Phrasal Verb Flashcards
Take in
Understand and remember something you hear or read. Example: “I’m not sure how much of his explanation she took in.”
Take off
Become successful or popular very fast. Example: “The new design took off immediately.”
Take off
Have a particular amount of time away from work. Example: “Can I take next Friday off?”
Take on
Accept some work or responsibility. Example: “I can’t take on any more work at the moment.”
Take on
Start to employ someone. Example: “We’re not taking on any new staff at the moment.”
Take out
Take someone to a place like a cinema or a restaurant and usually pay for them. Example: “On my birthday, I took everyone out bowling.”
Take over
Begin to do something that someone else was doing. Example: “When Ivy got tired, I took over the driving.”
Take over
Take control of something. Example: “Whenever we start organising something, you always want to take over.”
Take to
Begin to like someone or something. Example: “I didn’t take to living here straight away.”
Take to
Start doing something as a habit. Example: “I’ve taken to getting up much earlier.”
Talk down to
Talk to someone as if you think they are not as clever or important as you are. Example: “I hate the way Belinda talks down to people.”
Talk over
Discuss a problem or a plan. Example: “I know you’re still angry; let’s talk it over tonight.”
Talk round
Discuss something in a general way without dealing with the most important issues. Example: “We’re just talking round the problem at the moment.”
Talk round
Succeed in persuading someone to agree to something. Example: “I’m sure I can talk her round.”
Test out
Try using something to find out whether it works correctly or is satisfactory. Example: “I’m taking my new model aeroplane to the park to test it out.”
Think over
Consider a problem or decision carefully. Example: “Let’s think over his proposal before we see him again.”
Think through
Consider the facts about something in an organised and thorough way. Example: “Have you had time to think things through?”
Think up
Invent or imagine something, especially an excuse. Example: “She’d have to think up a good reason for being late.”
Throw out
Force someone to leave a place or group. Example: “Charlie was thrown out of the Scouts.”
Throw out
Get rid of something you no longer want. Example: “Are you throwing these things out?”
Throw out
Refuse to accept a plan, proposal, etc. Example: “The Minister threw out the proposed changes.”
Throw up
Cause something like dust or water to rise into the air. Example: “As the helicopter landed, it threw up a lot of dust.”
Throw up
Produce something new or unexpected. Example: “The new rules have thrown up a few problems.”
Tide over
Help someone through a difficult period, especially by giving money. Example: “Could you lend me £50 to tide me over until pay day?”
Tip up
Have one end move upwards, especially because something heavy is on the other end. Example: “The bench began to tip up when I sat on it.”
Tip up
Turn a container upside down to empty its contents. Example: “I tipped the box up and emptied everything onto the table.”
Touch up
Make a surface look better with small improvements. Example: “Touch up the paintwork before you try and sell the house.”
Turn into
Change or develop into something different. Example: “The sofa turns into a bed, so you can stay with us if you like.”
Turn into
Make someone or something change or develop into something different. Example: “Stop trying to turn me into someone I’m not!”
Use up
Use all of a supply of something. Example: “Did you use the butter up when you were making cakes?”
Walk out
Leave a meeting or performance before it ends, usually because of anger or boredom. Example: “I walked out halfway through the film.”
Walk out
Suddenly leave a relationship, family, or job. Example: “You can’t just walk out like this!”
Ward off
Do something to prevent harm from someone or something. Example: “Sheila carried a knife to ward off attacks.”
Warm up
Prepare for a sport or activity by doing gentle exercises. Example: “It’s very important to warm up before you exercise.”
Waste away
Gradually become thinner and weaker, usually due to illness. Example: “He hadn’t eaten properly for weeks and was starting to waste away.”
Water down
Add water to make a drink or liquid less strong. Example: “If it’s too strong, water it down.”
Water down
Make something less offensive, powerful, or detailed. Example: “The editor watered my article down.”
Wear down
Make someone gradually lose energy or confidence. Example: “This constant criticism at work is really wearing me down.”
Wear down
Make something gradually disappear or become thinner through use or rubbing. Example: “These shoes are uncomfortable because the heel has worn down.”
Wear out
Use something so much that it no longer works or can be used. Example: “On my walking holiday, I wore out three pairs of boots.”
Weigh down
Cause problems or make someone worried. Example: “The entire industry has been weighed down by economic uncertainty.”
Weigh down
Make someone heavy and unable to move easily. Example: “The waiters were weighed down by huge trays of food.”
While away
Spend time in a relaxed way when you have nothing else to do. Example: “We whiled away the Saturday afternoon sitting by the lake.”
Wind down
End or finish something gradually. Example: “The party started to wind down around two am.”
Wind down
Gradually reduce work before stopping completely. Example: “The factory will wind down production before closing next year.”
Wind down
Relax after a period of excitement or worry. Example: “It’s hard to wind down after doing such a stressful job all day.”
Write off
Damage a vehicle so badly that it is not worth repairing. Example: “My uncle wrote his car off in an accident last weekend.”
Write off
Decide that someone or something will not succeed and stop giving them attention. Example: “He felt hopeless: his teachers had written him off.”
Put across/over
Explain an idea, belief, etc., in a way that is easy to understand. Example: “Television can be a useful way of putting across health messages.”
Put down to
If you put something down to a particular reason, you think it has happened for that reason. Example: “What do you put your success down to?”
Put in
Fix something such as equipment in the place where it will be used and make it ready to use. Example: “We’re having air conditioning put in tomorrow.”
Put in
Make an official request, claim, offer, etc. Example: “Don’t forget to sign the form when you put in your application.”
Put in
Spend a particular amount of time doing something, or make a particular amount of effort in order to do something. Example: “Bob’s put in a lot of hard work on this project.”
Put together
Choose people or things to form a team or group. Example: “I’m putting together an expedition to the Andes.”
Put together
Make something by joining all its parts. Example: “How long did it take you to put that jigsaw together?”
Put together
Produce or organise something using many different things. Example: “I really enjoyed putting the exhibition together.”
Put up
Build something such as a wall, fence, or house. Example: “Dad’s putting a fence up around the garden.”
Put up
Let someone stay in your house. Example: “Yes, I can put you up for a few days.”
Puzzle out
Solve a confusing or complicated problem by thinking carefully about it. Example: “She seemed to be trying to puzzle out who had left the note.”
Read up (on/about)
Get information on a particular subject by reading a lot about it. Example: “I need to read up on my British history.”
Run down
If an organisation or area is run down, its size, importance, and activity are reduced. Example: “They’ve been running the factory down for the last five years.”
Scrape through
Succeed in doing something, but not in a very impressive way. Example: “He just managed to scrape through the exam.”
Seek out
Find someone or something by looking for them in a determined way. Example: “The dogs are trained to seek out drugs.”
Set down
State officially how something should be done. Example: “These conditions were set down by the United Nations.”
Set down
Write something on a piece of paper so that it will not be forgotten and can be looked at later. Example: “She set all these events down in her diary.”
Set out
Start doing or working on something in order to achieve an aim. Example: “Did you set out to become a millionaire?”
Set up
Build a structure or put it in a particular place. Example: “Let’s set the tent up over there.”
Set up
Make a piece of equipment ready for use. Example: “How do you set the pieces up at the start of a game of chess?”
Shout down
Make it difficult to hear what someone says by shouting while they are speaking. Example: “The Minister was shouted down as he tried to justify the government’s decision.”
Shrivel up
Become smaller and thinner than usual and not look fresh and healthy. Example: “The leaves had shrivelled up in the summer heat.”
Shrivel up
Become weaker or smaller in amount. Example: “Funding for the project eventually shrivelled up.”
Single out
Choose one person from a group for special attention. Example: “The actor thanked everyone who had helped him and singled out his manager for special thanks.”
Size up
Think carefully and form an opinion about a person or a situation. Example: “He sized up the situation and then decided what to do.”
Slip away
Leave secretly. Example: “After an hour at the party, I managed to slip away without anyone noticing.”
Slip up
Make a careless mistake. Example: “We can’t afford to slip up this time.”
Smarten up
If you smarten up or smarten yourself up, you make yourself look tidy and clean. Example: “I’m going to smarten myself up a bit before the meeting.”
Smarten up
Improve the appearance of something, for example by cleaning or painting it. Example: “This room needs smartening up.”
Snow under
If you are snowed under, you have too much of something to deal with. Example: “I’m snowed under with work at the moment.”
Sound out
Try to find out someone’s opinions, ideas, or feelings by talking to them. Example: “The council decided to sound out local opinion.”
Speak out
State your opinion firmly and publicly about something, especially in order to protest against or defend something. Example: “He had always spoken out in favour of women’s rights.”
Spread out
If people in a group spread out, they move away from one another so that they cover a large area. Example: “We’ve got more chance of finding him if we spread out.”
Spring up
Appear or be produced suddenly and quickly. Example: “A lot of cafés have sprung up around here lately.”
Stand out
Be easy to see or notice because of being different. Example: “His turquoise tie stood out against his black suit.”
Stand out
Be much more impressive or important than others. Example: “Germany stands out as the leader in environmental reporting.”
Stand up to
Not allow yourself to be treated badly, especially by someone in authority. Example: “Why don’t you stand up to your boss a bit more?”
Step aside
Leave a job so that someone else can take over. Example: “The chairman stepped aside to allow a younger person to take over.”
Step aside
Move so that someone can pass you. Example: “We stepped aside to let someone in a wheelchair through.”
Stop off
Visit somewhere before continuing to another place. Example: “We can stop off at the bakery on the way to school.”
Store up
Do something that will cause problems in the future. Example: “If you ignore it, you’re just storing up problems for the future.”
Store up
Keep a lot of something so that you can use it later. Example: “Squirrels store up nuts for the winter.”
Summon up
Manage to produce a quality or a reaction that helps you deal with a difficult situation. Example: “He couldn’t summon up the strength to carry on fighting.”
Switch on/off
Start/stop a machine, light, etc., working. Example: “It’s boiling in here - switch the air conditioning on.”
Swot up (on)
Study something very hard, especially for an examination. Example: “I’ve got to swot up the French Revolution for tomorrow’s test.”
Take after
Look or behave like an older relative. Example: “Doesn’t she take after her mother?”
Take apart
Separate an object into pieces. Example: “I took my computer apart completely, but I still didn’t find the problem.”
Take away
Remove one number or quantity from another. Example: “If you take three away from five, you’re left with two.”
Take down
Separate a large structure into pieces. Example: “After the play, we had to take down all the scenery.”
Take down
Write down information or a statement. Example: “The police took down my details.”
Take in
Accept something as real or true. Example: “He still hasn’t really taken in his father’s death.”
Take in
Include something. Example: “The tour takes in some incredible scenery.”
Take in
Trick someone into believing something that is not true. Example: “Don’t be taken in by their promises.”
Lock up
Put someone in a prison. Example: “They should lock him up for a very long time, if you ask me.”
Make into
Change someone or something so that they become something else. Example: “It’s as if my parents are trying to make me into the ideal student, so I’m under a lot of pressure.”
Make out
See, hear, or understand someone or something with difficulty. Example: “Can you make out a face here in the photograph?”
Make out
Suggest or imply. Example: “It’s not as simple as some people make out.”
Make over
Change or improve the appearance of someone or something. Example: “They made over three contestants on the show. When they’d finished, they looked amazing.”
Make up
Work at different times from usual because you have not worked enough at the normal times. Example: “Sorry I’m late; I’ll make up for it.”
Meet up
Come together with someone, either unexpectedly or as planned. Example: “Why don’t we meet up when I’m in Berlin?”
Mess about/around
Behave in a silly way. Example: “Mrs Evans asked the class to stop messing about.”
Mess about/around
Spend time doing things in a relaxed way. Example: “There’s nothing I like better than messing about in the garden.”
Mess up
Be the cause of someone’s physical, emotional, or mental problems. Example: “Drugs really messed her up.”
Mess up
Make a mistake or do something badly. Example: “She says she completely messed up the interview.”
Mess up
Make something dirty or untidy. Example: “The wind had messed up my hair.”
Mix up
Put things together without any order. Example: “If you put different colas into different glasses and mixed them up, could you tell which is which?”
Mix up
Think that one person or thing is another person or thing. Example: “I’ve only ever mixed the Hampson twins up once.”
Mount up
Get much larger. Example: “The costs are beginning to mount up.”
Move in (with)
Start living in a different house or flat (with someone). Example: “When are you moving in with your partner?”
Move on
Leave one place and travel to another. Example: “My job means that I tend to stay in one city for a year or two and then move on.”
Move on
Stop discussing or doing something and begin discussing or doing something different. Example: “I think we should move on, or we’ll never finish the meeting on time.”
Move out
Permanently leave the house or flat where you live or the place where you have your business. Example: “I hear you’ve finally moved out of your parents’ house.”
Move over
Change your position in order to make space for someone or something. Example: “The woman moved over so that I could sit down.”
Mull over
Think carefully about something over a period of time. Example: “They’ll need time to mull over the proposals.”
