Phrasal verbs Flashcards
(321 cards)
1
Q
add up
A
to fine the total of
The shop assistant added up what I’d bought and told me the total
2
Q
blow up
A
to explode
Luckily, the bomb didn’t blow up
3
Q
break down
A
to stop working (For a machine, etc)
Our car broke down on the motorway
4
Q
break in(to)
A
to enter illegally
A house in Brecon Place was broken into last night
5
Q
bring up
A
to take care of a child until he or she becomes an adult
She brought up three sons on her own
6
Q
built up
A
to increase
These excercises are good for building up leg strength
7
Q
call back
A
to ring again on the phone
I’ll call you back later when you’re not so busy
8
Q
call off
A
to cancel
The concert has been called down and explained what had happened
9
Q
carry on
A
to continue
The phone rang, but Mark just carried on watching TV
10
Q
catch up (with)
A
to reach the same point/level as
He’s missed so much school that he’s going to find it hard to catch up
11
Q
cheer up
A
to become/make happier
I started to cheer up when the s un came out
12
Q
clear up
A
to tidy
I’ll clear up if you want to go to bed
13
Q
came across
A
to find something by chance
I came across a word I’d never seen before
14
Q
come back (from)
A
to return (from)
Give me a call when you come back from Greece
15
Q
come on
A
to be quicker
Come on, or we’ll be late!
16
Q
come out
A
to be published
When does her new book come out?
17
Q
cross out
A
to draw a line through something written
Just cross it out and rewrite it correctly
18
Q
cut down (on)
A
to do less of something (smoking, etc)
I’m trying to cut down on the amount of sugar I eat
19
Q
cut off
A
to disconnect (phone, electricity, etc)
Pay the electricity bill tomorrow or they might cut us off
20
Q
cut off
A
to completely remove by cutting
Keep your roses healthy by cutting off any dead flowers
21
Q
do up
A
to button/zip up a piece of clothing
It’s very windy, so do your coat up
22
Q
eat out
A
to eat at a restaurant
Would you like to stay in or eat out tonight?
23
Q
fall down
A
to trip and fall
I fell down and hurt my knee
24
Q
fall out (with)
A
to have an argument with someone and stop being friends
Have you two fallen out?
25
fill in *a form, etc*
to add information in the spaces on
*Just fill in this application form, please*
26
fill up
to make something completely full
*Just fill in this bowl up with sugar and put in an the table*
27
find out
to discover information, etc
*I don't want Jerry to find out about this*
28
get away with
to escape punishment for
*They have repeatedly broken the law and got away with it*
29
get in(to)
to enter a car
*I hurt my head as I was getting into the car*
30
get off
to leave a bus/train/etc
*You need to get off the bus opposite the supermarket*
31
get on (with)
to have a good relationship (with)
*She seems to get on with every body*
32
get on(to)
to enter a bus/train/etc
*You can buy a ticket when you get on the bus*
33
get out (of)
to leave a car/building/room/etc
*Quick! Get out of the car!*
34
get over
to recover from (an illness, etc)
*It can take weeks to get over an illness like that*
35
get up
to leave your bed
*He never gets up before nine*
36
give away
to give something free of charge
*They're giving away free tickets at the cinema!*
37
give back
to return something you've taken/borrowed
*Could you give my CDs back because you've had them for two weeks*
38
give up
to stop doing something you do regularly
*You should give up smoking*
39
go away
to leave a place/someone
*Why don't you just go away and leave me alone?*
40
go back (to)
to return (to)
*I can't wait to go back to Italy*
41
go off
to no longer be fresh
*Has this milk gone off?*
42
go on
to continue happening or doing something
*Please go on with your work while I speak to the head teacher*
43
go on
to happen
*There isn't much going on in this town in the evening*
44
go out
to stop burning
*the fire must have gone out during the night*
45
go out with
to be the boyfriend/girlfriend of
*Greg used to go out with Katy*
46
grow up
to become older (for children)
*He rarely saw his father while he was growing up*
47
hang on
to wait
*Just hang on - I'll be ready in a minute*
48
hang up
to put clothes in a wardrobe, etc
*The women hung up their coats and sat down*
49
hang up
to put the receiver down to end a phone call
*I can't believe that Jessica hung up without saying goodbye*
50
have on
to wear (a piece of clothing)
*The man had a strange hat on*
51
hurry up
to do something more quickly
*We haven't got much time, so hurry up!*
52
join in
to participate in, take part in
*Ask them if you can play - I'm sure they'll let you join in*
53
keep out
to prevent from entering
*Cars should be kept out of the city centre*
54
leave out
to not include
*Don't leave your brother out - let him play with you and your friends*
55
let down
to disappoint
*You've really let me down*
56
lie down
to start lying (on a bed.etc)
*I;m going to go and lie down for a while*
57
log off
to disconnect from the Internet/a website
*Don't forget to log off when you've finished checking your e -mail*
58
log on(to)
to connect to the internet/a website
*You need your password to log on*
59
look after
to take care of
*It's hard work looking after three children all day*
60
look up
to try to find information in a book, etc
*I had to look the word up in a dictionary*
61
make up
to invent an explanation, excuse, etc
*He made up some excuse about the dog eating his homework*
62
move in
to start living in a new house, etc
*We've moving in next week*
63
pay back
to return money (to someone)
*Did you pay Denise back?*
64
pick up
to lift something from the floor, a table, etc
*Please pick those toys up and put them away*
65
point out
to tell someone important information
*He pointed out that we had two hours of free time before dinner*
66
print out
to make a paper copy of something on a computer
*Let me print those photographs out for you*
67
pull off
to break by pulling
*I pulled off the arm of my sunglasses by mistake*
68
put away
to return something to where it belongs
*He put the notebook away and stood up*
69
put back
to return something to where it was
*Can you put the book back when you've finished with it?*
70
put down
to stop holding
*Emma put her bag down and went upstairs*
71
put off
to delay to a later time
*Can we put the meeting off until tomorrow?*
72
put on
to gain (weight)
*I don't want to put on any more weight!*
73
put on
to start wearing (a piece of clothing)
*Put your gloves and scarf on - it's cold outside*
74
put out
to make something stop burning
*It took three firefighters to put the fire out*
75
put up
to put something on a wall (eg a picture)
*The teacher will put a notice up about the new courses*
76
read out
to say something out loud which you are reading
*He read the list of names out*
77
rip up
to tear into pieces
*Rip up this piece of paper when you've finished reading it*
78
rub out
to remove with a rubber
*I can't rub it out because I wrote it in pen*
79
run away (from)
to escape by running
*The thief ran away from the police officers*
80
run out (of)
to not have any left
*Many hospitals are running out of money*
81
save up (for)
to save money (for a specific purpose)
*I'm saving up for a new electric guitar*
82
send off (eg football)
to make a player leave a game
*It was a very bad foul and the referee sent the player off*
83
set off
to start a journey
*Go to sleep because we're setting off early in the morning*
84
set up
to start (a business, organization,etc)
*My dad is going to set up a taxi company*
85
share out
to give a part of something to a group of people
*The money will be shared out between 30 different environmental organizations*
86
shut up
to stop talking, stop making a noise
*Just shut up a minute and let me tell you what happened!*
87
sit down
to (start to) sit
*Please, sit down and make yourselves comfortable*
88
sort out
to solve a problem
*Investigators are still trying to sort out why the accident happened*
89
speak up
to talk more loudly so someone can hear you
*You have to speak up a bit because my gran's a bit deaf*
90
split up
to end a relationship
*Tommy and Liz have just split up. It's very sad!*
91
stand up
to (start to) stand
*You have the chair. I don't mind eating standing up*
92
stay up
to go to bed late
*We stayed up until two o'clock last night*
93
take away
to remove
*Have they taken the rubbish away yet?*
94
take back
to return something to the place it came from
*I'm going to take my library books back*
95
take down
to remove (from a high place)
*The old man took a large book down from a shelf*
96
take off
to leave the ground
*Let's go and watch the planes taking off while we wait*
97
take off
to remove (a piece of clothing)
*It felt good to finally take my shoes off after a long day*
98
take over
to take control of (a business, etc)
* The shopping centre has been taken over by an American company*
99
take up
to start (a hobby, sport, etc)
*I've taken up stamp collecting and it's really interesting*
100
throw away
to put something in a rubbish bin
*Have you thrown the papers away?*
101
try on
to put on (a piece of clothing) to see how it looks and if it fits
*You should try it on to see if it's the right size*
102
turn down
to lower the volume of
*We asked our teacher to turn the CD up, so that we could hear it*
103
wake up
to stop being asleep
*Wake up! It's nearly ten o'clock!*
104
wash up
to wash plates, cups, cutlery, etc
*I can help to cook and wash up*
105
watch out
to be careful
*Watch out - you're going to hit that car!*
106
work out
to find the solution to a problem, etc
*We can't work out how to get the Internet connection going*
107
write down
to write information on a piece of paper
*Do you want to write down my phone number?*
108
ask after
ask for news about *Tony was asking after you and I told him you were fine.
109
back down
stop demanding sth, stop saying that you will do sth *It seemed as if the man was going to start a fight with the manager, but he eventually backed down.
110
back out (of)
decide not to do sth you agreed to do *But you promised to help me this weekend – you can’t back out now!
111
bank on
depend on sth happening *I’m really banking on getting that job at the supermarket.
112
break down
stop working (for a machine, etc) *That’s the third time our car’s broken down this month!
113
break out
escape (from prison) *Reports are coming in that five prisoners have broken out of Pentonwood Prison.
114
break out
start suddenly (for a war, fire, etc) *It seems that the fire broke out in the kitchen.
115
bring forward
change the date/time of an event so it happens earlier *Because of recent events, the meeting has been brought forward to the 29th.
116
bring in
introduce a new law or system *The government are planning to bring in a law banning hunting.
117
bring on
cause (an illness, etc) *Being out in the fog always brings on my asthma.
118
bring out
produce and start to sell a new product *Did you hear that REM have just brought out a new album?
119
bring up
look after a child until he or she becomes an adult *Both Sarah’s parents died when she was young and she was brought up by her grandmother.
120
bring up
start discussing a subject *I hate to bring it up, but do you have that money you owe me?
121
call for
require, need *The manager said that the situation called for some difficult decisions.
122
call for
demand *The farmers are calling for assistance from the government.
123
call off
cancel *I hope they don’t call the concert off because of this rain.
124
carry on
continue *You carry on painting this wall and I’ll go and get some more brushes.
125
carry out
perform an experiment, etc *The investigators have been carrying out tests on the pieces of plane recovered after the accident.
126
catch on
become popular or fashionable *Your green hair is great, but I don’t think it’ll catch on!
127
catch on
understand *Greg is really clever and always catches on in class very quickly.
128
catch up (with)
reach the same point/level as *I ran a little faster to try to catch up with the others.
129
chase after
follow sb/sth quickly in order to catch them *The shopkeeper ran out of the shop and chased after the shoplifter as he ran down the street.
130
check in
register at a hotel or an airport *Give me your passport and I’ll go to the desk to check in.
131
check out
leave a hotel *All guests must check out by midday.
132
check out
investigate *Let’s check out that new website Bill was talking about.
133
clear up
become brighter and better (for weather) *If it doesn’t clear up, then I’m afraid we may have to cancel the race.
134
close down
stop operating (for companies) *What is the government doing about the fact that dozens of local businesses are closing down every month?
135
come (a)round
happen again (for regular events) *Christmas soon comes around, doesn’t it?
136
come (a)round (to)
be persuaded to change your mind (about) *That’s a good point. Maybe I’m coming round to your way of thinking.
137
come across
find sth or meet sb by chance *I came across some old photographs while I was clearing out my desk.
138
come by
get sth, especially sth that is hard to get *How did you come by that painting?
139
come down with
start to suffer from a minor illness *After being out in the storm, Alice came down with a cold.
140
come forward
offer help or information *After the police appealed for help from the public, a number of people came forward with useful information.
141
come into
inherit *At the age of eighteen, Roger suddenly came into a fortune.
142
come off
succeed *Well, I think it’s a stupid plan and I’ll be amazed if it comes off.
143
come on
develop or make progress *Your piano playing is really coming on, isn’t it?
144
come on
start to be broadcast *That quiz show you wanted to watch comes on in half an hour.
145
come round/to
become conscious *After a worrying few minutes, Sean started to come round and opened his eyes.
146
come up with
think of (an idea, a plan, etc) *Who do you think came up with the idea of the bicycle?
147
count on
rely on, trust *Don’t worry – you can count on me to help if you need it.
148
cross out
draw a line through sth written *Darney realised that he’d made a spelling mistake and crossed the word out.
149
cut down (on)
do less of (smoking, etc) *If you can’t give up smoking, you could at least try to cut down.
150
cut down (on)
reduce an amount of *My doctor has advised me to cut down on fat.
151
cut off
make a place difficult or impossible to enter, leave or communicate with *The snow meant that the village was cut off for over a month.
152
cut off
stop the supply of sth *When we move, don’t forget to tell them to cut the water and electricity off.
153
cut off
disconnect *I was talking to Gordon on the phone when we were suddenly cut off.
154
cut off
stop the supply of sth *When we move, don’t forget to tell them to cut the water and electricity off.
155
cut off
disconnect *I was talking to Gordon on the phone when we were suddenly cut off.
156
dawn on
if something dawns on you, you realise it for the first time *It suddenly dawned on me that Sharon loved Oscar and that was why she was behaving so strangely.
157
deal with
handle, cope with *My job mostly involves dealing with complaints from members of the public.
158
die down
become less noisy, powerful or active *The actor waited for the laughter to die down before continuing.
159
do away with
get rid of *I think they should do away with double yellow lines and just let people park where they want to.
160
do up
repair, paint or improve *You should have your house done up before you sell it.
161
do without
live without (sth you can’t afford) *If there’s one thing I could never do without, it’s my mobile phone.
162
draw up
create (plans, etc) *The architect started to draw up the plans for the new house.
163
dress up
put on fancy or unusual clothes *I used to love dressing up in my mum’s clothes when I was a little girl.
164
drop in (on)
visit unexpectedly *I hope you don’t mind me dropping in on you like this, only I was just passing and I thought we could have a quick cup of coffee.
165
drop off
let someone get out of a vehicle *Let’s get the taxi driver to drop us off outside the supermarket.
166
drop off
fall asleep *After a long day at work, Henry dropped off in front of the TV.
167
drop out (of)
leave school, etc before you have finished a course *Dave’s parents were very disappointed when he dropped out of university.
168
drown out
prevent a sound from being heard by making a louder noise *The shouts from the audience drowned out the politician and no one could hear a word he was saying.
169
face up to
accept sth and try to deal with it *You need to face up to your responsibilities.
170
fall for
fall in love with *Romeo really fell for Juliet when he first kissed her.
171
fall for
believe (a lie/trick/joke/etc) *I told Sam that we had the day off school, and he fell for it!
172
fall out (with)
have an argument with and stop being friends *Pamela hasn’t spoken to her father since they fell out eight years ago.
173
feel up to
feel well enough to do *I know I should go to the gym today, but I don’t really feel up to it.
174
fill in
add information in the spaces on a document *Just fill in this form and then hand it in at reception.
175
find out
discover information *I’ve always wanted to find out more about the ancient Egyptians.
176
flick through
turn and look at the pages of a magazine quickly *I was flicking through a magazine when suddenly, I saw a photograph of my ex!
177
get (sb) down
make sb feel sad or lose hope *This rainy weather really gets me down.
178
get along (with)
have a good relationship (with) *I don’t know why, but I don’t really get along with my girlfriend’s parents.
179
get at
try to express *The man pointed at my shoulder, but I couldn’t understand what he was getting at.
180
get away with
escape punishment for *The police promised that the thieves would not be allowed to get away with the robbery.
181
get back
return from a place *When did you get back from holiday?
182
get by
manage to survive (financially) *I don’t make a huge amount of money, but we get by.
183
get on (with)
have a good relationship (with) *I get on with most of my teachers – except Mr Mills!
184
get on for
be almost a particular time, number, age, etc *It’s not sure what time it is, but it must be getting on for midnight.
185
get on with
continue doing *Julia had lunch and then got on with revising for her exams.
186
get over
recover from (an illness, etc) *It took Mary a long time to get over her illness.
187
get round to
start (after planning to do sth for a long time) *When do you think you’ll get round to fixing that bathroom door?
188
get through
use all of, finish *I can’t believe we’ve got through ten pints of milk in a week!
189
get through (to)
make sb understand *I tried to get through to him, but he just wouldn’t listen.
190
get up to
do sth you should not do *My brother and I used to get up to lots of things our parents didn’t know about when we were kids.
191
give away
give free of charge *Did you hear that they’re giving away free tickets to the concert on Saturday?
192
give away
reveal sth you are trying to hide *I know you haven’t seen the film yet so don’t give away the ending!
193
give in
stop making an effort to achieve sth difficult *I couldn’t finish the crossword, so I gave in and had a look at the answers.
194
give off
produce sth such as a smell, heat, light, etc *The fridge gets hot next to the cooker because the cooker gives off a lot of heat.
195
give up
stop doing sth you do regularly *I gave up playing the piano years ago.
196
go away
go on holiday *We go away every summer, and this year we’re thinking about Russia.
197
go down (as)
be remembered for having done something *Churchill will go down as a great war-time leader.
198
go in for
enter (a competition, etc) *You should go in for the talent contest they’re holding at the youth club this weekend.
199
go in for
like *I could never go in for windsurfing. It’s just not my kind of sport.
200
go into
deal with sth in detail *The head teacher asked me to go to the school to talk about Alexander’s behaviour, but she wouldn’t go into it on the phone.
201
go off
no longer fresh *Milk goes off very quickly if you don’t put it in the fridge.
202
go off
explode, be fired (for a gun, usually accidentally) *A bomb went off outside the Syrian embassy in London today, injuring five people.
203
go off
stop liking *Will used to really like jazz music, but he’s gone off it lately.
204
go on
continue happening or doing sth *Even though everyone said they had heard it, Carol went on telling the joke.
205
go on
do sth after doing sth else *He started by criticising me, and then went on to offer me promotion!
206
go over
repeat or think about again in order to understand completely *I’d like to begin by going over what we did in last week’s lesson.
207
go/come round
go/come to sb’s house to visit them *We were wondering if you’d like to come round for dinner one night this week.
208
grow on
if sth grows on you, you start to like it more *I didn’t like reality TV at first, but it really grows on you after a while.
209
grow out of
develop from *My ambition to be a computer programmer grew out of playing computer games.
210
grow out of
become too big for *Tracy’s grown out of her shoes so we’ll have to buy her some new ones.
211
grow up
become older *I’d like to be a bus driver when I grow up.
212
hand down
give something valuable to your children or grandchildren, usually when you die *This necklace was handed down to me by my grandmother.
213
hand in
give to a person in authority *I took the wallet I had found and handed it in at the police station.
214
hand out
give things to people in a group *Johnnie, please hand these out to everyone in the class.
215
hold up
rob while threatening violence *Two men held up a security van today and then escaped on motorbikes.
216
hold up
delay *I was held up in a traffic jam.
217
join in
participate, take part *You’ll feel much better if you join in, instead of just watching everyone else have fun.
218
keep on
continue doing sth *If you keep on being late for work, you’re going to be in trouble with the manager.
219
keep up with
stay at the same point/level as *Gordon walks so fast that no one can keep up with him!
220
knock out
defeat and remove from a competition *Steve Witse, the British number one, has been knocked out of the US Open tennis championship by Peter Collingwood.
221
knock out
make unconscious *When I fell off my bike, my head hit the ground and I was completely knocked out for about five minutes!
222
leave out
not include *If you don’t like cinnamon, then simply leave it out and add sugar to the apples instead.
223
let down
disappoint *Voters feel really let down by the government.
224
let off
give little or no punishment *I can’t believe that the teacher let Ben off with just a warning!
225
let off
make a bomb, etc explode *Be very careful if you’re going to let off those fireworks.
226
line up
get/put into lines *The soldiers all lined up, ready to be inspected by the officer.
227
live on
use as a source of money *I wanted the job, but I wouldn’t be able to live on the salary.
228
look after
take care of *Could you look after my cat while I’m on holiday?
229
look down on
think that you are better than *It annoys me the way Belinda looks down on other people.
230
look into
investigate *Police are looking into the theft.
231
look out
be careful *Look out! You’re going to fall.
232
look round
examine (a place) *We looked round the house but decided that it was too expensive for us.
233
look up to
admire and respect *I’ve always looked up to my older brother because he never gives up.
234
look up
try to find information in a book or list, etc *Just a second – I’ll look her number up in the phone book.
235
make for
go in the direction of *It started to rain so we made for a nearby farmhouse.
236
make out
pretend that sth is true *Neil tried to make out that he’d won the election, but we all knew it wasn’t true.
237
make out
see, hear or understand sb/sth with difficulty *Someone was waving at me in the distance but I couldn’t make out who it was.
238
make out
write all the necessary information on a cheque, etc *Could you please make the cheque out to Eurofinance Limited?
239
make up
become friends again after an argument *I had an argument with my best friend, but we soon made up.
240
make up
invent an explanation, excuse, etc *As I got to school, I knew that I would have to make up an excuse for being late.
241
make up
create a story, poem, etc *Leo made up a poem about the English teacher.
242
make up for
provide sth good, so that sth bad seems less important *When the concert was cancelled, my dad took us to the cinema to make up for it.
243
make/head for
go in the direction of *It started to rain so we made for a nearby farmhouse.
244
name after
give sb or sth the same name as sb or sth else *My dad named his boat after his grandmother.
245
narrow down
reduce the number of possibilities *I still haven’t decided which university to go to, but I’ve narrowed it down to about four.
246
pass away
die *I was sorry to hear that your grandfather passed away.
247
pass out
suddenly become unconscious *It was so hot that several members of the crowd passed out and had to be taken to hospital.
248
pick on
keep treating someone badly or unfairly *It’s not fair when some of the bigger boys pick on the little ones.
249
pick up
stop in a vehicle to give someone a lift *I’ll pick you up from outside your house and we’ll drive into town.
250
plug in
connect to the electricity supply *I couldn’t understand why the vacuum cleaner wasn’t working and then I realised I hadn’t plugged it in.
251
pop in(to)
visit quickly for a short time *Mum popped into the cake shop to get something for after dinner.
252
pull in
stop by the side of the road in a car *Could you just pull in for a second so that I can buy some chewing gum?
253
pull out
stop being involved in an activity *The other company pulled out of the deal at the last minute.
254
pull through
survive (a serious illness, etc) *The doctors were really worried about Simon, but in the end he pulled through.
255
put by
save an amount of money for the future *I try to put a little money by each month for emergencies.
256
put down
criticise, make someone feel stupid *I wish you wouldn’t keep putting me down in front of other people.
257
put down
kill (a sick/old animal) *We used to have a horse, but he fell and broke his leg so he had to be put down.
258
put down to
suggest that sth is the result of *The minister put the recent economic problems down to the rise in oil prices.
259
put forward
suggest *A number of suggestions were put forward during the meeting but none of them were very useful.
260
put off
delay, postpone *Wendy told me that the meeting had been put off until next Monday.
261
put off
make sb not want to do or not like sth *We’ve never tasted blue cheese before – the smell has always put us off.
262
put on
gain (weight) *I put on some weight over Christmas.
263
put on
hold, perform (a show, play, etc) *I read that they’re putting Macbeth on at the Lyttelton Theatre.
264
put out
make sth stop burning *I’m afraid you’ll have to put your cigarette out before you enter the building.
265
put through
connect by phone *I’ll just put you through to the supervisor, Mrs Edwards.
266
put up with
tolerate *You have to put up with a lot in this job, but it’s worth it in the end.
267
run into
meet by chance *You’ll never guess who I ran into in town this afternoon!
268
run out of
not have any left *I’m afraid we’ve run out of time, so I’d like to thank my guests and I hope we’ll see you next week on Discussion Time.
269
run over
hit with a car *Andrea was run over outside her house and she’s been taken to hospital.
270
sail through
do sth or deal with sth very easily *You probably thought it was going to be a difficult exam but, in the end, you sailed through it!
271
save up (for)
save money bit by bit (for a specific purpose) *I’m saving up for my holiday in India.
272
see off
go to a train station, etc to see someone leave *We all went to the bus station to see Grandma off.
273
see through
recognise that sth is not true and not be tricked by it *The guard saw through the woman’s disguise and immediately arrested her.
274
see through (to)
continue (or help to continue) to the end of sth unpleasant or difficult *I’m not enjoying my college course any more, but I’ll see it through to the end.
275
see to
deal with *Could you answer the door while I see to the baby?
276
set in
start and seem likely to continue (for a while) *After a few dry days, rain set in and stayed for a week.
277
set out
start working on sth in order to achieve an aim *We set out to create an organisation that would help people in poorer regions.
278
set out
explain, describe or arrange sth in a clear and detailed way *I liked your points, but you need to set them out more clearly by using paragraphs.
279
set out/off
start a journey *As the sun rose, we took down our tents and set out across the desert.
280
set to
start doing sth in a determined or enthusiastic way *We only had a few hours to get the party ready so we set to work quickly.
281
set up
start a business, organisation, etc *You’re such a good cook that I think you should set up a restaurant.
282
settle down
become calm after being upset, etc *When his mum left him at school on the first day, Charlie was quite upset, but he soon settled down and started to enjoy himself.
283
settle down
stay in one place or get married and live quietly *She spent her twenties travelling round the world and then settled down in a quiet village in Sussex.
284
show (a)round
take sb on a tour of a place *Let me show you round the garden.
285
show off
try to attract people’s attention and make them admire you (usually used negatively) *My sister thinks she’s a good singer and she’s always showing off when people come to visit.
286
slow down
decrease speed *The train started to slow down as it approached the station.
287
speed up
increase speed *I realised that I might not have enough time to finish the exam so I started to speed up.
288
stand for
represent (for abbreviations and symbols) *BBC stands for ‘British Broadcasting Corporation’.
289
stand for
put up with *I wouldn’t stand for it if someone spoke that rudely to me.
290
stand in for
do sb’s job for them while they are not available *Mr Howard will be standing in for Mrs O’Connell while she’s ill.
291
stand out
be easy to see because of being different *Molly has bright red hair, so she always stands out in a crowd!
292
stand up for
support in an argument or fight *I know that my best friend will always stand up for me.
293
take aback
surprise (usually in passive voice) *We were all taken aback by the news.
294
take after
look or behave like an older relative *George really takes after his grandfather, doesn’t he?
295
take down
write down what someone says *Could I just take down your details?
296
take in
trick sb into believing sth that is not true *He claimed to be a policeman, but I wasn’t taken in.
297
take off
become successful or popular very fast *The iPod has really taken off over the last couple of years.
298
take off
leave the ground (for a plane) *As the plane took off, I looked down at the houses below us.
299
take off
remove (a piece of clothing) *Carl took off his coat and started to warm himself by the fire.
300
take on
start to employ *There’s so much work to do in the office that maybe we should take on a secretary.
301
take on
accept (work or responsibility) *I haven’t got time to take on any more projects at the moment.
302
take over
take control of a business, etc *When Mr Barker retired, his daughter took over the family business.
303
take to
begin to like *The class took to Mrs Openshaw straight away.
304
take up
start (a hobby, sport, etc) *I’ve taken to going jogging every morning.
305
take up
fill an amount of space/time *Studying takes up most of my time at the moment.
306
tear down
destroy or remove (for buildings, statues, etc) *That beautiful old building was torn down to make way for a new supermarket.
307
tear up
rip into pieces *Robin suddenly grabbed the letter out of my hand and tore it up.
308
think over
consider *Mum says she needs to think over my request before she can say yes.
309
throw away
get rid of, discard *The CD wouldn’t play any more, so I threw it away.
310
try on
put on (a piece of clothing) to see how it looks and whether it fits *Debbie took the skirt into the changing room to try it on.
311
try out
experiment with *We need to try out a few new players before the World Cup starts.
312
turn down
not accept (an offer, request, etc) *I applied to join the Air Force, but they turned me down because of my eyesight.
313
turn into
change into sth different *It started as the holiday of a lifetime but soon turned into a nightmare.
314
turn off
stop a machine working *Would you please turn that stereo off and get your homework done?
315
turn out
develop in a particular way or have a particular result *I was late for the interview, but it turned out all right in the end and I got the job.
316
turn over
turn a page so that the other side is towards you *You’ll hurt your arm if you turn over like that.
317
turn round
go back in the opposite direction *I realised I’d forgotten my phone so I turned round and went back to get it.
318
turn up
appear unexpectedly or without making a firm arrangement *Victor is very punctual, so when he didn’t turn up on time, we all began to worry.
319
wear off
stop being effective (for a drug, etc) *The effects of the painkiller wore off after a couple of hours.
320
wear out
become old and unusable *I had to get a new pair of trainers because my old ones had worn out.
321
work out
find the solution to a problem, etc *It took me ages to work out the answer to the last question.
