| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Abide by | respect or obey. (the law, a decision, a rule) | If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules. |
| Account for | explain, give a reason | I hope you can account for the money you spent! |
| Add up | make sense, seem reasonable | Her story just doesn't add up. |
| Advise against | recommend not doing something | The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads. |
| Agree with | have the same opinion as somebody else. | I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too. |
| Aim at | point something in the direction of a target | The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker. |
| Allow for | take into consideration, include in a calculation | You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams. |
| Appeal to | 1. plead or make an earnest request 2. be attractive or interesting |
1. The organizers appealed to the crowd to stay calm. 2. A trekking holiday doesn't appeal to me. |
| Apply for | make a formal request for something, (job, permit, loan etc.) | He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper. |
| Avail (oneself) of | take advantage of something (an opportunity) | When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Back away | move backwards, in fear or dislike | When he saw the dog, he backed away. |
| Back down | withdraw, concede defeat | Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building. |
| Back up | 1. give support or encouragement 2. make a copy of (file, program, etc.) |
1. If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up? 2. It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location. |
| Bail out | 1. pay money to secure someone's release 2. rescue from financial difficulties |
1. When he was arrested, his family refused to bail him out. 2. The government bailed out the bank. |
| Bank on | base your hopes on someone/something | Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help. |
| Boil down to | be summarized as | The problem boils down to a lack of money. |
| Boot up | start a computer by loading an operating system or program. | Just give me a few minutes to boot up the computer. |
| Break away | escape from captivity | A few horses broke away from the paddock. |
| Break down | 1. go out of order, cease to function 2. lose control of one's emotions |
1. Nitish's car broke down so he had to take the bus. 2. The parents broke down when they heard the bad news. |
| Break into | enter by force | Burglars broke into the house around midnight. |
| Break out | start suddenly | Rioting broke out as a result of the strike. |
| Break out of | escape from a place by force | Three prisoners broke out of jail. |
| Break up | come to an end (marriage, relationship) | After her marriage broke up, Seema went to live in London. |
| Bring up | raise (a child) | She stopped working in order to bring up her children. |
| Brush up on | improve, refresh one's knowledge of something | Meena had to brush up on her English before going to America. |
| Bump into | meet by accident or unexpectedly | Padma bumped into her English teacher at the supermarket. |
| Burn out | 1. stop (something) working 2. become exhausted from over-working |
1. The fuse has burnt out. 2. Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Call back | return a phone call | I'll call you back as soon as possible. |
| Call off | cancel | The meeting was called off because of the strike. |
| Call on/upon | formally invite or request | I now call upon the President to address the assembly. |
| Calm down | become more relaxed, less angry or upset | He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down. |
| Carry on | continue | He carried on gardening in spite of the rain. |
| Carry out | 1. do something as specified (a plan, an order, a threat) 2. perform or conduct (test, experiment) |
1. The plan was carried out to perfection. 2. Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug. |
| Carry over | postpone until later | As regards holidays, can you carry over any days from one year to the next? |
| Check in | register at a hotel or airport | For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight. |
| Check out | 1. pay one's bill and leave (a hotel) 2. investigate |
1. Is Mr. Kumar still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning. 2. I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out. |
| Clam up | refuse to speak | When the teacher arrived she clammed up. |
| Clamp down on | act strictly to prevent something | The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places. |
| Come across | 1. find by chance 2. appear, seem, make an impression |
1. Veena came across some photographs of her grandparents in the store room. 2. The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview. |
| Come forward | present oneself | The police have asked any witnesses to come forward. |
| Come up against | be faced with or opposed by | The project came up against a lot of criticism. |
| Count on | rely or depend on (for help) | I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre. |
| Cross out | remove by drawing a line through | In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word. |
| Cut down on | reduce in number or size | The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes. |
| Cut out | 1. remove using scissors 2. stop doing something |
1. She cut out a picture in a magazine. 2. I'm going to cut out eating between meals. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Deal with | handle, take care of (problem, situation) | The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers. |
| Die down | calm down, become less strong | When the applause died down, she started to sing. |
| Do without | manage without | The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar. |
| Drag on | last longer than expected | We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on! |
| Draw up | write (contract, agreement, document) | An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties. |
| Dress up | 1. wear elegant clothes 2. disguise oneself |
1. Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country? 2. Children love to dress up at Halloween. |
| Drop in | visit, usually on the way somewhere | I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school. |
| Drop off | 1. deliver someone or something 2. fall asleep |
1. I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like. 2. Granddad often drops off in front of the TV. |
| Drop out | leave school without finishing | She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term. |
| End in | finish in a certain way; result in | Their marriage ended in divorce. |
| Ease off | reduce, become less severe or slow down (pain, traffic, work) | After Christmas the workload generally eases off. |
| End up | finally reach a state, place or action | If he continues his misconduct he'll end up in prison. |
| Even out | 1. eliminate differences of opinion. 2. become level or regular |
1. After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences. 2. The road was evened out to make it safer. |
| Fall through | fail; doesn't happen | Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm. |
| Figure out | understand, find the answer | I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves. |
| Fill out | complete (a form/an application) | Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible. |
| Find out | discover or obtain information | I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts. |
| Focus on | concentrate on something | The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Get along (with) | be on good terms; work well with | I get along (well) with my mother-in-law. |
| Get at | imply | What exactly are you trying to get at? |
| Get away | escape | The robbers got away in a black car. |
| Get by | manage to cope or to survive | It's difficult to get by on a low salary. |
| Get in | enter | How did the thief get in? |
| Get into (+noun) | enter | How did the thief get into the house? |
| Get off | 1. leave (bus, train, plane) 2. remove |
1. You should get off the bus at the main market of the town. 2. She can't get the stain off her sweater. |
| Get on | board (bus, train, plane) | You can pay when you get on the bus. |
| Get on with (something) | continue to do; make progress | Be quiet and get on with your homework. |
| Get on (well) with (somebody) | have a good relationship with | I get on very well with my colleagues. |
| Get out | leave | How did he get out? |
| Get out of (+noun) | leave | How did he get out of the house? |
| Get out of | avoid doing something | Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework. |
| Get over | recover from (illness, disappointment) | My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it. |
| Get rid of | eliminate | It's difficult to get rid of old habits. |
| Get together | meet each other | Let's get together for lunch on day. |
| Get up | rise, leave bed | I usually get up at 7 o'clock. |
| Give up | stop doing something | Rajesh gave up smoking 5 years ago. |
| Go through | experience | Priya went through a lot of pain after the accident. |
| Grow up | spend one's childhood; develop; become an adult | He grew up in a small village in the mountains. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Hand in | submit (report, homework) | All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month. |
| Hand out | distribute | Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration. |
| Hang up | end a phone conversation | "Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet." |
| Hit at | aim a blow at | He hit at the wasp with the newspaper. |
| Hit back | retaliate; reply to an attack | When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back. |
| Hit on/upon | find unexpectedly or by inspiration | She hit upon an idea for her new collection. |
| Hold on | 1. wait 2. grip tightly |
1. "Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Khanna" 2. She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge. |
| Hurry up | be quick, act speedily | Hurry up! We'll miss the bus. |
| Iron out | resolve by discussion, eliminate differences | The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron out difficulties. |
| Join in | participate | She was too shy to join in the game. |
| Join up | 1. engage in, become a member of 2. meet and unite with |
1. Deven was in the Army and Shekher joined up as soon as he left school. 2. The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel. |
| Jot down | take quick notes | I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV. |
| Keep on | continue doing something | It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise. |
| Keep up with | stay at the same level as someone or something | Karan walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him. |
| Kick off | begin, start | The football match kicked off at 3 o'clock. |
| Leave out | omit, not mention | The child's name was left out of the report. |
| Let down | disappoint | You promised to come to the party, so don't let me down! |
| Look after | take care of | A babysitter looks after the children when their parents go out. |
| Look ahead | think of the future | It's time to forget the past and look ahead. |
| Look down on | consider as inferior | He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful. |
| Look on | be a spectator at an event | Billu didn't take part in the fight. He just looked on. |
| Look for | try to find something | Seema went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes. |
| Look forward to | await or anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to seeing you soon. |
| Look up to | admire | He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Make fun of | laugh at/ make jokes about | The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her. |
| Make up | invent (excuse, story) | Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work. |
| Mix up | mistake one thing or person for another | I don't know my neighbours' names yet. I keep mixing them up. |
| Move in | arrive in a new home or office | You've bought a new house? When are you moving in? |
| Move out | leave your home/office for another one. | My neighbour is leaving. He's moving out next Saturday. |
| Nod off | fall asleep | My grandfather often nods off in front of the television. |
| Note down | write something | I'll call the station and note down the departure times. |
| Opt out | leave a system or decide not to participate | I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament. |
| Own up | admit or confess something | The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window. |
| Pass away | die | The old lady passed away peacefully. |
| Pass out | faint | She passed out when she heard the bad news. |
| Pay back | reimburse | I'll lend you Rs. 20 provided you pay me back before the end of the week. |
| Put off | postpone, arrange a later date | The meeting was put off because of the strike. |
| Put on | turn on, switch on | Could you put on the light please? |
| Put out | extinguish | It took a long time to put out the fire. |
| Put up | accommodate, give somebody a bed | We can put you up if you'd like to come for a week-end. |
| Pick up | collect somebody | I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive. |
| Point out | indicate/direct attention to something | She pointed out the mistake. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
| Rely on | count on, depend on, trust | Don't worry. You can rely on me. I can keep a secret. |
| Rule out | eliminate | The police ruled out political motives. |
| Run away | escape from a place or suddenly leave | He ran away from home at the age of fourteen. |
| Run into | meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into) | Sheetal ran into Meera at the shopping centre. |
| Shop around | compare prices | It's always wise to shop around before buying anything. |
| Show off | brag or want to be admired | There's Devesh showing off in his new sports car! |
| Show up | appear/arrive | We expected Deepak to come but he didn't show up. |
| Shut up (impolite) | be silent, stop talking | Oh shut up, you idiot! |
| Sit down | take a seat | Please come in and sit down. |
| Stand up | rise from a sitting position | The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived. |
| Stick up for | defend | It's important to stick up for one's principles. |
| Take after | resemble, in appearance or character | Jagat really takes after his dad. |
| Take care of | look after | I'll take care of your plants while you're away. |
| Take off | leave the ground | The plane took off at 6 a.m. |
| Take on | hire or engage staff | Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff. |
| Take out | remove; extract | She took out a pen to note the address. |
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