Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbSentenceText
BACK OUTIf you back out from our contract, you will have to pay money to the firm.
BE ABOVEYou should be above all anger.
BE ON TOP OF THE WORLDI am on top of the world. I feel so great!
BEAT ABOUT THE BUSHDon't beat about the bush, come straight to the point.
BLOW UPThe soldiers blew up the house.
BOSS AROUNDHe is just bossing everybody around. Nobody likes him.
BREAK UPJohn and Alice broke up last month.
BRING UPI was brought up to respect the law.
BRUSH UPI should brush up my French before I go to Paris.
CALL OFFThe workers have called off the strike
CALM DOWNCalm down, there's nothing to worry about.
CATCH ONI don't think this new fashion will catch on. It looks too strange!
CHEAT ONShe has been cheating on me while I've been away.
COME ACROSSI came across this book under your bed.
COME TRUEMy dream has come true.
COME UPI'm sorry. Something has come up. I have to cancel our meeting.
COUNT DOWNThe spaceship is already being counted down.
COUNT ONYou can always count on Bob, he will never fail you.
COVER UPAre the governments of the world covering up the truth about UFOs?
CUT ACROSSI got here early by cutting across the field.
CUT DOWNThe factory's production has been cut down.
DIE HARDEnergy crisis shows that old habits die hard.
DO AWAY WITHOur company has decided to do away with the old machinery.
DO WITHOUTThe director cannot do without a secretary.
DOLL UPJane dolled herself up for the party.
DOZE OFFDid our boss notice that I dozed off in the middle of his speech?
DRIFT APARTAfter twelve years of marriage, the two people began to drift apart.
FALL BEHINDYour work has fallen behind that of the other students!!!
FEEL BLUEI often feel blue when it rains.
GET ACROSSDid you get your message across?
GET AROUND TOI should be able to get around to that job next week.
GET CARRIED AWAYShe got carried away while watching a soap opera.
GET EVENI'd like to get even with the man who damaged my car.
GET RID OFI don't know how to get rid of door-to-door missionaries.
GIVE AWAYDon't give away the ending of the story, it will spoil it.
GO AGAINSTYou should never go against your client
GO FORGo for it before it's too late!
HANG AROUNDDon't hang around; we have a train to catch.
HANG UPDon't hang up! I haven't finished talking to you.
HIDE OUTYou'd better hide out here until the police have stopped trying to catch you.
HOLD AGAINSTWhat do you actually hold against him?
HOOK UPAngelina and Brad hooked up in Morocco.
HOUND OUTWhen his employers learned about his past, they hounded him out.
KICK OFFThe theatre company will kick off the season with a production of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'.
KICK OUTIf the new actor is not good, kick him out.
KISS UP TOYou should think of some ways to kiss up to your boss.
LEAVE OUTThe organizer has left Bobby out of the team.
LET DOWNI was depending on him but he let me down.
LET OUTMary had accidentally let out that her mother telephoned.
LOOK DOWN ONWomen have grown tired of being looked down on by employers.
LOOK INTOThe police are looking into the disappearance of your teacher.
LOOK UP TOEvery child needs someone to look up to.
MIX UPMy papers are all mixed up.
PASS AWAYI'm sorry to hear that your uncle passed away last week.
PIN ONWhy did they pin the blame on me? I did not do it!
PULL TOGETHERWe must all pull together if we want to win.
PUT IN A NUTSHELLPut in a nutshell, you've made a terrible mistake.
PUT OFFNever put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
RAKE UPLina doesn't want to rake up her past.
RUN AFTERAll the boys are running after the sexy new student.
RUN FORMr.Smith announces plan to run for senator in N.Y. next year
SEE OFFAll the parents were at the station, seeing their children off to school.
SET OFFJohn set off for work an hour ago. Hasn't he arrived yet?
SHOW OFFHe visited us just to show off his new car.
SLAVE AWAYBy slaving away for two hours, I at last got the carpet clean.
STOP OVERWe need two days for the journey, stopping over at a small town on the way.
TAKE AFTERThe boy takes after his mother. He has the same red hair and big blue eyes.
TAKE OFFWatch that bird taking off from the branch!
TAKE UPThat big clock takes up too much space in the small hall. It will have to go.
TALK BACKDon't talk back to your mother when she is giving you advice.
TELL APARTJim and Jack are so much alike that their own mother can hardly tell them apart.
TRACK DOWNThe doctors were able to track down the cause of the infection.
TURN INTOThe city is turning into a meeting place for criminals.
TURN UPSIDE DOWNThey turned the whole room upside down, but they didn't find the key.
WARM UPLet's sing a few exercises first to warm up.
WIPE OUTThese tropical diseases can wipe out the populations of whole villages.
