or something that is pursuing one.

throw ... open

To allow people access to a place that is usually not open to them.

throw ... out

To expel someone from a place such as a school, organization, etc., e.g. A member of the club was thrown out for misbehaviour.

To dispose of unwanted things, e.g. The old newspapers and magazines are piling up and nobody cares to throw them out.

To terminate a romantic relationship with someone.

throw ... over

To make something quickly without any planning.

throw ... together

To cause people to meet and know each other.

throw up

To vomit, e.g. Whenever she is in a moving bus, she feels like she’s going to throw up.

To give up something such as home, job, etc. completely, e.g. He threw up everything and sought employment overseas.

889

thrust … aside

To refuse to consider about something, e.g. Our petition was thrust aside and we have never heard from the authority since.

890

thumb through

To look through something such as a book, magazine, etc. quickly, e.g. thumbing through a photo album.

891

tick away/by

(Time) to pass away.

tick … off

To express one’s disapproval to someone, e.g. They were ticked off for misbehaviour.

To mark the items on a list to indicate that they have been dealt with.

tick over

(Engine of vehicle) to run slowly without moving the vehicle.

892

tide over

To help someone through a difficult period, especially with financial assistance.

893

tidy … away

To maintain tidiness by not allowing things to lie around but returning them to the places where they are kept.

894

tie … down

To restrict someone or something, e.g. Now tied down with a wife and kids, he finds it hard to socialize.

tie in

To be or cause to be in harmony with something.

tie up

To restrict someone’s movement by binding their arms and legs.

To keep someone so busy that they are unavailable to do something else, e.g. He is going to be tied up the whole of next week because of the new project.

To invest in something so that the money is not immediately available for use, e.g. All his money is tied up in shares.

895

tilt at

To attack someone by what one says or writes.

896

tip off

To inform, especially the police, by passing them a piece of information about illegal activities.

897

tire … out

To make someone very tired.

898

tog … up/out

To put on clothes for a particular occasion or activity.

899

tone … down

To reduce the effect of a speech or piece of writing.

tone  … up

To give greater strength or firmness to the body or a muscle.

900

tool up

To be or become armed.