Phrasal verbs Flashcards
Pale at
- show signs of fear at sth. (she paled at the mention pf an injection)
Pale beside
- seem insignificant when compared with sth. (all his prose would pale beside the vers he wrote last year)
Ward off
ward somebody/something off
-to protect or defend yourself against danger, illness, attack, etc.
•to ward off criticism
•She put up her hands to ward him off.
Turn to
turn to somebody/something
-to go to somebody/something for help, advice, etc.
•She has nobody she can turn to.
Drift off
drift off (to sleep)
-to fall asleep
•I didn’t hear the storm. I must have drifted off by then.
Break away
break away (from somebody/something)
-to escape suddenly from somebody •who is holding you or keeping you prisoner
•The prisoner broke away from his guards.
-to leave a political party, state, etc., especially to form a new one
•The people of the province wished to break away and form a new state.
See throught
see through somebody/something
(not used in the progressive tenses)
-to realize the truth about somebody/something
•We saw through him from the start.
Back up
back up | back something up
-to move backwards, especially in a vehicle
•You can back up another two feet or so.
•I backed the car up to the door.
back somebody/something up -to support somebody/something; to say that what somebody says, etc. is true
•I’ll back you up if they don’t believe you.
Stumble on
stumble across/on/upon something/somebody
-to discover something/somebody unexpectedly
•Police have stumbled across a huge drugs ring.
Let down
let somebody down
-to fail to help or support somebody as they had hoped or expected
•I’m afraid she let us down badly.
Take to
take to something [no passive]
-to go away to a place, especially to escape from danger
•The rebels took to the hills.
Have it in for somebody
-to not like somebody and be unpleasant to them
Cast doubt upon
-say, do or suggest something that makes people doubt something or think that somebody is less honest, good, etc.
-cast something on/upon something •This latest evidence casts serious doubt on his version of events.
Do up
do up
-to be fastened
•The skirt does up at the back.
Conjure up
-conjure something up
to make something appear as a picture in your mind
-SYNONYM evoke
•That smell always conjures up memories of holidays in France.
Fend for
fend for yourself
-to take care of yourself without help from anyone else
•His parents agreed to pay the rent for his apartment but otherwise left him to fend for himself.
Churn out
churn something out
(-, often disapproving) to produce something quickly and in large amounts
•She churns out novels at the rate of three a year.
Set off
set off
-to begin a journey
•We set off for London just after ten.
Loom up c1
-to appear as a large shape that is not clear, especially in a frightening way
•A dark shape loomed up ahead of us.
Refrain
- to stop yourself from doing something, especially something that you want to do
-SYNONYM desist
-refrain (from something)
•They appealed to the protesters to refrain from violence.
Look at
-
Come under
come under something [no passive]
-to be included in a particular group
•What heading does this come under?
-to be a person that others are attacking or criticizing
•The head teacher came under a lot of criticism from the parents.
Run up
run something up
-to allow a bill, debt, etc. to reach a large total
-SYNONYM accumulate
•How had he managed to run up so many debts?
Swear to
swear to something
-(informal) to say that something is definitely true
•I think I put the keys back in the drawer, but I couldn’t swear to it (= I’m not completely sure).
Adjust to
-
Convert (sth. into sth.)
-to change or make something change from one form, purpose, system, etc. to another
Swich over
-
Break out
-break out
(of war, fighting or other unpleasant events) to start suddenly
•They had escaped to America shortly before war broke out in 1939.
Adjust to
-to change something slightly to make it more suitable for a new set of conditions or to make it work better
Come up with
-to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc.
•She came up with a new idea for increasing sales.
Turn down
turn somebody/something down
-to reject or refuse to consider an offer, a proposal, etc. or the person who makes it
•Why did she turn down your invitation?
Base on
-base something on/upon something
[usually passive] to use an idea, a fact, a situation, etc. as the point from which something can be developed
•What are you basing this theory on?
Swich over
-switch over | switch something over
(British English) to change stations on a radio or television
Give off
-give off something
-to produce something such as a smell, heat, light, etc.
•The flowers gave off a fragrant perfume.
Turn down
-
Free up
-
Set aside
set something aside
-to save or keep money, time, land, etc. for a particular purpose
•She tries to set aside some money every month.
Deal with
Handle
Put down
-
Keep in touch
-
Result in
-
Have it in for
- to not like somebody and be unpleasant to them
Put forward
put yourself/somebody forward
-to suggest yourself/somebody as a candidate for a job or position
-Can I put you/your name forward for club secretary?
Doze off
-go to sleep, especially during the day
•She dozed off in front of the fire.
Nod off
nod off
-(informal) to fall asleep for a short time while you are sitting in a chair
•I was practically nodding off in that meeting.
Fall into
fall into something
-to be able to be divided into something
•My talk falls naturally into three parts.
Put off
put somebody off
-to cancel a meeting or an arrangement that you have made with somebody
•It’s too late to put them off now.
Drift off
-to fall asleep
•I didn’t hear the storm. I must have drifted off by then.
Break away
break away (from somebody/something)
-to escape suddenly from somebody who is holding you or keeping you prisoner
•The prisoner broke away from his guards.
Fall in
-if soldiers fall in, they form lines
•The sergeant ordered his men to fall in.
Come out
-
-(appear)
See through
** see through somebody/something**
-(not used in the progressive tenses)
-to realize the truth about somebody/something
Back up
back up | back something up
-to move backwards, especially in a vehicle
•You can back up another two feet or so.
Let down
-
Make the most of
-
Be caught up in
be/get caught up in something
-to become involved in something, especially when you do not want to be
•Innocent passers-by got caught up in the riots.
Have no intention of
-
Turn out
-
Set off
-
Set out
set out
-to leave a place and begin a journey
•They set out on the last stage of their journey.
Refrain from
-to stop yourself from doing something, especially something that you want to do
-SYNONYM desist
•They appealed to the protesters to refrain from violence.
Take a look
-
Write out
-
Catch sight
-catch something to notice something only for a moment
•She caught sight of a car in the distance.
Keep out of sight
-
Happen to
-
Take part in
-
Tricked out of
-
Decieved into
-
Fall for
-
Gulp down
gulp something (down)
-to swallow large amounts of food or drink quickly
•He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out.
Bite off
-
Pick at
-to eat food slowly, taking small amounts or bites because you are not hungry
•She sat at the table in silence, picking at her dinner.
Leap (forward)
-to jump high or a long way
•dolphin leapt out of the water.
•We leaped over the stream.
Meet with
- experience (they met with stubborn resistance)
- be overcome by (she met with an accident)
Lead up to
-to be an introduction to or the cause of something
•the weeks leading up to the exam
•the events leading up to the strike
Own up
own up (to something/to doing something)
-to admit that you are responsible for something bad or wrong
-SYNONYM confess
•I’m still waiting for someone to own up to the breakages.
