Phrasal Verbs Flashcards
give (x) away
1) to give something for free
2) to reveal a secret (usually accidentally)
give in
to finally agree to something that you didn’t want to do
give it up for
to cheer/applaud for someone (usually before/after a performance)
give (x) out
1) to stop working because of old age or long‐term use
2) to produce light, heat, energy, odor, etc. (also: “give off”)
put (x) down
1) to kill an animal that is sick or injured
2) to insult someone
put (x) off
to postpone; to do something at a later time instead of doing it now
put (x) out
1) to disturb or ask a big favor of someone
2) to extinguish a fire (to put water on a fire until it is “out”)
put (x) up
to let someone stay in your house for a short period of time
put up with
to tolerate something or someone that you don’t really like
take after
to look like, act like, or follow the example of someone (usually a parent or older relative)
take (someone) aside
to talk to someone alone, away from other people
take down
to take notes in a meeting, class, etc.
take it out on (someone)
to yell at or express all of your anger at a single person (even if they might not deserve all of the blame)
take (x) over
to take control of a company or task from someone else
take up
to fill time or space
fall back on
to have a “backup plan”; to have a plan that you can use in an emergency
fall behind
to progress more slowly than others; to be at a lower level than others
fall for
1) to be attracted to someone; to fall in love with someone
2) to believe a lie; to be tricked by someone; to be gullible
fall into
to “end up” doing something that you hadn’t planned to do or didn’t originally want to do
fall off
to decrease (especially: sales, numbers, profits, etc.)
fall through
if a plan is unsuccessful or an expectation is not met, you say it “fell through”
hold (it) against (someone)
to ‘hold a grudge’; to stay angry at someone for a long time because of something they did in the past; to blame someone and stay angry at them.
hold (x) down
to keep a job
hold on (or: hang on)
to wait briefly; to “wait a minute”
hold out (for)
to continue resisting; to continue waiting for something; to refuse to reach an agreement with someone for an extended amount of time (you use “for” when you want to say “why” someone is holding out—for more money, for a better option, etc.)
hold up (or: stick up)
to steal money from a person, business or bank, usually with a weapon (gun, knife, etc.)
live (x) down
to stop being embarrassed about something; to get over the shame from an embarrassing event
live it up
to have a good time while you can; to spend a lot of money and party
live off / live on
to use some source of money to support oneself
live up to
to meet the expectations, standards, or hopes of someone (usually a parent or respected friend)
live with
to accept/endure something even though it is undesirable or less than ideal (similar to make do”)
make (x) up
1) to reconcile; when two people forgive each other after a fight or disagreement
2) to invent a story, to use your imagination to say something that isn’t true or real
make (x) out
1) when two people kiss for a long time
2) to be able to see something clearly
make do (with)
to accept or use something that is not what you really want, because you can’t have the thing that you really want; to accept what you have, because it’s good enough
make (A) into (B)
to change one thing (A) into another thing (B)
make over
to change or improve one’s appearance
make off (with)
to steal and get away; to escape with something stolen
pull ahead
to move in the lead, to move ahead of the other people (in a race or contest, for example)
pull for
to support or cheer for a person/team
pull (x) off
to accomplish something difficult
pull (x) over
to drive your car to the side of the road and stop (when a police officer turns on his/her lights, for example)
pull up
to drive your car (slowly) forward (when parking or stopping at a place, for example)
pull yourself together!
to calm down and stop panicking (you say this when someone is crying, yelling, or very scared, for example)
stick around
to stay around; to stay in a place for awhile
stick by / stick with
to stay with someone or give them support in a difficult time; to stay with a story, plan, or opinion and refuse to change it.
stick out (also: stand out, “stick out like a sore thumb”)
if something “sticks out”, it is easily noticeable (because it is strange, big, or better than the rest, for example)
stick up for
to support or defend someone
stick together
to support and defend friends/colleagues, to remain loyal (similar to “sticking by” someone)
call (x) off
to cancel
cheer (someone) up
to stop being sad or unhappy
cut (it) out
to stop doing something that is unfair or annoying
do (x) over
to repeat something; to do something again
drop by / stop by
to briefly visit a place or a person
drop out
to quit school
