PHRASAL VERBS
• Be about to: to be on the point of

*The director is about to start shooting his new film.
• Be after: go after;chase,follow
*Police is after the thieves.
• Be against: be opposed to
• Be away: be absent
• Be back: return;come back
• Be in: be at home/in one’s office
• Be in for:be about to experience(usually bad)
• Be on: be shown in cinemas;theaters etc.
• Be over: be finished
• Be up to: 1)be equal to 2)depend on
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• Break down: 1)(of machinery)stop working 2)(of a
person) lose control of feelings
• Break in:1)enter by force 2)(on)interrupt 3)(horses etc.)
train
1*The thieves break in through the fire exit. (how)
2*The waiter broke in our conversation to take our
order.
• Break into:1)enter by force 2)burst into
1*The thieves broke into the Smiths house.(where)
• Break off: 1)stop temporarily 2)end a relationship
• Break out: 1)(war,disease,fire etc.)begin suddenly 2)
(of)escape from a place
2*The thieves broke out of the prison last night.
• Break up: 1)seperate,split up 2)stop for
holidays,schools
2*School breaks up for the Christmas holidays on 23rd

December.
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• Come across: meet/find by chance
*Sue came across her favorite doll while she was
cleaning out the attic.
• Come by: obtain
*A good assistant is hard to come by.
• Come down with: become ill from
*He stayed in bed after he had come down with
measles.

• Come into: inherit

*He came into a large fortune when his uncle died.
• Come off: 1)happen 2)succeed
1*How did your speech come off? – It came off very well.
2* No one is sure if the jazz festival planned for this
summer will come off.
• Come out: 1)be published 2)bloom
1*Her book has just come out.
2*Yellow daffodils come out in the spring.
• Come round: 1)visit casually 2)regain consciousness;come
to 3)be persuaded to change opinion
2*The boxer was knocked out, but came round in a few
seconds.
3*She’ll come round the idea of buying a bigger house if
we explain all the advantages.
• Come on: come along;hurry up
• Come through: survive
• Come up: be mentioned

*The question of expanding the company came up at the
meeting.
• Come up to: equal
• Come up with: find(an answer,solution etc.)
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• Cut across: take a shorter route
*If you cut across the field, you’ll save time.
• Cut back (on): reduce (amount,use,production)
*You must cut back on office expeses.
• Cut down: reduce length of sth
* You need to cut your summary down. It’s fifty words too
long.
• Cut down (on): reduce amount consumed
*We are advised to cut down on smoking.
• Cut in/into: interrupt (conversation)
* She cut in/into the conversation to remind Bob it was
time to go.
• Cut off: disconnect
• Be cut off: be isolated
• Cut out: 1)leave out ;remove 2)(for)-passive- be suited for
2*I don’t think she’s cut out for this kind of work.
• Cut up: cut into small pieces

• Do away with: abolish
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*The death penalty was done away with in Britain many years
ago.
Do down: speak badly of sb
Do in: kill
Do out: clean
Do up: 1) fasten;tie 2) redecorate
*You’d better do your shoes up or you’ll trip over your laces.
Do with: 1)need;want 2)have a connection with
1*It’s so hot,I could do with a nice cool drink.
Do without: manage to live or continue without
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Fall back: move back;retreat
Fall back on: use sth in the absence of sth else;turn to
*Once we’d spent all our money,we fell back on our credit
cards.
Fall behind: 1)fail to keep up with 2)be late with payment

1*John fell behind the class after being ill for two weeks.
Fall for: 1)be tricked 2)fall in love with sb
2*George always falls for girls with blonde hair.
Fall in with: accept sb’s plans,ideas
*After some disagreement,they finally fell in with our
suggestions.
Fall off: decrease
*Theater attendance has fallen off because of the rise in ticket
prices.
Fall on: 1) attack 2)eat(food)hungrily
Fall out (with): quarrel
*I fell out with one of my friends and haven’t spoken to her
for weeks.
Fall through: fail to be completed
*Our holiday plans fell through when all the airlines went on
strike.
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Get about: move around;spread
*I get a lot with my job-last year I visited eleven countries.
Get sth across: make sth understood
*He’s a good speaker and gets his views across very well.
Get away (from): 1)escape 2)leave
2*I want to get away from the city for a few days.



• Get along (with): have a friendly relationship
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*I’m afraid my father and I don’t get along at all.
Get at: 1)reach 2)imply;suggest
Get away with sth: avoid being punished for sth
Get sb down: depress
*All this bad news really gets me down.
Get off: 1)to avoid punishment 2)to descend from a bus
etc.
1*The young boys got off with a caution because it was
their first offence.
Get on: 1)enter a bus etc. 2)manage
2*How are you getting on without a cooker?
Get on with: continue,often after interruption
*Stop talking and get on with your work.
Get over: 1)return to usual state of health,happiness etc.

after sth bad 2)overcome
1-2*It took Jenna a long time to get over the breakup of
her marriage.
Get (a)round: coax;persuade sb by kindness
Get through: 1)finish work 2)reach sb by phone
1*You have to get through your revision tonight.
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Give away: 1)give sth for free 2) reveal
1*The record shop has a promotion and is giving away free
CDs.
2*She gave away my secret so I’m terribly hurt.
Give off: emit
*The milk is giving off a terrible smell.
Give back: return
Give in: 1)surrender 2) hand in
2*Please give in your homework by next Friday.
Give out: distribute
Give up: 1)stop (a habit etc.) 2) surrender
2*He stopped resisting and gave himself up to the police.

• Go about with: Keep company with

*My father disapproves of the people I go about with.
• Go ahead: go in front
• Go back on: break a promise,agreement etc.
*You should never go back on a promise.
• Go down with: become ill
*He stayed in bed after going down with the flu.
• Go for: 1)attack 2)apply for
2*I decided to go for the teaching job.

• Go in for: enter a competition
*She is so beautiful she is going in for a beauty contest.
• Go off: 1)explode 2) (of food) go bad
1*The bomb will go off in two minutes.
• Go out: 1) be extinguished 2)mix socially
1*Bring some wood;the fire is going out.
• Go over: 1)examine details 2) repeat
• Go round: be enough for everyone to have a share
*There weren’t enough sandwiches to go round.
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• Hold back: 1)hesitate 2) control 3)keep a secret
• Hold on: wait
• Hold out: 1)endure 2)last
1*Will the car hold out until we get to a garage?
• Hold up: 1)delay 2)rob(sb or sth)
2*The bank has been held up twice this year.
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• Keep at sth: continue working on sth
• Keep away (from): stay away
• Keep back: 1)stay back 2)conceal
• Keep behind: make sb remain after others have left
• Keep sb/sth down: control
• Keep (oneself) from: 1)prevent from 2)avoid
• Keep in with: remain friendly with
*It’s a good idea to keep in with John as he might be helpful
to you later.
• Keep sb/sth off: (cause) to stay at a distance
*He put up a “No Trespassing” sign to keep walkers off his
land.
• Keep on: continue

• Keep up with: stay level with(sb/sth)

• Let sth down: lengthen a garment

*The skirt is rather short. You’d better let it down.

• Let sb down: disappoint
• Let sb off: not to punish

*The judge let the boys off with a warning.

• Let on: reveal a secret

*John didn’t let on that Jim had broken the window.
• Let out:make (a garment) looser,larger
*When she put on weight she had to let out all her clothes.
• Let up: lessen,stop gradually
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• Look after: take care of
*John looks after the children while Mary goes to work.
• Look down on: despise
*Now that he’s rich,he looks down on all his friends who
still work at the factory.
• Look for: search for
*I’ve been looking for my diamond ring everywhere.
• Look forward to: anticipate
• Look into: investigate
• Look on: 1)be a spectator 2)regard;consider
• Look out (for): watch out
*Look out for sharks when you go swimming.

• Look over: inspect carefully
*I must look over this essay before I hand it in tomorrow.
• Look up: 1)look for an address,name etc. in the relevant
book or list 2) visit sb after a lapse of time (specially sb living
at some distance)
1*Look up her phone number in the directory if you can’t
remember it.
• Look up to: take as a role model,to follow sb’s footsteps
*He looks up to his father who he considers to be a hero.
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• Make for: move quickly towards
• Make up: 1)invent(story,poem etc.) 2)make an amount
complete 3)compose 4)reconcile 5)prepare (by mixing)
• Make oneself up: put cosmetics on
*She spends hours making herself up every morning.



• Make up for: compensate for
• Make out: 1)complete;fill in 2)distinguish 3)understand
• Put aside: save(usually money)
• Put away: put in the usual place
• Put down: 1)suppress by force 2)write down;make a note
3)attribute to 4)criticize

• Put forward: propose
• Put off: postpone
• Put on: 1)switch on 2)increase(weight) 3)pretend to

be/have

• Put out: 1)entinguish 2)cause inconvenience
• Put through: connect by phone
• Put up: 1)offer hospitality 2)erect 3)raise prices
• Put up with: tolerate
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• Run across: meet or find by chance
• Run after: chase
• Run away with: steal
• Run down: 1)(of a battery)lose power 2)-passive- be
exhausted 3)knock down 4)speak badly of sb
• Run into: 1)meet unexpectedly 2)collide with
• Run out of: come to an end
• Run over: read through quickly;review
• Run up against: face;encounter
• Run through: examine quickly;rehearse

• See about: deal with;make arrangements for
• See sb off: go with sb to their point of departure
• See sb out: accompany sb to the door/exit of a

house/building
• See over: inspect (a house,flat)
• See through sb/sth: not be deceived by sb/sth
• See sb through: support sb until the end of a difficult time
• See to: 1)make arrangements 2)attend to sth
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• Set about: 1)begin to do 2)attack
• Set aside: save for a special purpose
• Set back: 1)delay progress of sth 2)delay an event till a later


• Set out: 1)begin a journey 2)start a course of action with a
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clear aim in mind
Set in: start and seem likely to continue
Set on: (cause to ) attack
Set up: 1) start a business 2)build;erect 3)establish
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Stand by: 1)remain loyal esp in a difficult situation 2) watch
passively 3) be ready for action
Stand for: 1)represent 2)(usually in questions and
negations) tolerate;put up with
Stand in for: replace sb temporarily
Stand out: be very noticeable,prominent
Stand up for: support;defend
Stand up to: resist;stay in good condition
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Be taken aback: be strongly surprised
Take after: look like
Take sth back: admit that one was wrong in what one said
Take down: 1)lengthen a garment(let down) 2)separate
into pieces in order to repair or remove 3)write down
Take in: 1)give accomodation 2)deceive
Take for: identify sb or sth wrongly
Take off: 1)remove clothes 2)copy sb’s speech or manners
esp for fun;imitate
Take on: 1)undertake responsibility 2)employ
Take sb out: take sb to the theater etc.
Take over: take control or responsibility
Take to : like
Take up: begin to do sth as a hobby
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Turn away: 1)refuse to let in 2)refuse to help
Turn down: 1)reduce to volume,power etc. 2)reject
Turn in: go to bed
Turn into: convert to
Turn off: switch off
Turn on: switch on
Turn out: 1)prove to be in the end 2)force sb to leave
3)produce
Turn to: go to sb for help,advice

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Turn over: go to the next page
Turn up: increase the volume,pressure etc.

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Work on: be busy with
Work out: 1)find by reasoning 2)turn out successfully
Work up: develop

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date 3)cost(slang)