Phrasal verb Flashcards
act up
behave or function improperly I think I need to take my car to the mechanic because it’s acting up again.
add * up +
calculate a sum I added up the receipts and it totaled $135.46.
add up
make sense Her story doesn’t add up. I think she is lying.
add up to +
equal an amount The total expenses added up to $325.00.
ask * out +
invite on a date I can’t believe that Joe finally asked me out on a date!
ask * over +
invite to one’s home Why don’t we ask the Johnsons over for dinner?
back * up +
give support You need examples to back up your opinion.
back down
stop defending your opinion in a debate Jane never backs down. She always wins arguments.
back out
not keep (a promise, agreement,deal) Sam backed out at the last second.
back out of +
not keep (a promise, agreement, deal) Sam backed out of the agreement at the last second.
back up
move backwards, reverse Could you back up a little so I can open this drawer.
bawl * out
criticize, reprimand (inf.) She bawled him out for arriving late.
bear down on +
bite The soldier had to bear down on the leather strap while the doctor removed a bullet from the soldier’s arm.
bear down on +
take strong measures against The U.S.A. is bearing down on drug traffickers.
bear on +
have to do with This information may bear on this case.
bear up
withstand I didn’t think he would bear up so well in that situation.
bear up under +
withstand How did he bear up under such extreme pressure.
bear with +
be patient Please bear with me while I fill out the paperwork.
blow * up +
make explode;destroy using explosives The terrorists blew the bridge up.
blow in
visit unexpectedly (inf.) My cousin blew in unexpectedly with his entire family.
blow over
pass without creating a problem All this negative publicity will blow over in a couple of weeks.
blow up
explode The bomb blew up before they could defuse it.
blow up
suddenly become very angry When Joan heard the news, she blew up and rushed out of the room.
break * down +
analyze in detail We need to break this problem down in order to solve.
break * in +
wear or use something new until it is comfortable I need to break these shoes in before I go hiking.
break * off +
end something Sally broke her engagement to John off.
break * up +
break into pieces I broke the cracker up into pieces and put it in the soup.
break * up +
disperse (a crowd), stop (a fight) The police broke the demonstration up before it got out of control.
break down
become mentally ill She broke down after her husband died.
break down
stop working properly The truck broke down in the desert.
break in
enter a place unlawfully The burglar broke in between midnight and 3 AM.
break in
interrupt While we were discussing the situation, Terri broke in to give her opinion.
break in on +
interrupt (a conversation) Jane broke in on the conversation and told us to get back to work.
break into +
interrupt (a conversation) Jane broke into the conversation and told us what she knew.
break into +
enter a house unlawfully The burglar broke into the house between midnight and 3 AM.
break out
appear violently Violent protests broke out in response to the military coup.
break out +
use something extravagant for celebration He broke out the champagne to celebrate his promotion.
break out of +
escape The murderer broke out of the prison.
break up
end a relationship Sam and Diane broke up again. What a rocky relationship.
bring * about +
cause to happen Democracy brought about great change in the lives of the people.
bring * along +
bring with When we go to the forest, bring your wildlife guide along.
bring * around
change someone’s mind, convince someone She doesn’t want to go, but we’ll eventually bring her around.
bring * away
learn or gain (from an experience) My trip across the Sahara was difficult, but I brought a new appreciation for life away from the experience.
bring * off +
succeed at something difficult or unexpected You robbed the bank! I can’t believe you brought that off.
bring * on +
cause something I can’t believe she got so angry. What brought that on?
bring * out +
highlight, stress Your new shirt brings out the color of your eyes.
bring * over +
bring to someone’s house When you visit me, why don’t you bring over your son.
bring * to
revive consciousness We used smelling salts to bring her to after she fainted.
bring * up +
mention I didn’t want to bring up the fact that she was unemployed.
bring * up +
raise ( a child) Sam was brought up in South Carolina.
brush * off +
ignore something or someone (inf.) Mary brushed her ex-boyfriend off at the party.
burn * down +
destroy by setting fire to The children burned the house down while playing with matches.
burn * up +
destroy by fire He burnt up the files.
burn down
burn until completely gone (building) Two buildings burnt down in the fire.
burn up
be hot I am burning up in here - open the window.
burn up
consume by fire The papers were burned up in the fire.
buy * out +
buy the shares of a company or the shares the other person owns of a business Pacific Inc. was bought out by a company from Oregon.
buy * up +
purchase the entire supply of something We bought up all the beer in the store.
call * off +
order to stop (an invasion, guard dogs) He called off the dogs when he saw it was his neighbor.
call * off +
cancel something They called the picnic off because of the rain.
call * up +
telephone I called Sam up to see if he wanted to go to the movies.
call for +
require (as in a recipe) This recipe calls for milk, not water.
call on +
visit Mark called on Naomi while he was in town.
call on +
invite someone to speak in a meeting or a classroom Professor Tanzer called on Tim to answer the question.
calm * down +
make someone relax You can calm the baby down by rocking her gently.
care about
care about He cares about what his children watch on TV.
care for +
nurse someone or something He cared for the bird until its wing healed.
care for +
like someone or something I don’t care for sour cream on my potato.
carry * out +
complete and/or accomplish something The secret agent carried out his orders exactly as planned.
carry * over +
continue on a subsequent day, page, etc. The meeting carried over into lunch time.
carry on +
continue (a conversation, a game) Please, carry on. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.
carry on about +
continue in an annoying wayￊ He kept carrying on about how much money he makes.
carry on with +
continue I want you to carry on with the project while I am out of town.
catch on
slowly start to understand (inf.) He caught on after a few minutes.
catch up
make up for lost time I will never catch up. I am too behind in my work.
catch up on +
become up-to-date I need to catch up on world events. I haven’t seen the news in ages.
catch up with +
speed up to be at the same place as a person or thing in front of you I had to run to catch up with the others.
check * off +
make a mark next to (an item on a list) Check each name off the list.
check * out +
investigate, take a look at He checked out the new restaurant down the street.
check * over +
closely examine the condition of something He checked over the old car to see if it was worth buying.
check * through
send luggage through (to a destination) Your luggage will be checked through to Paris.
check back
return to see if everything is OK We will check back tomorrow to make sure the project is finished.
check by +
go to a place to see if everything is OK We need to check by the office to see if the documents are ready.
check for +
try to find They checked for termites before they bought the house.
check in
enter a hospital, hotel etc. They need to check in before noon.
check into +
enter a hospital, hotel etc. They checked into the hotel at 11:00 AM.
check into +
investigate, look for (often through a service) We are checking into discount flights to London.
check on +
make sure something is OK Let’s check on the baby again before we go to sleep.
check out
leave a hotel, hospital It’s already eleven. We need to check out.
check out of +
leave a hotel, hospital We checked out of the hotel before ten.
check up on +
investigate someone or something The police are checking up on the bomb threats.
check with +
ask a person for confirmation He needs to check with his parents before he goes.
cheer * up
make someone feel cheerful The party really cheered me up.
cheer up
become cheerful Cheer up. Everything will be all right.
chew * up +
chew into small pieces The dog chewed up my shoe.
chop * down +
fell/cut ( a tree) The lumberjack chopped the tree down.
chop * up +
chop/cut into small bits He chopped the meat up into little pieces.
clean * up +
tidy Susan cleaned the mess up before she left.
clear * up +
tidy Susan cleared up the mess before she left.
clear out
leave ( inf.) Everybody clear out! We’re closed.
close * down +
close a place permanently The corner market closed down because they didn’t have many customers.
close * up +
close temporarily They are closing the ski resort up for the summer.
close down
close permanently The bar was closed down because they served alcohol to minors.
close in on +
approach and threaten The rebels were closing in on the capital, so the government called in the army.
close up
close temporarily The ski resort is closing up for the summer.
come about
occur / happen How did you idea for the book come about.
come across +
initially seem or have the appearance He comes across as rather rude, but he isn’t.
come across +
discover by accident They came across some lost Mayan ruins in the jungle.
come along
progress How’s the research paper coming along.
come along
accompany someone If you want, you can come along.
come along with +
progress How are you coming along with the research paper.
come along with +
accompany Sam came along with us to the beach.
come away
leave a place with a particular feeling or impression I came away from the meeting feeling like the presentation was a success.
come back
return What time are you coming back?
come by
visit a person at their house I’ll come by later this afternoon.
come by +
get, receive How did you come by that new Mercedes?
come down with +
become sick with He came down with the flu.
come into +
inherit He came into a large sum of money when his aunt died.
come off +
fall off, break off The handle came off the suitcase when I picked it up.
come out
appear I didn’t see the car at first. It came out of nowhere.
come out
reveal you are homosexual Sam finally came out last month.
come out
turn out, end up The pictures came out great.
come out with +
produce and distribute a product Microsoft is coming out with a new video game system next month.
come over
visit someone at their house Why don’t you come over after work for dinner.
come through
do what is needed or expected Terry really came through for us in the end.
come to
regain consciousness Don’t worry! She faints all the time. She always comes to after a few minutes.
come up to +
approach; to equal The job offer didn’t come up to her expectations.
come up with +
produce or create (an idea, a plan) She came up with a great proposal for the new advertising campaign.
come with +
include (an accessory) The computer system doesn’t come with a printer.
count * in +
include Did you count expenses in?
count * out +
exclude You can count James out. He hates playing poker.
count * up +
add Count the change up and see how much we have.
count on +
depend/rely on You can really count on Sarah.
crack down on +
become tougher on, better enforce laws on The police have been cracking down on drunk driving.
crack up
laugh uncontrollably, laugh a lot When I told the joke, they all cracked up.
crack up at +
laugh uncontrollably about, laugh a lot about I cracked up at his joke.
cross * out +
draw a line through something, eliminate Why did you cross my name out on the list?
cut * off
interrupt someone while they were speaking She cut him off before he said something he would regret later.
cut * off +
sever ( with a knife) His finger was accidentally cut off in an industrial accident.
cut * out
stop an action Cut it out! You’re bothering me.
cut * out +
remove He cut the bone out of the steak.
cut * up +
cut into small pieces He cut the beef up and put the pieces in the soup.
cut down
decrease the amount of You eat too much fat. You need to cut down.
cut down on +
decrease the amount of You need to cut down on your fat intake.
cut in
interrupt She suddenly cut in and delivered the news
cut in on +
interrupt She cut in on the conversation and delivered the news.
die away
diminish in intensity The applause died away after 5 minutes.
die down
diminish in intensity The controversy about the president’s affair finally died down.
die off/out
become extinct Whales are in danger of dying off.
disagree with +
cause to feel sick due to food or drink Spicy food disagrees with me.
do * over +
repeat You made many mistakes, so I want you to do the report over.
do away with +
abolish Some Americans want to do away with the death penalty.
do without +
manage without something one wants or needs I couldn’t do without a car in California.
draw * up +
create ( a contract) Let’s draw an agreement up before we go any further with this project.
dress * down
reprimand severely The mother dressed her son down for skipping school.
dress * up +
decorate You could dress this house up with some bright colors
dress down
dress casually I am dressing down because we’re going to a barbecue by the beach.
dress up
wear elegant clothes She always dresses up at work.
drive * back +
repulse The invaders were driven back by the army.
drop in
visit someone unexpectedly Meg dropped in yesterday after dinner.
drop in on +
visit someone unexpectedly Let’s drop in on Julie since we’re driving by her house.
drop out
quit an organized activity Yuri isn’t on the team any more. He dropped out.
drop out of +
quit an organized activity (school) It’s difficult to get a good job if you drop out of high school.
drop over
visit someone casually Drop over any time you feel like talking.
eat * up +
devour Ken ate the cookies up.
eat away
gradually destroy, erode The heavy rains ate away at the sandstone cliffs.
eat in
eat inside the home We usually eat in instead of going out for dinner.
eat out
eat outside the home They eat out once a week.
face up to +
acknowledge something difficult or embarrassing I’ll never be able to face up to my colleagues after getting so drunk last night at the work party.
fall back on +
be able to use in case of emergency Yuki can fall back on her degree in biology if she doesn’t succeed in her acting career.
fall behind
go slower than scheduled, lag Hurry up or you will fall behind!
fall behind in +
go slower than scheduled, lag Cheryl has missed several days of school and now she is falling behind in her homework.
fall off
decrease Interest in the project fell off when they realized it wouldn’t be profitable.
fall out with +
have an argument with I had a falling out with my sister last month and we haven’t talked to each other since.
fall through
fail to happen Unfortunately, my trip to Indonesia fell through because I couldn’t save enough money.
feel * up +
grope She sued her boss for sexual harassment after he felt her up.
feel up to +
have the energy to do something I don’t feel up to going out tonight because I had a long day at work.
figure * out +
solve something, understand I finally figured the joke out. Now I understand why everybody was laughing.
figure * up +
calculate I need to figure my expenses up before I give you an estimate.
figure on +
expect Where do you figure on living when you move to the the U.S.A.?
fill * in +
completeￊ Don’t forget to fill in all the blanks on the application.
fill * out +
complete (an application) I filled out an application to rent the apartment last week.
fill * up +
fill to the top Fill the car up with unleaded gas, please.
fill in
substitute Who is going to fill in while you’re gone?
fill in for +
substitute for Miguel filled in for me at the meeting yesterday because I was sick.
fill out
mature, get breasts Now that you’re filling out honey, we need to get you a bra.
find out
discover Vicky’s parents are going to be so mad when they find out she got a tattoo.
find out +
discover You will never find out all my secrets!
fix * up +
repair, renovate, remodel My neighbors are fixing their house up.
get * across +
cause to be understood It’s difficult to get humor across in another language.
get * off
remove ( a spider from your shirt) Can you get this spider off my shirt?
get * off +
send (a package) I finally got my sister’s birthday present off yesterday.
get * on
put on (clothes) You should get your jacket on because it’s going to be cold.
get * up
cause someone to rise (from a sitting position or a lying position) Ahmed got Abdul up at 5:30 in the morning by turning the music up really loud.
get ahead
make progress I can’t get ahead even though I work two jobs.
get ahead of +
surpass You need to work overtime in order to get ahead of schedule.
get along
have a good relationship Do you and your sister get along?
get along with +
have a good relationship Giovanna doesn’t get along with her two brothers.
get around
go many places It’s easy to get around town with public transportation.
get around +
avoid someone or something Some people get around paying taxes by hiring a good accountant.
