Phrasal verbs Flashcards
back out (of sth)
[to decide not to do something that you had said you would do]
- The buyer backed out of the deal the day before they were due to sign the contract.
back [sth] up
[to drive backward]
[PROVIDE SUPPORT: to support or help someone]
- My family backed me up throughout the court case.
[GATHER: to gradually collect or gather in one place, esp. traffic or a liquid]
[congestionada, atascada]
- There’s a ton of traffic. The highway is backed up for miles
blow [sth] up
[to destroy something or kill someone with a bomb, or to be destroyed or killed by a bomb]
- They threatened to blow up the plane if their demands were not met.
[FILL WITH AIR: to fill something with air]
- Would you help me blow up these balloons?
[STORM: When a storm blows up, it begins]
[ANGER: to suddenly become very angry]
- My dad blew up (at me) when he saw the bill.
bounce back
[to start to be successful again after a difficult period, for example after experiencing failure, loss of confidence, illness, or unhappiness]
[recuperarse]
- Stock prices bounced back after a steep plunge earlier this week.
- Children often seem to bounce back from illness more quickly than adults do.
break away
[ESCAPE: to leave or to escape from someone who is holding you]
- He grabbed her, but she managed to break away.
- The cyclist decided to break away from the peloton and take the lead in the race.
- (figurative) One or two of the tourists broke away from the tour group.
[NOT AGREE: to stop being part of a group because you begin to disagree with the people in the group]
- One or two of the tourists broke away from the tour group.
- Some members of the party broke away to form a rival party.
Break in
[ENTER ILLEGALLY: to enter a building illegally, usually by damaging a door or window, esp. for the purpose of stealing something]
- Thieves broke into our office downtown and stole the computers.
brush [sth] off
[CLEAN: to clean something or make it neat by rubbing your hand over it]
- He brushed the snow off his coat.
[NOT CONSIDER: to refuse to consider what someone says, or to not admit that something may be true or important]
[no hacer caso, restarle importancia]
- He just brushed off all their criticisms.
build on something
[to use a success or achievement as a base from which to achieve more success]
- We must build on our reputation to expand the business.
- A good relationship is built on trust.
build up something
[INCREASE: to cause something to increase or become greater]
- This will help you slowly build up an amount of money that you have for a rainy day in the future
- She does exercises daily to build up her strength.
- We tried to build his confidence up.
call somebody up
(mainly US)
[to use the phone to talk to someone]
- My dad called me up to tell me the good news.
call [sb] up
[to use the phone to talk to someone]
- My dad called me up to tell me the good news.
call [sth] off
[CANCEL: to decide that a planned event, especially a sports event, will not happen, or to end an activity because it is no longer useful or possible]
- The police have called off the search for the missing child until dawn tomorrow.
- They’ve called off the wedding.
care for someone
[PROTECT/PROVIDE FOR: to protect someone or something and provide the things they need, especially someone who is young, old, or ill]
- The children are being cared for by a relative.
- She can’t go out to work because she has to stay home to care for her elderly mother.
- It’s good to know that the dogs will be well cared for while we’re away.
carve out
/kɑːrv aʊt/
[to achieve or gain (something)]
[forjarse, hacerse]
- He carved out a career for himself as a graphic designer.
catch on
[BECOME POPULAR: to become fashionable or popular]
- I wonder if the game will ever catch on with young people?
[UNDERSTAND: to understand, especially after a long time]
- He doesn’t take hints very easily, but he’ll catch on (to what you’re saying) eventually.
catch up with [sb]
[to communicate with someone by talking in person or on the phone or by exchanging messages, and learn or discuss what has been happening in their life]
She spends hours on the phone, catching up with old friends.
chase someone up
(informal)
[to ask someone to do something that they promised to do but that have not yet done]
- If you don’t hear from the builders this week, make sure you chase them up.
- I must chase my flatmate up about those bills and see if she paid them.
clean [sth] off
[to remove something from something by brushing, rubbing, etc]
I cleaned the mud off my shoes
close [sth] off
[to put something across the entrance of a place to stop people from entering]
- They closed Pennsylvania Avenue off to vehicles.
come about
[to happen, or start to happen]
- How did the problem come about in the first place?
- How did such a confused situation come about?
come about
[to happen, or start to happen]
- How did the problem come about in the first place?
- She was late again, but I’m not sure how it came about this time.
- How did such a confused situation come about?
come along
[ARRIVE: to arrive or appear at a place]
- Go now and I’ll come along later.
- You wait half an hour for a bus, then three come along at once!
[GO WITH SOMEONE: to go somewhere with someone]
- We’re going to the movies. Do you want to come along?
[EXIST: to start to exist]
- I gave up climbing when my first child came along.
[DEVELOP: If something is coming along, it is developing or improving]
- How’s your English coming along?
- Hassan’s English is really coming along.
come away (with something)
[to leave a place or situation with the stated feeling, idea, condition, etc.]
- I recently spent about 90 minutes shopping on the Internet, and I came away empty-handed.
- Some 39 percent said they came away with a more favorable view of the candidate.
come down to [sth]
[se reduce a, ser esencialmente]
[If a situation or decision comes down to something, that is the thing that influences it most]
- It all comes down to money in the end.
[If a situation or problem comes down to something, it can be described or explained most simply in that way]
- What this strike comes down to is a failure to communicate with your staff.
come to someone
[If a thought or idea comes to you, you suddenly remember or start to think about it]
- I can’t remember his name - it’ll come to me in a minute.
come together
[If people or groups come together, they join or meet in order to do something]
- Once a year we all come together and celebrate our family.
- After lunch the groups came together and presented their conclusions.
- Following this disaster the nation must come together as a genuine community.
[If something comes together, its different parts combine, making it good or effective]
- At last, his plan was coming together.
- Several strands of her political thought come together in this essay.
- The project is a bit disorganized at the moment, but I’m sure things will come together eventually.
come up
[MOVE TOWARD: to move toward someone]
- A young girl came up to me and asked for money.
[HAPPEN: to happen, usually unexpectedly]
- I have to go - something has just come up at home and I’m needed there.
[BE MENTIONED: to be mentioned or talked about in conversation]
- What points came up at the meeting?
count someone in
[to include someone in an activity or arrangement]
- “Do you want to go swimming with us tomorrow?” “Yes, count me in.”
crack up
[partirse de risa]
[to suddenly laugh a lot, or to make someone suddenly laugh a lot]
- I took one look at her and cracked up.
- There’s something about that guy’s face that just cracks me up.
creep up
[If the value or amount of something creeps up, it slowly increases]
- Over the last year, the rate of inflation has crept up to almost seven percent.
cut back on something
[to reduce something]
- Now that I am unemployed we are going to have to cut back on our spending.
- If we don’t sell more, we’ll have to cut back production.
cut down something
[REDUCE: to reduce the number, amount, or size of something]
- Patients were asked if they had cut down their use of painkillers.
- I need to cut this section down to 500 words.
[CUT PLANT: to make a tree or other plant fall to the ground by cutting it near the bottom]
- They are cutting down forests to clear land for cattle.
cut something out
[REMOVE: to remove something or form a shape by cutting, usually from paper or cloth]
- She cut out his picture from the magazine.
[STOP EATING: to stop eating or drinking something, usually to improve your health]
- Since my heart attack, I’ve cut fatty foods out altogether.
date back to [sth]
[to have existed for a particular length of time or since a particular time]
[data de]
- This house dates back to 1780
dispense with something/someone
[to get rid of something or someone, or stop using them because you do not need them]
- Electronic records can dispense with 80% of paper files and reduce the need for office space.
- The new chairman has said he will dispense with any directors who can’t accept radical change.
do without something/someone
[to manage, work, or perform successfully without having someone or something present]
- The country cannot do without foreign investment.
- There are a great number of things that he can easily do without.
drift apart
[If two people drift apart, they gradually become less friendly and their relationship ends]
- Sometimes friends will drift apart over time
drive off
[to leave in a car]
I got in the car and drove off
drop [sb] off
/
drop off [sb]
[to take someone or something to a particular place, usually by car, as you travel to a different place]
[dejar a, llevar a]
Can you drop me off at work?
fall off
[to get lower in amount or level]
- Orders have definitely fallen off in the past quarter.
fit in
[BE ACCEPTED: to feel that you belong to a particular group and are accepted by that group]
[encajar]
- It’s no surprise she’s leaving - she never really fit in.
[If one thing fits in with another thing, they look pleasant together or are suitable for each other]
[pegar con]
- It’s a very nice couch but it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the room.
get around
[desplazarse]
- I like to get around the city by bicycle.
- She gets around a lot for her job.
get around to something
[to do something that you have intended to do for a long time]
- I still haven’t got around to fixing that tap.
- I wanted to see that movie but never got around to it.
get around [sth]
[DEAL WITH: to find a way of dealing with or avoiding a problem]
[evitar, sortear, esquivar]
- You can’t get around the problem by pretending it doesn’t exist.
- The company changed its name to get around the law.
- The committee is looking for ways to get around the funding problem.
get away
[to leave or escape from a person or place, often when it is difficult to do this]
[huir]
- We walked to the next beach to get away from the crowds.
- I’ll get away from work as soon as I can.
[to go somewhere to have a vacation, often because you need to rest]
[desconectar]
- I just need to get away for a few days.
- I had to get away from the party. It was awful.
More examples:
- They got away from burning car before it exploded.
- I finally got away from work at eight o’clock.
- We’re getting away in January for a skiing vacation.
- By the time the police arrived, the robbers had gotten away.
get away with [sth]
[AVOID PUNISHMENT: to succeed in avoiding punishment for something]
- By jumping over the barriers, he got away without paying for a ticket.
It’s time they put a stop to his bad behavior. He’s been getting away with it for too long.
- She’s determined that her students will not get away with plagiarism.
[SUCCEED: to do something successfully although it is not the best way of doing it]
- Do you think we could get away with just one coat of paint on that wall?
get back at someone
[to punish someone because that person has done something wrong to you]
- I think he’s trying to get back at her for what she said in the meeting.
get back to someone
[to talk to someone again, usually on the phone, in order to give them some information or because you were not able to speak to them before]
[llamar de vuelta]
- I’ll get back to you later with those figures.
get behind sb/sth
[to support somebody or something]
- If every member of the top management team doesn’t get behind this project, it’s never going to work.
get down to something
[to start to direct your efforts and attention to something, esp. work]
[ponerse manos a la obra]
- We’ve got to get down to business, folks, or we’ll never get the newsletter out on time.
- The meeting’s not due to start for another five minutes but we’re all here, so let’s get down to business.
get in
[ENTER: to succeed in entering a place, especially by using force or a trick]
- They must have got in through the bathroom window]
[ARRIVE: to arrive at your home or the place where you work]
- What time did you get in last night?
[ARRIVE: If a train, plane, or other vehicle gets in at a particular time, that is when it arrives]
- What time is the plane expected to get in?
get [sth] over with
[to do or finish an unpleasant but necessary piece of work or duty so that you do not have to worry about it in the future]
[quitarse de en cima, sacarse de encima]
It’s best to get it over with now, rather than leave it to the last minute.
I’ll be glad to get these exams over with.
get on with [sth]
[ponerse con, ponerse a]
Don’t watch TV. Just get on with your homework!
get through to [sb] (telephone)
[localizar a alguien, comunicarse con alguien, ubicar a alguien (telefono)]
After several attempts to call Yolanda, I eventually managed to get through.
get [sth] out of the way
[to finish something]
[quitarse de encima/en medio]
Let’s get the cleaning out of the way: then we can do something fun.
give in
[AGREE: to finally agree to what someone wants, after refusing for a period of time]
- The government cannot be seen as giving in to terrorists’ demands.
- After a heated debate, the employers gave in to the union’s demands.
- Keep asking and eventually she’ll give in.
[ADMIT DEFEAT: to accept that you have been defeated and agree to stop competing or fighting]
- You’ll never guess the answer - do you give in?
- She wouldn’t give in until she received a full apology.
go away
[LEAVE: to leave a place]
- Go away and leave me alone!
[LEAVE: to leave your home in order to spend time somewhere else, usually for a vacation]
- We usually go away for the summer.
- He goes away on business a lot.
- She’s gone away for six months, but strangely/oddly/funnily enough , her boyfriend doesn’t seem too unhappy about it.
- I really didn’t want to go away this weekend but, oh well, it can’t be helped.
- It’s just possible that we might be going away that weekend.
Go by
[time: pass]
“Time went by too quickly”
go off
[STOP WORKING: If a light or a machine goes off, it stops working]
- The lights went off in several neighborhoods because of the storm.
[EXPLODE: If a bomb goes off, it explodes]
[EXPLODE: If a gun goes off, it fires]
- His gun went off accidentally.
[LEAVE: to leave a place and go somewhere else]
- She’s gone off on vacation with Tony.
[HAPPEN: to happen in a particular way]
- The protest march went off peacefully.
go over something
[EXAMINE: to examine or look at something in a careful or detailed way]
- Remember to go over your paper for grammar and spelling mistakes before you hand it in to me.
- I’ve gone over the problem several times, but I can’t think of a solution.
[to study or explain something]
- I always go over my notes just before I go into an exam.
- Could you go over the main points of your argument again, Professor?
grow on someone
[to become increasingly liked or enjoyed by someone]
- Living in a small town was tough at first, but the place grows on you.
- I wasn’t sure about this album when I bought it, but it’s really grown on me.
hammer out
[to reach an agreement or solution after a lot of argument or discussion]
- Three years after the accident the lawyers finally managed to hammer out a settlement with the insurance company.
hammer [sth] out
/
hammer out [sth]
[To decide on an agreement or a contract after a lot of discussion and disagreement]
The two companies hammered out an agreement after days of tough negotiations.
hand something out
[to give something to each person in a group or place]
- The teacher asked her to hand out the worksheets.
- They stood on the street corner handing out leaflets.
hang up
[colgar (llamada)]
I am going to hang up now! I have a class in about 5 minutes.
head out
[LEAVE: start a journey]
[partir]
- Henry was getting impatient to head out on his own.
hear [sb] out
[to listen to someone until they have said everything they want to say]
At least hear me out before making up your mind
help [sb] out
/
help out [sb]
[ayudar, echar una mano]
Alberto helped me out yesterday with that problem
hold off
[to not do something immediately]
- [ + -ing verb ] Let’s hold off making a decision until next week.
- (US) They’ve decided to hold off on buying a car until they’re both working.
hold on/tight
[to continue doing something or staying somewhere although it is difficult or unpleasant to do so]
- Hold on and I’ll go and get some help.
- Hold tight, we’ll be there in no time
hold [sb] back
[STOP DEVELOPMENT: to stop someone or something developing or doing as well as they should]
- She felt that having children would hold her back.
[STOP MOVEMENT: If you hold someone or something back, you stop him, her, or it from coming or moving forward]
- Sandbags will hold the flood waters back for a while.
hold [sth/sb] up
[to make something or someone slow or late]
[retrasar]
- Sorry I’m late. I got held up in traffic.
hold [sth] back
[to stop yourself showing an emotion], [reprimir, contener]
- He spoke slowly, to hold back his growing anger.
iron out something
[to put something into a finished state by solving problems, removing differences, or taking care of details]
- They met to iron out the details of the contract.
jot [sth] down
/dʒɑːt/
[to write something quickly on a piece of paper so that you remember it]
[apuntar, anotar]
- I always carry a notebook so that I can jot down any ideas.
keep up
[seguir el ritmo/paso]
Real Madrid is in such good form that the other teams are struggling to keep up
lean on [sb]
/
lean upon [sb]
[to use someone or something to help you, especially in a difficult situation]
[contar con, apoyarse en]
You can always lean on me.
live up to something
[to be as good as something]
- The concert was brilliant - it lived up to all our expectations.
- He never managed to live up to his parents’ expectations.
- David’s cooking was brilliant - we’ll never live up to that.
- I feel it’s impossible to live up to his mother.
- The Niagara falls lived up to all the publicity.
- Did the vacation live up to your expectations?
live with [sth]
[ACCEPT: to experience and accept an unpleasant event, decision, or situation]
[aprender a vivir con algo]
When you get arthritis at your age, it’s just something you just have to live with.
look around something/somewhere
[to visit a place and look at the things in it]
- She spent the afternoon looking around the town.
- When we went to Boston, we only had a couple of hours to look around.
lose sleep over/about [sht]
[to worry about something]
I wouldn’t lose any sleep over what happened.
make for somewhere/something
[to go in the direction of a place or thing]
(syn: make towards somewhere)
They made for the centre of town.
