Complete Phrasal Verbs List

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Complete Phrasal Verbs List Phrasal Verbs List

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
Abide by	Accept or follow a decision or rule.	We have to ABIDE BY what the court says.
Account for To explain.		They had to ACCOUNT FOR all the money that had gone missing.
Ache for	Want something or someone a lot.	My partner’s been away for a fortnight- I am ACHING FOR her.
Act on	To take action because of something like information received.	The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang redhanded.
Act on	Affect.	The medicine only ACTS ON infected tissue.
Act out	Perform something with actions and gestures..	They ACTED OUT the story on stage.
Act out	Express an emotion in your behaviour.	Their anger is ACTED OUT in their antisocial behaviour.
Act up	Behave badly or strangely.	My computer’s ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus.
Act upon	To take action because of something like	The police were ACTING UPON a tip-
Act upon	information received.	off.
Act upon	Affect.	The enzyme ACTS UPON certain proteins.
Add on	Include in a calculation.	You have to ADD the VAT ON to the price they give.
Add up	To make a mathematical total.	We ADDED UP the bill to check it was correct.
Add up	Be a satisfactory explanantion for something.	She explained why the work wasn’t ready, but her story doesn’t ADD UP. Trains delays are getting worse and with
Add up to	Have a certain result.	the high fares, it all ADDS UP TO misery for the commuters.
Add up to	Come to a certain amount or figure.	The total costs ADD UP TO several million euros.
Agree with	Affect- usually used in the negative to show that something has had a negative effect, especially is it makes you feel bad.	I feel terrible- that food didn’t AGREE WITH my stomach.
Aim at	To target.	The magazine is AIMED AT teenagers.
Aim at	Intend to achieve.	They’re AIMING AT reducing costs by ten percent.
Allow for	Include something in a plan or calculation.	You should ALLOW FOR delays when planning a journey.
Allow of	Make possible, permit.	The rules don’t ALLOW OF any exceptions.
Angle for	Try to get something indirectly, by hinting or suggesting.	He’s been ANGLING FOR an invitation, but I don’t want him to come.
Answer	To reply rudely to someone in authority.	Her mother was shocked when she started

back

Answer for

Answer for Argue down Argue down Argue down Argue out Ask about Ask after

Ask around

Ask around Ask for Ask for Ask in

Ask out

Ask over Ask round Auction off

Back away

Back down

Back into

Back off

Back out

Back out of

Back out of Back up

Back away	Retreat or go backwards.	man pulled a knife.
Back down	Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument.	She refused to BACK DOWN and was fired.
Back into	Enter a parking area in reverse gear.	He prefers to BACK his car INTO the garage.
Back off	Retreat.	The police told the protesters to BACK OFF.
Back out	Fail to keep an arrangement or promise.	He BACKED OUT two days before the holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister
Back out of	Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement.	She BACKED OUT OF the agreement at the last minute.
Back out of	Exit a parking area in reverse gear.	She BACKED the Rolls OUT OF its parking space.
Back up	Make a copy of computer data.	You should always BACK UP important

Be held responsible for a problem.

Speak on behalf of someone or from knowing them.

Beat someone in a debate, discussion or argument.

Persuade someone to drop the price of something they’re selling.

Try to persuade people not to accept a proposition, motion, etc.

Argue about a problem to find a solution.

Ask how someone is doing, especially professionally and in terms of health.

Enquire about someone’s health, how life is going.

Ask a number of people for information of help.

Invite someone.

To provoke a negative reaction.

Request to have or be given.

To invite somebody into your house.

To invite someone for a date.

Invite.

Invite someone.

Sell something in an auction.

Retreat or go backwards.

Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument.

Enter a parking area in reverse gear. Retreat.

Fail to keep an arrangement or promise.

Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement.

Exit a parking area in reverse gear.

Make a copy of computer data.

ANSWERING her BACK and refusing to help.

The government should be made to ANSWER FOR their failure to sort out the problem.

I can ANSWER FOR my partner because I know her position on this issue.

The teacher tried to ARGUE the girl DOWN, but she couldn’t.

She ARGUED him DOWN ten percent.

They tried to ARGUE DOWN the proposal.

If we can’t ARGUE our differences OUT, we’ll have to take them to court.

He ASKED ABOUT my father.

Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER you, so I told her you were fine.

I have no idea, but I’ll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help.

We ASKED them AROUND for dinner. You’re ASKING FOR trouble.

I ASKED FOR the menu.

‘Jon’s at the door.’ ‘ASK him IN.’

He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy.

They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday.

We ASKED John ROUND for diner.

They AUCTIONED OFF their property as they were heavily in debt.

The crowd BACKED AWAY when the man pulled a knife.

She refused to BACK DOWN and was fired.

He prefers to BACK his car INTO the garage.

The police told the protesters to BACK OFF.

He BACKED OUT two days before the holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister She BACKED OUT OF the agreement at the last minute.

She BACKED the Rolls OUT OF its parking space.

You should always BACK UP important

Back up Back up Bag out Bail out Bail out	Support. Drive a vehicle backwards. Criticise. Save, rescue. Remove water from something that is flooded. Jump out of a plane because it is going to crash. Pay a bond to release someone from jail. Stop supporting someone when they are in trouble. Talk to someone and delay them.	files and documents so that you won’t lose all your work if something goes wrong with the hardware. The rest of the staff BACKED her UP when she complained about working conditions. Tom BACKED UP without looking and ran over his laptop. Don’t bag out BAG OUT Australian English. The government had to BAIL OUT the airline because it was losing so much money. The boat was leaking so they had to BAIL it OUT. The pilot BAILED OUT when he saw that the engines had failed. I must BAIL my drunken brother OUT OF jail. Everybody BAILED OUT ON him when the scandal broke. I was late because he BAILED me UP on the phone and wouldn’t shut up. He was BAILED UP by a couple of muggers as he came out of the bank. The new project has BALLED me UP- I have no idea what to do. He BALLED UP his napkin when he had finished eating. He BALLSED the presentation UP. He’s BANGING ABOUT in the kitchen. I can hear him BANGING ABOUT upstairs. He BANGED ON for half an hour but no one was listening. He’s always BANGING ON ABOUT football. She BANGED the tune OUT on the piano. The judge BANGED him UP for eight years.
Bail out
Bail out of
Bail out on
Bail up
Bail up	Rob someone at gunpoint.
Ball up Ball up	Confuse or make things complicated. Roll or form into a round shape.
Balls up Bang about Bang around Bang on	Spoil, ruin. Move in a place making a lot of noise. Move in a place making a lot of noise.
Balls up Bang about Bang around Bang on	Talk at great length.
Bang on about Bang out	Keep talking about something. Play a musical instrument loudly.
Bang up	Put someone in prison.
Bang up	Damage badly.	He BANGED his car UP last night.
Bank on	Count or rely on.	I’m BANKING ON your help; I can’t do it alone.
Bargain	Persuade someone to drop the price of	I BARGAINED her DOWN to half what
down	something they’re selling.	she originally wanted.
Bargain for	Expect something to happen (usually	I hadn’t BARGAINED FOR so many

	negative).	people coming.
Bargain on	Expect something to happen (usually negative).	I hadn’t BARGAINED ON him coming.
Barge in	Enter a place and interrupt.	He keeps BARGING IN and asking stupid questions when I’m trying to work.
		They BARGED INTO my office without
Barge into	Enter a place and interrupt people rudely.	knocking and started talking even though I was on the phone.
Bash about	Mistreat physically.	If you BASH your monitor ABOUT like that, it won’t last long.
Bash in	Break, damage or injure by hitting.	The burglars BASHED the door IN to enter the house.
Bash out	Write something quickly without much preparation.	I BASHED the essay OUT the night before I had to hand it in.
		They BASHED him UP in the fight in the
Bash up	Break, damage or hurt by hitting.	pub last week and he had to go to hospital.
Bawl out	Scold, shout at someone.	She BAWLED me OUT for coming home drunk.
Bawl out	Scold.	She BAWLED Raj OUT for getting there late.
Bawl out	Sing or shout unpleasantly loudly.	He BAWLED OUT our names at the top of his voice.
Be after	Try to find or get.	The police ARE AFTER him because of the theft.
Be along	Arrive.	The next bus should BE ALONG in the next quarter of an hour or so.
Be away	Be elsewhere; on holiday, etc..	She’s AWAY on business for three weeks.
Be cut out for	Be suitable, have the necessary qualities.	She’s not CUT OUT FOR this kind of work. She was very CUT UP about coming
Be cut up	Be upset.	second as she thought she deserved to
		win.
Be down	Be depressed.	He’s BEEN DOWN since his partner left him.
Be down	Be reduced or less.	The firm’s profits ARE DOWN by ten percent this quarter.
Be down on	Have negative feelings toward someone.	After the argument, James is DOWN ON his boss.
Be down	Be ill.	Gul is DOWN WITH some bug and is off
with	Be ill.	work today.
Be fed up	Be bored, upset or sick of something.	I AM FED UP of his complaints.
Be in	Be at home or at work.	They ARE never IN; I always get their answerphone.
Be in	Be submitted, arrive.	The application form must BE IN by 3pm on Friday.
Be in on	Be involved in.	Susan was the only one who WASN’T IN

ON the plan.

Be not on	Be unacceptable.	The way he’s behaving IS just NOT ON.
Be off	Be bad (of food).	This yoghurt must BE OFF; it smells foul.
Be off	Depart, leave.	I’m OFF home; it’s five o’clock.
Be on	Be functioning (of machines).	The computer IS ON.
Be on	Take place.	The show IS ON for the next three months.
Be on	Take medication or drugs, especially when He IS ON anti-depressants and has they affect the person badly. become very difficult to please.
Be on	Be at the top of one’s game, performing very well.	He IS really ON right now- three goals in five minutes!
Be on about Mean, try to say.		I couldn’t understand what he WAS ON ABOUT- it made no sense.
Be onto	Pursue, be aware of someone’s true nature.	He’s being very careful because he thinks the police ARE ONTO him.
Be out Be out of	Be absent from a place. Have no more left.	She IS OUT on a visit for the day. We’re OUT OF coffee so I’ll have to go and get some.
Be out to	Attempt.	She IS OUT TO get him sacked because she hates him.
Be snowed under	Have too much work.	We’re completely SNOWED UNDER at work because it’s the end of the tax year.
Be taken aback	Be shocked or surprised.	I WAS TAKEN ABACK when I saw him because he’s lost all his hair.
Be taken with	Like something.	I WAS very TAKEN WITH the performance- it was superb.
Be up	Be out of bed.	She’s not UP yet.
Be up	Have increased or risen.	The company’s profits ARE UP by fifteen percent.
Be up	When the time for something finishes or expires.	Time’s UP, please finish your drinks and leave.
Be up for	Be enthusiastic about an upcoming event.	ARE you UP FOR the climb of Mt. Blanc?
Be up to	Be good enough.	He’s not UP TO the job; get someone else.
Be up to	Doing something naughty or wrong.	What are those kids UP TO?
Bear down on	Move towards.	She spotted him on the other side of the room and BORE DOWN ON him.
Bear on	Influence, affect.	The judge’s character may well BEAR ON the final decision.
Bear out	Confirm that something is correct.	Statistics BEAR OUT the government’s positions on the issue.
Bear up	Resist pressure.	How are you BEARING UP under the strain?
Bear up under	Cope with something difficult or stressful.	He’s BEARING UP UNDER the pressure.

Bear with	Be patient.	Please BEAR WITH me a moment while I finish this email.
Beat down	Strong sunshine.	The sun WAS really BEATING DOWN and we couldn’t stay outdoors.
Beat down	Get someone to lower the price of something.	I managed to BEAT him DOWN to fifty Euros.
Beat out	Narrowly win in competition.	The marathon runner barely BEAT OUT his rival at the tape.
Beat up	Attack violently.	The mugger BEAT him UP and stole his wallet.
Beaver	Work hard.	She’s BEAVERING AWAY before her
away	Work hard.	exams.
Beaver away at	Work hard doing something.	I have to BEAVER AWAY AT it or else I will fail the course.
Bed down	Sleep somewhere less comfortable than normal.	We had to BED DOWN on the floor for the night.
Bed down	Become established or successful over	The new government has found it hard to
Bed down	time.	BED DOWN and become accepted.
Bed out	Move a plant outside.	I BEDDED the plants OUT when the weather warmed up.
		The company BEEFED UP their case
Beef up	Make something stronger or more solid.	when they saw that the public wouldn’t accept their first explanation of the accident.
Belong to	Be a member.	He BELONGS TO a secret society.
Belong to	Be connected to a time, place, belief,	Their ideas BELONG TO the nineteenth
Belong to	thing, etc.	century and seem old-fashioned now.
Belong with	Be in the correct or appropriate location with other items.	Does this disc BELONG WITH those on the shelf?
Belt out	Sing something loudly.	They BELTED OUT the national anthems before the game.
Belt up	Be quiet.	She told the students to BELT UP because they were making so much noise.
Belt up	Fasten your seatbelt.	I told the kids to BELT UP before I started the car.
Bend down	Lower the top half of your body.	I BENT DOWN to pick it up off the floor.
Bend over	Lower the top part of your body.	I BENT OVER to do my shoes up.
Bend over backwards	Do a lot to try to help or please someone.	I BENT OVER BACKWARDS for them and they didn’t even thank me.
Big up	Exaggerate the importance.	He BIGS himself UP all the time.
Big up	Increase the size of muscles by exercise.	They work out a lot to BIG themselves UP.
Bitch up	Spoil or ruin something.	I BITCHED UP the interview.
Black out	Fall unconscious.	He BLACKED OUT and collapsed on the floor.
Black out	Lose light.	Everything BLACKED OUT when the power supply failed.

Blank out	Censor text so that words cannot be read.	OUT in the documents shown to the court. I was so nervous in the interview that I
Blank out	Have a temporary memory failure.	just BLANKED OUT and couldn’t answer their questions properly.
Blare out	A loud sound or music.	The music was BLARING OUT and I couldn’t get to sleep.
Blast off	Leave the ground- spaceship or rocket.	The space shuttle BLASTED OFF on schedule yesterday.
Blaze away	Fire a gun repeatedly.	The shooters BLAZED AWAY at the pheasants.
Bleed out	Cause sufficient blood loss to result in	The shooters BLAZED AWAY at the pheasants.
Bleed out	death.	They BLED OUT their calves.
Bliss out	Be extremely relaxed and happy.	I BLISSED OUT on the beach all week.
Block in	Park a car and obstruct another car.	I couldn’t drive here this morning because someone had BLOCKED me IN.
Block in	Shade or fill in.	He BLOCKED IN the events in his calendar.
Block off	Obstruct an exit to prevent people from	The police BLOCKED OFF the road
Block off	leaving.	after the murder.
Block out	Stop light from entering or leaving.	The trees BLOCK the sun OUT most of the day.
Block out	Try not think about or feel something because it is upsetting or painful.	It was so unpleasant that I try to BLOCK it OUT- otherwise, I’d just be angry all the time.
Block up	Fill a space so that nothing can pass.	The pipe’s BLOCKED UP and no water gets through.
Blow away	Kill.	He grabbed a gun and BLEW the police officer AWAY.
Blow away	Beat rivals or competitors by a large	Their new product has BLOWN all the
Blow away	margin.	others AWAY.
Blow away	Impress greatly.	Her first novel BLEW me AWAY.
Blow away	When the wind moves something from a	The flag BLEW AWAY in the storm; we’ll
Blow away	place.	have to buy a new one.
Blow down	When the wind forces something to fall.	A tree was BLOWN DOWN in the storm.
Blow in Blow off Blow off Blow off Blow out Blow out	Arrive, sometimes suddenly or unexpectedly. Not keep an appointment. Ignore, not do something. Expel gas from the anus. Extinguish candles, matches, etc.. Defeat decisively.	He BLEW IN from Toronto early this morning. We were going to meet last night, but she BLEW me OFF at the last minute. I BLEW the homework OFF and did badly. He BLEW OFF in front of everybody. She BLEW the candles OUT on her birthday cake. The Broncos BLEW OUT the Raiders 550.

The scandal BLEW OVER within a

Blow over Blow up	When a scandal gets forgotten. Explode.	fortnight when the press found someone else to attack. The bomb BLEW UP without any warning.
Blow up	Inflate.	The pressure was low, so I BLEW the tyre UP.
Blow up	Enlarge (e.g., photograph)..	BLOW UP that photo so we can see his face.
Blow up	The beginning of a storm.	A storm BLEW UP while we were out walking.
Blow up	Lose your temper, become angry.	They BLEW UP when they heard what I had done wrong.
Blurt out	Say something quickly without thinking,	I was really angry when he BLURTED
Blurt out	especially if you shouldn’t.	OUT the secret.
Board out	Arrange for pets to stay somewhere while you’re away.	We BOARD our dog OUT with friends when we go abroad.
Board up	Cover windows or doors with wood, metal, etc..	They BOARDED UP all the windows to stop people getting into the empty houses.
		Yasini got BOGGED DOWN in his
Bog down	Slow make progress.	research and didn’t finish the project in time.
Bog in	Eat enthusiastically.	We were starving and BOGGED IN when the food was served.
Bog into	Eat something enthusiastically.	They BOGGED INTO the lunch.
Bog off!	Get lost.	He lost his temper and told her to BOG OFF.
Boil down	Simplify, reduce to the essentials.	The report’s so long, I BOILED it DOWN into a two-page summary.
Boil down to Boil over	Amount to.	It all BOILS DOWN TO money at the end of the day. I left the milk on the cooker and it BOILED OVER.
Boil down to Boil over	When a hot liquid spills out of a container.
Boil over	When people lose their tempers and things The tension had been building up and it
Boil over	get nasty.	BOILED OVER in the meeting.
Boil up	Feel a negative emotion strongly.	The anger BOILED UP in me when I saw what they had done.
Boil up	Cook or heat something to boiling point.	I BOILED UP some water for a cup of coffee.
Bolster up	Give support, reinforce, strengthen.	We were all scared but she BOLSTERED UP our courage.
Bone up	Study hard for a reason.	I will have to BONE UP to get a good result.
Bone up on	Study hard for a goal or reason.	I need to BONE UP ON my French grammar for the test.
Book in	Make a reservation in advance.	I’ll BOOK us IN at the Intercontinental.

Book in	Check in at a hotel.	WE took a taxi from the airport to the hotel and BOOKED IN.
Book into	Make a reservation in advance.	I’ve BOOKED us INTO a hotel in the centre of town for three nights.
Book into	Check in at a hotel.	We BOOKED INTO the first hotel we could find.
Book out	Leave a place in a hurry.	I don’t like the look of the people arriving- let’s BOOK OUT.
Book up	Reserve.	The flight’s fully BOOKED UP; I’ll have to go the following day.
Boot up	Start a computer.	He BOOTED UP the computer and started work.
Border on	Be located next to a place.	Portugal BORDERS ON Spain.
Border on	Be very nearly something.	What he did was BORDERING ON betrayal.
Boss about	Use excessive authority to control people.	She BOSSES everyone ABOUT.
Boss around Use excessive authority to control people.		He BOSSES everyone AROUND.
Botch up	Ruin or spoil something.	I BOTCHED UP the whole project and it had to be cancelled. He kept his feelings BOTTLED AWAY. She was going to tell her boss exactly what she thought, but BOTTLED OUT in the end. She BOTTLED UP her feelings even though she was furious with them and kept quiet. The recession BOTTOMED OUT and the economy is recovering well.
Bottle away Bottle out Bottle up Bottom out	Store up. Lack courage to do something. Not express your feelings. Pass the lowest point and start rising.

Bounce into	Force someone.	They have BOUNCED the government INTO calling an early election.
Bounce	Recover.	The economy is BOUNCING BACK
back	Recover.	from the recession.
Bounce off	Test ideas.	They BOUNCED ideas OFF each other in a brainstorming session.
Bowl out	Hit someone’s wicket in cricket with the ball.	He BOWLED the player OUT first ball.
Bowl over Bowl over	Surprise someone greatly. Knock someone to the ground.	I was BOWLED OVER by the news. He was BOWLED OVER by the crowd rushing out. I was BOXED IN by the bus and couldn’t change lane. At the end of term, I BOXED my books UP and sent them home.
Box in	Prevent something from moving, especially vehicles. Pack things in boxes to move them.
Box up
Brace up	Feel more confident or optimistic about something.	You should BRACE UP and stop worrying.
Branch out	Move into a different area of business,	The supermarkets have BRANCHED
Branch out	etc..	OUT into banking.

Break away Break down Break down Break down Break down	Leave an organisation, usually to form a new one. End negotiations unsuccessfully. Start crying. Stop working. Remove a barrier or obstacle.	The SDP BROKE AWAY from the Labour Party. The talks between management and the unions BROKE DOWN acrimoniously. He BROKE DOWN in tears. My car’s BROKEN DOWN, so I came by taxi. He had to BREAK DOWN their opposition to his ideas.
Break in	Go into a building to steal something.	The burglars BROKE IN and stole the TV and video.
Break in	Interrupt something.	I’m sorry to BREAK IN on your conversation, but there’s a problem.
Break in	Train a horse to be ridden.	It took ages to BREAK the horse IN.
Break in	Carefully use new products until they are	I must watch my speed until I BREAK IN
Break in	fully functional..	my new Volvo.
Break off	Break a piece from something.	She BROKE OFF a square of chocolate and gave it to her dog.
Break off	End a relationship.	She BROKE OFF their engagement when she found out that he’d been unfaithful.
Break out	Start (war, conflict).	They’re worried that war will BREAK OUT.
Break out in	Sweat heavily, develop skin sores or	The measles caused me to BREAK OUT
Break out in	irritation..	IN a rash. Three dangerous Category A prisoners
	irritation..	IN a rash. Three dangerous Category A prisoners
Break out of Escape.		BROKE OUT OF Wandsworth Prison
		last night.
Break	Pass a barrier or obstacle.	The crowd BROKE THROUGH the
through	Pass a barrier or obstacle.	police barriers and attacked the hunters.
Break up	Break into many pieces.	The plate BROKE UP when he dropped it on the floor.
Break up	Close an educational institution for the	Schools BREAK UP at the end of June
Break up	holidays.	for the summer holidays.
Break up Break up	Finish a relationship. Become inaudible over the telephone because of interference.	They had been going out for a couple of years before they BROKE UP. You’re BREAKING UP; I’ll call you back in a minute and see if we get a better connection.
Breeze	Move easily and quickly.	The film BREEZES ALONG for the first
along	Move easily and quickly.	hour, then becomes rather dull and slow.
Breeze in	Enter a place quickly.	He BREEZED IN and started shouting at us.
Breeze into	Enter a place quickly.	He BREEZED INTO the room and switched the TV on.
Breeze through	Pass easily, succeed.	She BREEZED THROUGH her exams.
Brick in	Close or fill a space with bricks.	We BRICKED IN the side window.

Brick up	Close or fill a space with bricks.	We BRICKED the back entrance UP.
Brighten up Improve (weather).		The day started cloudy but BRIGHTENED UP in the afternoon.
		He BRIGHTENED UP when he heard the
Brighten up Become happier.		news.
Brighten up	Make something more attractive or pleasant.	We tried to BRIGHTEN the place UP by painting it. The changes to the law were BROUGHT
Bring about Make something happen.		ABOUT by the government because so
Bring along Bring along Bring around Bring around Bring around	Bring someone or something to certain place. Help someone improve. Persuade or convince someone.	many people were ignoring the old one. You can BRING your friends ALONG if you like. Her coach has BROUGHT her ALONG a lot in the last six months. It took me ages to BRING him AROUND to my point of view. He BROUGHT some books AROUND when he came last night. He didn’t want to discuss the details, but I
	Bring something with you when you visit.

	Get someone talking about something.	managed to BRING him AROUND and he told me everything. Visiting my old school BROUGHT
	Get someone talking about something.
Bring back	Cause someone to remember.	BACK memories of when I was a pupil there.
Bring back Bring down	Return. Make a government fall.	He took the calculator home yesterday and hasn’t BROUGHT it BACK yet. The vote of no-confidence BROUGHT the government DOWN. The improvements in technology have

Bring down	Make something cheaper.	BROUGHT the prices of computers DOWN considerably in recent months.
Bring forth	Produce something, make it known or	The prosecution BROUGHT FORTH a
Bring forth	visible.	lot of evidence against him.
Bring forth	Produce.	She BROUGHT FORTH a surprising result.
Bring forth	Make something happen.	The report has BROUGHT FORTH a lot of criticism of the policy.
Bring forth	Remove something from where it is kept or hidden.	She BROUGHT FORTH the diary and showed it to us.
		The meeting has been BROUGHT
Bring	Make something happen earlier than	FORWARD to this Friday instead of next
forward	originally planned.	week because some people couldn’t make it then.
Bring in	Earn.	The job BRINGS IN two thousand dollars a month.
Bring off	Succeed with something difficult.	No one thought she’d manage to do it, but she BROUGHT it OFF in the end.
Bring on	Cause something to happen or speed up	Getting wet in the rain yesterday

	the process.	BROUGHT ON my cold.
Bring on	Make something appear.	BRING ON the dancers!
Bring out	Release or publish.	The band are BRINGING OUT a new CD in the autumn.
Bring out	Elicit a response.	Suzie BRINGS OUT the best in him.
Bring out in	Cause a health problem or reaction.	It was the lobster that BROUGHT me OUT in this rash all over my body.
Bring round	Make someone wake up from	The doctors BROUGHT him ROUND a
Bring round	unconsciousness or an anaesthetic.	few hours after the operation.
Bring up	Mention.	They didn’t BRING the subject UP at the meeting.
Bring up	Raise a child.	My parents BROUGHT me UP strictly.
Bring up	Be officially charged with a crime.	He was BROUGHT UP on charges of public intoxication.
Bring Up	Mention.	They didn’t BRING the subject UP at the meeting.
Bring Up	Raise a child.	My parents BROUGHT me UP strictly.
Bring Up	Be officially charged with a crime.	He was BROUGHT UP on charges of public intoxication.
Brush off	Ignore, pay little attention.	The minister BRUSHED OFF the criticism. She took a two-week course to BRUSH
Brush up	Improve a skill quickly.	UP her Spanish before she went travelling around South and Central America.
Bubble over Become very excited.		She BUBBLED OVER with joy when she heard her exam results.
Buck up	Hurry (either transitive or reflexive).	‘BUCK UP – the taxi’s waiting.’
Buck up	Smarten up, improve.	You had better BUCK your ideas UP, or you’ll fail the course.
Bucket down	Rain heavily.	Take an umbrella; it’s BUCKETING DOWN.
Buckle down	Start working hard, apply yourself.	We had to BUCKLE DOWN and study for the exam.
Buckle	Accept something under pressure, against	They didn’t like the ideas, but had to
under	your will.	BUCKLE UNDER or face the sack.
Buckle up	Fasten a seatbelt.	We were told to BUCKLE UP before take-off.
Budge up	Move to make space for someone.	We had to BUDGE UP to let the fourth person in the back of the car.
Buff up	Clear, clean or make something shine.	The silver candlestick looked lovely after I BUFFED it UP.
Buff up	Improve.	After the scandal, the politician tried to BUFF UP his public image.
Buff up on	Improve your knowledge quickly.	I BUFFED UP ON my grammar before the test.
Bug off!	Go away.	I told her to bug off because she was annoying me.

Bug out Bug out Build up	Open your eyes wide in surprise. Leave somewhere in a hurry. Develop a company.	He BUGGED OUT when she turned up. They BUGGED OUT when the police arrived. She BUILT the business UP from nothing into a market leader in less than a decade. Tension has been BUILDING UP ever since the government passed the unpopular law. I BULKED the essay OUT with a few quotes to reach the number of word required. He’s BULKED UP a lot since he got those steroids. I BUMPED INTO Helen on the underground the other day. The drug dealer was BUMPED OFF by a rival gang. They BUMP UP the prices in the high season. He BUNDLED the kids OFF to bed. The barman BUNDLED the drunk OUT because he was annoying the other customers. We BUNDLED UP before going out as it was snowing.
Build up Bulk out Bulk up Bump into	Increase. Make something bigger or thicker. Gain weight, develop bigger muscles. Meet by chance.
Bump off Bump up Bundle off Bundle out Bundle up	Kill. Increase. Send someone somewhere. Expel. Put on warm clothing.
Bundle up	Wrap or tie things together.	I BUNDLED UP my newspapers and dropped them in the recycling bin.
Bunk off	Not go to school when you should.	I used to BUNK OFF school and go into town.
Buoy up	Make someone feel more positive.	After so much criticism, the positive review BUOYED him UP.
Buoy up	Keep afloat.	The lifejacket BUOYED me UP till the boat arrived.
		They had to completely rebuild the
Burn down	Burn completely.	museum after the old one BURNED DOWN.
Burn off	Remove by burning or similar process. Lose enthusiasm and energy to continue in a demanding job.	I BURN OFF a lot of calories in the gym. Jennie BURNT OUT after ten years
Burn out		working as a futures broker and went to live in the country.
Burn up	Destroy completely by fire.	All his possessions were BURNED UP in the fire.
Burn up	Drive at high speed.	The bank robbers BURNED UP the roads but were soon captured. His undeserved win in the election really BURNS me UP.
Burn up	To be or cause to be highly annoyed.
Burst into	Catch fire very quickly.	The car BURST INTO flames and the driver died as he didn’t have time to get

Burst into Bust up	Laugh, cry or clap loudly. End a relationship, usually angrily or after arguing. Interrupt. Not be involved in other people’s business. Praise or flatter someone excessively.	out. She BURST INTO laughter when she heard the joke. They BUST UP after a row last night.
Butt in Butt out Butter up		I hope you don’t mind me BUTTING IN on your conversation, but I couldn’t help hearing what you said… This is none of your business, so just BUTT OUT! I tried BUTTERING my tutor UP but she still wouldn\’t let me hand it in late. Joe Meek’s last hit, ‘Singin’ the Blues’, was probably BOUGHT IN at number 40, but failed to go any higher. I never BOUGHT INTO the idea of a federalist Euopean Union. He BOUGHT the newspaper OFF by placing a lot of adverts. His business partners BOUGHT him OUT to get rid of him. We BOUGHT UP all the shop had before the price went up. Reporters were BUZZING AROUND the scene of the accident. I’m BUZZING OFF now- I have to meet
Buy in	Force a CD or record into the charts by buying lots of copies. Accept an idea.
Buy into
Buy off Buy out	Pay someone to stop them causing trouble. Buy somebody’s share in a company.
Buy up	Buy all of something.
Buzz around Buzz off	Move quickly around a place. Leave somewhere.
		some people.
Buzz off!	Go away (imperative).	He told them to BUZZ OFF because they were annoying him.
Call after	Name someone after somebody else.	She was CALLED Rose AFTER her late grandmother.
Call around	Visit.	I CALLED AROUND but she wasn’t in.
Call back	Return a phonecall.	I must CALL her BACK when we get to the office.
		The Opposition party CALLED FOR the
Call for	Demand.	minister’s resignation after the scandal broke.
Call for	Go to collect something.	The courier CALLED FOR your parcel, but I told him it wasn’t ready yet.
Call for Call for	Telephone for something. Go and collect someone to take them out.	I’ll CALL FOR a cab right away. I’ll CALL FOR you at seven, so be ready because the film starts at half past.
Call for	Require.	An emergency like this CALLS FOR some pretty drastic action.
Call forth	Make something happen.	The protests CALLED FORTH a strong reaction from the police.
Call in	Get someone to come and do a job.	We had to CALL IN a plumber because

		the sink was leaking and I had no idea how to fix it.
Call in	Stop and visit.	I CALLED IN on Jenny on my way home because she’s not very well at the moment and I wanted to see if she needed anything. The concert had to be CALLED OFF
Call off	Cancel.	because the singer went down with a bad case of flu.
Call off	Order someone to stop attacking.	CALL OFF your lawyers; we can work something out.
Call on	Ask for help.	The President CALLED ON the wealthy countries for financial aid after the floods destroyed much of the country’s agriculture.

Call on	Visit.	As we were in the area, we CALLED ON my sister-in-law.
Call on	Challenge.	He CALLED the speaker ON several mis-statements of fact.
Call on	Ask someone to do something, especially	I now CALL ON the other party to give
Call on	to speak in public. (Formal).	their account of what happened.
Call out	Expose or accuse someone of wrongdoing	He CALLED them OUT over awarding
Call out	or incompetence.	contracts to family members.
Call round	Visit.	I CALLED ROUND on my way home but no one was in.
Call up	Summon someone for military service.	The army CALLED UP the reserve soldiers when the war broke out.
Call up	Telephone.	I CALLED him UP as soon as I got to a phone to tell him the news.
Calm down	Stop being angry or emotionally excited.	When I lose my temper, it takes ages for me to CALM DOWN again.
Cancel out	Have an opposite effect on something that has happened, taking things back to the beginning.	The airport taxes CANCELLED OUT the savings we had made on the flight tickets.
Cap off	Finish or complete, often with some decisive action. Like.	She CAPPED OFF the meeting with a radical proposal. I don’t CARE FOR fizzy drinks; I prefer water. The team got CARRIED AWAY when
Care for
Carried
Carried	Get so emotional that you lose control.	they won the championship and started
away		shouting and throwing things around.
Carry	Include a figure in a later calculation.	They CARRIED FORWARD their losses
forward	Include a figure in a later calculation.	to the next financial year.
Carry forward	Make something progress.	They hope the new management will be able to CARRY the project FORWARD.
Carry off	Win, succeed.	She CARRIED OFF the first prize in the competition.
Carry off	Die of a disease.	Cancer CARRIED him OFF a couple of

		years ago.
Carry on	Continue.	CARRY ON quietly with your work until the substitute teacher arrives.
Carry on	Behave badly.	The children annoyed me by CARRYIN ON all morning.
Carry on with	Have an affair.	He’s been CARRYING ON WITH someone at work for years.
Carry out	Perform a task.	The government is CARRYING OUT tes on growing genetically modified crops.
Carry out	Food bought from a restaurant to take away.	I’m too tired to cook- let’s get a CARRYOUT.
		The meeting CARRIED OVER into the
Carry over	Continue past a certain point.	afternoon because there was so much to talk about.
Carry through	Complete successfully.	They CARRIED the reforms THROUGH despite the opposition.
Cart off	Take someone away, usually under arrest or to prison.	The police CARTED them OFF to question them.
Cart off	Take something away, especially if	The thieves CARTED OFF all the ticket
Cart off	stealing or without permission.	receipts.
Carve out	Create or get a area where you can be	She’s CARVED OUT a career in
Carve out	special or successful.	photojournalism.
Carve up	Divide into smaller pieces.	They CARVED the company UP and sol a lot off.
Carve up	Overtake someone and then pull directly	The idiot CARVED us UP and forced me
Carve up	in front of a car.	to brake hard.
Cash in	Convert shares, bonds, casino chips, etc, into money.	They CASHED IN their bonds and spent the money on a holiday.
Cash in on	Benefit or make money on something, especially if done unfairly.	The opposition party are CASHING IN ON the government’s unpopularity.
Cash out	Illegally access a bank account or credit card and steal money.	A hacker got my credit card details from my computer and CASHED OUT a lot o! money.
Cash out	Exchange something for money, collect winnings.	After winning, she CASHED OUT her chips.
Cash up	Count all the money taken in a shop or	After the shop closed, they have to CAS
Cash up	business at the end of the day.	UP before they can go home.
Cast about for	Try to find something.	They’re CASTING ABOUT FOR support.
Cast around for	Try to find something.	She was CASTING AROUND FOR people to help her.
Cast aside	Dispose, get rid of, ignore because you no longer like something or someone.	He CAST her ASIDE.
Cast off	Dispose, get rid of.	They CAST OFF any semblance of politeness and attacked us viciously.
Cast off	Untie a boat so it’s free to sail.	They CAST OFF and headed out to sea.
Cast out	Expel, reject.	They CAST him OUT because of his

		behaviour.
Cast round for	Try to find something.	He CAST ROUND FOR any sign of his things.
Cast up	Be left on the shore by the sea.	The rubbish was CAST UP by the tide.
Catch at	Take or grab hold of something.	She CAUGHT AT my sleeve as I was leaving and said she needed to talk to me.
Catch on	Become popular.	Many critics were shocked when techno CAUGHT ON in the clubs.
		Everyone else realised what was
Catch on	Finally understand what is going on.	happening, but it took Henry ages to CATCH ON.
Catch out	Trick.	The exam is designed to CATCH you OUT.
Catch out	Discover or prove that someone is lying.	He CAUGHT me OUT when he checked my story with my previous employer.
Catch out	Put someone in an unexpected and difficult situation (often passive).	We were CAUGHT OUT in the storm.
Catch up	Get work, etc, up to date..	I was ill for a fortnight and now I’ve got to CATCH UP on the work I missed.
Catch up	Reach someone who was ahead of you.	He started well, but I CAUGHT him UP on the third lap.
Catch up in	Become involved, often against one’s will.	The tourists were CAUGHT UP IN the violence of the revolution.
Catch up on	Do something that should have been done earlier.	I’m going home to CATCH UP ON my sleep.
Catch up on	Reminisce with an old friend after not seeing them for a while.	I hadn’t seen her for years, so we spent the afternoon CATCHING UP ON old times.
Catch up	Do something that should have been done	I’m going home to CATCH UP WITH my
with	earlier.	sleep.
Catch up	Meet someone after a period of time and	I CAUGHT UP WITH her at the
with	find out what they have been doing.	conference.
Catch up	When something negative starts to have an	His criminal behaviour is starting to
with	effect.	CATCH UP WITH him.
Catch up	Punish someone after they have been	The tax authorities CAUGHT UP WITH
with	doing something wrong for a long time.	me for not submitting my tax returns.
Catch up	Learn something new that many people	My mother’s trying to CATCH UP WITH
with	already understand.	computers.
Cater for	To provide what is necessary.	The college CATERS FOR students of all ages.
Cater to	To provide what is needed, often seen negatively.	The film CATERS TO the audience’s worst instincts.
Cave in	Collapse.	The roof CAVED IN because of the weight of the snow.
Cave in	Stop resisting or refusing.	The government has refused to CAVE IN despite the protests and demonstrations.
Chalk out	To cut a line of cocaine.	He went into the toilets to CHALK a line

		OUT.
Chalk up	To achieve something good.	The company has CHALKED UP its highest ever profits.
		They CHALKED the poor sales UP TO
Chalk up to	Explain the reason for a problem.	the lower numbers of tourists visiting this year.
Chance upon	Find something by accident.	I CHANCED UPON a very rare book in car boot sale and bought it for 65p.
Change over	Change a system.	The Irish CHANGED OVER to using kilometres in 2005.
Charge up	Put electricity into a battery.	I need to CHARGE my phone UP- the battery’s dead.
		She was arrested in customs last night
Charge with	Accuse somebody of a crime.	and has been CHARGED WITH smuggling.
Chase down	Try hard to find or get something.	The press CHASED us DOWN when the story broke.
Chase off	Force a person to leave or go away.	The dog CHASED he postal worker OFF.
Chase up	Ensure that someone remembers to do	The librarian is CHASING me UP about
Chase up	something.	my overdue books.
Chase up	Try to get someone to pay a bill, debt, etc.	I CHASED her UP as she hadn’t paid for several months.
Chase up	Try to get more information about the progress of something.	I didn’t get a reply so I have been CHASING them UP.
Chat up	Talk to someone you are sexually	He spent the whole night CHATTING her
Chat up	interested in to get them interested in you.	UP.
Cheat on	Be sexually unfaithful.	She CHEATED ON me with my friend. She thought he had always been faithful
Cheat on	Deceive or betray, often in a sexual and/or to her, but he had been CHEATING ON emotional context. her ever since their wedding day (with
		one of the bridesmaids).
Cheat out of	Get money from someone under false pretences.	I hate him- he CHEATED me OUT OF £100.
Check by	Visit a place to check something.	We CHECKED BY the office to see if the stuff was ready.
Check in	Register on arriving at a hotel or at the	They CHECKED IN at the Ritz
	airport.	yesterday.
Check into	Register on arriving at a hotel or at the airport.	They CHECKED INTO the Ritz yesterday.
Check off	Mark something on a list as done.	She CHECKED OFF the candidates’ names as they arrived.
Check out	Pay the bill when leaving a hotel.	She CHECKED OUT and took a cab to the airport.
Check out	Die.	She CHECKED OUT last week; the funeral’s tomorrow.
Check out	Get information about or inspect	I CHECKED the new restaurant OUT as
Check out	something to see if it’s satisfactory.	soon as it opened.

Check out of	Settle up and pay before leaving a hotel.	Guests have to CHECK OUT OF the hotel before midday.
Check over	Check something very carefully.	We CHECKED the contract OVER before signing it.
Cheer on	Encourage.	Their CHEERED their team ON throughout the match.
Cheer up	Be less unhappy.	Come on, CHEER UP; it isn’t all bad, you know.
Chew off	Remove by biting.	The dog CHEWED OFF the man’s face.
Chew on	Thinks about something carefully before	I’ll CHEW ON it for a day or two and let
Chew on	deciding.	you know what I think.
Chew out	Criticize someone angrily.	They CHEWED him OUT for being late. He asked for a few days to CHEW the
Chew over	Think about an issue.	matter OVER before he made a final decision.
Chew up	Cut into small pieces with your teeth.	The puppy CHEWED UP the newspaper.
Chew up	Damage something inside a machine.	The video CHEWED my tape UP.
Chicken out	Be too afraid to do something.	I CHICKENED OUT of the bungee jumping when I saw how high it was.
Chill out	Relax.	I’m staying at home and CHILLING OUT this evening.
Chime in	Contribute to a discussion.	If it’s OK, I’d like to CHIME IN because I think it’s a good idea.
Chip away	Gradually reduce something to make it	They have been CHIPPING AWAY AT
at	less powerful, effective, etc.	his reputation ever since he took office.
Chip in	Contribute some money.	Everybody CHIPPED IN to pay the bill.
Chip in	Contribute to a discussion.	If I could CHIP IN, there are a couple of issues I’d like to raise.
Choke off	Stop or restrict.	These guerilla attacks are CHOKING OFF our food shipments.
Choke out	Clog or overwhelm.	Water hyacinth is CHOKING OUT the native vegetation in our rivers.
Choke up	Become tearfully emotional.	Jeff CHOKED UP during his retirement speech.
Choke up	Grip a handle farther from the end for better control.	He CHOKED UP on the bat and hit the ball better.
Choose up	Form groups or teams.	We CHOSE UP to play the game.
Chop down	Fell or cut down a tree.	They CHOPPED DOWN most of the forest and now it looks like a desert.
Chop up	Cut into small pieces.	I CHOPPED UP the vegetables for the soup.
Chow down	Eat.	Dinner’s ready- CHOW DOWN!.
Chow down on	Eat something.	We’re going to CHOW DOWN ON that barbecued pork.
Chuck away	Dispose of something you no longer need or want.	I CHUCKED AWAY all my old records years ago when CDs came out.
Chuck in	Quit something.	I CHUCKED my job IN to go travelling.

Chuck in	Make a comment.	I CHUCKED IN a few points at the end of the discussion.
Chuck out	Dispose of something you no longer need	I CHUCKED OUT some stuff I found in
Chuck out	or want.	the fridge that had gone bad. He got ridiculously drunk and
	or want.	the fridge that had gone bad. He got ridiculously drunk and
Chuck up	Vomit, be sick.	CHUCKED UP in the back of the minicab on the way home.
Chuck up	Quit something.	She didn’t like the course, so she CHUCKED it UP after a few weeks.
Churn out	Produce, usually quickly or in large	The government CHURNS OUT
Churn out	amounts without much regard to quality.	educational policies every few months.
Clag up	Make something sticky.	His arteries are CLAGGED UP because he eats so much saturated fat.
Clam up	Be quiet, refuse to speak.	Everybody CLAMMED UP when the Principal entered.
Clamp down on	Restrict or try to stop something.	The government are CLAMPING DOWN ON antisocial behaviour.
Claw back	Get money back.	The new tax will CLAW BACK what the government has given out in grants. The opposition parties are trying to

Claw back	Retake possession with difficulty.	CLAW BACK the voters they lost in the last election.
Claw back	Regain possession with difficulty.	They are CLAWING BACK their market share from their competitors.
Clean off	Remove dirt or something dirty.	After dinner, I CLEANED OFF the table.
Clean out	Tidy up thoroughly and throw away unwanted things..	I really must CLEAN the study OUT; there’s stuff all over the floor and piles of paper everywhere.
Clean out	Cause someone to spend all their money.	The holiday CLEANED me OUT- I’m broke till the end of the month.
Clean up	Tidy and clean.	CLEAN this bedroom UP; it’s a disgrace.
Clean up	Profit, sometimes suddenly.	At the horse races yesterday we really CLEANED UP.
Clear away	Leave a place.	We were told to CLEAR AWAY from the scene of the accident.
Clear away	Remove or tidy.	After dinner, I CLEARED AWAY the plates and dishes.
Clear off	Leave somewhere quickly.	As soon as the trouble started, we CLEARED OFF.
	Tidy up thoroughly and throw away unwanted stuff..	I spent the whole weekend CLEARING
Clear out	Tidy up thoroughly and throw away unwanted stuff..	OUT the attic as it was full of papers and other junk.
Clear out	Leave somewhere.	I told them to CLEAR OUT because they were making so much noise.
Clear up	Cure or recover from an infection.	I took the antihistamines and the rash CLEARED UP right away.
Clear up	Tidy up.	I’d better CLEAR AWAY the mess before leave.

Clear up	Explain.	Could you CLEAR these points UP before we go any further?
Clear up Click through	Improve (weather).	The skies CLEARED UP and the sun came out. Only a tiny fraction of users ever bother
Clear up Click through	Open an advertisement on the Internet.	CLICKING THROUGH the banner adverts. The Prime Minister had to CLIMB
	Open an advertisement on the Internet.
Climb down	Accept that you are wrong and change your position.	DOWN over his tax proposals because there was so much opposition from the members of his own party.
Cling on	Hold tight.	He told me to CLING ON as the motorbike accelerated.
Cling on to	Try to keep something.	They CLUNG ON TO power despite the protests.
Cling to	Try to maintain beliefs, hopes, etc..	They CLING TO their old way of thinking.
Clog up	Block, slow movement right down.	The traffic’s so bad the roads get CLOGGED UP at rush hour.
Close down	Close a shop, branch or business permanently.	The banks have CLOSED DOWN a lot of branches in villages over the last few years.
Close down	Stop an opponent being a challenge.	He CLOSED the player DOWN and stopped him being a threat.
Close in	Surround, envelop.	The fog CLOSED IN and we couldn’t see two yards in front of us.
Close in	Approach, get near.	The police were CLOSING IN so they decided to try to make a break.
Close in on	Get near someone.	The police were CLOSING IN ON the gang.
Close in	Get near someone.	The police were CLOSING IN UPON the
upon	Get near someone.	gang.
Close off	Block a place to stop people entering.	The police CLOSED the road OFF after the explosion.
PIaca An	Get nearer.	She is CLOSING ON the leader of the
V^IUjC “11	Get nearer.	race.
Close out	Bring something to an end.	We CLOSED OUT the meeting early and went home.
Close out	Close or stop using.	She CLOSED OUT the account and changed to another bank.
Close out	Ignore, exclude.	They always CLOSE me OUT of their plans.
Close up	Completely close something.	They CLOSE UP the building after everyone has left.
Close up	Join together.	The leaves CLOSE UP when it rains.
Close up	Move closer together.	They CLOSED UP when they saw the gang coming towards them.
Cloud over	Get very cloudy.	The morning started bright and warm, but

		it CLOUDED OVER around midday and poured with rain.
Clown	Behave stupidly or waste time.	The students were CLOWNING ABOUT
about	Behave stupidly or waste time.	all lesson.
Clown	Behave stupidly or waste time.	I couldn’t concentrate because they were
around	Behave stupidly or waste time.	J CLOWNING AROUND all afternoon.
Coast along	Do something without making much effort She’s been COASTING ALONG all year
Coast along	or trying to improve.	and hasn’t made a lot of progress.
Cobble	Make, assemble or produce something	They COBBLED a few pages
together	quickly, without much care.	TOGETHER and submitted it.
Cock up	Ruin or spoil something.	It was so easy, but he managed to COCK everything UP.
Colour	Blush.	He COLOURED (COLORED) UP when
(Color) up	Blush.	he was caught stealing from the till.
Come about	Happen, occur.	The meeting CAME ABOUT because both sides were sick of fighting.
Come about	Shift direction (nautical).	The yacht CAME ABOUT to a heading of 240 degrees.
Come across	Find by accident.	I CAME ACROSS my old school reports when I was clearing out my desk.
Come	Agree to have sex with someone.	I was surprised when she CAME
across	Agree to have sex with someone.	ACROSS on the first night.
Come	The way other people see you.	He CAME ACROSS as shy because he
across	The way other people see you.	spoke so quietly.
Come along	Accompany.	May I COME ALONG on your trip tomorrow?
Come along	Move faster or keep up.	COME ALONG, we’ll never get there if you don’t keep up with us. It CAME APART when I tried to lift it off
Come apart	Break into pieces.	the floor and I had to glue it back together.
Come around	Recover consciousness.	It took several hours after the operation before he CAME AROUND.
Come around to	Agree with or accept something you had previously disapproved of or disliked..	They have started COMING AROUND TO our way of thinking and are less hostile.
Come back	Return.	I left work and CAME BACK home early.
Come	Appear in court charged with a crime or	He CAME BEFORE the court on charges
before	offence.	of speeding.
Come by	Visit.	I’ll COME BY after work and see if you need any help.
Come by	Acquire.	How did you COME BY that Rolex?
Come down	Rain.	Just look at the rain COMING DOWN! I’m not going out in that.
Come down	Travel.	When you’re next in London, COME DOWN and see us.

Come down on	Criticise heavily.	The management really CAME DOWN ON him for losing the contract.
Come down	Criticise, reprimand severely.	They will COME DOWN UPON us if we
upon	Criticise, reprimand severely.	are late.
Come down with	Fall ill.	She CAME DOWN WITH a virus.
Come forth	Appear.	The draft proposal CAME FORTH in April.
Come forth with		None of the witnesses CAME FORTH
Come forth with	Provide information.	WITH an accurate description of the gang.
Come from	Country or town where you were born.	She COMES FROM Somalia.
Come in	Arrive for flights.	The plane CAME IN at two-thirty in the morning.
Come in	Place or ranking in a competition, etc..	I did my best but CAME IN last but one in the race.
Come in	Receive news.	Reports are just COMING IN of an assassination attempt on the President.
Come in for	Receive (criticism or praise).	Jack\’s COME IN FOR quite a lot of criticism of late.
Come into Come into Come into use Come off Come off Come off it Come on Come on	Be important or relevant. Inherit. Start being used.	Money doesn’t COME INTO it; I simply will not do it under any circumstances. She CAME INTO a lot of money when her grandmother died. The computerised system CAME INTO USE at the end of last year. I picked it up and the handle CAME OFF in my hand. I was surprised when the plan CAME OFF so easily. COME OFF IT; tell me the truth for goodness’ sake. COME ON; don’t give up now when you’re so close to finishing. I’ve got a bit of a headache. I hope it doesn’t mean I’ve got flu COMING ON. The central heating COMES ON
	When something breaks off. Be successful. I don’t believe what you’re saying; used as an imperative. Encouragement. Start an illness.

Come on Come out	Start functioning (machines, etc). A secret is revealed.	automatically an hour before I have to get ^up. The details of the scandal CAME OUT in the press and she had to resign.
Come out	Be published or otherwise available to the	The band’s new CD is COMING OUT in
Come out	public.	September. The red wine I spilt just will not COME
	public.	September. The red wine I spilt just will not COME
Come out	Disappear when washed.	OUT of the carpet no matter what I try to clean it with.
Come out	Let people know that you are lesbian or	She CAME OUT at university and has
	gay.	been living with her partner, Jane, for the

Come out	When the sun appears.	last couple of years. It started cloudy, but then the sun CAME OUT and we all went to the park.
Come out in Have a rash or similar skin problem.		She CAME OUT IN a nasty rash after
		touching the poisonous plant by mistake.
Come out of Recover consciousness.		After three years, he CAME OUT OF the
Come out of Recover consciousness.		coma.
Come out with Come out with	Make something available.	They have just COME OUT WITH a new version. She CAME OUT WITH the answer when
Come out with Come out with	Say something publicly and unexpectedly.	everyone was expecting it to remain unsolved.
		I CAME OVER all faint and weak
Come over	Feel strange.	because my sugar level was too low. (British)
Come over	Affect mentally in such a way as to change I’m sorry about last night – I don’t know
Come over	behaviour (possibly related to ‘overcome’).	what CAME OVER me.
Come	Become conscious, wake up from	She CAME ROUND and learned that the
round Come round	anaesthetic.	operation had been a complete success. At first she didn’t like the idea, but she
round Come round	Change your opinion.	CAME ROUND to our way of thinking in the end.
		News is COMING THROUGH of a
Come through Come through	Arrive (messages and information).	major accident on the M25, where freezing fog has been making driving conditions extremely dangerous.
Come through Come through	Communicate an emotion.	The anger she felt COMES THROUGH.
Come	Produce a result.	They promised they’d do it, but they
through	Produce a result.	haven’t COME THROUGH yet.
Come	Provide something needed.	He didn’t COME THROUGH WITH the
through with	Provide something needed.	money and they went bust.
Come to	Become conscious, wake up from	She CAME TO an hour after the
Come to	anaesthetic.	operation. The two men started arguing but they
	anaesthetic.	operation. The two men started arguing but they
Come to	Result in.	soon CAME TO blows and started fighting in earnest. I’ll be late home tonight because
Come up	Appear.	something’s COME UP at work has to be ready for tomorrow morning.
Come up	Rise (the sun).	The sun CAME UP just as we reached the outskirts of the town.
Come up against	Encounter problems or difficulties.	They CAME UP AGAINST a lot of opposition to their plans for an out-oftown supermarket development.
Come up with	Think of a solution, excuse, etc..	Nobody could COME UP WITH a satisfactory explanation for the accident.

Come upon	Find by chance.	I CAME UPON the book in a little second-hand bookshop in Dorset.
Conjure up	Create a picture or memory in someone’s mind.	It CONJURES UP memories of my school days. I had to CONJURE UP a full weekend’s
Conjure up	Create something without many resources.	entertainment for the visitors with no notice at all.
Conk out	Fall fast asleep.	I was exhausted and CONKED OUT on the sofa.
Conk out	Suddenly breakdown or stop working.	The printer CONKED OUT so I couldn’t get a hard copy.
Contract in	Become involved or committed to something. Give a contract for a service outside the company you work for. Formally leave and agreement.	Since it started, many companies have CONTRACTED IN to lend their support. They have CONTRACTED OUT their catering services to save money. I CONTRACTED OUT OF the deal years ago. I left the tea for a minute until it had COOLED DOWN enough to drink. It took me ages to COOL DOWN after the argument. We’ll talk to Fred once he COOLS OFF and can talk rationally.
Contract out Contract out of Cool down
Contract out Contract out of Cool down	Get cooler.
Cool down	Become calm.
Cool off	Become calmer.
Coop up	Confine in a small area.	They COOPED the dog UP in a tiny room.
Cop it	Get into trouble.	They really COPPED IT when they got caught shoplifting.
Cop off	Leave work or school early.	We COPPED OFF early on Friday because there was nothing to do.
Cop off	Kiss, pet or have sex with someone.	She COPPED OFF with Damian at the end-of-term party. She was going to take a Master’s degree

Cop out	Choose an easy alternative.	but COPPED OUT and chose the Diploma course instead.
Cost up	Calculate how expensive some work is	The decorators are going to COST UP the
Cost up	going to be.	work tomorrow.
Cotton on	To work out the truth.	It took me ages to COTTON ON to what they were planning.
Cough up	Lose possession of a ball, etc. in a contact sport.	He was checked so hard he COUGHED UP the puck in front of his own goal.
Cough up	Expel something from your lungs or throat He gave up smoking after he COUGHED
Cough up	by coughing.	UP some blood.
Could do with	Need or want something.	I COULD really DO WITH a cup of tea.
Count	Affect negatively, make less likely to	Not having a university degree will
against	succeed.	COUNT AGAINST her.
Count	Include someone or something in a group,	I COUNT her AMONG my closest
among	category, etc.	friends.

Count down	Wait impatiently or excitedly for something to happen. Be recognised as important, worthwhile or valuable. Include or involve.	I’m COUNTING DOWN the days till they leave. Experience COUNTS FOR a lot in decision making. If you’re going on that skiing holiday, you can COUNT me IN; I’d love to go. They COUNTED the students OFF as they arrived.
Count for
Count in
Count off	Say numbers aloud in a sequence.
Count on	Depend, rely.	You can COUNT ON them; if they have promised to do something, they’ll do it. I was COUNTING ON the payment
r¹ ft lint ft ft	Expect something to happen and base	arriving last week and was really angry
v/UUiii nn	plans on it.	when it didn’t arrive as I didn’t have enough money to pay for everything.
Count out	Exclude.	I don’t want to go- you can COUNT me OUT.
Count out Count towards Count up Count upon	Count a certain amount of money. Be a part needed to complete something.	He COUNTED OUT £250 and paid me. The coursework COUNTS TOWARDS the final grade. COUNT UP the number of tickets sold, please. I was COUNTING UPON their support and lost because they didn’t vote my way. I COUNT UPON them to help me. She asked me to COVER FOR her if anyone asked where she’d gone. I COVERED FOR her while she was off sick. They tried to COVER UP the incident but it got into the newspapers. It was cold and I COZIED UP by the fire. He’s been COZYING UP TO our boss because he wants a pay rise. The police always CRACK DOWN ON
Count out Count towards Count up Count upon	Add. Expect something to happen and base plans on it. Depend, rely. Provide an excuse or alibi. Do someone’s work while they are temporarily absent. Conceal, try to stop people finding out. Make yourself comfortable. Make yourself popular with someone.
Count upon Cover for Cover for
Cover up Cozy up Cozy up to
Crack down
Crack down	Use more authority than usual.	drink-driving offences over the Christmas
on		period.
Crack on	Continue doing something with energy.	We had to CRACK ON to get everything finished on time.
Crack up	Have a nervous breakdown.	He CRACKED UP after his son died and had to take a couple of months off work.
Crack up	Have bad reception on a mobile phone.	You’ll have to talk louder- you’re CRACKING UP.
Crack up	Burst out laughing.	Everybody CRACKED UP when he told the joke.
Crack up	Damage a car badly.	He CRACKED his car UP last night when he came off the road.

Crank out	Produce a lot of something fast.	My boss keeps CRANKING OUT stupid memos.
Crank up	Inject non-medical drugs.	He’s been CRANKING UP heroin for years.
Crank up	Start a machine, originally with a handle.	He CRANKED the saw UP.
Crank up	Increase, make something bigger.	I CRANKED the volume UP as high as it would go.
Crash out	Sleep at someone’s house because you are	Dave CRASHED OUT at a friend’s flat
Crash out	too tired, drunk, etc. to leave.	after the end-of-term party.
Crash out	Fall asleep.	I CRASHED OUT in front of the TV last night.
Cream off	Separate the best or most talented people so that they can receive special or different treatment.	The private schools CREAM OFF many of the best pupils.
Cream off	Take money or divert funds, usually	This means smaller banks can CREAM
Cream off	wrongfully or unfairly.	OFF excess profits during lending booms.
Creep in	Start to be noticeable.	He tried to stay calm, but you could hear the anger CREEPING IN.
Creep in	Get included despite attempts to keep it or them out.	Errors CREPT IN as the text got longer.
Creep into	Become noticeable in something.	An angry tone CREPT INTO her voice.
Creep out	make someone feel worried or uneasy.	He CREEPS me OUT when he gets drunk.
Creep out	To do the same activity for a very long	He’s been CREEPING OUT ON that
on	time.	computer game all day.
Creep over	Start to have a negative feeling.	Fear CREPT OVER me as I walked through the graveyard.
Creep up on	Approach without someone realising.	They CREPT UP ON their rivals and overtook them.
Crop up	Appear unexpectedly.	I’m going to be late tonight as something has just CROPPED UP at work.
Cross off	Delete, remove from a list.	She CROSSED him OFF her Christmas card list after they argued.
Cross out	Put as line through some writing to show it She CROSSED OUT her mistakes and
Cross out	is wrong.	wrote the correct answers above them.
Cross up	Confuse, deceive.	The treasure map was deliberately drawn to CROSS us UP.
Cruise through	Pass or succeed easily.	He CRUISED THROUGH the exam.
Crumb	Clear a table in a restaurant.	The waiter CRUMBED DOWN before
down	Clear a table in a restaurant.	the coffee was served.
Cry off	To cancel an arrangement.	I’ve got to work tonight; can I CRY OFF going out for dinner?
Cry out	Shout because you are in pain.	He CRIED OUT when he dropped the box on his toes.
Cut across	Go across a place rather than around it to make the journey quicker.	It’ll be quicker if we CUT ACROSS the park.

Cut across Cut back	Affect people of different groups, classes, etc. Reduce.	The issue CUTS ACROSS social backgrounds as it affects us all equally. The firm CUT BACK production because sales were sluggish. We CUT the tree BACK every winter.
Cut back	Remove branches from a plant or tree to
	encourage future growth.
Cut back on Reduce expenditure.		The government has decided to CUT BACK ON spending on the armed forces.
Cut down	Consume less.	I’m trying to CUT DOWN the amount of coffee I drink during the day. A lot of soldiers were CUT DOWN by enemy fire as they stormed the airport.
Cut down	Shoot.
Cut down	Reduce a vertical thing to ground level by cutting.	The logger CUT the tree DOWN.
	Reduce a vertical thing to ground level by cutting.	After Christmas he didn’t carefully detach
Cut down	Cut something from a high position.	all the decorations, he just CUT them all DOWN.
Cut down	Reduce.	Doctors advised her to CUT DOWN ON
on	Reduce.	the amount of saturated fats in her diet.
Cut in	Start functioning.	The fans CUT IN when the engine starts getting too hot.
Cut in	Drive in front of another vehicle without warning.	A car CUT IN and nearly caused an accident.
Cut in	Interrupt.	We were having a conversation when he came up and CUT IN.
Cut in	Include someone in a deal that makes money.	We had to CUT the police IN on the deal to avoid trouble.
Cut in	Mix fat and flour until the combine.	CUT the butter IN with the flour.
Cut it out	Stop your unfair or unreasonable behaviour.	Will you two idiots CUT IT OUT and keep quiet.
Cut off	Disconnect.	The telephone’s been CUT OFF because we didn’t pay the bill.
Cut off	Isolate or make inaccessible.	The heavy snow has blocked many roads and CUT OFF a number of villages.
Cut out	Exclude.	I’m CUTTING OUT salt from my diet.
Cut out	When an engine or motor stops.	The car CUT OUT at the traffic lights just as they went green.
Cut out	Cut a picture or similar from a magazine, etc.	I CUT some pictures OUT to use as visual aids.
Cut out	Leave quickly.	We’d better CUT OUT, the security men are on the way.
Cut out	Separate livestock from a group.	They CUT OUT three prime bulls from the herd.
		Although he’d promised to help, the star
Cut out on	Let down, snub.	CUT OUT ON the charity when offered more money.

Cut up	Cut into smaller pieces.	After cutting the tree down, the logger CUT it UP into logs.
		I was just driving onto the motorway slip-
Cut up	Drive into a neighbouring lane, directly in	road, when a red Mini CUT me UP and I
Cut up	front of another vehicle.	had to brake suddenly to avoid an accident.
	front of another vehicle.	had to brake suddenly to avoid an accident.
Cut up	Upset.	Her reaction really CUT me UP.
Cut up	Have a lot of small injuries.	I CUT my hand UP when I broke the glass.
Damp down	Calm or reduce feelings, emotions.	They tried to DAMP DOWN the anger over the announcement.
Damp down Make a fire burn less.		They tried to DAMP DOWN the flames before the fire spread.
Damp off	When there is too much moisture and a	The seedlings DAMP OFF in the spring if
Damp off	plant is affected by fungal parasites.	it’s very wet.
Dash down	Write something quickly.	He DASHED DOWN a memo and sent it to everybody.
Dash off	Leave somewhere quickly.	It’s late- I’m going to DASH OFF home.
Dash off	Do something quickly, especially writing.	He DASHED OFF the report in a couple of hours.
Dawn on	Finally realise or understand something.	The truth only DAWNED ON me much later.
		Trevor spent a long time looking at flats
Decide on	Choose, select.	before he bought one, but eventually DECIDED ON one near his work.
		Jane spent a long time looking at houses
Decide upon	Choose, select.	before she bought one, but eventually DECIDED UPON one near her office.
Die away	Become quieter or inaudible (of a sound).	The last notes DIED AWAY and the audience burst into applause.
Die back	When the parts of a plant above ground die, but the roots remain alive.	The plant DIES BACK in the winter.
		It was on the front pages of all the papers
Die down	Decrease or become quieter.	for a few days, but the interest gradually DIED DOWN.
Die for	Want something a lot.	I’m DYING FOR the weekend- this week’s been so hard.
Die off	Become extinct.	Most of the elm trees in the UK DIED OFF when Dutch elm disease arrived. Some scientists say that the dinosaurs
Die out	Become extinct or disappear.	DIED OUT when a comet hit the earth and caused a nuclear winter.
Dig in	Start eating greedily.	We were starving so we really DUG IN when the food finally did arrive.
Dig in	Excavate a protective shelter (military).	Anticipating an artillery barrage, we quickly DUG IN.
Dig into	Reach inside to get something.	She DUG INTO her handbag and pulled out a bunch of keys.

Dig out	Find something you haven’t used, seen, etc, for a long time.	I DUG OUT my old university essays.
Dig out	Dig to remove something or someone.	They had to DIG the survivors of the earthquake OUT from the ruins.
Dig up	Find something that is supposed to be secret.	The reporters eventually DUG UP the truth about the affair.
Dig up	Remove something from the ground.	The police DUG UP a body.
Dig up	Make a hole in a road, the ground, etc.	The council have DUG the road UP.
Dine out	Have dinner outside your home.	We DINED OUT because we couldn’t be bothered to cook.
Dine out on	Tell a story repeatedly that is well received.	I’ve DINED OUT ON the story of his accident.
Dip in	Put something in a liquid for a short time.	I DIPPED the brush IN the paint and began painting the wall.
Dip into	Read parts of a book, but not all.	I’ve been DIPPING INTO the book, but haven’t read it properly.
Dip into	Take money out of your savings.	I’ve had to DIP INTO my savings account to pay for the works on my house.
Dip out	Leave a place without telling anyone.	The party was so dull I DIPPED OUT.
Disagree with	Make someone feel sick or ill.	I feel dreadful; the prawns I had for lunch are DISAGREEING WITH me.
Dish out	Serve food.	I DISHED OUT the dinner.
Dish out	Give something, usually when you shouldn’t.	Doctors have been DISHING OUT viagra to anyone who asks for it.
Dish out	Criticise, when you can’t take criticism in	He DISHES it OUT, but gets all hurt
Dish out	return.	when anyone responds.
Dish up	Serve food.	He DISHED UP a great dinner when we got back.
Dive in	Start doing something, usually without planning.	When we saw what was happening, we all DIVED IN to help.
Dive in	Start eating.	Dinner’s on the table, so DIVE IN.
Dive into	Reach inside something quickly.	She DIVED INTO her bag and pulled out a lighter.
Divide up	Share.	They divided up the profits.
Divvy out	Divide, share.	The waiters and waitresses DIVVY OUT the tips at the end of the night.
Divvy up	Divide, share.	We DIVVIED UP the money equally.
Do away with	Abolish, get rid of.	The United Kingdom DID AWAY WITH the death penalty in 1965.
Do in	Kill.	After he reported the gang, he feared they would DO him IN.
Do out of	Cheat somebody out of something that is rightfully theirs.	They lied on the reference and DID me OUT OF any chance of getting the job.
Do up	Close or fasten clothes, etc..	You must DO UP your safety belt in the back of cars and taxis now.
Do up	Repair and renovate.	It took them six months to DO UP the house before they could actually move in.

Do with	Wish for or ask for (usually after can or could).	I could DO WITH a cold beer about now.
Do without	Manage without something.	There’s no sugar, so you’ll have to DO WITHOUT.
Dob in	Report someone to teachers, authorities, etc.	He DOBBED me IN to the teacher.
Dob in	Contribute money.	Everyone DOBBED IN some cash to help.
Dob in	Pressure someone into doing something.	He needed some help, so DOBBED us IN.
Dole out	Give out, distribute.	They were DOLING OUT leaflets in front of the station.
Doss about	Spend time doing very little or being	I couldn’t get down to my work and
Doss about	unproductive.	DOSSED ABOUT all night.
Doss	Spend time doing very little or being	I spent the afternoon DOSSING
around	unproductive.	AROUND.
Doss down	Sleep somewhere temporarily because you	I was feeling really tired, so I DOSSED
Doss down	don’t go home.	DOWN on his sofa for the night.
Double as	Have a second function or purpose.	My study DOUBLES AS a spare bedroom when we have visitors.
Double back	Go back the way you were coming.	When he saw the police, he DOUBLED BACK and went home.
Double over	Bend over at the waist.	She DOUBLED OVER in pain after being hit in the stomach.
Double up	Bend over at the waist.	He DOUBLED UP in pain after being hit in the stomach.
Double up	Share accommodation because there are	We had to DOUBLE UP because we
Double up	too many people.	hadn’t booked enough rooms.
Double up as	Have a second function or purpose.	The display screen DOUBLES UP AS a solar panel.
Doze off	Fall asleep.	The movie was a bit boring and I DOZED OFF halfway through.
Drag on	Be unnecessarily long.	The meeting DRAGGED ON for two and a half hours.
Draw back	Retreat, move backwards.	He DREW BACK when the dog barked. The administration want to DRAW
Draw down	Reduce levels.	DOWN troop numbers as soon as they can.
Draw down	Get funding.	The college wants to DRAW DOWN extra funding for IT provision.
Draw down	To deplete by consumption or heavy spending.	Gas reserves were DRAWN DOWN in the recent cold spell.
Draw even	Equalize one’s competitive position.	The exhausted horse DREW EVEN at the finish line.
Draw in	Get dark earlier.	The nights are DRAWING IN now it’s winter.
Draw in	Arrive at a station (for trains).	The train DREW IN and we got off.

		I didn’t want to take sides because I didn’t
Draw into	Get involved in something unpleasant.	want to get DRAWN INTO their arguments.
Draw on	Pass slowly (time).	As the lesson DREW ON, the students started to get bored.
Draw on	Inhale smoke from a cigarette, cigar, etc.	He DREW ON his cigarette and coughed.
Draw out	Make something continue longer than	The director DREW the meeting OUT
Draw out	needed.	with a lengthy speech. He was so quiet at first, but the teacher
	needed.
Draw out	Make a shy person more outgoing.	managed to DRAW him OUT and get him to participate.
Draw up	Prepare a contract.	The contract was DRAWN UP by our solicitor.
		The police car DREW UP alongside him
Draw up	When a vehicle stops.	at the red lights and asked him to pull
		over.
Dream of	Not think or consider.	I wouldn’t even DREAM OF telling her that.
		They DREAMED UP the scheme for the
Dream up	Invent something, have an idea.	improvements and it was accepted by the board.
		The newspapers DREDGED UP the
Dredge up	Discover things about someone’s past.	details of his affair with his research assistant.
Dress down	Dress casually.	The staff are allowed to DRESS DOWN on Fridays.
Dress down	Scold.	She DRESSED me DOWN for being rude.
Dress up	Dress very smartly.	It’s an informal party so there’s no need to DRESS UP.
Drift apart	Slowly cease to be close to or friends with	We were great friends at school but DRIFTED APART when we went to
Drift apart	someone.	different universities.
Drift off	Start to fall asleep.	I was DRIFTING OFF when the noise disturbed me.
Drill down	Search through layers of information on a	I really had to DRILL DOWN to get the
Drill down	computer.	answers from the database.
Drill down	Get to the bottom of something, get	They DRILLED DOWN THROUGH the
through	detailed data.	information to find the truth.
Drill into	Repeat something many times to make	The teacher DRILLED the rules INTO
Drill into	someone learn it.	the students.
Drink up	Finish a drink.	DRINK UP, please; it’s closing time.
Drive away	Force an animal or someone to leave a	Their unfriendliness DRIVES customers
Drive away	place.	AWAY.
Drive back	Repulse, force back.	The police DROVE the crowd BACK to give the rescue workers more space.
Drive by	Do something out of a car.	He was killed in a DRIVE-BY shooting.

Drive off	Drive away from a place.	She slammed the car door shut and DROVE OFF without saying a word.
Drive out	Force someone to leave a place.	The soldiers DROVE them OUT of their homes.
Drive up	Make something increase.	The market uncertainty has DRIVEN prices UP.
Drive up	Arrive in a vehicle.	They DROVE UP just as we were about to leave.
		The minister DRONED ON for an hour
Drone on	Talk boringly for a long time.	and the audience looked increasingly bored.
Drop	Visit someone, often without making an	We DROPPED AROUND to collect the
around	arrangement.	stuff we’d left there last week.
Drop	Deliver.	I DROPPED AROUND the things they
around	Deliver.	needed.
Drop away	Become smaller- amount, numbers.	The numbers of people attending began the DROP AWAY after a few months.
Drop back	Move towards the back of a group.	He stared at the front, but got tired and DROPPED BACK as the race went on.
Drop by	Pay a brief visit.	He DROPPED BY on his way home from work.
Drop in	Visit without having made arrangements.	I was in the area so I DROPPED IN at the office to see her.
Drop off	Take something or someone to a place and	I DROPPED the kids OFF at school on
Drop off	leave it or them there..	my way to work.
Drop off	Fall asleep.	I DROPPED OFF during the play and woke up when it ended.
Drop off	Decrease in number or amount.	Sales have DROPPED OFF in the last few months.
Drop out	Quit a course.	She DROPPED OUT of college and went straight into a good job.
Drop over	Visit for a short time.	I’ll DROP OVER on my way back.
Drop round	Visit someone, often without making an arrangement.	We DROPPED ROUND their house on our way.
Drop round	Deliver.	I DROPPED the papers ROUND so she could read them before the meeting.
Drop C ATY1 A/\T1 A m	Get someone into trouble.	I really DROPPED him IN IT when I told
ISUIIlcUIlc 111 it	Get someone into trouble.	them what he’d done.
Drop through	Come to nothing, produce no results.	The big scheme he was talking about seems to have DROPPED THROUGH.
Drown in	Cover excessively.	They DROWN the food IN sauce.
Drown out	Be so loud that another sound cannot be	The music DROWNED OUT the sound
Drown out	heard.	of the phone ringing.
Drum into	To make someone learn or believe	They DRUM all the traps INTO you
Drum into	something by constant repetition.	before the test, so you can’t go wrong.
Drum out	Force someone out of their job or position.	They DRUMMED the minister OUT

		when she was caught lying.The minister was DRUMMED OUT of her post for lying. (The passive form with OF is more common)
Drum up	Increase support or interest.	They are trying to DRUM UP support for the referendum.
Dry off	Dry something quickly, or dry the surface.	I had a shower and DRIED myself OFF.
Dry out	Stop drinking or taking drugs when	He checked into a clinic to DRY OUT
Dry out	addicted.	after being arrested for drink-driving.
Dry out	Dry something fully.	They DRIED the fruit OUT in the sun.
Dry up	Lose all the water from a river, lake,	The lake DRIED UP because of the water
Dry up	source, etc.	extraction for cotton farming.
Dry up	Stop being supplied with something.	His income DRIED UP when cheaper options became available.
Dry up	Be unable to speak.	She DRIED UP in the press conference.
Dry up	Dry plates, dishes, cutlery, etc, after washing them up.	I washed and DRIED UP.
Duck out of	Avoid doing something.	He DUCKED OUT OF helping us last night.
Duff up	Beat or hit someone repeatedly.	He was DUFFED UP in a night club last night.
Dumb down	Reduce the intellectual level of something in search of popularity. Treat someone badly. Criticize heavily, often unfairly. Tell someone your problems.	Television has been DUMBING DOWN the news for years. Her boss DUMPS ON everyone when things go wrong. She DUMPS ON her family a lot. When he’;s depressed, he needs someone to DUMP ON.
Dump on
Dump on Dump on
Dwell on	Spend a lot of time on something.	The programme DWELLED ON little other than the scandal.
Dwell upon Ease off	Spend a lot of time on something. Reduce pressure.	She DWELT UPON the economic situation in her speech. She EASED OFF the accelerator to let the car slow down.
Ease up	Relax, calm down.	She asked her teacher to EASE UP because she was feeling very stressed.
Eat away	Destroy slowly.	The disease EATS the liver AWAY
Eat in	Eat at home.	We didn’t feel like going to a restaurant so we ATE IN.
Eat into	Use something valuable when you don’t want to.	We’ve had to EAT INTO our savings since I lost my job.
Eat out	Eat in a restaurant.	We couldn’t be bothered to cook so we ATE OUT last night.
Eat up	Eat all of something.	If you don’t EAT UP your greens, you won’t get any dessert.
Eat up	Consume.	This car EATS UP petrol.
Eat up	Consume something you don’t want to be	The graphics EAT UP our bandwidth-

	consumed.	they’re costing us a fortune.
Ebb away	Disappear gradually.	His life was EBBED AWAY as the illness progressed.
Edge out	Gradually push someone or something out of their position.	The shareholders EDGED the CEO out because results were getting worse.
Edge up Egg on	Approach slowly. Encourage.	She EDGED UP behind the bus at the red light. The other students EGGED him ON when he started arguing with the teacher.
Eke out	Make something like money last as long as possible.	Most students have to EKE OUT their income because they have so little money to live on.
Embark on	Start a project or venture.	Piere EMBARKED ON an MBA at Insead last autumn.
Embark upon	Start a project or venture.	Fernanda has just EMBARKED UPON a new professional challenge.
Empty out	Empty something completely.	I must EMPTY OUT the rubbish before I leave for work.
Empty out	Remove some things or everything from a container.	I EMPTIED some of the coffee OUT so I could pour more milk in.
End in	Finish a certain way.	It’ll END IN tears.
End up	Become or do something unplanned.	We couldn’t get tickets for Egypt so we ENDED UP going to Turkey instead.
End up with Get as a result of something.		He tried hard but ENDED UP WITH a poor grade.
Enter for	Join or enter a competition.	They ENTERED FOR the national championship but weren’t good enough.
Enter into	Become involved in or accept.	They ENTERED INTO an agreement with their rivals.
Eye up	Look carefully at someone.	The guy EYED the other man UP because he was behaving suspiciously.
Face off	Confront.	The company FACED OFF the competition.
Face up to	Accept an unpleasant truth.	Many people find it hard to FACE UP TO the fact that they are getting old.
Faff about	Behave indecisively.	He told her to stop FAFFING ABOUT and make her mind up.
Faff around	Behave indecisively.	She told him to stop FAFFING AROUND and make his mind up.
Fall about	Laugh a lot.	We FELL ABOUT when we heard what she’d done.
Fall apart	Break into pieces.	The box FELL APART when I picked it up.
Fall apart	Become emotionally disturbed and unable to behave normally.	He FELL APART when they sacked him.
Fall back	Retreat.	The army FELL BACK after losing the battle.

		It was good to have some money in the
Fall back on Be able to use in an emergency.		bank to FALL BACK ON when I lost my
Fall behind	Make less progress.	job. I was ill for a week and FELL BEHIND with my work. I slipped on the ice and FELL DOWN. The argument FALLS DOWN when you look at how much it’ll cost. He FELL FOR her the moment their eyes met. He FELL FOR my story and allowed me yet another extension for the submission of my thesis. The ceiling FELL IN hurting a lot of people. I just FELL INTO my job when an opportunity came up. The membership FELL OFF dramatically when the chairperson resigned. They FELL OUT over the decision and hardly speak to each other any more. He’s started getting worried about
Fall down Fall down Fall for Fall for Fall in Fall into Fall off Fall out	Fall on the ground. Have a weak point. Be attracted to somebody, fall in love. Believe a lie or a piece of deception. Collapse. Start doing something unplanned. Decrease. Argue and be on bad terms with someone.


Fall out	Lose hair.	baldness because his hair is FALLING OUT rather quickly.
Fall over	Fall on the ground.	I slipped on the ice and FELL OVER.
Fall	Be unsuccessful.	The plans FELL THROUGH when
through	Be unsuccessful.	planning permission was refused.
Fall under	Become controlled.	At first he was independent, but then he FELL UNDER their influence.
Farm out	Give or contract work to someone else.	The company wants to FARM OUT their maintenance.
Fart about	Waste time doing silly things.	The manager was angry because the staff were FARTING ABOUT.
Fart around Waste time doing pointless things.		We were really bored in the lecture so we started FARTING AROUND.
Fasten down Fasten on	Tie something so that it doesn’t move.	We FASTENED it DOWN to keep the wind from blowing it away. They have FASTENED ON the speech as a source of inspiration. He FASTENED ONTO the minister on
Fasten down Fasten on	Give attention to something that confirms your beliefs. Follow someone closely, normally when

Fasten onto		his visit and asked him repeatedly about
	they don’t want your company.	the scandal.
Fasten onto	Give attention to something that confirms	They FASTEN ONTO any figures that
Fasten onto	your beliefs.	they think can support their case.
Fasten up	Close, attach.	FASTEN UP your seatbelts.
Fathom out	Understand something.	I couldn’t FATHOM OUT what she wanted from me.

Fatten up	Give an animal a lot to eat to make it fat.	They FATTEN the cows UP before slaughtering them.
Fawn on	Praise someone in an excessive way to get He’s always FAWNING ON his boss to their favour or something from them. try to get promoted.
Fawn over	Praise someone in an excessive way to get their favour or something from them.	She FAWNED OVER the inspectors in the hope that they would give her a good grade.
Feed off	Eat a food as part of an animals diet.	The gecko FEEDS OFF mosquitoes and other insects.
Feed off	Use something to your advantage.	He FEEDS OFF people’s fear of crime to get them to support his proposals.
Feed on	Grow stronger.	The opposition party’s FEEDING ON the government’s weaknesses.
Feed on	Consume in an animal’s diet.	The bats FEED ON insects.
Feed on	Give someone a particular food.	He FEEDS his cat ON dry food.
Feed up	Give someone a lot of food to restore their health, make them bigger, etc.	She’s been ill for a fortnight so we’re FEEDING her UP.
Feel up	Touch sexually, grope.	Someone FELT me UP in the club as I was trying to get to the bar.
Feel up to	Feel capable of doing something.	I’m so tired. I don’t think I FEEL UP TO going out tonight.
Fence in	Enclose an area.	They FENCED the whole garden IN.
Fence off	Enclose an area to keep animals or people	They FENCED OFF one side of the park
Fence off	out.	to keep dogs out.
Fend for	Take care of yourself or someone with	The children had to FEND FOR
Fend for	help from other people.	themselves after their parents died.
Fend off	Resist something successfully.	He managed to FEND OFF the criticism in the press.
Fend off	Push an attacker away.	She FENDED OFF the dog when it attacked her.
Ferret out	Search and discover something.	The investigation finally managed to FERRET OUT the truth.
Fess up	Confess, admit something reluctantly.	The company FESSED UP after they were exposed in the newspapers.
Fess up	Give.	FESS UP your share of the bill.
Fess up to	Confess, admit reluctantly to something.	They FESSED UP TO the crime.
Fiddle about	Waste time doing silly things, or doing things unsuccessfully.	We spent the whole afternoon FIDDLING ABOUT with the computer but couldn’t get it to work.
Fiddle	Waste time doing silly things, or	I FIDDLED AROUND with the phone
around	unsuccessful things.	but couldn’t get any signal.
Fiddle around	Make small movements with your hands.	He FIDDLED AROUND for something in his pockets.
Fiddle away Waste time.		He FIDDLED AWAY the afternoon.
Fight back	Defend yourself, resist an attack.	The army attacked the town and the inhabitants FOUGHT BACK fiercely.
Fight back	Try to control and emotion and keep it	He tried to FIGHT BACK the tears when

	hidden.	he heard the news of her death.
Fight it out	Struggle to see who wins, both by arguing	Their FIGHTING IT OUT to see who
Fight it out	or fighting.	will become the next CEO. The old lady managed to FIGHT the
	or fighting.
Fight off	Fight an attacker and force them back.	muggers OFF and they didn’t get her purse.
Fight off	Resist an illness or emotion.	I’m FIGHTING OFF a cold.
Figure on	Plan, expect.	What job do you FIGURE ON doing when you graduate?
Figure out	Find the answer to a problem.	The police couldn’t FIGURE OUT how the burglars had got into the warehouse.
File away	Put a document in the correct place for	I FILED a copy of the letter AWAY for
File away	storage in a filing system.	my records.
File for	Apply for something legally, like divorce	They FILED FOR divorce after two years
File for	or bankruptcy.	of marriage.
Fill in	Complete a form.	I FILLED IN the application form and posted it off.
Fill in	Substitute someone at work.	She’s just had a baby, so we have hired someone to FILL IN for her.
Fill in for	Substitute.	I was away for a few days, so they had to get someone to FILL IN FOR me.
Fill in on	Give someone information.	I’m sorry I missed the meeting; could you FILL me IN ON what happened.
Fill out	Complete a form.	I FILLED OUT the application form and mailed it.
Fill up	Fill something completely.	I stopped at the garage and FILLED UP with petrol.
Filter in	Move into a lane of traffic without making other cars stop.	The slip lane allows traffic to FILTER IN at the junction.
		It FILTERS OUT all the impurities and
Filter out	Remove something unwanted.	chemicals in tap water so that it tastes better.
		I went to the library to FIND OUT all I
Find out	Discover.	could about the life and work of Joe Meek. They FINISHED OFF all the chocolates
Finish off	Finish completely.	and had to go to the all-night garage to buy some more.
Finish off	Kill a person or animal, often when they have already been hurt. Beat, make victory certain in sport. Consume all.	The animal was badly hurt, so they FINISHED it OFF to end its suffering. The second goal FINISHED them OFF. We FINISHED OFF the coffee and had to get some more.
Finish off Finish off
Finish up	Finally get somewhere, usually without planning to go there.	We went out for diner and FINISHED UP in a club.
Finish up with	Have or do something at the end or as the last of something.	We attended some workshops and FINISHED UP WITH the keynote speaker.

Finish with	End a relationship.	She FINISHED WITH him a few months ago.
Finish with	Stop dealing with someone.	He wanted to leave but I was furious and hadn’t FINISHED WITH him.
Finish with	Finish using or requiring.	Can I read the paper when you’ve FINISHED WITH it.
Fink on	Give away secrets about someone.	He FINKED ON her to the authorities.
Fink out	Fail to keep a promise, arrangement, etc.	He said he’d come with us then FINKED OUT at the last minute.
Fire away	Ask questions.	What do you want to know? FIRE AWAY and I’ll tell you.
Fire off	Send quickly, angrily or many (letter,	He FIRED OFF an email complaining
Fire off	emails, etc).	about the report.
Fire off	Shoot, fire a gun (usually repeatedly).	The police FIRED OFF several rounds and killed the man.
Fire up	Start a computer.	She FIRED UP the computer and printed out a hard copy of the files.
Fire up	Excite, become excited.	Everyone was FIRED UP and desperate to get it finished in time.
Firm up	Make things clearer in a negotiation or	We need to FIRM UP some aspects of the
Firm up	discussion.	contract before we sign it.
Firm up	Exercise to make muscles harder and remove fat.	I go swimming every day to FIRM UP my body.
Fish for	Try to get some information or to get someone to say something.	He’s always FISHING FOR compliments.
Fish out	Remove something from a bag, pocket,	She reached into her handbag and
Fish out	etc.	FISHED some coins OUT.
Fish out	Remove from water, such as the sea,	It’s fallen in the pool- I’ll have to FISH it
Fish out	rivers, etc.	OUT.
		I didn’t FIT IN with the other people
Fit in	Get on in a group of people.	working there so I left and found another job.
Fit in	Have enough time or space for something.	I didn’t have time to FIT IN another appointment. They’re not arriving until Thursday,

Fit in with	Be convenient or occur conveniently.	which FITS IN WITH my schedule for the week.
Fit in with	Occur or happen in a way that shows that plans or ideas have not changed.	His rudeness yesterday FITS IN WITH what I have always thought of his behaviour.
Fit into	Become part of.	Their ideas didn’t FIT INTO our plans.
Fit out	Provide with necessary equipment.	They FITTED OUT the boat for the race.
Fit out with	Provide someone with necessary	They didn’t FIT the troops OUT WITH
Fit out with	equipment.	the necessary protective gear.
Fit up	Frame someone- make them look guilty of The police FITTED him UP for dealing
Fit up	something they haven’t done.	drugs.
Fit up	Provide equipment.	They FITTED us UP with the latest IT.

Fix up	Make an arrangement.	He FIXED UP an appointment for me to see a specialist.
Fizzle out	End in an unsuccessful way.	The campaign started well, but FIZZLED OUT when they ran out of money.
Flag down Flag up	Signal at a vehicle to get it to stop. Raise an issue, or highlight its importance.	The police officer FLAGGED the car DOWN because it didn’t have its headlights on. We should FLAG UP working conditions at the meeting.
Flake out	Fall asleep from exhaustion.	I worked till midnight then FLAKED OUT.
Flame out	Fail.	The company FLAMED OUT in the
		recession.
Flame up	Burn brightly.	The wood FLAMED UP in the fire.
Flare out	Get angry suddenly.	He FLARED OUT when he saw the dreadful report.
Flare up	When trouble suddenly appears.	The argument FLARED UP when he was rude to them.
Flesh out	Add more details or information.	The recent government report FLESHED OUT the draft proposals.
Flick over	Change TV channels quickly.	She FLICKED OVER to see if the news had started.
Flick	Change TV channels repeatedly.	I FLICKED THROUGH the channels to
through	Change TV channels repeatedly.	see if there was anything worth watching.
Flick through	Look through something quickly.	I FLICKED THROUGH the magazine and decided to buy it.
Flip off	Extend your middle finger as a gesture of contempt. Become very excited and lose control. Look quickly through a magazine, book, etc.	When the police were walking away, he FLIPPED them OFF. He FLIPPED OUT when he won the final. I FLIPPED THROUGH the latest issue of the magazine in the shop and decided to buy it. The council FLOGGED OFF the land
Flip out Flip through

Flog off	Sell something cheaply to get rid of it.	cheaply to a developer who had close links to a few of the councillors.
Floor it	Drive a vehicle as fast as possible.	She FLOORED IT when the police arrived.
Flounce off	Leave a place or walk away from someone	He FLOUNCED OFF when they laughed
Flounce off	angrily.	at him.
Flounce out	Leave a place angrily.	He FLOUNCED OUT when the press started criticising him.
Fluff out	Shake or pat a cushion so that it fills with air.	She FLUFFED OUT the sofa cushions.
Fluff up	Shake or pat a cushion so that it fills with air.	He FLUFFED UP the pillow before going to bed.

		The rumour has been FLYING ABOUT
Fly about	Circulate (rumours, etc).	for the past week, but no one has confirmed it.
Fly around	Circulate (rumours, etc).	There are a lot of stories FLYING AROUND about her past.
Fly at	Attack.	The dog FLEW AT the cat when it came into the garden.
Fly at	Criticise or shout angrily.	He FLEW AT them for not trying hard enough.
Fly by	When time appears to move quickly.	As I get older, the years just FLY BY.
Fly into	Change emotion quickly.	He FLEW INTO a rage.
Fob off	Make or persuade someone to accept something.	I FOBBED it OFF Paul.
Fob off	Lie or deceive someone.	He FOBBED us OFF with a really stupid excuse.
Fob off on	Make or persuade someone to accept something you don’t want.	I FOBBED the work ON the others.
Fob off onto	Make or persuade someone to accept	I FOBBED the fake note ONTO a
Fob off onto	something you don’t want.	shopkeeper.
Fob off with	Make or persuade someone to accept something of lower quality than they wanted.	He FOBBED her OFF WITH some fake gold.
Focus on	Concentrate.	The report FOCUSES ON the company’s weak points.
Fold up	Make a sheet of paper smaller.	Darren FOLDED UP the letter and put it in an envelope.
Follow on	Leave to meet someone after they have left the place you’re at.	He left an hour ago and I’ll be FOLLOWING ON soon.
Follow on	In cricket, if the second team to bat doesn’t They were over 200 runs behind and had score enough runs, it has to bat again. to FOLLOW ON.
Follow on from	Be the part of something.	The film FOLLOWS ON from the original.
Follow	Do what is necessary to complete	The project went wrong when the staff
through	something or make it successful.	failed to FOLLOW THROUGH.
Follow through	Continue moving limbs after hitting a ball.	You need to FOLLOW THROUGH smoothly when playing golf.
Follow up	Do something to check or improve an earlier action.	He FOLLOWED UP the meeting with a report.
Follow up	Find our about a problem and act.	The police didn’t FOLLOW UP the allegations.
Fool about	Not be serious.	They were FOOLING ABOUT and wouldn’t settle down.
Fool about	Be unfaithful.	Their marriage broke down because he kept FOOLING ABOUT.
Fool around	Not be serious.	The teacher was angry because the class were FOOLING AROUND.
Fool around	Be unfaithful.	She suspects her husband is FOOLING

		AROUND with one of her friends.
Fool with	Play with something dangerous.	Don’t FOOL WITH that- it could explode. We’ve been FORGING AHEAD with the
Forge ahead Make a lot of progress in a short time.		work and should be finished well before
		the deadline. She FORGED AHEAD of the other
F orge ahead Move forwards very quickly.		runners and won.
		She FREAKED OUT completely when
Freak out	Become very disturbed or angry.	she didn’t get the grades to get into university.
Free up	Make money or time available by not	If we get the work done tonight, it will
Free up	using it elsewhere.	FREE UP the weekend to go away.
Free up	Do work or a task for someone to make	If you proofread this text, it will FREE
Free up	them available for something.	me UP to get on with the next part.
Freeze out	Shut out or exclude by unfriendly	They tried to FREEZE me OUT of the
Freeze out	treatment.	conversation.
Freeze out	Force to retire or withdraw from	After Jim was FROZEN OUT of the case,
Freeze out	membership, a job, etc.	they hired a new lawyer.
Freeze over	Become covered with ice (lake, river, pond, etc).	The winter was very severe and the lake FROZE OVER.
Freeze up	Be blocked with ice.	The pipes all FROZE UP so no water came through.
Freeze up	Stop working because the parts of a machine won’t move.	The gears had FROZEN UP.
		The computer FROZE UP; it showed me
Freeze up	When a computer stops working.	the blue screen of death and I couldn’t reboot.
Freeze up	Be paralysed with fear.	WE FROZE UP when we heard the window break.
Freshen up	Wash quickly and improve appearance.	I’m going to the bathroom to FRESHEN UP before they arrive.
Freshen up	Add more alcohol to a glass before it is empty.	Here, let me FRESHEN UP your drink.
Freshen up	Quickly improve the appearance of	The magazine gives you tips on how to
Freshen up	something.	FRESHEN UP your home cheaply.
Frighten away	Scare someone so much that they go away.	The noise FRIGHTENED the birds AWAY.
Frighten	Scare or worry someone enough to stop	The strikes FRIGHTENED many visitors
away	them doing something they had planned.	AWAY.
Frighten off Scare someone so much that they go away.		The dog FRIGHTENED the burglars OFF.
Frighten off	Scare or worry someone enough to stop them doing something they had planned. Represent someone, especially when covering illegal or wrongful activities. Confront someone and let them know you are prepared to fight.	The crash in share prices FRIGHTENED investors OFF. The solicitor FRONTS FOR a number of criminal gangs. The two guys FRONTED each other
Front for

Front off		OFF, but someone managed to calm them down before it got out of hand.

Front onto	Face (of a building).	My house FRONTS ONTO the main square.
Front out	Face up to someone, withstand criticism.	He accused her of lying, but she FRONTED him OUT
Front up	Appear somewhere for a short time.	I hate these occasions, but I’ll FRONT UP for the first half.
Front up	Advance cash for something.	She FRONTED UP the money we needed.
Frown on	Disapprove.	He FROWNS ON people making personal calls at work.
Fuel up	Put petrol or other fuel into a vehicle.	We stopped to FUEL UP before the car ran out.
Gad about	Visit a lot of different places for pleasure.	I spent the afternoon GADDING ABOUT in the West End.
Gad around Visit different places for pleasure.		I spent the afternoon GADDING AROUND looking for some books.
Gag for	Want something a lot.	I’m GAGGING FOR a drink.
Gang up	Form a group against something or someone.	They GANGED UP to try to stop the new system.
Gang up against	Harass, bully (in a group).	They GANGED UP AGAINST me because I wouldn’t accept their ideas.
Gang up on	Harass, bully.	They GANGED UP ON him because of the way he spoke.
	Organise or arrange something for a
Gear to	particular purpose, audience, etc. (Often passive).	It’s not GEARED TO non-specialists.
Gear towards Gear up	Organise or arrange something for a particular purpose, audience, etc. Get ready for a busy period.	The project is GEARED TOWARDS older people. The shops are GEARING UP for the New Year sales.
		Henry always GEEKS OUT at parties and
Geek out	Talk at length about computing.	bores all the people who don’t know much about computers.
Get about	Visit many places.	I GET ABOUT a lot with my job- last years I visited eleven countries.
Get about	Become known.	It didn’t take long for the news to GET ABOUT- everyone’s talking about it.
Get about	Walk or visit places.	She can’t GET ABOUT much, but she is in her eighties.
Get about	Have personal or sexual relationships with She GETS ABOUT a bit; she’s always many people. with some new guy.
		She’s been GETTING ABOVE
Get above	Behave as if you are better or more important than others.	HERSELF since she got promoted.(This is normally used in progressive forms and followed by a reflexive pronoun, though ‘get above your station’ is also used.)
Get across	Communicate successfully.	I just couldn’t GET my message ACROSS at the meeting.

Get across Get across Get across to Get after	Go from one side to the other. Move something from one side to the other. Be convincing or make a good impression.	It’s impossible to GET ACROSS the road with all this traffic. How are we going to GET these bags ACROSS the river? How can I GET ACROSS TO my audience? You should GET AFTER them to finish the work. GET AFTER her and give her the message before she leaves the building. Nowadays, you need IT skills if you want to GET AHEAD. I work at home in the evening to GET AHEAD OF schedule. Why don’t you two GET ALONG? You’re always arguing. It’s late; we must be GETTING ALONG. How’s the homework GETTING ALONG? How are you GETTING ALONG IN the company. I don’t GET ALONG WITH my sister- we have nothing in common. How are you GETTING ALONG WITH the training course? It didn’t take long for the news to GET AROUND once it got into the newspapers. He GETS AROUND a lot- he’s always flying somewhere different. He’s finding it hard to GET AROUND
Get across Get across Get across to Get after	Nag or exhort someone.
Get after Get ahead Get ahead of Get along Get along Get along	Chase. Progress. Move in front of.
	Have a good relationship. Leave. Progess.
Get along in	Progress.
Get along with Get along with Get around Get around	Have a good relationship with someone.
Get along with Get along with Get around Get around	Deal with, handle. Become known. Visit many different places.

Get around	Walk or go to places.	since the operation and spends most of his time at home.
Get around	Avoid a problem.	It’ll be tricky, but we will find a way to GET AROUND the regulations.
		She didn’t want to accept my application
Get around	Persuade, convince.	because it was late, but I managed to GET AROUND her.
Get around	Have personal or sexual relationships with He GETS AROUND a bit; he’s always
Get around	many people.	with some new girlfriend.
Get around	Finally manage to do something, make the It always takes me ages to GET
to Get at Get at	effort to do something. Criticise. Mean.	AROUND to replying to letters. His boss is always GETTING AT him for arriving late. What do you think she’s GETTING AT? I’ve no idea what she wants.
Get at	Be able to reach, find, access.	It’s on the top shelf and I can’t GET AT it.

Get at	Use threats, payments, bribes, etc, to affect someone’s testimony or decision.	The gangsters GOT AT the jury, who found them not guilty of all charges despite the evidence presented in court.
Get away	Escape.	The robbers GOT AWAY in a stolen car, which the police later found abandoned.
Get away	Go on holiday or for a short break.	We love to GET AWAY from everything and relax in the country.
Get away	Move, leave somewhere.	He didn’t come because he was stuck at work and couldn’t GET AWAY.
Get away	Go somewhere different or do something	Work’s getting on top of me; I need to
from	different.	GET AWAY FROM it.
Get away from	Start to talk about something that is not relevant to the discussion.	I think we’re GETTING AWAY FROM the point here- we need to concentrate on the main ideas.
Get away	Not get caught, criticised or punished for	Thieves GOT AWAY WITH two
with	doing something wrong.	Picassos, which were never found.
Get away	Achieve something, despite not doing it	Do you think we could GET AWAY
with	correctly or properly.	WITH using the cheaper product?
Get away!	An expression of disbelief.	“I passed.” “GET AWAY! You couldn’t have passed.”
Get back	Return.	The train was held up so we didn’t GET BACK home until midnight.
Get back	Return something.	Don’t lend him any money; you’ll never GET it BACK.
Get back	Revenge.	He was rude and embarrassed me, but I’ll GET him BACK.
Get back	Move away.	The police told the crowd to GET BACK to allow the ambulance through.
Get back at	Take revenge.	I’ll GET BACK AT her for landing me in trouble.
Get back	Start doing something after stopping for	I am GETTING BACK INTO my Khmer
into	some time.	lessons after the summer break.
Get back into	Find a new enthusiasm for something.	I lost interest for a while, but I’m GETTING BACK INTO it.
Get back to	Respond to a contact.	I’ll GET BACK TO you as soon as I hear any news. I don’t know at the moment, but I will
Get back to	Respond when you know the answer.	GET BACK TO you as soon as I have the information.
Get back to	Start doing something again after an interruption.	It took me ages to GET BACK TO sleep after the phone rang.
Get back together	Restart a relationship.	We split up a few months ago but GOT BACK TOGETHER last week.
Get behind	Support.	All the students GOT BEHIND the teacher.
Get behind with	Be late paying instalments for something..	If you GET BEHIND WITH mortgage payments, you might lose your home.
Get by	Have just enough money to live on.	They’re finding it increasingly difficult to

		GET BY since their daughter was born.
Get by	Not be noticed (problems, errors, etc).	I had checked it, but there still were a few mistakes that didn’t GET BY the editor.
Get by on	Manage on a certain amount of money.	It’s hard to GET BY ON my salary.
Get by with	Have enough of something to do the job.	We should be able to GET BY WITH three PCs, but four would be better.
Get down	Make someone depressed, unhappy,	The miserable weather in winter really
Get down	exhausted, etc..	GETS me DOWN.
Get down	Write, record.	I couldn’t GET DOWN everything he said.
Get down	Manage to swallow.	The medicine tasted horrible and it was difficult to GET it DOWN.
Get down	Descend, leave a vehicle.	The trained pulled in and we GOT DOWN.
		When they had finished dinner, the
Get down	Leave the table after eating.	children asked if they could GET DOWN.
Get down	Reduce.	The doctor says I my GET my cholesterol levels DOWN.
Get down	Have an affair or sexual relations.	They GOT DOWN at the party last week.
Get down	Criticise.	My mother used to GET DOWN ON us
on	Criticise.	for not doing enough homework. I find it extremely difficult to GET
on
Get down to	Start working seriously.	DOWN TO doing any revision for examinations.
Get down to	Enjoy something a lot.	People were GETTING DOWN TO the concert.
Get in	Arrange for someone to do a job in your home, workplace, etc.	The air conditioning has broken down; we’ll have to GET a technician IN to fix it.
Get in	Arrive (train, plane, etc.).	Her plane GETS IN at 2am our time. She didn’t GET IN till well after twelve
Get in	Arrive home.	o’clock because she’d been out for a few drinks with her mates.
Get in Get in	Enter a car or taxi. Buy or obtain supplies, like food.	The taxi pulled up and we GOT IN. We need to GET some coffee IN; we’re completely out.
Get in	Arrive at work, school, home.	I GOT IN late today because the train broke down.
Get in Get in	Enter a building or place. Be elected.	I borrowed her pass to GET IN. The government GOT IN with a very small majority.
Get in	Manage to say or do.	I couldn’t GET a word IN throughout the meeting.
Get in	Be admitted to a university, club, etc.	He did badly in the entrance exam and didn’t GET IN.
Get in	Bring inside a place.	It’s raining; I’d better GET the washing

Get in	Submit, apply.	We have to GET the forms IN by the end of this week.
Get in	Pay for drinks.	He GOT the drinks IN.
Get in on	Become involved.	The company tried to GET IN ON our market.
Get in with	Become friendly with, ingratiate with.	I tried to GET IN WITH them as I thought it would help me at work.
Get into	Become involved or interested.	She’s been GETTING INTO dance music recently.
Get into	Become involved in something bad or criminal.	He GOT INTO drugs when he was at university.
Get into	Be accepted or admitted.	She did well and GOT INTO Cambridge University.
Get into	Become or be accepted as a member.	He GOT INTO the first team for football.
Get into	Start a habit or way of acting or behaving.	It took me ages to GET INTO driving on the left.
Get into	Be small enough to wear something.	I couldn’t GET INTO the boots; they were too tight.
Get into	Criticise.	He GOT INTO me for doing it badly.
Get it	Be punished or scolded.	If you don’t stop that right now, you’ll really GET IT!
Get it off	Have sex.	They GOT IT OFF at the party.
Get it off with	Have sex with.	She GOT IT OFF WITH her friend’s husband.
Get it on	Become interested or excited.	The talk was dull and nobody GOT IT ON.
Get it on	Have sex.	Did you two GET IT ON?
Get it on with	Have sex with.	Did you GET IT ON WITH him?
Get it	Control things in your life to achieve your	If I don’t GET IT TOGETHER, I will
together	aims.	never reach my targets.
Get it together	Begin a relationship.	They only GET IT TOGETHER at the very end of the film.
Get it up	Become aroused (of a man).	He couldn’t GET IT UP and felt very embarrassed.
Get off	Escape punishment.	He GOT OFF on a technicality and left the court a free man.
Get off	Leave a bus, train, etc..	We GOT OFF the bus and walked to my house.
Get off	Finish, leave work.	I like to GET OFF early on Fridays.
Get off	Start a journey.	We need to GET OFF early to avoid the rush hour traffic.
Get off	Help a baby or child sleep.	I can’t GET the kids OFF because of the noise from next door.
Get off	Orgasm, have sex.	We GOT OFF last night.
Get off	Manage to fire a gun.	She GOT OFF a few shots before she was

		arrested.
Get off	Stop talking on the phone.	Let me know when he GETS OFF the phone as I need to make a call.
Get off	Write or send letters, messages, etc.	I GOT three emails OFF before the meeting.
Get off	Say or write something funny.	She GOT OFF some jokes at the start of her presentation.
Get off it	A way of expressing disbelief, or telling someone that they’re wrong or have an incorrect opinion.	I knew he was lying so I told him to GET OFF IT.
Get off on	Enjoy a drug.	He GETS OFF ON crystal meth every night.
Get off on	Become excited by.	She GETS OFF ON her power over us.
Get off with	Have casual sex with.	He GOT OFF WITH her at the party.
Get off!	Don’t touch, leave alone.	If he bothers you, just tell him where to GET OFF.
		The teacher asked the pupils to GET ON
Get on	Continue doing something.	with some work quietly as she had to leave the classroom.
Get on	Enter a bus, train, plane, etc..	We GOT ON the train at Plymouth and went up to London.
Get on	Make progress, deal with something with	How are you GETTING ON with your
Get on	a reasonable degree of success.	Spanish lessons?
Get on	Have a good relationship.	We have always GOT ON well.
Get on	Become old, age.	He’s GETTING ON now and doesn’t work so hard.
Get on	Be late or near an arranged time.	I must get home now; it’s GETTING ON.
Get on	Wear, fit.	I have put so much weight on that I couldn’t GET my old suits ON.
Get on	Leave.	I must be GETTING ON; I have other things to do this evening.
Get on at	Criticise unfairly.	He’s always GETTING ON AT me when I haven’t done anything wrong.
Get on for	Be near a time.	It’s GETTING ON FOR midnight.
Get on to	Start to suspect.	It took the authorities a long time to GET ON TO the gang.
Get on with	Have a good relationship.	Fortunately, I GET ON WITH my boss.
Get on with	Continue or start doing something.	She told us to GET ON WITH our work.
Get onto	Start discussing a topic.	We didn’t GET ONTO the third item on the agenda.
Get onto	Be elected, appointed.	He didn’t GET ONTO the committee.
Get onto	Appear on the radio or TV.	He GOT ONTO every major channel after the accident.
Get onto	Contact someone because you need or	We’d better GET ONTO someone to fix
Get onto	want them to do something.	this.
Get onto	Enter a plane, train, etc.	She GOT ONTO the plane just before it took off.

Get out	Leave the house to visit place and	She doesn’t GET OUT much now she has
Get out	socialise.	her baby.
Get out	Become known when people want it to remain secret.	The truth GOT OUT despite the injunction on reporting the case.
Get out	Leave a place, escape.	The dog GOT OUT because I left the door open.
Get out	Remove something from where it is stored I GOT the car OUT so that we could load to use it. up the suitcases.
Get out	Remove dirt or something unwanted.	I spilled some red wine on my carpet and can’t GET the stains OUT.
Get out	Publish, make available for the public to	We have to GET the report OUT by the
Get out	see or buy.	end of the month.
Get out	Say what you want when it is difficult.	He was so upset he couldn’t GET the words OUT.
Get out of	Avoid doing something you dislike.	I said I wasn’t feeling well and GOT OUT OF the extra work.
Get out of	Leave a car, van, etc..	We GOT OUT OF the taxi and paid the driver.
Get out of	Stop a regular activity or habit.	If you GET OUT OF a routine, it can be hard to start again.
Get out of	Make someone confess or tell the truth.	The police couldn’t GET any information OUT OF him.
Get out of	Make someone give something to you.	Did you GET a refund OUT OF the travel agency?
Get out of	Derive pleasure or benefit from something.	She’s GETTING a lot OUT OF her university course.
Get out of	Help someone avoid doing something.	I GOT him OUT OF having to work at the weekend.
Get out!	Expression of disbelief.	‘I got 100% on the test.”Get out!’
Get over	Recover from something, feel better.	It took me ages to GET OVER the bout of flu.
Get over	Solve, find a solution.	It took us a long time to GET OVER the problems with the computer system.
Get over	Communicate, make people understand.	He makes jokes to help GET his message OVER.
Get over	Be shocked or surprised that something if real or true.	I couldn’t GET OVER how much weight he had put on.
Get over	Get to the other side.	We couldn’t GET OVER the river because of the floods.
Get over	Come somewhere.	He said he needed help and ask me to GET OVER as soon as I could.
Get over	Do something unpleasant that has to be	I GOT the test OVER WITH rather than
with	done rather than delaying it any more.	have to worry about it any longer.
Get round	Become known.	I don’t want this to GET ROUND, so please keep it to yourself.
Get round	Find a solution.	We’re nearly ready, but there are few little problems we have to GET ROUND

Get round (around) to		before we finish. It always takes me ages to GET ROUND
Get round (around) to	Finally manage to do something.	to writing letters. (In American English ‘around’ is used)
Get round (or around)		She didn’t want to let me do it, but I
Get round (or around)	Persuade someone.	succeeded in GETTING ROUND her. (In American English ‘around’ is used)
Get through	Contact.	I tried calling her mobile phone, but I couldn’t GET THROUGH.
Get through	Consume.	He GETS THROUGH two bottles of wine a day.
Get through Get through	Finish. Succeed in an exam or test.	I’m going to take some work home because I haven’t managed to GET THROUGH it all today. My car didn’t GET THROUGH its inspection.
Get through	Help someone or something succeed or	My teacher GOT me THROUGH the
Get through	pass a test or exam.	exam.
Get through	Endure or deal with a difficult experience.	We will have to be careful with our money to GET THROUGH the month.
Get through	Be accepted or passed (laws, proposals,	If the proposal GETS THROUGH, it’ll
Get through	etc).	make things much better for us.
Get through	Manage to pass.	The water GOT THROUGH the roof and damaged the carpets.
Get through	Arrive.	The message didn’t GET THROUGH.
Get through	Make someone understand.	I explained it carefully, but I just couldn’t
to	Make someone understand.	GET THROUGH TO him.
Get through to	Contact, especially by phone.	I rang but couldn’t GET THROUGH TO her.
Get through to	Reach a stage in a competition.	If they win, they’ll GET THROUGH TO the quarter finals.
Get to	Annoy, irritate.	Don’t let her GET TO you; she’s just in a bad mood.
Get to	Arrive.	When I GET TO it, I’ll look at the matter carefully. We asked him to GET TO the point, but he just waffled away.
Get to	Start discussing a topic.
Get to	Have the opportunity to do something.	Last June I GOT TO visit Stonehenge.
Get together	Meet socially.	We GOT TOGETHER in the pub for a drink.
Get up	Get out of bed.	I GET UP at seven o’clock on weekdays, but lie in till noon at the weekend.
Get up Get up to	Organise. Do something wrong or naughty.	They GOT UP a list of two hundred people who were opposed to the local council’s plans. The children are always GETTING UP TO some trouble or other.

Ghost away	Remove someone secretly of discreetly.	They GHOSTED him AWAY to a secret location before he could be arrested.
		The candidates tried to GIN UP support at
Gin up	Boost, increase or exaggerate.	the straw poll by transporting their supporters for free.
Ginger up	Make more lively.	They tried to GINGER UP the party to stop people leaving.
Give away	Entrust your daughter to her husband	He GAVE his daughter AWAY and told
Give away	through the marriage ceremony.	the groom to look after her. She didn’t GIVE anything AWAY about
	through the marriage ceremony.
Give away	Tell a secret, often unintentionally.	the party so it came as a complete surprise to me.
Give away	Distribute something for free.	In this issue of the magazine, they are giving away a free DVD.
Give away	Give without asking for or expecting payment.	He decided to GIVE his new album AWAY in a magazine.
Give away	Give an advantage to your opponent in a sport by making a mistake, playing badly, etc.	They GAVE AWAY two goals in the first half.
Give away	Give an unwanted baby to people to bring	She had to GIVE her baby AWAY as she
Give away	^up.	couldn’t afford to bring it up.
Give away	Betray, report to authorities.	The gang GAVE him AWAY to the police.
Give away	Give a weight advantage to an opponent in	He is GIVING AWAY thirty pounds to
Give away	boxing.	the challenger.
Give back	Return something you’ve borrowed.	I GAVE the money BACK that she’d lent to me.
Give back	Return something that someone has lost.	Nothing could GIVE me BACK the way I felt before the scandal.
Give in	Stop doing something because it’s too hard	I couldn’t finish the crossword puzzle and
Give in	or requires too much energy.	had to GIVE IN and look at the answers. The projects have to be GIVEN IN three
	or requires too much energy.
Give in	Submit homework, etc..	weeks before we break up for the end of term.
Give in	Surrender, accept defeat.	They GAVE IN when the police surrounded the building.
Give in	Offer or submit for judgement, approval.	They GAVE IN their complaint to the court.
Give in to	Agree to something you don’t like.	The government says it will not GIVE IN TO terrorists.
Give in to	Allow a feeling or desire to control you.	Eventually, I GAVE IN TO my anger and screamed at them.
Give it to	Criticise harshly or punish someone for	They really GAVE IT TO me for
Give it to	something.	forgetting to turn up.
Give it up for	Applaud.	Please GIVE IT UP FOR our next guest.
Give it up to	Applaud.	Please GIVE IT UP TO our next guest.
Give of	Contribute without expecting anything in	He GIVE OF his free time to help the
Give of	return, usually time or money.	club.

Give off	Emit pollution or something else unpleasant.	The police stopped the van because it was GIVING OFF a lot of black smoke.
Give off	Behave in a way that makes people think of you in a certain way.	She GIVES OFF an air of nobility.
Give off	Expand.	The company is GIVING OFF all over the country.
Give off	Follow or take one of 2 or more branches (instructions, in machine code) in writing a computer program (using system software for a programming language).	A particular application of a processing code can be GIVEN OFF while requiring minimal run-time support.
Give onto	Open into a place, for a door or window.	The French windows GIVE ONTO the lawn.
Give out	Distribute.	Somebody was GIVING leaflets OUT in front of the underground station.
Give out	Stop working, through age or overuse.	I’d been having trouble with my laptop and it finally GAVE OUT at the weekend.
Give out	Have no more of a supply.	The water GAVE OUT after a week in the desert.
Give out	Make public.	They GAVE the names of the winners OUT last night.
Give out	Emit.	The factory GIVES OUT a lot of fumes.
Give out	End or finish somewhere.	The path GIVES OUT halfway around the lake.
Give out	Make a sound or noise.	She GAVE OUT a moan.
Give out	Read the wordings of a hymn or psalm aloud for congregational singing.	He GAVE OUT the psalm.
Give over	Stop doing something bad or annoying.	They were making a lot of noise so I told them to GIVE OVER.
Give over	Entrust, pass on responsibility.	We’ve GIVEN the premises OVER to the new company.
Give over	Stop an activity.	The police told the rioters to GIVE OVER.
Give over to	Dedicate, devote.	He GAVE himself OVER TO finding his son.
Give over to Transfer responsibility.		After her death, they GAVE control of the estate OVER TO her niece.
Give over!	An expression of disbelief.	They’ve doubled your salary- GIVE OVER!
Give up	Stop doing something that has been a habit.	I GAVE UP taking sugar in tea and coffee to lose weight.
Give up	Stop being friendly, end relationships.	She GAVE UP all her school friends when she went to university.
Give up	Stop doing something.	I have GIVEN UP trying to help them.
Give up	Surrender, stop trying.	I can’t think of the answer; I GIVE UP.
Give up	Sacrifice or dedicate time, etc, to something.	I GAVE UP all my free time to the project.

Give up	Allow someone to sit in your chair, take your place, etc.	I GAVE UP my seat to a pregnant woman.
Give up	Allow or give away a run while pitching (baseball).	He has GIVEN UP 14 earned runs in 14 innings.
Give up on	Lose faith in or stop believing in something or someone.	I GAVE UP ON them when I heard what they were saying about me behind my back.
Give up on	Stop feeling hope.	I have GIVEN UP ON them; they never do what they promise.
Give up to	Denounce, report to authorities.	He GAVE his accomplices UP TO the police.
Give way	Stop to allow vehicles to pass.	You must GIVE WAY at this junction.
Give way	Collapse, break.	The dam GAVE WAY when the floods rose.
Give way to	Yield, surrender, retreat.	Don’t GIVE WAY TO your worst fears about this.
Give way to	Relinquish position or ascendancy.	Night GIVES WAY TO day.
Give way to	Be replaced by something better, cheaper, more modern, etc.	Cottage industries GAVE WAY TO the big companies.
Give way to	Allow a vehicle to pass in front.	You must GIVE WAY TO oncoming traffic.
Give way to	Surrender to strong emotions.	He GAVE WAY TO his anger and started screaming at them.
Give	Surrender to the police or authorities.	The gang GAVE THEMSELVES UP last
yourself up	Surrender to the police or authorities.	night.
Give yourself up to	Dedicate time, energy, etc, to something.	He GAVE himself UP TO his job.
Gloss over	Try to minimise the importance of something.	The Minister tried to GLOSS OVER the report that was critical of her department.
Gnaw at	Trouble, worry or annoy someone.	I know it was wrong and guilt has GNAWED AT me ever since I did it.
		The government’s dishonesty has
Gnaw at	Harm gradually.	GNAWED AT people’s trust in politicians.
Gnaw away at	Harm gradually.	Their behaviour GNAWED AWAY AT our trust in them.
Go about	Deal with something.	How should I GO ABOUT telling her the bad news?
Go about	Circulate.	A rumour is GOING ABOUT involving the Attorney General.
Go across	Move to another side or place.	He WENT ACROSS to the opposition.
Go after	Chase, try to get.	The cat WENT AFTER the pigeon, but it flew away.
Go against	Lose a decision or a verdict of a court.	If the decision GOES AGAINST me, I’ll go bankrupt.
Go ahead	Proceed.	The construction of the bypass WENT

		AHEAD despite the protests from environmentalists.
Go ahead with Go along with	Proceed.	We now intend to GO AHEAD WITH the final stage of the project. I didn’t really agree, but I WENT ALONG WITH the decision because I was in the minority. I plan to GO ALONG WITH them as far as Los Angeles. A rumour is GOING AROUND about the Attorney General. There aren’t enough jobs to GO

	Accept a decision or suggestion. Accompany. Circulate.
Go along with Go around	Accept a decision or suggestion. Accompany. Circulate.

Go around	Be or have enough of something.	AROUND for the numbers of people graduating nowadays.
Go around	Visit.	I WENT AROUND for dinner at their house.
Go at	Attack or approach something with vigour.	She WENT AT her dinner like she hadn’t eaten for days.
Go away	Leave a place or disappear.	This drug should make the pain GO AWAY.
Go back	Have a long history.	He and I GO BACK a long way- we were at school together.
Go back	Return to, start doing something again.	We WENT BACK to work after the break.
Go back on	Break a promise.	The government have GONE BACK ON their promise not to raise taxes. We can’t ignore what has GONE
Go before	Precede.	BEFORE and pretend that everything has been OK.
Go below	Leave the top deck of a ship.	The captain told the passengers to GO BELOW when the storm started.
Go by	The passing of time.	Ten years WENT BY before we saw each other again.
Go by	Trust or depend on for correct information.	Don’t GO BY my watch; it’s usually a bit slow.
Go by	Pay a short visit, call.	Nobody was at home when I WENT BY yesterday.
Go down	Decrease, get smaller.	The price of scanners has GONE DOWN recently.
Go down	Sink.	The Titanic WENT DOWN after it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage.
Go down	Sunset.	The sun WENT DOWN at seven o’clock.
Go down	Be sent to to prison.	He WENT DOWN for ten years for armed robbery.
Go down	Become recorded as or known as.	It WENT DOWN as the worst day in the history of the company.
Go down	Be eaten or swallowed.	The medicine WENT DOWN easily.

Go down	Fall to the ground.	The boxer WENT DOWN in the second round.
Go down	Happen, take place.	The police thought that a big crime was GOING DOWN that night.
Go down	Stop working, especially computers.	The computer system WENT DOWN for an hour last night.
Go down	Become dimmer.	The lights WENT DOWN and the audience stopped talking.
Go down	Be received by people, in terms of their reaction.	My joke WENT DOWN very badly.
Go down on Perform oral sex.		He WENT DOWN ON her.
Go down to	Be defeated.	Chelsea WENT DOWN TO Arsenal in a thrilling game.
Go down with	Fall ill.	She WENT DOWN WITH a virus.
Go down with	Find acceptance.	Do you think the scheme will GO DOWN WITH the farmers in the area?
Go for	Attack.	The neighbour’s dog WENT FOR the postman and bit him.
Go for	Be attracted to.	She tends to GO FOR guys like him.
Go for	Choose, select.	I’ll GO FOR the soup of the day, followec by the duck.
Go for	Try to get.	The player WENT FOR the ball but missed.
Go for	Have something favourable.	The play didn’t have much GOING FOR IT and we left halfway through.
Go for	Pass for or serve as.	It’s a couch that also GOES FOR a bed.
Go for it	Be assertive and ready to initiate action. (Related to the meaning ‘attack’).	He was not always successful, but whatever he tried to do he would always GO FOR IT.
Go forth	Leave a place.	He WENT FORTH and found a wife in another city.
Go forth	Travel abroad, leave a place.	They WENT FORTH to spread the word of the new religion.
Go forward	Move clocks ahead.	The clocks MOVE FORWARD an hour on Sunday.
Go forward	Progress.	The top three teams GO FORWARD to the next round.
Go in	Go to hospital for treatment, surgery, etc..	He WENT IN for a triple bypass operation two days ago.
Go in	Fit.	The cable GOES IN here.
Go in	Disappear, become obscured by a cloud.	The sun has GONE IN.
Go in	Attack.	The troops WENT IN at dawn.
Go in for	Enter a competition or sit an exam.	He WENT IN FOR the photography prize, but didn’t win.
Go in for	Support, advocate.	I don’t GO IN FOR the claims being made about blogging.

Go in for	Like, have an interest in.	He GOES IN FOR classical music.
Go in for	Make a career choice.	Have you thought about GOING IN FOR teaching?
Go in with	Form a union or alliance.	They’re going to GO IN WITH the Social Democrats.
Go in with	Join, enter.	Ask the other to GO IN WITH them on the plan
Go into	Discuss in some detail.	They refused to GO INTO exactly what was wrong.
Go into	Enter a profession, hospital, trade, market.	She WENT INTO banking after she’d finished university.
Go into	Begin a speech or description.	He WENT INTO a long attack on the way press had handled the issue.
Go into	Be dedicated or devoted.	A lot of time and effort WENT INTO this book.
Go into	Be contained in a larger number.	Five GOES INTO sixty 12 times
Go it	Behave in a reckless way.	Shouting at the boss like that is GOING IT.
Go it	Move or drive very fast.	After the traffic jam, he really WENT IT to make up time.
Go it alone	Do something without help.	He prefers to GO IT ALONE rather then working with the team.
Go off	Explode (bomb), start ringing (alarm).	The fire alarm WENT OFF because someone was smoking in the toilets.
Go off	Go bad.	The milk WENT OFF because I forgot to put it in the fridge.
Go off	Start to dislike.	I WENT OFF her when she lied to me.
Go off	Leave a place.	Please don’t GO OFF until we have sorted this out.
Go off	Take place, follow a plan or pattern.	The party WENT OFF well.
Go off	Stop working (electric/electronic equipment).	The lights GO OFF automatically when the office is empty.
Go off with	Elope, run away with someone.	She WENT OFF WITH her friend’s husband.
Go off with	Steal.	He WENT OFF WITH my credit cards.
Go on	Continue.	He WENT ON and ON talking and I was so bored.
Go on	Happen.	There are loads of people out in the street; what’s GOING ON?
Go on	Start doing or taking something.	She WENT ON the pill when she met him.
Go on	Be guided.	The investigators have no clues to GO ON.
Go on	Be nearly a certain period of time.	It’s GOING ON ten years since we met.
Go on	Progress.	They asked me how the project was GOING ON.

Go on	Spend money.	Most of my salary GOES ON my mortgage repayments.
Go on	Start working (electric/electronic equipment).	The alarm GOES ON when you close th front door.
Go on about Talk too much.		He’s always GOING ON ABOUT his kids.
Go on at	Pester, try to make someone do something by repeatedly asking or suggesting.	He WENT ON AT his parents until they bought him the game.
Go on to	Proceed.	We had dinner and WENT ON TO a few bars.
Go on with	Continue doing.	Please GO ON WITH your work.
Go one	A way of encouraging someone.	GO ON, apply for the job.
Go out	Stop burning, be extinguished.	The candle WENT OUT and left us in darkness.
Go out	Leave a place.	He WENT OUT last night.
Go out	Go on strike.	The workers WENT OUT for more money.
Go out	Become infashionable.	That sort of tie WENT OUT last year.
Go out	Move backwards, of a tide.	The tide GOES OUT in the evening.
Go out	Be eliminated in a competition.	England WENT OUT in the second round.
Go out	Be transmitted.	The item WENT OUT on the news yesterday.
Go out	Be sent.	The newsletter WENT OUT last night.
Go out	Intend.	I didn’t GO OUT to offend them.
Go out for	Become a candidate, apply for something.	She WENT OUT FOR a place on the team.
		Our condolences GO OUT TO all the
Go out to	Feel sympathy with someone.	families who have lost people in this tragic accident.
Go out with	Have a relationship with.	He’s been GOING OUT WITH his girlfriend for around six months now.
Go over	Look at something, revise.	We WENT OVER our notes before the exam.
Go over	Visit.	I hadn’t seen her for a while, so I WENT OVER on Friday night.
Go over	Be approved or accepted.	My plans WENT OVER well.
Go over	Repeat or explain.	Could you GO OVER that point again, please?
Go over	Clean.	I WENT OVER the living room with th vacuum cleaner before they arrived.
Go over to	Go on a journey.	I’m GOING OVER TO Hong Kong nex1 month.
Go over to	Become converted.	She WENT OVER TO Islam when she was living in the Middle East.
Go over to	Change to something different.	I used to drink beer but I have GONE OVER TO wine.

Go past	Pass without stopping.	She WENT PAST me without saying hello.
		There aren’t enough jobs to GO ROUND
Go round	Be or have enough of something.	for the numbers of people graduating nowadays.
Go round	Circulate.	There’s a nasty rumour GOING ROUND about them.
Go round Go through Go through	Visit. Experience. Read again.	I WENT ROUND last night to see them. You wouldn’t believe what I WENT THROUGH when I was ill! I WENT THROUGH my notes before the
Go round Go through Go through	Visit. Experience. Read again.	exam.
Go through	Examine, search.	I WENT THROUGH my desk looking for the letter.
Go through	Do something in a certain way or	You must GO THROUGH the proper
Go through	following certain procedures.	channels to get the approval.
Go through	Explain.	He WENT THROUGH his ideas twice but I couldn’t really understand them.
Go through	Be approved formally or sanctioned.	My divorce WENT THROUGH last week.
Go through	Enter.	They said I could GO THROUGH the
Go through		exam room.
Go through	Consume or spend.	We WENT THROUGH a fortune on our holiday.
Go through	Perform or carry something out.	I WENT THROUGH my work in a daze after I heard the news.
Go through	Do or complete something you’ve agreed	He did promise, but I doubt that he’ll GO
with	to.	THROUGH WITH it.
Go to	Allocate money.	About half of my income GOES TO pay the mortgage.
Go together	Harmonize or be compatible.	Drinking and driving don’t GO TOGETHER.
Go towards Go under Go under	Contibute. Go bankrupt. Lose consciousness.	The money WENT TOWARDS my university fees. Many small shops are GOING UNDER because they cannot compete with the supermarkets. She WENT UNDER a few minutes after they administered the anaesthetic. The ship WENT UNDER in a heavy storm. The price of petrol has GONE UP sharply
Go under	Sink.

Go up	Rise or climb.	because of the increase in duty in the Government’s budget.
Go up	Approach.	We WENT UP and asked them for some information about the courses.
Go up	Be built.	Skyscrapers are GOING UP everywhere in the city centre.

Go up	Be heard.	A huge cheer WENT UP when the president arrived.
Go up	Be promoted.	The top three teams GO UP at the end of the season.
Go up to	Approach.	She WENT UP TO him and asked him if he wanted a drink.
Go up to	Attend a university.	She WENT UP TO Cambridge after she finished secondary school.
Go up to	Reach.	The book only GOES UP TO the start of the Second World War.
Go with	Combine nicely.	Does this tie GO WITH my shirt?
Go with	Accompany.	A lot of benefits GO WITH the job.
Go with	Accept, agree to.	We’re GOING WITH our original plan in the end.
Go with	Date, have a relationship with.	She’s been GOING WITH him since she was at university.
Go without	Not have.	I had to GO WITHOUT lunch today because I didn’t have any time.
Go without	Cope without having something.	They’re not coming, so we’ll have to GO WITHOUT their help.
Goof around	Fool around, not be serious.	We spent the weekend GOOFING AROUND.
Goof off	Avoid or leave work.	We GOOFED OFF for the afternoon to watch the match.
Goof up	Mess, spoil.	They GOOFED UP our plans.
Grasp at	Try to take hold of something quickly.	He GRASPED AT the rail when he fell.
Grasp at	Take an opportunity without hesitation.	They GRASPED AT the chance to speak to her.
Grass on	Report someone to a person in authority.	He GRASSED ON us and got us into a lot of trouble.
Grass up	Report someone to a person in authority.	She didn’t to GRASS them UP, even though they’d been bullying her badly.
Grey out	Disable a function in a computer program, leaving it visible but not working.	They GREYED OUT the print button to stop people using it.(In American English, ‘gray’ would be used.)
Grind away	Keep working at something.	Although I hated it, I GROUND AWAY until I had finished.
Grind down Reduce or destroy someone’s enthusiasm.		Their negativity GRINDS me DOWN
Grind into	Press or twist something hard into	She GROUND her cigarette INTO the
Grind into	something else.	ashtray.
Grind on	Proceed relentlessly.	The war GROUND ON for years.
Grind on	Talk endlessly.	He was still GRINDING ON about football when we left.
Grind out	Produce something with great difficulty.	I find it very hard to GRIND OUT an original essay every week.
Grind up	Reduce to small pieces.	She GROUND the beans UP and made some coffee.

Grow apart	Become distant, stop having a close relationship because time, distance, interests, etc, have changed.	We used to be good friends at school but have since GROWN APART.
Grow away from	Become less friendly with.	I have GROWN AWAY FROM many of the people I grew up with.
Grow back	Grow again.	Nails GROW BACK quickly after you cut them.
Grow from	Result from a process.	A lot GREW FROM the peace talks.
Grow into	Grow to fit large clothes.	The jacket’s a bit big, but she’ll GROW INTO it.
Grow into	Mature or change into.	She’s has GROWN INTO a lovely person.
Grow into	Develop or change over time to fit something.	It may seem difficult at first, but you will GROW INTO the job.
Grow on	Like something that you didn’t like at first.	The painting has GROWN ON me; I used to ate it.
Grow on	Have a greater influence or degree of acceptance.	The plans sounded strange at first, but they have GROWN ON me.
Grow on	Become gradually more evident.	A feeling of distrust of them GREW ON me.
Grow out	Let hair, etc, with dyes, perms grow to get rid of the style.	I’m letting the perm GROW OUT.
Grow out of	Grow too large for clothes.	He GREW OUT OF those shoes in no time at all.
Grow out of	Lose interest as you grow older or become more mature.	He was obsessed with computer games but the he GREW OUT OF them.
Grow out of	Result or develop from.	The idea for the film GREW OUT OF an accident that happened to the director.
Grow to	Eventually do something.	We GREW TO like the neighbourhood.
Grow	Gradually become attached, united or	We GREW TOGETHER while we were
together	close.	working on the same project.
Grow up	Mature, become adult.	He GREW UP in the West Country.
Grow up	Arise, emerge.	The industry GREW UP very quickly.
Grow up	Develop in a place or for a reason (city, town, etc).	The town GREW UP as a trading post.
Grow up on	Do or have something when you are a child.	We GREW UP ON cartoons.
Grow upon	Like something that you didn’t like at first.	The book started slowly and was a bit dull, but it has GROWN UPON me.
Grow upon	Have a greater influence or degree of acceptance.	As we got nearer the date of the meeting, their idea GREW UPON me.
Grow upon	Become gradually more evident.	A feeling of distrust of them GREW UPON me.
Gun for	Try to destroy an opponent.	He’s GUNNING FOR his rivals at work.
Gussy up	Dress smartly or improve the appearance of something.	They spent a fortune GUSSYING UP the house.
Hack	Waste time.	I’ve been HACKING AROUND all

around		morning because I can’t get down to doing any revision.
Hack into	Break into a computer system.	He HACKED INTO the government database and stole a lot of data.
Hack off	Annoy.	He HACKS me OFF with his endless complaining.
Hack up	Chop or cut into small pieces.	They HACKED the table UP and burnt it.
Hack up	Expel by coughing.	I HACKED UP a lot of phlegm while I was ill.
Ham up	Perform or act in an excessive way to attract attention or amuse people.	He HAMMED the part UP to get the audience to laugh.
Hammer away at	Work relentlessly.	She HAMMERED AWAY AT her PC all night and finished the project.
Hammer into	Repeat something over a period of time to make someone remember it.	He HAMMERED the rules INTO me.
Hammer out	Negotiate and reach an agreement.	They HAMMERED OUT their differences and got the contract signed.
Hand back	Return.	The police officer checked my licence, then HANDED it BACK.
Hand down	Pass on to the next generation.	The jewellery has been HANDED DOWN in my family for generations.
Hand down	Give a formal decision.	The court HANDED DOWN its ruling yesterday.
Hand in	Submit work for appraisal.	I HANDED my homework IN late as usual.
Hand on	Give to someone else.	I HANDED the job ON to a colleague.
Hand on	Transmit knowledge to the next generation.	The secrets have been HANDED ON from generation to generation.
Hand out	Distribute.	The teacher HANDED OUT the worksheet to the class.
Hand over	Give.	The robbers told the clerk to HAND OVER all the money.
Hang about	Spend time somewhere not doing much.	They HANG ABOUT the station most of the day.
Hang	Stop what you’re doing and pay attention	HANG ABOUT! We’re not allowed to do
about!	to me.	this.
Hang around	Stay in a place.	They HANG AROUND the station most of the day.
Hang back	Not move forwards to avoid doing	When they raced towards the entrance, I
Hang back	something.	HUNG BACK till it was less crowded.
Hang back from	Delay or avoid doing something.	They were HANGING BACK FROM making the final decision.
Hang in there	Persevere, not give up.	Were were doing badly, but we HUNG IN THERE till we finished.
Hang it up	Retire, quit.	I’m getting too old for this- I’m going to HANG IT UP starting next month.
Hang on	Wait.	Could you HANG ON for a moment till

		she’s free.
Hang on	Hold tightly.	The driver told the passengers to HANG ON as the bus pulled off.
Hang onto	Keep.	I HUNG ONTO my old records even though I never played them.
Hang out	Spend time socially.	He HANGS OUT in the pub The Monarch; he’s there most nights.
Hang out for	Wait or refuse to do something until you get what you want.	She’s HANGING OUT FOR a big raise.
Hang over	Worry or trouble.	I have a lot of financial problem HANGING OVER my head.
Hang together	Work together when things are difficult.	We have to HANG TOGETHER if we’re going to finish this project.
Hang up	End a phone call.	I lost my temper and HUNG UP.
Hang up on	End a phone call with someone.	A telesales person called, so I said something rude and HUNG UP ON them.
Hang with	Spend time with.	He has been HANGING WITH them for a few months.
Hanker after	Want something a lot, especially if you shouldn’t want it or can’t have it.	I’m supposed to be on a diet and I can’t stop HANKERING AFTER some chocolate.
Hanker for	Want something a lot, especially if you	I have always HANKERED FOR a soft-
Hanker for	shouldn’t want it or can’t have it.	top car.
Harp on	Talk repeatedly about something.	I was late twice last week and my boss keeps HARPING ON about it.
Hate on	Be jealous, abuse or have an active hatred of someone.	She HATES ON people who disagree with her ideas.
Have	Dislike, disagree or hold a grudge	I HAVE nothing AGAINST their
against	(Usually negative).	proposals.
Have around	Entertain someone in your home.	I HAD the neighbours AROUND for dinner last night.
Have down	Think of someone or something in a	I HAD her DOWN AS a liberal, but I was
as	particular way.	very wrong.
Have in	Have a supply of something in a particular place.	Do we HAVE any beer IN?
Have in	Get someone to do some work.	We HAD the decorators IN last week.
Have in	Entertain people in your home.	We HAD them IN last night for dinner.
Have it away	Have sex with someone, especially casual sex.	She HAD IT AWAY with him last Friday.
Have it in for	Hold a grudge.	He has HAD IT IN FOR me since I beat him last year.
Have it off	Have sex.	They HAD IT OFF after the party.
Have it out	Discuss or argue an issue to improve a	I’d been worried for ages, so I decided to
with	situation.	HAVE IT OUT WITH them.
Have off	Take time off work.	I HAD a couple of days OFF last week to relax.
Have on	Be wearing.	What did Jennie HAVE ON at the party?

Have on	Have an electronic device switched on.	I HAVE my computer ON all the time.
Have on	Have an arrangement.	I HAVE a lot of meetings ON next week.
Have on	Tease, deceive.	They said they’d failed, but they were HAVING me ON.
Have on	Be in possession at a particular time.	I HAVEN’T any money ON me, but I can get some from the ATM.
Have on	Know something about someone that could harm them.	I HAVE a lot ON him because we used to work together.
Have over	Receive a guest.	Shall we HAVE them OVER for dinner?
Have round	Entertain someone in your home.	I HAD a few friends ROUND yesterday.
Have up	Make someone appear in court.	They HAD him UP for armed robbery.
Head for	Move or travel towards.	It’s getting late- I’m HEADING FOR home.
Head off	Stop someone or force them to change	The sheriff and his men HEADED the
Head off	direction.	bandits OFF at the pass.
Head off	Prevent something bad happening.	The company made a better offer to HEAD OFF the moves for a strike.
Head off	Leave somewhere to go to another place.	After work, we all HEADED OFF to the pub.
Head out	Go out.	We’re HEADING OUT at seven, so don’t be late.
Head up	Be in charge.	He’s HEADING UP the steering committee.
Hear about	Get to know some information.	Have you HEARD ABOUT the company takeover?
Hear from	Receive a phone call, email, letter or other I haven’t HEARD FROM them since we communication from someone. left university.
Hear of	Know of something or someone’s existence.	I’ve HEARD OF the band, but don’t know their music.
Hear of	Receive news, updates or information	I have HEARD nothing OF them since
Hear of	about someone.	they moved house.
Hear of	In the negative, this can mean that someone refuse to accept, allow or acknowledge something.	I said it would be a positive step, but she wouldn’t HEAR OF it.
Hear out	Listen to everything someone has to say.	I HEARD them OUT before I commented.
Heat up	Make food hot.	He HEATED the soup UP in the microwave.
Help out	Give assistance.	She really HELPED me OUT when I was going through my divorce.
Hide away	Put something in a place where it won’t be They HID the money AWAY in secret
Hide away	found.	bank accounts.
Hide away	Go or stay somewhere where you won’t be I’m renting a cottage where I can HIDE
Hide away	found or away from people.	AWAY for the summer.
Hide out	Go or stay somewhere to avoid being	The police think he’s HIDING OUT in
Hide out	caught or found.	the woods.
Hinge on	Depend very much or completely.	Everything HINGES ON the results of

Hinge on	Be an essential point for the development of a story. Depend very much or completely. Attack or criticise. Get someone to pay or donate money.	the negotiations; if they go badly, we’ll be in real trouble. The film HINGES ON his not being recognised when he’s in disguise. Everything HINGES UPON the results of the negotiations; if they go badly, we’ll be in real trouble. The president HIT BACK at her critics in a speech last night. They HIT the sponsors FOR a lot of money. We HIT IT OFF immediately and became firm friends. I HIT IT OFF WITH her immediately.

Hinge upon Hit back Hit for Hit it off
Hinge upon Hit back Hit for Hit it off	Have a good relationship from the first time you meet a person. Like someone from the first time you meet them. Have an idea. Talk to someone to try to attract them sexually. Ask for money. Respond angrily to criticism. Inject drugs. Ask someone for some money.
Hit it off with Hit on Hit on
Hit it off with Hit on Hit on		I suddenly HIT ON the solution She HIT ON him at the party and they went back to her house. A beggar HIT ON me when I left the restaurant. The government HIT OUT AT the media for their negativity. She’s been HITTING UP for years. He always tries to HIT me UP for money when we meet. He’s been HITTING UP ON heroin for years.
Hit on Hit out at Hit up Hit up
Hit up on	Inject drugs.
Hit upon	Have an idea.	It took us ages to HIT UPON a solution.
Hit upon	Try to attract someone sexually.	He tried to HIT UPON her at the pub.
Hit with	Surprise someone with some information or news.	He HIT me WITH the details of their demands.
Hive off	Separate part of a company or service, often by selling it.	They HIVED OFF the retail operations.
Hold	Have a grudge against someone, or little	He was very rude, but I won’t HOLD it
against	respect.	AGAINST him.
Hold back	Not show emotion.	It was really hard to HOLD BACK the tears.
Hold back	Prevent something moving forwards or	Lack of funding HELD the project
Hold back	progressing.	BACK.
Hold back	Not disclose information or make it	The government HELD BACK the
Hold back	public.	findings of the report for fear of alienating voters.
Hold back	Not allow yourself to do something.	I had to HOLD BACK FROM losing my
from	Not allow yourself to do something.	temper with them. He’s so unreliable that he can never
from		temper with them. He’s so unreliable that he can never
Hold down	Keep a job.	HOLD DOWN a job for more than a couple of months.

Hold down	Stop someone or something from moving.	It took four of us to HOLD him DOWN and stop the fight.
Hold forth	State your opinions about something, especially when talking for a long time and boringly.	The manager HELD FORTH on the topic for about twenty minutes.
Hold off	When bad weather doesn’t appear.	The rain HELD OFF until we’d got back home.
Hold off	Stop someone from attacking or beating you. Wait.	Chelsea couldn’t HOLD their opponents OFF and lost the game. Could you HOLD ON for a minute; she’ll be free in a moment.
Hold on	Stop someone from attacking or beating you. Wait.
Hold on	To hold tightly.	We HELD ON as the bus started to move. I HELD ON TO my luggage while I was
Hold on to	Hold tightly.	waiting fr the taxi so that it didn’t get stolen.
		It tried to HOLD ONTO my cash during
Hold onto	Keep as long as possible.	the holiday so I could buy some duty free stuff on the way back.
Hold onto	Hold tightly.	The mother HELD ONTO her daughter’s hand to keep together in the crowd.
Hold out	Resist.	When the enemy attacked, they HELD OUT for six weeks.
Hold out	Hold in front of you.	I HELD OUT my hand when she walked
Hold out	Hold in front of you.	in.
Hold out	Try to reject.	The staff are HOLDING OUT AGAINST
against	Try to reject.	the plans to reduce the workforce.
Hold out for	Wait for something better or refuse something now for something better in the future.	We are HOLDING OUT FOR a much better deal than the one offered.
Hold out on	Not pay someone or give them information.	He’s been HOLDING OUT ON me for weeks and I really need the money.
Hold over	Delay.	The meeting has been HELD OVER till Friday.
Hold over	To continue something for longer than	It has been so successful that they have
Hold over	planned.	HELD it OVER for another fortnight.
Hold together	Not break up.	The society managed to HOLD TOGETHER despite the crisis.
		I was HELD UP by the terrible traffic and
Hold up	Delay when travelling.	arrived half an hour late for my appointment. Two armed men HELD UP the bank in
Hold up	Rob with violence or threats thereof.	High Street this morning and got away with £75,000.
Hold with	Accept (usually negative).	I don’t HOLD WITH their plans.
Hole up	Hide to avoid detection or an unpleasant	They HOLED UP in a remote cottage
Hole up	situation.	while the police were searching for them.
Home in on	Target.	The government is HOMING IN ON benefit fraud.

		The company HONED IN ON its rival
Hone in on	Target, focus.	and tried to take it over.(Some consider this verb to be wrong and that is confused with ‘home in on.)
Hook into	Persuade someone to do something they don’t want to do.	She HOOKED them INTO coming after all.
Hook up	Meet someone.	We HOOKED UP at the conference.
Hook up to	Connect to a machine.	He’s HOOKED UP TO a ventilator in the hospital.
Hoon	Act in a dangerous or reckless way,	He was HOONING AROUND in his new
around Horse around	especially when driving fast.	car last night and the police pulled him. The class were HORSING AROUND
around Horse around	Not be serious.	when the teacher came in and told them to sit down.
Hose down	Use a hose to wet, clean or wash something.	They HOSED the patio DOWN.
Hose down	Invest heavily in or throw a lot of money	They have HOSED DOWN an obscure
Hose down	at something.	start-up up with capital.
Hound out	Force someone out of a place, job, position, etc..	The press HOUNDED the minister OUT after the scandal broke.
Hover around	Move about a place.	She was HOVERING AROUND to see what we were talking about.
Hunker	Settle in a place as comfortably as possible	The troops HUNKERED DOWN in the
down	to stay there.	building.
Hunt down	Search for someone to punish or kill them.	The police HUNTED the killer DOWN.
Hunt out	Search until you find something.	It took me ages to HUNT OUT the photos.
Hunt up	Search for and manage to find something.	He HUNTED UP a copy the book in the British library.
Hush up	Try to keep something bad from becoming widely known.	The company tried to HUSH UP the scandal, but it still got into the newspapers. The management team IRONED OUT
Iron out	Remove small problems or irregularities.	the tax problems before they gave the project the OK.
Issue forth	Come out of a place.	New initiatives ISSUE FORTH from the government on a daily basis.
Jabber away	Talk fast or incomprehensibly.	They started JABBERING AWAY about file systems and lost me completely.
Jack	Make trouble for someone, fail to keep	Don’t listen to him- he always JACKS
around	promises.	people AROUND.
Jack in	Quit, give up.	I JACKED my job IN because my boss refused to give me a raise.
Jack up	Raise a car to be able to do mechanical work.	We JACKED the car UP and changed the tyre.
Jack up	Increase sharply.	They have JACKED UP the price of oil this month.

Jam on	Apply or operate something forcefully.	Jack JAMMED ON the brakes when the rabbit ran in front of his car.
Jaw away	Talk just for the point of talking rather than having anything to say.	That shows that your interest is not in helping the student, but in JAWING AWAY.
Jazz up	Make something more interesting or attractive.	The show was getting stale so they JAZZED it UP with some new scenes.
Jerk around	Cause someone trouble, treat someone	He was JERKING us AROUND and
Jerk around	badly.	wouldn’t give us the facts.
Jerk around Behave stupidly.		They were JERKING AROUND during the lecture.
Jerk off	Waste time doing unimportant things.	You should get your work done and stop JERKING OFF.
Joke around	Be funny, or try to.	He’s always JOKING AROUND in class.
Jot down	Make a quick note.	I JOTTED DOWN her number on a scrap of paper and I can’t find it now.
Juice up	Make something more exciting or perform I need to buy some memory to JUICE my better. computer UP.
Jump at	Accept eagerly.	I’d JUMP AT the chance to go and live in Japan.
Jump in	Enter a conversation.	He JUMPED IN and told them exactly what he thought.
Jump off	Start quickly, often well.	The IPO JUMPED OFF on the first day.
Jump on	Criticize, attack.	Everyone JUMPED ON me when I raised the issue.
Keel over	Turn upside down.	The boat KEELED OVER in the storm and the crew drowned. He was going to confront his boss, but
Keel over	Surrender, give in.	KEELED OVER and didn’t mention the matter.
Keel over	Fall to the ground.	The drunk KEELED OVER when trying to leave the pub.
Keep around	Keep something near you.	I KEEP a dictionary AROUND when I’m doing my homework.
Keep at	Continue with something difficult.	She found the course hard but she KEPT AT it and completed it successfully.
Keep away	Don’t allow someone near something.	Medicines should always be KEPT AWAY from children.
Keep back	Maintain a safe distance.	The police told the crowd to KEEP BACK from the fire.
Keep down	Not vomit.	The food was so horrible that I struggled to KEEP it DOWN.
Keep from	Control yourself, refrain.	I couldn’t KEEP FROM arguing with her.
Keep in	Not allow someone out.	The teacher KEPT the students IN after school because they had misbehaved.
Keep off	Not talk about.	She KEPT OFF the subject of her

		divorce.
Keep off	Not tread on something.	KEEP OFF the grass in the park, please.
Keep on	Continue.	He KEPT ON trying and succeeded in the end.
Keep out	Not allow someone to enter.	The police KEPT the demonstrators OUT of the building.
Keep to	Stay within limits.	Please KEEP TO the path.
Keep up	Not let someone go to bed.	My neighbours KEPT me UP till after 4 am with their loud music last night.
		First I phoned you and left a message that you should phone me; then you phoned
Keep up	Maintain a continuous action, persist.	and I was out, so you left a message; then…! How long can we KEEP this UP without ever speaking to each other directly? Learning a language is difficult, but if
Keep up at	Continue, not quit.	you KEEP UP AT it, you’ll succeed in the end.
Keep up with Keep up with	Move at the same rate.	He walks too fast and it’s really hard to KEEP UP WITH him. It’s hard to KEEP UP WITH all the latest

	Stay up to date.	improvements and breakthroughs in technology nowadays.
Key down	Relax, unwind.	I need to KEY DOWN before I go to bed.
Key in	Enter numbers or information into a computer or electronic system.	It took me ages to KEY IN all the information into the database.
Key in on	Focus attention on, single out.	They KEYED IN ON the person they believed had done it.
Key on	Target, focus on (sport).	We will KEY ON the opposing team’s lack of skills on defense.
Key to	Plan things to fit or suit people or situations.	Promotions are KEYED TO people’s abilities.
Key up	Make someone excited or nervous.	The noise got us KEYED UP.
Kick about	Discuss.	We KICKED the idea ABOUT at the meeting.
Kick around	Discuss.	We KICKED the idea AROUND.
Kick	Spend time with.	I used to KICK AROUND WITH them,
around with	Spend time with.	but haven’t seen them for a while.
Kick back	Pay someone illegally as part of the price.	I had to KICK ten percent BACK to the government official to get the contract.
Kick back	Resist.	They KICKED BACK when we suggested downsizing. Rather than go out tonight, we plan to KICK BACK and watch television.
Kick back	Relax.
Kick down	Break something with your feet.	The police KICKED the door DOWN.
Kick in	When a drug starts to take effect.	Her hayfever didn’t feel half as bad once

		the antihistamines had KICKED IN.
Kick in	Break something with your feet.	They KICKED his head IN.
Kick in	Contribute money.	I’ll KICK IN for some of the beer if you will buy the pizza.
Kick in	Start having an effect.	The budget cuts are starting to KICK IN and people are struggling.
Kick off	Start a game of football.	The match KICKS OFF at three o’clock.
Kick off	Die.	He KICKED OFF last month when he had a massive heart attack.
Kick off	When trouble starts.	The fight KICKED OFF when he insulted the guy’s girlfriend.
Kick off	Argue, protest and refuse to co-operate.	He started KICKING OFF big time when the police tried to arrest him.
		The family KICKED the au pair OUT
Kick out	Expel.	when they found out that she was planning to move to work for another household.
Kick up	Cause trouble or pain.	My back KICKS UP when it gets cold.
Kill off	Reduce or exterminate a population by hunting, pollution, development, etc..	There used to be a lot of wolves around here, but most of them have been KILLED OFF.
Kip down	Sleep away from your home, often without It’s too late to get the train, so can I KIP planning to. DOWN here tonight?
Kip down on	Sleep on something other than a bed.	There were so many of us that we had to KIP DOWN ON the floor.
Kiss off	Used to tell someone to go away.	He was bugging us, so we told him to KISS OFF.
Kiss off	Consider something to be unimportant or inferior.	He KISSED the criticism OFF.
Kiss up to	Try to get into someone’s favour.	He’s a creep and is always KISSING UP TO the director.
Knock about	Beat someone.	He KNOCKED his brother ABOUT after they argued.
Knock around	Discuss casually.	We KNOCKED the idea AROUND a bit, but decided not to bother.
Knock back	Cost someone a lot of money.	Your holiday must have KNOCKED you BACK a bit.
Knock back	Finish a drink quickly, drink a lot of alcohol.	The pub was closing so we KNOCKED our drinks BACK and left.
Knock back Shock.		It really KNOCKED me BACK when I heard they had been killed.
Knock	Demolish.	They KNOCKED DOWN the old church
down	Demolish.	and built a block of flats in its place.
Knock down	Hit and injure someone.	The car KNOCKED her DOWN and she broke her arm.
Knock it off!	Stop doing something annoying.	The were making too much noise, so I told them to KNOCK IT OFF.

Knock off	Finish work for the day.	We KNOCKED OFF early on Friday to avoid the rush hour queues.
Knock off	Reduce the price of something.	They KNOCKED ten pounds OFF when I asked for a discount.
Knock off	Reduce the time required to do something.	The new road KNOCKS an hour OFF the journey.
Knock off	Steal.	He KNOCKED it OFF and sold it.
Knock off	Produce or create something quickly.	I KNOCKED the essay OFF in an hour. The reigning middleweight champion
Knock out	Hit and make somebody unconscious.	KNOCKED OUT the challenger in the fourth round of the fight.
Knock out	Sell, distribute.	They’re KNOCKING hundreds OUT a day in the sales.
Knock together	Join houses that had been separate.	They KNOCKED TOGETHER two outbuilding and turned them into a home.
Knock up	Become or get someone pregnant..	She got KNOCKED UP when she was on holiday.
Knock up	Play a bit before a match to get ready.	The teams KNOCKED UP for a few minutes before the final.
Knock up	Produce or create something quickly.	They KNOCKED a model UP over the weekend.
Knuckle down		I’ve got my exams next week and I
Knuckle down	Make a great effort.	haven’t done much work, so I’d better KNUCKLE DOWN.
Knuckle under	Submit to authority. Get someone into trouble.	The teacher made the students KNUCKLE UNDER and hand their projects in on time. He LANDED ME IN it when he told them what I had done wrong.
Land in	Submit to authority. Get someone into trouble.
Land up in	Arrive, end a journey in a place, often without planning.	We set out for Manchester, but LANDED UP IN Liverpool.
Land with	Create a problem for someone.	He LANDED ME WITH the job of proofreading the whole thing.
Lap up	Appreciate something.	He LAPPED UP their praise.
Large it up	Have a good time when intoxicated.	They were LARGING IT UP in the rave.
Lark about	Behave in a silly way.	The children made me angry because they were LARKING ABOUT.
Lark around	Behave in a silly way.	The students wouldn’t stop LARKING AROUND.
Lark it up	Enjoy yourself noisily and exuberantly.	After they won, they went to a bar to L ARK IT UP.
Lash down	Fall heavily (rain).	The rain was LASHING DOWN all day and the roads were flooded.
Lash down	Secure something with ropes or cords.	We LASHED the tarpaulin DOWN to stop the wind blowing it away.
Lash into	Criticise someone strongly.	He LASHED INTO them for messing thins up.

Lash out	Suddenly become violent.	He LASHED OUT and broke the man’s nose.
Lash out	React angrily.	He LASHES OUT when things don’t go his way.
Lash out	Spend a lot of money on luxuries.	I LASHED OUT in the sales last week.
Lash out against	Criticise something strongly.	The press has LASHED OUT AGAINST the policy.
Lash out at	Hit someone suddenly, usually without warning, or try to hit them.	He LASHED OUT AT me when I laughed at him.
Lash out at	Criticise someone or shout at them.	She LASHED OUT AT her colleagues when she was sacked.
Lash out on	Spend a lot of money buying something.	I LASHED OUT a lot ON a new car.
Latch on	Understand, often after a long time.	They were lying, but it took her ages to LATCH ON.
Latch on to	Understand something, often after a long time.	The police didn’t LATCH ON TO what the crooks were doing for years.
Latch onto	Connect to something.	The gecko LATCHED ONTO the ceiling.
Latch onto	Decide or realise that something is good or Oil companies have LATCHED ONTO profitable. environmental ideas.
Laugh off	Pretend something (an injury, news, etc.) isn’t important.	He LAUGHED OFF the sprained finger but it obviously affected his golf game.
Lay down	Establish rules or procedures.	The rules of the sport were LAID DOWN early in the nineteenth century.
Lay down	Kill, murder.	He got LAID DOWN in a turf war about supplying drugs.
Lay into	Criticise angrily.	His partner LAID INTO him when he arrived two hours late..
Lay off	Make an employee redundant.	The hotel LAID OFF twenty staff because tourist numbers were down.
Lay on	Organise, supply.	They LAID ON a buffet lunch at the conference.
Lay out	Spend money.	They LAID OUT thousands of pounds on their wedding reception.
Lead on	Falsely or cruelly raise hopes.	She LED HIM ON about her desire to get married.
Lead to	Result in.	The investigation LED TO the arrest of a number of suspects.
Leak out	Become public knowledge.	The company’s plans to close the factory LEAKED OUT and they were very embarrassed.
Lean on	Put pressure on someone to get them to do what you want.	The government has denied LEANING ON the Attorney General to get his approval of the war.
Leap at	Take an opportunity enthusiastically.	He LEAPED AT the chance to visit.
Leap on	Show interest in or try to use something to They have LEAPT ON the bandwagon to your advantage. increase sales.
Leap out at	Be very noticeable.	Her face LEAPT OUT AT me the second

		I saw the photo.
Leap upon	Show interest in or try to use something to your advantage.	They have LEAPT UPON a couple of errors in the document and want to invalidate the agreement.
Leave on	Not turn off.	LEAVE the TV ON; I want to hear the football results.
Leave out	Not include.	He was LEFT OUT of the side because he hasn’t been playing too well lately.
Let down	Disappoint, fail to keep an arrangement.	She failed to turn up and I felt badly LET DOWN.
Let down	Make clothes longer.	He’s grown so much, we’ll have to LET his trousers DOWN.
Let in	Allow someone to enter.	The doorstaff didn’t LET him IN the nightclub because he was wearing jeans. The judge LET him OFF with a fine

Let off	Not punish.	rather than a prison sentence since it was his first offence.
Let on	Tell a secret.	I didn’t mean to LET ON about the party; I just said it without thinking.
		The convict was LET OUT of prison after
Let out	Allow to leave or go out.	serving five years of an eight-year sentence.
Let out	Make a sound.	He LET OUT a huge sigh of relief when he heard the results.
Let out	Make clothes bigger.	I’ve put on so much weight that I’m going to have to LET my suits OUT.
Level off	Stabilize the altitude of an airplane.	The pilot LEVELED OFF at 5,000 meters.
Level out	Stabilize the altitude of an airplane.	The pilot LEVELED OUT at 5,000 meters.
Lie around	Act in a lazy or unproductive way.	Most days he would usually just LIE AROUND the house.
Lie down	Rest.	I’m going to LIE DOWN for a few minutes before we have to go out.
Lie with	Have the right to make a decision.	The decision about the contract LIES WITH the courts.
Lift off	Leave the ground- rocket or spaceship.	5-4-3-2-1- we have LIFT-OFF!
Light out	Leave suddenly.	When Zeke found out they were coming for him he LIT OUT for the border.
Light up	Light or start smoking a cigarette.	Asif LIT UP as soon as he got out of the building.
Light up	Illuminate.	They LIGHT UP the streets at Christmas time.
Lighten up	Be less serious.	I told them to LIGHTEN UP but they continued complaining about it.
Limber up	Do some exercises to warm up before playing a sport or other physical activity.	The team LIMBERED UP for a few minutes before the game started.

Limber up	Prepare for something that will require a	They are LIMBERING UP FOR the end
for	great effort.	of the financial year.
Line up	Arrange in a line.	The police got them to LINE UP against the wall.
Line up	Arrange something in a line.	He LINED the bottles UP against the wall.
Line up	Arrange events for someone.	We have LINED UP a lot of meetings for them.
Link up	Connect, join.	The train LINKS UP the cities.
Link up	Connect with someone or contact them.	We LINKED UP WITH the firm over the
with	Connect with someone or contact them.	web.
Listen out for	Listen for a particular noise or sound.	They put their coats on and LISTENED OUT FOR the minicab.
Listen up	Pay attention (often used as a command).	LISTEN UP, men! Here are your new assignments.
Live by	Follow a belief system to guide your behaviour.	He tries hard to LIVE BY the Bible.
Live down	Stop being embarrassed about something.	If I fail the test and everyone else passes, I’ll never be able to LIVE it DOWN.
Live for	Believe something is extremely important.	He LIVES FOR football.
Live in	Live in the place where you work or	The university has a residential halls
Live in	study..	where students can LIVE IN.
Live it up	Have a good time by spending a lot of money.	She’s been LIVING IT UP like crazy since she won the lottery.
Live off	Use money earned.	They find it hard to LIVE OFF the money they make.
Live off	Be financially supported.	He’s 40 and he still LIVES OFF his parents.
Live on	Use money for basic necessities.	They have to LIVE ON $200 a week.
Live on	Not be forgotten.	He’s been dead for many years, but his name LIVES ON.
Live out	Stay somewhere until you die.	She LIVED OUT her final years in a nursing home.
Live out	Fulfill an ambition or fantasy.	Many parents try to LIVE OUT their dreams through their children.
Live out	Not live at the place where you study or work.	In my final year at university I LIVED OUT with some friends in a flat we
	Not live at the place where you study or work.	rented.
Live	Experience different times.	It was hard to LIVE THROUGH the
through	Experience different times.	recession, but we managed it.
Live	Have a relationship and live in the same	We LIVED TOGETHER for a few years
together	place without marrying.	before we got married.
Live up to	Meet expectations or standards.	The concert didn’t LIVE UP TO my expectations.
Live with	Accept something unpleasant.	It’s hard to LIVE WITH the pain of a serious illness.
Live with	Have a relationship and live in the same	I LIVED WITH her for a couple of years

	place without marrying.	before the relationship went sour.
Load down	Burden.	I was LOADED DOWN with all the stuff I had to take there.
Load up	Take illegal drugs.	He’s been LOADING UP for years.
Load up	Fill a machine or vehicle.	We LOADED the car UP and left for our holiday.
Load up on	Consume a lot of something for a particular purpose.	The athletes LOADED UP ON carbohydrates before the race.
Lock away	Lock in a safe place.	He LOCKED the gun AWAY in a drawer.
Lock away	Put someone in prison or a mental hospital They LOCKED him AWAY for life after
Lock away	for a very long time.	the murders.
Lock down	Make very secure.	If you lock down your computer properly, it is very difficult for people to access it.
Lock in	Lock a place to stop someone leaving.	They LOCKED him IN the room until he had calmed down.
Lock in	Commit someone in such a way that they	They are LOCKED IN now that they
Lock in	cannot leave.	have paid their subscription.
Lock onto	Find a target and head for it.	The missile LOCKED ONTO the plane and blew it out of the sky.
Lock out	Close a workplace to stop workers	The management LOCKED the staff OUT because they had turned down the
	entering.	pay offer.
Lock out	Lock a place to stop someone getting in.	I lost my key and LOCKED myself OUT.
Lock up	Close all doors, windows, etc..	She LOCKED UP after everyone had left and went home.
Lock up	Lock something in a safe place.	I LOCKED my money UP in the safe.
Lock up	Put in prison or a mental hospital.	They LOCKED him UP for burglary.
Lock yourself	Go somewhere away from people to study	I LOCK MYSELF AWAY for a few
Lock yourself	or work.	weeks before exams.
away	or work.	weeks before exams.
Log in	Enter a restricted area on a computer	I had forgotten my password and couldn’t
Log in	system.	LOG IN.
Log into	Enter a restricted area of a computer system.	I LOGGED INTO the staff intranet to check my email. When she’d finished working on the
Log off	Exit a computer system.	spreadsheet, she LOGGED OFF and left the office.
Log on	Enter a computer system.	He entered his password for the college intranet and LOGGED ON.
		Danny closed the programs and
Log out	Exit a computer system.	LOGGED OUT when it was time to go home.
Look after	Take care.	Their auntie LOOKED AFTER them while their mother was in hospital.
Look back	Think about the past.	Old people often LOOK BACK on over their lives.
Look down	Have a low opinion of.	He LOOKS DOWN ON his colleagues

on		because he thinks he’s better than they are. I’ve been LOOKING FOR all their
Look for	Try to find.	hidden files, but I can’t find them anywhere.
Look	Wait for or anticipate something pleasant.	I’m LOOKING FORWARD TO meeting
forward to	Wait for or anticipate something pleasant.	you.
Look in	Make a quick visit.	I’ll LOOK IN on my way home. I’m going to LOOK IN ON grannie on the
Look in on	Visit briefly to see if everything’s all right.	way home tonight as she’s been a bit unwell recently.
		We’ll LOOK INTO the problem and come
Look into	Research, investigate.	back to you when we have the information.
Look on	Watch something like a crime without	The crowd just LOOKED ON as the old
Look on	helping.	lady was mugged.
Look on as	Consider, regard.	I LOOK ON her AS a close friend.
Look out	Be careful.	LOOK OUT; you’re going to drop that!
Look out	Take care of someone, make sure someone	She LOOKED OUT FOR her sister when
for	is cared for.	she started school.
Look out for Look over	Keep alert and try to see.	We we told to LOOK OUT FOR any suspicious behaviour. They came to LOOK the house OVER with a view to buying it. We LOOKED ROUND the house and
	Inspect.

Look round Look through	Inspect a house.	decided that we didn’t like it enough to buy it.
Look round Look through	Read quickly.	I LOOKED THROUGH the article.
Look to	Expect, hope.	The company is LOOKING TO increase its sales in Asia.
Look up	Consult a reference work (dictionary, phonebook, etc.) for a specific piece of information..	I didn’t know the correct spelling so I had to LOOK it UP in the dictionary.
Look up	Improve.	The economy is LOOKING UP.
Look up	Find, trace an old friend.	I LOOKED him UP when I went back to Cambridge.
Look up to	Respect.	She’s LOOKS UP TO her mother.
Look upon as	Consider, regard.	I LOOK UPON him AS a close friend.
		He was very shy at first but has
Loosen up	Become more relaxed or comfortable.	LOOSENED UP and is more talkative
		now.
Lord it over	Behave in a superior manner.	She loves to LORD IT OVER her employees.
Lose out	Be at a disadvantage.	Many people LOST OUT when the new regulations were enforced.

Lose out on	Not gain or have something advantageous.	Because I left the company, I LOST OUT ON my bonus.
Lose out to	Be less successful.	People without IT skills often LOSE OUT TO those with the skills.
Luck into	Get something by chance.	We LUCKED INTO getting the answer.
Luck out	Be very lucky.	I really LUCKED OUT when I met my partner.
Lust after	Be attracted sexually.	He secretly LUSTS AFTER his friend’s wife.
Lust after	Want something very much.	He LUSTS AFTER a Rolex. He MAGICKED the bill AWAY and paid
Magic away Make something disappear quickly.		for us all before I could get my wallet
		out.
Make after	Chase.	The police MADE AFTER the stolen car.
Make away	Steal.	The thieves MADE AWAY WITH the
with	Steal.	painting.
Make do	Accept something less satisfactory	There’s no coffee, so we’ll have to MAKE
with	because there’s no alternative.	DO WITH tea.
Make for	Head in a certain direction.	We MADE FOR home when it started raining.
Make for	Produce a result or situation.	The low quality of the service MADE FOR a lot of dissatisfaction.
Make into	Change something into something else.	Many churches have been MADE INTO flats in recent years.
Make it	Arrive or get a result.	I thought you weren’t coming, so I was really pleased you MADE IT.
Make it up	Try to compensate for doing something	He tried to MAKE IT UP TO her, but she
to	wrong.	wouldn’t speak to him.
Make of	Understand or have an opinion.	What do you MAKE OF your new boss?
Make off	Leave somewhere in a hurry.	They MADE OFF when they heard the police siren.
Make off	Steal.	Thieves MADE OFF WITH over a
with	Steal.	million dollars in the robbery.
Make out	Make a cheque payable to somebody.	Please MAKE the cheque OUT to RGM Productions Ltd.
Make out	Pretend.	He MADE OUT that he was ill so that he didn’t have to go to school.
Make out	Progress.	How are your children MAKING OUT at the new school?
Make out	Kiss and pet.	They were MAKING OUT at the party last night.
Make out	Discern a small detail.	I can just MAKE OUT the outline of a flying saucer in this photo.
Make out	Be able to see or hear something.	Can you MAKE OUT what she’s saying?
Make out	Understand someone’s nature or personality.	He’s strange; I can’t MAKE him OUT.

Make over	Change appearance.	The beauty salon gave her a MAKEOVER before the party.
Make over	Give money or possessions to someone in a legal way.	She MADE OVER her property to her children.
Make towards	Head in the direction.	We MADE TOWARDS the centre.
Make up	Stop being angry with someone.	They are always arguing, but they MAKE UP again very quickly.
Make up	Put on cosmetics.	She went to the bathroom to MAKE her face UP.
Make up	Invent a story.	They MADE UP an excuse for being late.
Make up for	¹ Compensate.	I sent her a present to try to MAKE UP FOR my appalling behaviour. The charity collected £24,517.57, and the
Make up to	Increase a sum received to a higher figure.	anonymous donor MADE the total UP TO £25,000′
Make with	Give (usually used as an imperative).	MAKE WITH the money you owe me.
Man down	Behave without courage or conviction.	He MANNED DOWN and didn’t come with us.
Man up	Behave with courage or conviction.	She told her anonymous critics to MAN UP and speak publicly.
		Students who gave obviously rehearsed
Mark down	Give a student a lower grade for a	answers were MARKED DOWN, while
Mark down	particular reason.	those who spoke naturally were rewarded accordingly.
	particular reason.	those who spoke naturally were rewarded accordingly.
Mark down	Reduce the price of something.	I’ll buy a lot more if you MARK them DOWN a bit.
Mark down	Consider someone or something to be of a	I MARKED them DOWN AS
as	certain group, type, etc..	conservatives, but they’re very liberal.
Mark off	Tick, cross out or otherwise mark	I MARKED OFF the items on the list as I
Mark off	something to show that it has been dealt with.	finished them.
	something to show that it has been dealt with.	finished them.
Mark out	Draw lines to enclose an area.	They MARKED OUT the pitch.
Mark out	Show promise for the future.	His dedication MARKED him OUT FOR
for	Show promise for the future.	great things.
Mark out from	Stand out because of certain qualities.	Her speed MARKS her OUT FROM the rest of the group.
Mark up	Increase the price of something.	They MARK the goods UP by 25% before they sell them.
Marry in	Marry someone of the same ethnicity,	Many religions encourage their followers
Marry in	religion, etc.	to MARRY IN.
Marry out	Marry someone of a different ethnicity,	Her parents disowned her and refused to
Marry out	religion, etc.	speak to her when she MARRIED OUT.
Mash up	Crush something until it becomes a paste.	He MASHED UP some bananas for the dessert.
Mash up	Mix sources of audio, video or other computer sources..	She MASHED UP the songs into a single track.

Mash up	Break or damage.	He MASHED UP my MP3 player and lost my files.
Max out	Take something to the limit, reach a limit.	She MAXED OUT her credit cards.
Measure		The work doesn’t look good if you
against	Evaluate or judge by comparison.	MEASURE it AGAINST what our competitors have done.
Measure off	Measure something and mark the point where it ends or will be cut.	The tailor MEASURED OFF the material for my suit.
Measure off Mark a length on something to cut it.		He MEASURED OFF a metre of the silk.
Measure out Measure out Measure up	Measure or weigh the amount needed.	He MEASURED OUT the flour for the bread. She MEASURED OUT a hundred grammes of the powder. The estate agent MEASURED UP all the rooms. She didn’t MEASURE UP in her
	Weigh or measure an exact amount.
	Find the size of something.
	Be good enough, meet the required standard.
Measure up	Be good enough, meet the required standard.	probationary period, so we didn’t extend her contract.
Measure up	Be good enough.	They made her a director, but she didn’t MEASURE UP.
Measure up	Find out the size of something.	They MEASURED UP the room.
Measure up to	Be good enough or worthy of something.	I hope to MEASURE UP TO the confidence you have in me.
Meet with	Have something happen to you.	They MET WITH some problems they hadn’t anticipated.
Melt down	Heat something solid, especially metal,	They MELTED the gold statue DOWN
Melt down	until it becomes liquid.	and turned it into gold bars.
Mess about	Not be serious, not use something	The children were MESSING ABOUT
Mess about	properly.	with the TV remote control and broke it.
Mess about	Treat someone badly.	He is always MESSING me ABOUT and never does what he promises.
Mess about	Have a sexual relationship outside	He’s not faithful- he’s been MESSING
Mess about	marriage or a permanent relationship.	ABOUT since they were married.
Mess about	Have a sexual relationship outside	She’s been MESSING ABOUT WITH
with	marriage or a permanent relationship.	another guy she knows from work.
Mess about	Try to improve something, usually making The computer was working fine until he
with Mess around	things worse.	started MESSING ABOUT WITH it. I was MESSING AROUND on the
with Mess around	Not be serious, play with something.	internet because I couldn’t be bothered to do any work.
Mess	Treat someone badly.	She is always MESSING me AROUND
around	Treat someone badly.	and never does what she promises.
Mess	Have a sexual relationship outside	She’s not faithful- she’s been MESSING
around	marriage or a permanent relationship.	ABOUT since they got married.
Mess	Have a sexual relationship outside	He’s been MESSING ABOUT WITH a
around with	marriage or a permanent relationship.	woman he works with.

Mess	Try to improve something, usually making The computer was working fine until they
around with	things worse.	started MESSING ABOUT WITH it.
Mess over	Treat someone badly.	They MESSED her OVER when she applied for the job.
Mess up	Spoil or ruin.	They MESSED UP the discussions and the contract fell through.
Mess up	Make something untidy or dirty.	They MESSED UP the room and left stuff all over the place.
Mess up	Cause mental, physical or emotional problems.	He took a lot of LSD and it really MESSED him UP.
Mess with	Become involved in something damaging or dangerous.	He’s been MESSING WITH cocaine.
Mess with	Annoy, bother.	Don’t MESS WITH me or there will be trouble.
Mess with	Associate (negative).	He’s been MESSING WITH some dangerous people.
Mess with	Try to repair or improve, usually	She’s been MESSING WITH it for hours
Mess with	unsuccessfully.	and it still doesn’t work.
Mete out	Give people harsh punishments or	They METED OUT savage penalties to
Mete out	treatment.	anyone who broke the law.
Mill around	Walk around without going anywhere.	There were a lot of people MILLING AROUND waiting for the bus.
Miss out	Not do something enjoyable or rewarding.	It’ll be great; you’ll be MISSING OUT if you don’t come.
Miss out	Not include.	Make sure you don’t MISS anyone OUT when you call their names.
Miss out on	Lose a chance, fail to achieve.	Trudy MISSED OUT ON the promotion.
Mix up	Confuse.	I always MIX those two sisters UP because they look so like each other.
Mix up	Make something lively.	The DJ MIXED UP the night with some hard techno.
Mock up	Make a model of something to show or	They MOCKED UP an example to show
Mock up	test it.	us what they would look like.
Moggy off Monkey around	Leave (‘moggie off is also used.).	We MOGGIED OFF early. The police officer told the drunks to stop
Moggy off Monkey around	Not be serious.	MONKEYING AROUND and go home quietly. I MOOCHED ABOUT the whole
Mooch about	Not be serious.
Mooch about	Spend time doing little or nothing.	afternoon because I didn’t feel like working.
Mooch	Spend time doing little or nothing.	I MOOCHED AROUND the house all
around	Spend time doing little or nothing.	day.
Mop up	Resolve a problem.	He was left to MOP UP the mess after they resigned.
Mop up	Kill or capture the last few enemy soldiers	After the battle, it took them a couple of
Mop up	after a victory..	weeks to MOP UP the remaining rebels.
Mop up	Eat a sauce with bread to finish it.	The sauce was so delicious that I ordered

		some bread to MOP it UP.
Mop up	Remove a liquid that has been spilt.	I used a cloth to MOP UP the coffee I had knocked over.
Mope about Move around being miserable.		She didn’t get the job and has been MOPING ABOUT all afternoon.
Mope around	Move around being miserable.	He’s been MOPING AROUND since his girlfriend left him.
Mount up	Increase over time.	My debts MOUNTED UP while I was at university.
Mouth off	Speak angrily about something.	I always get angry and start MOUTHING OFF when the news is on TV.
Move ahead	Make progress, often after a pause or	The construction can MOVE AHEAD
Move ahead	delay.	now that permisson has been granted.
Move along	Tell someone to move from a place.	The police told the people watching to MOVE ALONG.
Move along	Develop or progress in a reasonable or	The project’s MOVING ALONG and
Move along	satisfactory manner.	everything should be ready on time.
Move away	Leave the area where you have been living.	I MOVED AWAY when the factory shut down.
Move away	Stop doing or using something to change	They’re MOVING AWAY FROM
from	to something different.	Windows and are using Linux.
Move down	Move a student to a lower level.	He was finding the course too difficult so they MOVED him DOWN.
		The house was empty for ages, but some
Move in	Start living in a place.	new tenants MOVED IN a few weeks ago.
Move in on	Approach, often stealthily.	As he watched, the hyenas began to MOVE IN ON the hapless wildebeest.
Move into	Start living in a place.	They MOVED INTO the house as soon as it was ready.
Move on	Change the subject or your job.	She MOVED ON to another company where the salary was considerably better.
Move on	Make people move from a place.	The police MOVED the crowd ON because they were holding up the traffic.
Move out	Leave a place you live or work in.	She’s tired of living there and is MOVING OUT.
Move out	Remove.	The president said they would MOVE the troops OUT next year.
Move out	Change lane or position to pass a vehicle.	I MOVED OUT to overtake the bus.
Move towards	Make preparations for something.	The government are MOVING TOWARDS free elections.
Move up	Move to make space.	Could you MOVE UP and let me sit down?
Move up	Move to a higher level.	They MOVED her UP to senior management.
Muddle	Continue without a clear aim or plan.	If you’re ambitious, you cannot
along	Continue without a clear aim or plan.	MUDDLE ALONG.

Muddle through Muddle up	Do or achieve something without knowing what is required or having a plan. Take things that are ordered or sequenced and mess them up. Mistake a person or thing for someone or something else because they look similar. Study quickly, revise. Study something quickly, revise. Think about an issue or problem.	We didn’t know what to expect and just MUDDLED THROUGH. My cleaner MUDDLED UP my books and I can’t find anything. I MUDDLE her and her sister UP. I have to MUG UP before the exam. I need to MUG UP ON my history for the test. She said that she’d had to MULL IT OVER before deciding what was We tried to exclude him of the committee, but he MUSCLED IN. She MUSCLED IN ON the deal even though we wanted to do it without her. They are MUSCLING INTO our market and there is very little we can do to stop them.
Muddle up Mug up Mug up on Mull over
Muscle in Muscle in on Muscle into	Become involved in something when your involvement is not wanted. Become involved in something despite opposition to your involvement. Become involved even though there is opposition to your involvement. Use power, contacts, etc, to force someone out.
Muscle out Naff off Nag at Nail down Nail down Nail down		They used their contacts in local government to MUSCLE the competitors OUT. He was making a fuss, so I told him to NAFF OFF. My boss is always NAGGING AT me about my arriving a few minutes late for work. They are having trouble NAILING DOWN the contract. I can’t NAIL DOWN what’s wrong with their idea, but I’m sure it won’t work. I can’t NAIL them DOWN about when
Muscle out Naff off Nag at Nail down Nail down Nail down	Get lost, go away (used as imperative). Repeatedly criticise someone verbally. Succeed in getting, achieve. Understand fully. Get full information from someone.
		they’re going to finish the project.
Nail down	Succeed or achieve something.	I NAILED the job DOWN in the first interview.
Name after	Give someone a name to remember	I was NAMED AFTER my uncle who
Name after	another person.	died in the war.
Narrow down	Remove less important options to make it easier to choose.	I am not sure which university to apply to, but I have NARROWED my list DOWN to three.
Nerd out	Play safe and avoid taking a risk.	I’m going to NERD OUT and not go on the river trip.
Nerd out	Discuss something in great detail.	I had to NERD OUT when they asked about conditionals and deontic modality.
Nip off	Go somewhere quickly.	I’m NIPPING OFF to get some milk.
Nip out	Go somewhere quickly.	She’ll be back in a minute- she’s just NIPPED OUT to the shops.
Nod off	Fall asleep.	I NODDED OFF during the speech.

Nod	Pass a law, regulation, etc, without	Parliament NODDED the bill
through	considering or debating it seriously.	THROUGH.
Nose about	Look for something hidden or secret.	The police are NOSING ABOUT to see if they can find anything against the gang.
Nose	Look around for evidence.	The boss keeps NOSING AROUND our
around	Look around for evidence.	office when we are out at lunch.
Nose out	Find out, discover- usually information, secrets, etc.	He NOSED OUT their plans.
Nose out	Narrowly beat someone.	The other candidate NOSED him OUT by a few votes.
	Write something short like a phone number for future reference..	She NOTED DOWN my fax number so
Note down		that she could send me the documents when she got to the office.
Nut out	Find an answer to a problem.	The management and unions had a meeting to NUT things OUT. Didn’t it OCCUR TO you to help me
Occur to	Enter one’s mind.	when you saw how much trouble I was in?
Open up	Start to talk freely about something.	She hates to OPEN UP and discuss her feelings.
Open up	Open a shop or business for the day.	They OPEN UP at seven in the morning.
Open up	Allow goods into a market.	Before they joined the WTO, they had to OPEN UP their markets.
Operate on	Perform surgery.	She was OPERATED ON for eight hours.
Opt for	Choose.	I OPTED FOR an endowment mortgage and lost a lot of money.
Opt in	Choose to be part or a member of	If you want them to notify you of
Opt in	something.	updates, you have to OPT IN.
Opt into	Choose to be a member or part of something.	I OPTED INTO the scheme.
	Choose to be a member or part of something.	The UK OPTED OUT of a lot of EU
Opt out	Choose not to be part of something.	legislation on working hours and conditions.
Owe to	Be the reason for something.	She OWES her success TO hard work and determination.
Own up	Confess.	Nobody OWNED UP to breaking the window.
Pack away	Put something where it belongs.	I PACKED AWAY the suitcases in the loft after we had emptied them.
Pack in	Stop doing something.	I’m trying to PACK IN smoking.
Pack in	End a relationship.	She PACKED her boyfriend IN. They really PACK them IN at the club- it
Pack in	Fill a venue.	was so crowded it was impossible to
		move.
Pack in	Break down, stop working.	The photocopier has PACKED IN again.
Pack it in	Stop doing something (used as an	The kids were making a fuss, so I told
Pack it in	imperative).	them to PACK IT IN.

Pack off	Send someone away.	His boss PACKED him OFF to a regional office.
Pack out	Fill a venue.	The stadium was PACKED OUT.
Pack up Pack up	Stop doing something. Finish work.	You should PACK UP smoking. We had nothing left to do, so we PACKED UP early.
Pack up	Break down, stop working.	My printer PACKED UP last night- I’ll have to get a new one.
Pack up	Collect things and put them where you	At the end of the presentation, I PACKED
Pack up	keep them.	UP my laptop.
Pad down	Sleep somewhere for the night.	I’m too tired to come home; can I PAD DOWN here tonight?
	Make a text longer by including extra	I couldn’t think of much to write, so I
Pad out	content, often content that isn’t particularly PADDED the essay OUT with a few
	relevant.	lengthy quotes.
Pair off	Begin a romantic relationship.	They PAIRED OFF shortly after starting university.
Pair off	Introduce people, hoping they will start a relationship.	I tried to PAIR him OFF with my sister.
Pair off	Form pairs.	The class PAIRED OFF to practise the exam interviews.
Pair off with	Form a pair with someone.	I PAIRED OFF WITH Trish for the test.
Pair up	Form a pair.	We PAIRED UP for the last activity
Pal about	Be friendly and spend time with someone.	We used to PAL ABOUT when we were at school.
Pal around	Be friendly and spend time with someone.	We PALLED AROUND at university.
Pal up	Become friends.	We PALLED UP when I started working with her.
Palm off	Get someone to accept something that isn’t He tried to PALM me OFF with a
Palm off	true.	pathetic excuse.
Palm off	Pretend something is better than it is in	He tried to PALM his computer OFF as
Palm off	order to sell it.	the latest model.
Pan out	The way a situation develops.	I don’t know how things will PAN OUT now the company’s been taken over.
Paper over	Try to conceal a problem without really fixing it. If you pare something back, you reduce the size or numbers..	The government tried to PAPER OVER the problems in the proposal, but the press were very critical. They have had to PARE BACK the
Pare back		services they offer as their funding was reduced.
Pare back		services they offer as their funding was reduced.
		They have PARED DOWN the number of
Pare down	Reduce, decrease.	employees as they haven’t been doing well.
Part with	Give something away, especially when	I found it very hard to PART WITH my
Part with	you don’t want to.	old CDs when I digitized my collection.
Pass around	Give out to everybody there.	The teacher PASSED the handout

		AROUND.
Pass as	Be believed to be something.	Although not qualified, he managed to PASS AS a doctor for years.
Pass away	Die.	Sadly, Georgia’s uncle PASSED AWAY yesterday after a short illness.
Pass back	Return.	I felt awful when the teacher started to PASS BACK the exam papers.
Pass by	Go past without stopping.	I was just PASSING BY when I saw the accident.
Pass by	Visit briefly.	I was PASSING BY her house the other day when I heard about it. The chance for promotion PASSED me BY. The tales were PASSED DOWN for centuries without changing ay of the words. You’d be surprised at what PASSES FOR good cooking in many restaurants. I managed to PASS OFF the fake money in the market. The demonstration PASSED OFF peacefully. I’ll PASS the message ON when she gets here.
Pass by	Miss an opportunity.
Pass down Pass for	Transmit information or give property to
Pass down Pass for	younger generations. Be accepted as something, usually when not. Convince something that something is real. Happen in a certain way.
Pass off
Pass off
Pass on	Give a message to someone.
Pass on	Decline an invitation or opportunity.	I think I’ll PASS ON dinner tonight- I’m not hungry.
Pass on	Die.	Her husband PASSED ON last year.
Pass on to	Change topic or subject.	Let’s PASS ON TO the next item on the agenda.
Pass out	Faint, lose consciousness.	He got so drunk that he PASSED OUT.
Pass out	Distribute.	The protesters PASSED OUT leaflets to the growing crowd.
Pass over	Ignore someone and give a job, reward, etc, to someone more junior.	They PASSED him OVER and made his assistant the new director.
Pass over	Ignore, refuse to discuss.	Let’s PASS OVER what they said and get on.
Pass round	Distribute, give to people present.	They PASSED ROUND copies of the handbook.
Pass	Visit a place without stopping or only	I didn’t see much as I was only PASSING
through	stopping briefly.	THROUGH the town.
Pass to	Give ownership or responsibility to	The shares PASSED TO his daughter
Pass to	someone.	when he died.
Pass to	Become owner of or responsible for	The property will PASS TO her when
Pass to	something.	they die. She PASSED UP the opportunity to go to
	something.	they die. She PASSED UP the opportunity to go to
Pass up	Decline a chance.	university because she’d been offered a job.

Pat down	Search or frisk someone.	The police PATTED them DOWN for weapons but found nothing.
Patch	Create or assemble something quickly	They PATCHED TOGETHER a coalition
together	without much planning.	after the election.
Patch up	Fix or make things better.	I tried to PATCH things UP after the argument, but they wouldn’t speak to me.
Patch up	Give an injured person basic medical	After the accident, they PATCHED her
Patch up	treatment.	UP and sent her to hospital.
Pay back	Repay money borrowed.	I PAID BACK the twenty pounds I’d borrowed.
Pay back	Take revenge on.	I’m going to PAY him BACK for that insult.
Pay down	Pay a debt over time.	The British government can’t PAY DOWN the national debt.
Pay for	Purchase.	I PAID twenty pounds FOR the book.
Pay into	Deposit money.	I PAID the cash INTO my account.
Pay off	Completely repay a debt.	The mortgage will be PAID OFF in twenty-five years.
Pay off	Produce a profitable or successful result.	Their patience PAID OFF when he finally showed up and signed the contract.
Peck at	Eat very small amounts.	The food wasn’t very nice, so I PECKED AT it to look polite.
Peel away	Leave a group by moving in a different	Some of the crowd PEELED AWAY to
Peel away	direction.	get out of the crush.
Peel away	Leave a group by moving in a different	They PEELED AWAY FROM the crowd
from	direction. Leave a group by moving in a different direction.	and went down a side road. When the police blocked the road, a few
Peel off		protesters PEELED OFF and left the march.
Peel off	Leave a group by moving in a different	They PEELED OFF FROM the
from	direction.	demonstration when the police arrived.
Peel out	Accelerate rapidly from stationary.	Fearing the police, he PEELED OUT in a cloud of tire smoke.
Peg away	Keep working at something.	I PEGGED AWAY for weeks before my
Peg away	Keep working at something.	exams.
Peg down	Fasten something to the ground.	We PEGGED the tent DOWN to stop the wind blowing it about.
Peg it	Die.	After a long illness, she finally PEGGED IT yesterday.
Peg out	Put washing outside to dry.	I PEGGED the washing OUT after it stopped raining.
Peg out	Die.	He PEGGED OUT last night from a heart attack.
Pencil in	Make a provisional appointment.	I’ll PENCIL Thursday night IN, but if anything comes up, give me a ring..
Pep up	Make something more interesting.	You need to PEP your writing UP.
Pep up	Make someone more enthusiastic,	Her talk PEPPED us UP.

	energetic or interested.
Perk up	Feel better or happier, make someone feel	She was ill in bed with flu, but she PERKED UP a bit when some friends
Perk up	better or happier.	dropped by. Everyone was keen at first, but the
	better or happier.	dropped by. Everyone was keen at first, but the
Peter out	Lose impetus and stop.	enthusiasm PETERED OUT when they saw how long it would take.
Phase in	Introduce gradually.	They are PHASING IN the reforms over the next two years. They have introduced a compact edition
Phase out	Remove gradually.	of the newspaper and are PHASING OUT the broadsheet edition over the next few months.
Pick at	Eat unwillingly.	I wasn’t very hungry so I just PICKED AT my food.
Pick at	Criticise.	There were a few problems that could be PICKED AT, but it was generally good. There were many rebels against the
Pick off	Target individuals to change a group.	policy, but the government PICKED OFF the leaders.
Pick on	Bother, annoy, criticize or make fun of someone.	My friends always PICK ON me because I don’t sing well.
Pick out	Choose.	She PICKED OUT the ones she wanted to take and left the rest. The victim couldn’t PICK OUT her
Pick out	Identify from a picture.	attacker from the photos the police showed her.
Pick	Search something that is disordered for	The police have been PICKING
through	something.	THROUGH the wreckage for clues.
Pick up	Improve.	Sales PICKED UP a bit during the Christmas period.
Pick up	Learn quickly.	She PICKED UP Spanish in six months.
Pick up	Collect.	While you’re in town, can you PICK UP my trousers from the Dry Cleaner?
Pick up	Receive (a broadcast).	When we rent a holiday cottage in Cornwall, we can’t PICK UP Channel 5.
Pick up	Collect (a person). This differs from the ‘collect a thing’ meaning – as that means ‘collect and bring back’ whereas this means either (i) ‘collect and drop off on your way’ or (ii) ‘collect and bring to the same destination’..	i) Can you PICK me UP and take me to The George when you go to the party?ii) Can you PICK UP some friends of mine on your way to the party? They’re going too.


Pick up after	Tidy a mess someone else has made.	I always have to PICK UP AFTER him because he leaves things all over the office.
Pick up on	Correct someone when they say something My teacher PICKS UP ON any mistake I wrong. make and corrects me.
Pick up on	Notice something that most people don’t.	He’s very quick to PICK UP ON new

		trends.
Pick up on	React to something.	The government has PICKED UP ON the reports in the media.
Pick up on	Comment on something said earlier in a conversation.	I’d like to PICK UP ON the point that Jill made.
Pick yourself up	Recover from a fall or problem.	It took him a long time to PICK HIMSELF UP after his wife left him.
Pig off	Used to tell someone to get lost or leave you alone.	He told them to PIG OFF and leave him in peace.
Pig out	Eat a lot.	The food was great, so I really PIGGED OUT.
Pile in	Enter a place quickly, in a disorganised way.	The coach stopped and we all PILED IN.
Pile into	Enter a place quickly, in a disorganised way.	We PILED INTO the shop when it opened.
Pile on	Add or give more or something.	Work’s crazy- they keep PILING ON the pressure.
Pile on	Exaggerate or talk in a way to affect someone’s feelings.	It wasn’t very serious, but they PILED ON the guilt.
Pile out	Leave a place quickly, in a disorganised way.	The train eventually arrived and we all PILED OUT.
Pile up	Accumulate.	Work just keeps on PILING UP and I really can’t manage to get it all done.
Pile up	Accumulate in a pile or heap.	The ironing’s PILING UP as I hate doing it.
Pin down	Get a fixed idea, opinion, etc, from someone..	I’ve asked him to set a date, but he’s a hard man to PIN DOWN and won’t give a definite answer.
Pin down	Discover exact details about something.	The government can’t PIN DOWN where the leak came from.
Pin on	Attach the blame to someone.	The police tried to PIN the crime ON him.
Pin up	Fix something to a wall, or other vertical surface, with a pin.	I PINNED the notice UP on the board
Pine away	Suffer physically because of grief, stress,	He’s been PINING AWAY since his wife
Pine away	worry, etc.	died and is a shadow of his former self.
Pipe down	Be quiet (often as an imperative).	The lecturer asked the students to PIPE DOWN and pay attention.
Pipe up	To speak, raise your voice.	At first, no one answered, then finally someone PIPED UP.
Pit against	Compete or force to compete.	The war PITTED neighbour AGAINST neighbour.
Pit out	Go into the pits (car racing).	He PITTED OUT in the twentieth lap.
Pitch for	Try to persuade someone to give your work, business, a job, etc.	He PITCHED FOR the job, but they gave it to someone else.
Pitch in	Work together to help achieve an objective.	We were behind schedule, but the others PITCHED IN and we got it done in time.

		The shareholders PITCHED INTO the
Pitch into	Criticise severely or attack someone.	management about their pay rises at the meeting.
Plant out	Put a young plant that has been grown in a	They need to be PLANTED OUT in the
Plant out	pot or greenhouse into the ground.	spring.
Plate up	Put food onto a plate to serve.	PLATE UP and drizzle with salsa verde.
	Pretend to agree or accept something in	I disagreed with the idea but I had to
Play along	order to keep someone happy or to get	PLAY ALONG because everyone else
	more information.	liked it. The children were PLAYING AROUND
Play around Be silly.		and being annoying.
Play around Be sexually promiscuous or unfaithful.		I PLAYED AROUND a lot at college.
Play at	Pretend to be something.	He just PLAYS AT being a lawyer- he
Play at	Pretend to be something.	never wins a case.
Play away	Be sexually unfaithful when away from	He travels abroad a lot and his wife
Play away	home.	thinks he PLAYS AWAY.
Play back	Listen to or watch something you’ve recorded.	We PLAYED the recording BACK to see if it was OK.
	Try to make something seem less important.	The Government has tried to PLAY
Play down	Try to make something seem less important.	DOWN the importance of the minister’s resignation.
Play off	Play a game to decide who the winner is.	As both teams had the same points, they PLAYED OFF to decide the winner.
Play off	Make people compete against each other	He PLAYED them OFF against each
Play off	so that you benefit.	other to get the best deal.
Play on	Continue playing a sport though there	It looked like a foul, but the referee told
Play on	might be a reason to stop.	them to PLAY ON.
Play on	Continue playing music.	The band PLAYED ON for another hour.
Play on	Exploit a weakness.	They are just PLAYING ON our fears to get us to do what they want.
Play on	Pun.	The advert PLAYS ON the slogan
Play out	Progress, often till it finishes.	Let’s see how things PLAY OUT.
Play out	Pretend that something is real and reduce	Computer games allow people to PLAY
Play out	its effect.	OUT their violent urges.
Play out	Play something to the end.	Rain stopped them PLAYING the game OUT.
Play out	Unwind (e.g., fishing line).	When he hooked the swordfish, his line rapidly PLAYED OUT.
Play up	Behave badly.	The children PLAYED UP all evening and drove the babysitter mad.
Play up to	Flatter someone.	I’m PLAYING UP TO my boss at the moment because I want the promotion.
Play up to	Behave in a way expected.	He’s got a reputation for being trouble and PLAYS UP TO it.
Play upon	Exploit a weakness.	They are PLAYING UPON people’s concerns to get their way.

Play with	Touch and move something to occupy your hands.	He can’t stop PLAYING WITH his beard.
Play with	Not eat much of a meal.	I wasn’t hungry, so I just PLAYED WITH the food.
Play with	Consider something, but not seriously.	We PLAYED WITH the idea, but decided against it.
Plead out	Plead guilty to get a reduced sentence or	The CEO PLEADED OUT and blamed
Plead out	fine.	the CFO for the fraud.
Plough back	Re-invest money you have made into a business.	We PLOUGHED BACK all the profits to grow the company.
Plough into	Collide into at speed.	The bus skidded and PLOUGHED INTO the bus stop.
Plough on	Continue doing something you don’t want to.	It was really boring, but we PLOUGHED ON.
Plough	Eat a big meal.	We PLOUGHED THROUGH all seven
through	Eat a big meal.	courses.
Plough	Read something that is difficult or takes a	It took me ages to PLOUGH THROUGH
through	lot of time.	‘Ulysses’.
Plough	Move through somewhere where there is	The boat had to PLOUGH THROUGH
through	little space or there are obstacles.	the ice.
Plough up	Break the surface of soil.	The tractor PLOUGHED UP the field so they could sow the seed.
Plow back	Re-invest money you have made into a	We PLOWED BACK all the profits to
Plow back	business.	grow the company.
Plow into	Collide into at speed.	The bus skidded and PLOWED INTO the bus stop.
Plow on	Continue doing something you don’t want to.	It was really boring, but we PLOWD ON.
Plow	Eat a big meal.	We PLOWED THROUGH all eight
through	Eat a big meal.	courses.
Plow	Read something that is difficult or takes a	It takes me ages to PLOW THROUGH
through	lot of time.	any of Henry James’ novels.
Plow	Move through somewhere where there is	The police car had to PLOW THROUGH
through	little space or there are obstacles.	the crowd.
Plow up	Break the surface of soil.	The tractor PLOWED UP the field so they could sow the crop
Pluck at	Pull or fiddle with something nervously.	He was PLUCKING AT his cuffs during the interview.
Pluck up	Muster, acquire, gather.	They PLUCKED UP the courage to complain.
Plug in	Connect machines to the electricity supply.	He PLUGGED the TV IN and turned it on full blast.
Plump	Put something in a place without taking	He PLUMPED his bag DOWN and
down	care.	kicked his shoes off.
Plump for	Choose.	I PLUMPED FOR the steak frites.
Plump up	Make something like a cushion bigger and I PLUMPED UP the pillow and lay
Plump up	softer by shaking it.	down.

Plump yourself down Point out Poke about	Sit down heavily. Make someone aware of something. Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something. Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something. Finish, consume. Improve something quickly.	She PLUMPED HERSELF DOWN next to me and started asking me what had happened. He POINTED OUT that I only had two weeks to get the whole thing finished. I POKED ABOUT in my CD collection to see if I could find it. I POKED AROUND in my desk to see if the letter was there. She POLISHES OFF half a bottle of gin every night. I need to POLISH UP my French before I go to Paris.
Poke around Polish off Polish up
Pony up	Pay for something.	I had to PONY fifty dollars UP for the meal.
Poop out	Get too tired to do something.	I was going to write my essay, but I POOPED OUT and went to bed instead.
		We were supposed to meet yesterday, but
Poop out on	Fail to keep an appointment.	she POOPED OUT ON me at the last minute.
Pootle along	Travel in a leisurely way.	We were POOTLING ALONG at thirty miles an hour.
Pop in	Visit for a short time.	He POPPED IN for a coffee on his way home.
Pop off	Talk loudly, complain.	He’s always POPPING OFF when things don’t suit him.
Pop off	Go out for a short time.	He’s just POPPED OFF for a break but should be back in a few minutes.
Pop out	Go out for a short time.	I’m just POPPING OUT to the shops. Do you need anything while I’m out?
Pop up	Appear, like windows and boxes opening	The dialogue box POPPED UP up when I
Pop up	on a computer screen..	pressed Enter.
Pop up	Appear unexpectedly.	I’m going to have to work late tonight because something has POPPED UP.
Pore over	Read, look at or study carefully.	She PORED OVER the report looking for mistakes.
Potter about	Spend time doing little things for pleasure.	On Saturday mornings, I POTTER ABOUT the garden if the weather’s fine.
Potter around Pour down	Spend some time doing little things for pleasure. Rain hard.	I POTTERED AROUND, sorting out my CDS and a few other things. It POURED DOWN all day so we had to remain indoors.
Pour forth	Emerge from a place in large numbers.	Useless statistics POUR FORTH from him.
Power down	Cut the electricity supply to a computer or	I POWERED DOWN my computer and
Power down	electronic device.	went for lunch.
Power off	Cut the electricity to a computer or device	You mustn’t POWER it OFF while it is
Power off	to turn it off.	updating.

Power up	Turn a computer or electronic device on so that it is ready to use.	I POWERED UP my laptop and started work.
Prattle on	Talk too much.	Geoff just PRATTLED ON instead of giving a straight answer.
Press ahead	Continue with something.	They PRESSED AHEAD with the elections despite the violence.
Press for	Apply pressure to get permission or to	The workers are PRESSING FOR better
Press for	obtain something.	pay and conditions.
Press forward	Continue or go ahead with a project,	The government are PRESSING
with	process, plan, etc.	FORWARD WITH the new law.
Press into	Bring or force into use.	When the line was breached, reserve troops were PRESSED INTO service.
Press on	Continue with something.	We PRESSED ON to get to our destination before night fell.
Press upon	Pressure someone to accept something offered.	The invitations were PRESSED UPON us and it was hard to say no.
Prey on	Catch and kill an animal for food.	Spiders PREY ON insects.
Prey on	Exploit or harm.	They PREY ON older people.
Prey upon	Catch and kill an animal for food.	Cats PREY UPON birds and mice.
Prey upon	Exploit or harm.	They PREY UPON people’s fears about immigration.
Price in	Include the affects of possible future events when assessing the value of something.	Speculators have PRICED IN the risk of a war breaking out.
		In rural areas where they have a
Price up	Charge more for something.	monopoly, some garages PRICE UP fuel because there’s nowhere else to buy it.
Print out	Make a hard copy of a computer	He PRINTED OUT the letter and
Print out	document.	checked through it carefully.
Prop up	Support something, both physically and	The council have PROPPED UP the
Prop up	financially, politically, etc..	museum for years with grants.
Psych out	Work out or anticipate someone’s intentions.	We have to try to PSYCH OUT our rivals.
		Boxers try to PSYCH their opponents
Psych out	Make someone less confident.	OUT before the fight to gain an advantage.
Psych up	Prepare someone mentally.	I PSYCHED myself UP for the exam.
Pucker up	Move your lips into position to receive a kiss.	She PUCKERED UP when he leant forwards to kiss her.
Pull ahead	Overtake, move in front.	The lorry was going slowly but we managed to PULL AHEAD.
Pull apart	Destroy an argument, theory, etc.	My tutor PULLED my essay APART. A fight broke out in the pub and it was
Pull apart	Stop people or animals fighting.	hard to PULL the people involved APART.
Pull apart	Make someone unhappy or upset.	It PULLED me APART to see them

Pull away	When a vehicle moves from a place.	arguing so much. The car PULLED AWAY from the lights at high speed. They were two-nil down until five
Pull back	Score a goal or point when losing.	minutes before the end, when they PULLED BACK a goal.
Pull back	Move away from a place, especially when	They have PULLED the troops BACK
Pull back	talking about soldiers.	from the front line.
Pull back	Move away from someone.	She PULLED BACK when he tried to kiss her.
Pull back	Decide not to do something or not to be involved with it any longer.	They PULLED BACK from the deal.
Pull down	Demolish.	They PULLED the old cinema DOWN to build a new shopping mall.
Pull down	Make someone depressed.	Losing her job PULLED her DOWN.
Pull down	Earn.	He’s PULLING DOWN a fortune.
Pull for	Support.	Who will you be PULLING FOR in the final?
Pull in	When a train arrives at a station.	The train PULLED IN and we rushed to meet her as she got off.
Pull in	Attract.	Their last tour PULLED IN millions of fans.
Pull in	Stop a car by the side of the road.	I PULLED IN to let the passengers out.
Pull in	Areest or take someone to a police station for questioning.	The police PULLED them IN after the trouble.
Pull off	Manage to do something difficult or tricky.	No-one thought that she would be able to do it, but she PULLED it OFF in the end.
Pull off	Start moving (vehicles).	When the lights turned green, the car PULLED OFF.
Pull on	Put clothes on.	I PULLED ON a jumper when the sun went in.
Pull out	Start moving (train).	The train was PULLING OUT when I got there.
Pull out	Move into traffic.	The traffic was so bad that it took me ages to PULL OUT. The project was going badly and they decided to PULL OUT
Pull out	Withdraw.
Pull out	Remove soldiers from an area.	People want the government to PULL the troops OUT.
Pull over	Stop by the side of the road.	The police PULLED the car OVER
Pull over	Make a vehicle stop.	The police PULLED the car OVER and tested the driver for alcohol.
Pull		At one stage it looked as if she was going
through	Recover from and illness or problem.	to die, but she PULLED THROUGH in the end.
Pull to	Close a door or window that has been left open.	Could you PULL the door TO, please?

Pull	Work together as a team.	If we all PULL TOGETHER, we’ll have it
together	Work together as a team.	finished in no time.
Pull up	Slow and stop a car.	The cab PULLED UP outside my house and I got out.
Pull up	Inform someone that they are wrong.	He PULLED me UP because I had got my facts wrong.
Pull yourself together	Become calm or regain control of your	He was so angry that he couldn’t PULL
Pull yourself together	emotions.	HIMSELF TOGETHER.
Push in	Get in a queue without waiting.	She just PUSHED IN the queue in front of me at the supermarket checkout.
Put across	Communicate, convey a message.	He found it difficult to PUT ACROSS what he wanted to say at the meeting.
Put away	Put something back in the correct place.	He PUT the dictionary BACK on the shelf after he’d finished the crossword.
Put away	Put someone in prison.	The judge PUT him AWAY for ten years for robbery.
Put back	Rearrange something for a later time.	The AGM has been PUT BACK until July the seventeenth.
Put by	Save for the future.	I try to PUT some money BY every month towards our summer holiday.
Put down	Kill an animal because it’s old, ill, etc..	He had his dog PUT DOWN because it was in a lot of pain from its tumours.
Put down	Stop holding (but withdraw support	PUT the gun DOWN slowly and keep
Put down	gently).	your hands where I can see them.
Put down for	Commit to make a payment.	PUT me DOWN FOR 50p per mile.
Put down to	Give as an explanation.	He didn’t score many, but we can PUT that DOWN TO inexperience
		They had to PUT IN a whole new central
Put in	Install.	heating system because the house was so cold.
Put in for	Make a request.	He PUT IN FOR a transfer to the new branch. The concert’s been PUT OFF until next
Put off	Postpone.	month because the singer’s got a throat infection.
Put off	Stop liking something or somebody.	I was really PUT OFF by the way he eats with his mouth open.
Put on	Get fat.	He’s PUT ON a lot of weight since he gave up smoking.
Put on	Deceive, lie.	I am not PUTTING you ON.
Put on	Start wearing.	I PUT my coat ON before we went out. Several charities PUT OUT an appeal on
Put out	Broadcast.	TV for money for the victims of the flooding in Mozambique.
Put out	Disturb or trouble someone.	Would it be PUTTING you OUT greatly if I asked to change to another day.

Put out	Extinguish a cigarette, fire, etc..	He PUT OUT his cigarette before entering the building.
Put over	Successfully execute (a scam, trick, etc.).	They PUT OVER a clever practical joke on us.
Put through Connect someone by phone.		Could you PUT me THROUGH to extension 259 please.
		She PUT $250 TOWARDS the cost of the
Put towards Make a financial contribution.		She PUT $250 TOWARDS the cost of the
		repairs and we had to pay the rest.
Put up	Allow someone to stay at your house for a	She PUT me UP for the night because I’d missed the last bus and there were no
Put up	night or a few days..	night buses running.
Put up	Increase prices, taxes, duties, etc..	The government has PUT tuition fees for undergraduate students UP again.
Put up	Show skill or determination in a contest, competition, fight, etc.	They PUT UP a great fight but lost.
Put up to	Encourage someone to do something.	His friends PUT him UP TO stealing it.
Put up with	Tolerate.	I can’t PUT UP WITH my neighbour’s noise any longer; it’s driving me mad.
Quarrel out	Argue with someone about a specific	The girl’s mother was QUARRELING
Quarrel out	subject.	OUT with her daughter about the party. I am not QUARRELLING WITH their
Quarrel with	subject.
Quarrel with	Dispute or disagree with something.	idea, but I think there are other possibilities.
Queer up	Mess up, ruin.	I QUEERED the exam UP. The audience QUIETENED DOWN
Quieten	Fall silent.	when the lights were switched off in the
down	Fall silent.	auditorium and the play was ready to begin.
down		auditorium and the play was ready to begin.
Quit on	Stop working, associating or being friends with someone, especially when they need support.	They QUIT ON me just when things got rough.
Quit on	Stop working or functioning.	My phone has QUIT ON me- can I borrow yours?
Race off	Hurry away, leave somewhere quickly.	They RACED OFF when the police arrived.
Rack off	Used to tell someone to go away because they’re annoying you.	He told her to RACK OFF.
Rack out Rack up	Sleep, take a nap. Acquire a lot of something.	I’m tired- I’m going to RACK OUT. He’s RACKED UP a number of convictions for speeding. They RACKED UP the car in an accident.
Rack up	Damage.
Rain down on	Fall in large numbers.	Bombs RAINED DOWN ON the city all night.
Rain off	Be postponed or stopped by rain (usually passive).	The match was RAINED OFF.
Rain out	Be postponed or stopped by rain (usually passive).	The game was RAINED OUT.

Rake in	Earn, make money easily.	She’s RAKING IN thousands a day.
Rake it in	Make a lot of money.	It’s the only shop in the area and they’re RAKING IT IN.
Rake off	Cheat someone by charging them too much.	They RAKE tourists OFF all the time.
Rake over	Talk, think, etc, about something negative in the past.	They keep RAKING OVER the rows we had last year.
Rake up	Bring something back to people’s attention.	The press have RAKED UP some scandals from her past.
Ramble on	Talk at length without getting to the point.	Quit RAMBLING ON- I’m tired of listening to you.
Ramp up	Increase price, speed or power of something.	The company has RAMPED its prices UP because of higher oil prices.
Rap out	Say something firmly and loudly.	She RAPPED OUT the command.
Rat on	Inform authorities about someone’s wrongdoings.	She RATTED ON her neighbours to the police because they were smuggling alcohol from France.
Rat on	Fail to keep a promise.	He always RATS ON his promises.
Rat out	Inform the authorities about someone.	He RATTED me OUT to the police.
Rat through	Look for something hurriedly.	I RATTED THROUGH the papers on my desk but couldn’t find the letter.
Ratchet up	Increase.	The media are trying to RATCHET UP the pressure on the president.
Rattle off	Quote figures rapidly.	She RATTLED OFF loads of statistics which nobody could understand.
Reach out	Stretch your arm to get something.	I REACHED OUT and caught the ball.
Reach out for	Try to achieve something difficult.	They are REACHING OUT FOR major economic reforms.
Reach out	Ask for help.	I REACHED OUT TO you when I was in
to	Ask for help.	trouble and you were a great help.
Reach out	Offer help.	Charities are REACHING OUT TO those
to	Offer help.	who lost their homes in the floods.
Reach out	Try to communicate and establish good	The candidates are REACHING OUT TO
to	relations with people.	the poor to get their votes.
Read off	Read a list aloud for someone to write	I READ OFF the figures and she wrote
Read off	down.	them down in her notebook.
Read out	Read aloud rather than silently.	The teacher READ OUT the names of the students who’d passed.
Read up on	Research.	I’ve been READING UP ON Japan as I’m going to live there next year.
Reason out	Come to a conclusion or solution after	He REASONED OUT the answer to the
Reason out	some thought.	math problem.
Reckon on	The minimum expected.	Jeff says we can RECKON ON there being at least fifty people there tonight.
Reel in	Catch a fish on a line and pull the line to land.	He REELED IN a ten-pound salmon.
Reel in	Attract people, especially customers, to	They hope the discounts will REEL

	get them to do what you want them to.	people IN.
Reel off	Quote statistics or facts rapidly.	The minister REELED OFF a load of figures to support her position.
Reel off	Score a lot of points or win a lot of games one after the other.	They REELED OFF five victories and became the champions.
Reel out	Unwind.	I REELED OUT the hose and watered the lawn.
Rein in	Control someone or something to stop them causing more trouble.	They had to REIN the minister IN after her dreadful performance on TV.
Rent out	Let, grant a service or allow usage for a fee.	They RENTED their house OUT while the were abroad.
Ride off	Go away on a bike, horse, etc.	She got on her motorbike and RODE OFF.
Ride on	Depend on.	His reputation is RIDING ON this deal working out.
Ride out	Survive a difficult time.	They managed to RIDE OUT the recession.
Ride up	Move higher on the body (of clothes).	Her skirt RODE UP when she sat down.
Ring back	Return a phonecall.	I phoned and left a message this morning but she still hasn’t RUNG me BACK.
Ring in	Telephone to inform or confirm something.	I RANG IN and told them I would be late.
Ring off	Finish a phone conversation.	Dave RANG OFF guiltily when he saw his boss coming.
Ring out	Make a sudden loud sound.	Two shots RANG OUT and then we heard a scream.
Ring round	Telephone a number of people, usually to try to get some information.	I RANG ROUND to see if anyone knew where she’d gone.
Ring up	Telephone.	Helen RANG me UP earlier.
Ring up	Achieve an amount or number.	They RANG UP several victories.
Ring up	Enter figures into a till or cash register.	They RANG UP the bill for the groceries.
Ring with	When a place is full of a loud sound.	The room RANG WITH their laughter.
Rip off	Charge excessively or obtain money unfairly.	Tourists get RIPPED OFF a lot when they don’t speak the language.
Roll back	Retreat.	The army ROLLED BACK when they came under attack.
Roll back	Reduce or remove.	The government want to ROLL BACK the freedom of the press.
Roll by	Pass (time).	The years ROLLED BY.
Roll in	Arrive somewhere, especially if late.	They ROLLED IN very drunk at three o’clock in the morning.
Roll in	Arrive in large numbers, for military vehicles.	The tanks ROLLED IN and took control of the capital city.
Roll on	When something continues to happen.	The competition ROLLED ON despite the administrative problems.
Roll on!	Said when you can’t wait for something nice in the future.	Roll on Friday! It’s been a dreadful week.

Roll out	Launch or introduce a new product,	The company ROLLED OUT its takeover
Roll out	initiative, etc..	plans last week.
Roll up	To appear in large numbers for an event.	Thousands ROLLED UP to see the stars at the film premiere.
Roll up!	An imperative used to attract people to a public event.	Roll up! Come and see the circus tonight.
Romp in	Win easily.	In the first race, the favourite ROMPED IN.
Romp	Do something easily or quickly.	We ROMPED THROUGH the tasks
through	Do something easily or quickly.	because they were so simple.
Room in	To keep a mother and baby together after the birth.	Nowadays, most hospitals have a policy of ROOMING IN mothers and their babies.
Root about	Look in a place to try to find something.	He ROOTED ABOUT in his briefcase, trying to find a pen.
Root around	Look in a place to try to find something.	I ROOTED AROUND my flat trying to find the letter.
Root for	Support.	Everyone was ROOTING FOR Arsenal to win the Champions League.
Root out	Look for and find.	The police ROOTED OUT the informer.
Root out	Find the source of a problem and remove it.	They are trying to ROOT OUT the troublemakers.
Root up	Dig a plant out of the ground.	He ROOTED UP the plants and replanted them.
		The teacher ROPED her students IN to
Rope in	Get somebody to help.	carry her stuff when she had to change classroom.
Rope into	Get someone to help or become involved,	I got ROPED INTO helping them set the
Rope into	usually when they don’t want to.	stall up.
Rope off	Extend ropes or barriers across or around	The celebrity entrance was ROPED OFF
Rope off	an area.	from the general public.
Rough up	Assault.	The mugger ROUGHED him UP when he refused to hand his wallet over.
Round off	Finish something in a satisfactory manner.	Winning the FA Cup ROUNDED OFF a wonderful season for Arsenal.
Row back	Retreat from a position.	The prime minister refused to ROW BACK and lost the vote.
Rub along	Have a reasonably good relationship.	They’re not friends, but we RUB ALONG.
Rub down	Dry or clean something with a cloth.	She RUBBED the horse DOWN with a towel after riding it.
Rub down	Massage or rub someone to help them	The trainer RUBBED her DOWN after
Rub down	relax.	the race.
Rub in	Apply a substance like cream or ointment	He applied the steroid cream and
Rub in	and rub it until it is absorbed.	RUBBED it IN.
Rub it in	Emphasise how bad a situation is to make someone feel worse.	Even though the minister had resigned, the press RUBBED IT IN by publishing more details of the scandal.

Rub off on	Pass a quality or characteristic to people.	His enthusiasm RUBS OFF ON everyone around him.
Rub out	Delete ink or pencil with an eraser.	He RUBBED OUT the figure and wrote the correct one in.
Rub out	Kill.	The gangsters RUBBED him OUT for stealing from them.
Rub up against	Touch someone in a sensual or sexual way.	The cat RUBBED UP AGAINST my leg purring.
Rub up on	Revise.	I need to RUB UP ON my Portuguese before I go to Brazil.
Rule out	Exclude a possibility.	The police have RULED OUT suicide and are treating it as a case of murder.
Run across	Meet or find accidentally.	I RAN ACROSS an old friend in the library.
Run after	Chase, pursue.	The police RAN AFTER the guy who’d stolen it, but he was too fast for them.
Run after	Try to become romantically involved with someone.	He was RUNNING AFTER her for ages never managed to get a date.
Run against	Oppose, make difficulties.	Opinion is RUNNING AGAINST his policies and he has very little support.
Run along	Go away, leave (often as an imperative).	They kept disturbing him, so he told them to RUN ALONG and leave him in peace.
Run around	Be very busy doing many things.	I’m exhausted- I’ve been RUNNING AROUND all day.
Run away	Escape from people chasing you.	He RAN AWAY from his attackers.
Run away	Leave home because of problems with	She RAN AWAY to avoid a forced
Run away	other family members or to elope.	marriage.
Run down	Hit a pedestrian with a vehicle.	The minicab RAN him DOWN on the zebra crossing.
Run down	Lose energy or power.	You should only recharge the battery when it has fully RUN DOWN.
Run down	Criticise, disparage.	They’re always RUNNING me DOWN and I am sick and tired of it.
Run down	Find the source or origin of something.	The police RAN DOWN all the leads they had and caught them.
Run for	Campaign for a position.	She’s thinking about RUNNING FOR the presidency.
Run in	Arrest, take to police station for questioning.	They RAN him IN last night.
Run in	Drive a new car carefully in order not to damage the engine.	She RAN the car IN for a thousand miles.
Run in	Pay a casual visit.	We RAN IN and chatted for an hour.
Run in	Insert.	He RAN a graph IN next to the text. The project has RUN INTO millions of
Run into	Cost.	dollars without any prospect of a return on this investment.

Run into	Meet by accident.	I RAN INTO James in a bar in the City on Friday.
Run off	Make photocopies.	Could you RUN OFF two hundred copies of this report, please.
Run on	Be powered by.	The van RUNS ON diesel.
Run out of	Have none left.	We’ve RUN OUT OF sugar; I’m going to the shops for some.
Run over	Explain quickly.	Could you RUN OVER that point again; I’m afraid I didn’t quite understand it.
		The driver couldn’t stop in time and RAN
Run over	Hit with a vehicle.	the fox OVER when it ran in front of his par
Run over	Exceed a time limit.	V»/d 1. The meeting RAN OVER by twenty minutes.
Run	Practise a dramatic work like a play	The cast RAN THROUGH the play the
through	quickly.	day before it opened to the public.
Run	Stab or wound deeply with a knife, sword,	The musketeer RAN his enemy
through	etc..	THROUGH with a sword and killed him.
Run to	Go to someone for help.	Whenever he gets into debt, he RUNS TO his parents for help.
Run to	Include in things you like.	His musical tastes RUN TO the Residents, who are hated by most people.
Run to	Have enough money to buy something,	Things are a bit tight and won’t RUN TO
Run to	often negative.	going abroad for a holiday.
Run up	Move quickly to where someone is.	He RAN UP next to me and started shouting.
Run up	Hoist, raise a flag.	They RAN UP the Union Jack.
Run up	Do or make something very quickly.	He RAN UP a few examples for them to look at.
Run up	Spend a lot of money on credit.	He RAN UP a lot of bills at the hotel.
Run up against	Encounter problems, often unexpected.	They RAN UP AGAINST a lot of opposition to the construction. Robert was sitting in his car and a guy
Run up on	Approach someone without their knowing.	RAN UP ON him and shot through the car but missed.
Run with	Keep company, normally bad.	She RUNS WITH some dodgy characters.
Rush away	Leave a place in a hurry.	They RUSHED AWAY when the police arrived.
		They don’t want to be RUSHED INTO
Rush into	Do something too quickly.	giving an answer and have asked for more time.
Rush off	Depart in a hurry.	Zac RUSHED OFF to get to his medical appointment.
Rush out	Release or put something on sale quickly.	They RUSHED the single OUT after it started getting airplay.
Rustle up	Make something quickly without much	We RUSTLED UP dinner from what was

	preparation.	in the fridge.
Saddle up	Put a saddle on and prepare an animal to ride.	She SADDLED UP the horse and rode off.
Saddle with	Give someone a task or responsibility that	They SADDLED me WITH preparing the
Saddle with	is difficult or hard work.	visit.
Sag off	Not go to school or work, or leave early	I was bored so I SAGGED OFF work
Sag off	when you shouldn’t.	early and went home.
Sail into	Criticise angrily.	He SAILED INTO me for turning up an hour late.
Sail through Pass easily, succeed.		He SAILED THROUGH the final test.
Sally forth	Leave somewhere safe or comfortable.	The townspeople SALLIED FORTH to fight the invading army.
Sally out	Leave somewhere safe or comfortable.	Though it was pouring with rain, we SALLIED OUT to meet her.
Salt away	Save money.	She’s making a lot of money, but SALTS it AWAY rather than spending it.
Save on	Reduce or avoid consumption to cut costs.	I use Skype to SAVE ON my phone bills.
Save up	For money for a particular purpose.	He’s SAVING UP to buy a car.
Save up	Collect or store something for future use.	I’m SAVING UP the receipts to claim on them all at once.
Saw off	To remove something by cutting it with a saw.	He SAWED OFF the legs of the chair.
Saw up	Cut into pieces with a saw.	We SAWED the plank UP to make the shelves.
Scale back	Make something smaller than originally	They had to SCALE BACK the project
Scale back	planned.	because of the costs.
Scale down	Make something smaller than originally	They have had to SCALE DOWN the
Scale down	planned.	project because of the costs.
Scale up	Increase, make bigger.	They are SCALING UP the programme because it has been so successful.
Scare away	Frighten someone some much that they go away.	The cat SCARED the birds AWAY.
Scare off	Make someone so frightened that he or she The vicious Doberman guard-dog
Scare off	away.	SCARED the burglars AWAY.
Scout about	Look in different places for something.	The company is SCOUTING ABOUT for new staff.
Scout	Look in different places for something.	We SCOUTED AROUND to find the best
around	Look in different places for something.	price.
Scout out	Search for something.	The researcher spent months SCOUTING OUT the answer.
Scout round Look in different places for something.		I SCOUTED ROUND for a bargain.
^Irnnt nn	Try to find someone for a task or	We’d better SCOUT UP a replacement for
	requirement.	her.
Scrape along	Manage with little money.	I’ve been SCRAPING ALONG on temporary work since I lost my job.
Scrape by	Just manage to pass something.	I thought I was going to fail, but SCRAPED BY with 51%.

Scrape in	Just get enough to succeed, pass or be	The government SCRAPED IN with 51%
Scrape in	accepted.	of the votes cast.
Scrape into	Be accepted somewhere, but only just.	She got mediocre grades and just SCRAPED INTO university.
Scrape through	Pass a test but only just.	I did no revision and only just SCRAPED THROUGH the final exams.
Scrape together Scrape up	Manage to collect enough of something you need, usually money. Manage to collect enough of something you need, usually money. Separate a part of a room with something like a curtain, screen, etc..	I had to search my flat for money to SCRAPE TOGETHER what I needed. It took me ages to SCRAPE UP the money for the tickets. We SCREENED OFF the area where we

Screen off		had the discussion from the rest of the
Screen out		meeting. Applicants without the right qualifications were SCREENED OUT.
Screen out	Exclude.
Screen out	Block light.	The sun cream SCREENS OUT UV light.
Screen out	Stop noticing something.	There are so many notices and signs that I have started SCREENING them OUT.
Screw around Screw around Screw over Screw up	Waste time.	He spent the afternoon SCREWING AROUD and got nothing done. He SCREWED AROUND a lot at university. The IRS really SCREWED him OVER. David SCREWED UP his oral exam but still managed to scrape a pass.
	Be sexually promiscuous.
	Treat harshly or cheat. Do badly or fail.
See about	Arrange, consider.	I’ll SEE ABOUT whether we can manage it.
See into	Accompany someone into an office.	Her secretary SAW me INTO her office.
See off	Chase somebody or something away.	A cat came into the back garden but the dog soon SAW it OFF.
See off	Go to the airport, station, etc., to say goodbye to someone.	I went to the station to SEE them OFF.
See out	Accompany a guest to your front door	Are you sure you’re going? I’ll get your
See out	when they are leaving your house.	coats and SEE you OUT. They had a lot of difficulties in
	when they are leaving your house.	coats and SEE you OUT. They had a lot of difficulties in
See through	Continue with something to the end.	implementing the project, but the team SAW it THROUGH successfully.
See through	Realise someone is lying or being	The police quickly SAW THROUGH her
See through	deceitful.	disguise and arrested her.
See to	Deal with something.	He SAW TO the arrangements and everything ran smoothly and efficiently.
Sell off	Sell a business or part of it.	They SOLD OFF their research subsidiary.
Sell off	Sell something cheaply because you need	She SOLD OFF her furniture before she
Sell off	the money or don’t need it.	emigrated.
Sell on	Convince someone.	We managed to SELL him ON the expansion plans.

Sell on	Buy something then sell it to someone else. Have no more of something left because it has been bought.	We buy them wholesale and SELL them ON to the public. The tickets for the Primal Scream concert

Sell out		at the Brixton Academy SOLD OUT in a couple of hours.
	Lose all artistic integrity in return for commercial success.	Most bands SELL OUT when they sign to
Sell out		a major record label, and forget all their principles when pursuing chart success.
Sell up	Sell a house or business to move	We want to SELL UP and move to the
Sell up	somewhere or do something different.	country.
Send back	Return something.	I SENT my food BACK because it was overcooked.
Send for	Ask someone to come and help.	I had to SEND FOR a plumber because the radiator was leaking.
Send in	Order people into a place to handle a problem.	The police were SENT IN to quell the riot as the protesters had started burning cars
Send in Send off	Order people into a place to handle a problem.	and wrecking shops. If you want to enter the competition, you have to SEND IN for an entry form. The football striker was SENT OFF for arguing with the referee’s decision.
	Write to get information.
	Expel a sports player from a match.
Send off	Post a letter.	I must SEND this letter OFF today otherwise it won’t get there in time.
Send off for	Order something by post.	I SENT OFF FOR some jeans that I liked in the catalogue.
Send out	Send something to a lot of people.	They SENT OUT a mailshot to all their existing customers.
Send out for	Order takeaway food by phone.	We couldn’t be bothered to cook, so we SENT OUT FOR a pizza. The mischievous schoolboy was standing

Send up	Imitate/impersonate for comic effect.	at the front of the class, SENDING the teacher UP, when the teacher opened the door behind him.
Set about	Start doing something.	We SET ABOUT the cleaning and got it done before lunchtime.
Set about	Attack.	The gang SET ABOUT her as she left the bank.
Set apart	Distinguish, be better than or different	The quality of their work SETS them
Set apart	from others.	APART from their rivals. The Appeal Court SET ASIDE the guilty
	from others.
Set aside	Overturn a court verdict or decision.	verdict because the evidence was unsatisfactory and declared her not guilty.
Set back	Cost.	The car repairs SET me BACK eight hundred pounds.
Set back	Delay.	The accident SET the project BACK several months.
Set forth	State or outline an opinion.	He SET FORTH his ideas in his autobiography.

Set forth	Start a journey.	We SET FORTH at daybreak for the summit of the mountain.
Set in	Change season noticeably.	Winter has SET IN; it’s started snowing. Terrorists SET OFF a car bomb in the city
Set off	Explode a bomb.	centre last night. Fortunately, no-one was hurt or killed.
Set off	Ring an alarm.	The smoke SET the fire alarm OFF.
Set off	Start a journey.	We SET OFF for work at seven-thirty.
Set off	Counterbalance a debt.	The company SET OFF its overseas debts against it profits at home.
Set off	Provide a visual contrast that looks good.	The dark frame SETS the pale drawing OFF well.
Set off	Cause, trigger events.	The pay freeze SET OFF a wave of strikes.
Set on	Attack.	He was SET ON when he left the bar.
Set out	Display, show.	The figures are SET OUT in the council’s annual report.
Set out	Start a journey.	The explorers SET OUT for the South Pole yesterday morning.
Set out	Arrange, organise.	The contract SETS OUT all the details of the agreement.
Set to	Work hard or enthusiastically.	If we all SET TO, we should be able to finish this in a few hours.
Set up	Prepare equipment, software, etc., for use.	The technician SET UP the computer network perfectly.
		They SET UP a dot com company, floated
Set up	Start a company.	it a couple of years later on the Stock Exchange and made an absolute fortune.
Set up	Provide someone with the money needed to live.	Winning the lottery SET them UP for life.
Set up	Trick, deceive.	The police SET them UP.
Set upon	Attack.	They SET UPON her when she was in the car park.
		After years of partying and drinking, she
Settle down	Start living a fixed and routine life.	finally got married and SETTLED DOWN.
Settle for Settle in	Accept whatever is available. Get used to.	We were upset not to win and had to SETTLE FOR the second prize. It took him a while to SETTLE IN when he moved to Japan. They couldn’t agree at first on a name for

Settle on	Agree.	their daughter, but finally SETTLED ON Alice.
Settle up	Pay a debt.	Let’s SETTLE UP for the dinner the other night.
Sex up	Change information to make it more	The government denied that they had
	attractive to the reader or listener.	SEXED UP the report to make the front

		page.
Shack up	Live with someone when you are in a relationship..	They SHACKED UP a few months after they started going out.
Shack up	Live somewhere temporarily.	We had to SHACK UP with friends while our house was being decorated.
Shade in	Make a part of a picture darker.	She SHADED IN the area under the tree.
Shake down Search.		The police SHOOK the house DOWN looking for drugs.
		He SHOOK the guy DOWN with some
Shake down Extort or cheat money from someone.		story about needing the money for an
		operation.
Shake off	Get rid of an illness.	It took me ages to SHAKE OFF the cough.
Shake out	Shake clothes, cloths, etc to remove dirt or He took the tablecloth outside and
Shake out	creases.	SHOOK it OUT after dinner.
Shake up	Upset or shock.	The news of her death really SHOOK me UP.
Shake up	Make major changes to improve or save a company, organisation, etc.	The management are SHAKING things UP and getting rid of a lot of workers.
Shake up	Mix things in a container by shaking hard.	Pour the ingredients into a container and SHAKE them UP.
Shape up	Develop in a positive way.	Things are SHAPING UP at work- everything’s going well again.
Shape up	Improve to reach an acceptable standard.	If they don’t start SHAPING UP, they’re going to lose their jobs.
Shave off	Shave completely.	He has SHAVED OFF his moustache and looks much younger.
Shave off	Reduce by a small amount.	He SHAVED a few thousand OFF the budget for the year.
Shell out	Spend money on something, especially when you think it’s too expensive.	I had to SHELL OUT a hundred pounds on the dinner.
Ship off	Send someone away, often because of a problem.	He was causing a lot of trouble, so they SHIPPED him OFF to another branch
Ship out	Send goods to a place.	We SHIPPED the order OUT two days ago.
Ship out	Leave a place.	If you’ve finished your work, I’m ready to SHIP OUT.
Shoot away	Leave somewhere quickly.	He SHOT AWAY as soon as the bell rang for the end of the lesson.
Shoot back	Return quickly.	I’m SHOOTING BACK home to pick up some things I forgot to bring with me.
Shoot for	Have as a goal.	I’m SHOOTING FOR nothing less than the presidency. I’ll have to SHOOT OFF as soon as the
Shoot off	Leave promptly and quickly.	lesson finishes, otherwise I’ll miss my train.
Shoot out	Go out for a short time.	I’m SHOOTING OUT to the shops for a

		paper.
Shoot up	Increase quickly.	The share prices of internet companies have been SHOOTING UP lately.
Shoot up	Take illicit drugs intravenously..	The heroin-user would SHOOT UP in shop doorways.
Shoot up	Damage with gun-shots.	The gangsters SHOT UP the pub.
Shoot up	Increase quickly, grow.	Johnny has SHOT UP since I last saw him
Shop	Look around for the best price, quality,	If you SHOP AROUND, you can find
around	etc..	some real bargains for air tickets.
Short out	Short circuit.	The battery SHORTED OUT when it got wet.
Shout down	Make so much noise to stop someone	His efforts to raise the issue were
Shout down	being heard.	SHOUTED DOWN.
Shout out	Say something loudly, often to attract someone’s attention.	She SHOUTED OUT my name.
Show	Take someone to a place to show them	The estate agent SHOWED us AROUND
around	certain parts.	the house but we didn’t like it much.
Show in	Take someone into an office or other room.	The secretary SHOWED me IN to speak to the manager.
Show off	Behave in a way so as to attract attention.	The children were SHOWING OFF and irritated me.
Show off	Display something you are proud of.	He wanted to SHOW OFF his new sound system.
Show off	Make the qualities of another thing more apparent.	The shirt really SHOWED OFF his new tie.
Show out	Take someone to out of a room or building.	Her secretary SHOWED me OUT after the interview.
Show over	Take someone around a site.	He SHOWED us OVER the scene of the accident
Show round	Take someone to a place to show them certain parts.	The guide SHOWED them ROUND the historic part of the city.
Show	When a feeling can be seen despite	His anger SHOWED THROUGH despite
through	attempts to conceal it.	his smile.
Show up	Attend something or arrive somewhere.	Very few SHOWED UP at the meeting.
Show up	Become clear or apparent.	The downturn in sales SHOWED UP in the company’s accounts.
Show up	Make someone feel embarrassed or	He SHOWED us UP when he arrived
Show up	ashamed.	drunk and started arguing.
Shrug off	Disregard something, not consider it important or harmful.	He SHRUGGED OFF the criticism and carried on the same way. Many people have been SHUT AWAY in
Shut away	Imprison or remove someone’s freedom.	psychiatric hospitals for disagreeing with the government.
Shut down	Close a business, shop, etc..	The shop SHUT DOWN when the out-oftown supermarket opened.
Shut down	Turn a computer off.	You should close all programs before you

Shut in	Prevent someone from leaving.	SHUT a computer DOWN. I SHUT the cat IN until it was time to go to the vet.
Shut off	Close, prevent access.	They SHUT the water OFF while they did the repairs.
Shut out	Exclude.	You have to SHUT your feelings OUT to deal with it.
Shut out	Not allow a player or team to score.	The Dodgers SHUT OUT the Giants 3-0.
Shut out of	Exclude someone from an activity, etc.	He’s been SHUT OUT OF the discussions.
Shut up	Stop talking or making noise.	He told us to SHUT UP and start working.
Shut up	Close for a period of time.	They SHUT the shop UP for a fortnight while they were on holiday.
Shut	Withdraw from company.	She’s SHUT herself AWAY to revise for
yourself away	Withdraw from company.	her exams.
yourself away		her exams.
Shy away	Avoid doing something because you lack	Many learners SHY AWAY FROM using
from	confidence.	phrasal verbs.
Side with	Support someone.	The lecturer SIDED WITH her students and got sacked for her pains.
Sidle up to	Approach someone discreetly.	He SIDLED UP TO me and whispered his name.
		We had to SIFT THROUGH thousands of
Sift through Examine a lot of things carefully.		files before we found what we were
		looking for. He SIGNED AWAY his rights to
Sign away	Give away legal or property rights.	compensation when he signed the contract.
Sign for	Write a signature on behalf on someone.	My boss was out for the day, so I SIGNED her letters FOR her.
Sign in	Register in a hotel.	We SIGNED IN and went straight to bed.
Sign in	Open a computer program that requires a name and password.	I SIGNED IN and started chatting online.
Sign in	Write your name when entering a place.	You have to SIGN IN before you can enter the club.
Sign into	Open a particular computer program that requires a name and password. End a message.	I SIGN INTO MSN Messenger automatically when I boot up. I’ll SIGN OFF now, but will write again next week.
Sign off
Sign off	Close a claim for unemployment benefit.	I SIGNED OFF when I got my new job.
Sign off	Stop doing something to leave.	I’m SIGNING OFF now and going home- I’m shattered.
Sign off	Give someone a letter to be away from	My doctor SIGNED me OFF for a month
Sign off	work.	with back problems.
Sign off on	Give official approval.	The director SIGNED OFF ON the plans to increase sales.

Sign on	Open a claim for unemployment benefit.	I had to SIGN ON when I lost my job.
Sign on	Agree to participate.	I’ve SIGNED ON to help at the village fete.
Sign on	Start broadcasting.	He SIGNS ON the same way every show.
Sign on	Employ.	We’ve SIGNED ON two new teachers.
Sign on with	Sign a document joining or agreeing to something.	He’s SIGNED ON WITH Manchester United for the next three years.
Sign out	Close a computer program that requires a name and password.	I SIGNED OUT and then shut the computer down.
Sign out	Sign something to show you have borrowed something.	Could you SIGN those books OUT, please?
Sign out of	Close a particular computer program that requires a name and password.	I SIGNED OUT OF MSN Messenger and shut the computer down.
Sign up	Give your name to do something.	I’ve SIGNED UP as a volunteer.
Sign up	Subscribe.	I SIGNED UP for their newsletter.
Sign with Simmer down	Make a contract with.	She’s SIGNED WITH EMI for the next few years. He told them to SIMMER DOWN
Sign with Simmer down	Become calmer, make less noise.	because they were disturbing the class next door.
Sing along	To sing when a piece of music is being played or performed by someone else..	I SANG ALONG when they played it on the radio.
Sing out	Reply loudly.	When you hear your name, SING OUT!
Sing out	Sing loudly.	Everyone SANG OUT during the chorus.
Sing up	Sing louder.	We can’t hear you- SING UP.
Single out	Select or choose one from a group.	Many people applied for the job but we will SINGLE OUT the best one.
Sink in	Slowly come to be understood.	The truth finally SANK IN about her death when it was broadcast on TV.
Sit about	Sit and do nothing, especially when you should be working.	We spent the afternoon SITTING ABOUT chatting instead of doing any work.
Sit around	Sit idly, doing nothing.	They just SAT AROUND while the others did all the work.
Sit back	Wait for something to happen without making any effort.	We SAT BACK and waited for them to make the first mistake.
Sit back	Relax in a chair.	I SAT BACK and enjoyed the show.
Sit by	Not try to stop something.	I can’t SIT BY while they are punished wrongly.
Sit down	Help someone to sit.	The nurse SAT me DOWN in a chair.
Sit for	Pose for an artist or photographer.	The Queen SAT FOR another official portrait.
Sit for	Look after children while their parents are out.	She SITS FOR her neighbors when they go out.
Sit in	Occupy a building to protest about something.	The students SAT IN the Library as a protest against the increase in tuition fees.
Sit in for	Take on someone’s responsibilities while	Her deputy’s SITTING IN FOR her while

Sit in on	they are absent. Attend as an observer.	she’s away. She SAT IN ON the meeting and took notes but said nothing. She’s SAT ON the finance committee from the beginning. If his girlfriend finds out, she’ll get mad and SIT ON him. The government have been SITTING ON the report because it was so critical. I had to SIT the game OUT because I was ill. WE SAT OVER dinner discussing the plans. I was bored and wanted to leave halfway through, but we SAT THROUGH the film. It’s hard to see how their new plan SITS WITH the promises they made. The doorstaff SIZED UP everyone entering the club. Soft drinks manufacturers have SIZED UP their products in recent years. She SKINNED UP a fat spliff. Who’s going to SKIN UP? I pretended I was ill and SKIVED OFF on Monday. Students usually begin the term well, then SLACK OFF near the end of the semester. Work SLACKENS OFF during the holiday period. The concert was terrible and all the papers SLAGGED the band OFF.
Sit on	Be on a committee.
Sit on	To handle somebody firmly who behaves impertinently, conceitedly. Hold information back or keep it secret. Not take part. Eat or drink slowly. Stay till the end of something dull. Reconcile different positions. Assess a situation or person carefully.. Make something bigger or produce bigger products. Make a cannabis joint. Make a cannabis joint. Avoid doing work or other duty. Reduce one’s effort, perform with less enthusiasm and energy. Become less busy or intense.
Sit on Sit out Sit over Sit through Sit with Size up Size up
Skin up Skin up Skive off Slack off Slacken off

Slag off	Criticise heavily.
Slant toward	Favour one viewpoint, bias.	That travel magazine is totally SLANTED TOWARD the ultra-rich.
Sleep in	Sleep longer than usual.	Let’s SLEEP IN tomorrow morning- we won’t have another chance for weeks.
Sleep off	Sleep in order to recover from excess	She went to bed TO SLEEP OFF the
Sleep off	alcohol, drugs, etc..	effects of the tequila.
Sleep on	Think about something.	My boss said she’d have to SLEEP ON it when I asked her for a raise.
Sleep over	Spend the night at someone else’s house.	The au pair made tea for the friends who were SLEEPING OVER.
Sleep through		I SLEPT THROUGH the storm even
Sleep through	Not wake up.	though the wind blew some slates off the roof.
Slice off	Cut, remove an amount or part of	They CUT 10% OFF the original price.

	something.
Slice up	Cut completely into pieces or slices.	I SLICED the cake UP and handed it round to the people there. Their hopes of getting back into the game SLIPPED AWAY after the second goal. The year has SLIPPED AWAY and it is hard to believe it’s over.
Slip away	Lose an opportunity or the chance of winning, succeeding, etc. Pass quickly (time).
Slip away
Slip by	Pass quickly (time).	The years SLIP BY as you get older.
Slip by	Lose an opportunity or the chance of	He didn’t follow the offer up and let it
Slip by	winning, succeeding, etc.	SLIP BY.
Slip down	Be enjoyable to drink or eat.	The cold beer SLIPPED DOWN a treat after the walk.
Slip in	Try to include something discreetly when	He SLIPPED IN a mention of his exam
Slip in	speaking.	results to remind us how well he did.
Slip into	Put clothes on quickly.	I got out of my suit and SLIPPED INTO my pyjamas.
Slip into	Acquire bad habits or fall into a bad or	The economy SLIPPED INTO recession
Slip into	negative state or condition.	and shows no signs of recovery.
Slip off	Leave a place discreetly.	It was very boring so we SLIPPED OFF before it finished.
Slip off	Remove clothes.	I SLIPPED my shoes OFF when I entered.
Slip off to Slip on	Go somewhere discreetly. Put clothes on quickly.	We SLIPPED OFF TO the pub. I SLIPPED my coat ON and rushed outside.
Slip out	Leave discreetly.	The party was really dull so we SLIPPED OUT and went to the pub instead.
Slip up	Make an error.	The waitress SLIPPED UP and didn’t bring us what we had ordered.
Slob about	Be lazy, do nothing.	I SLOBBED ABOUT all day as I couldn’t be bothered to do any work.
Slob around	Be lazy, do nothing.	I spent the day SLOBBING AROUND at home.
Slope off	Leave somewhere without letting others	The lecture sounded really boring, so I
Slope off	know.	SLOPED OFF and went to the pub. The government is increasing its powers
	know.
Slough off	Get rid of, dispose.	but is SLOUGHING OFF responsibility for its failures.
Slough off	Lose or shed outer layers of skin.	Snakes SLOUGH OFF their old skin.
Slough off	Ignore or trivialize an injury or insult.	He SLOUGHED OFF the pain and continued running.
Slow down	Reduce speed.	The car SLOWED DOWN when they saw the police.
Slow down	Become less active.	It is important to slow down, rest, and eat sensibly.
Slow up	Slow the progress of something.	The negotiations were SLOWED UP by the arguments.

Slug it out	Fight or argue.	They SLUGGED IT OUT for hours but never came to an agreement.
Smack of	Appear to have a negative quality.	The government’s decision SMACKS OF hypocrisy.
Smash down	Demolish or break something down.	The police SMASHED the door DOWN to get into the house.
Smash in	Break something by hitting it repeatedly.	He SMASHED the windscreen IN.
Smash up	Destroy, break into many pieces.	The burglars SMASHED UP the office as there was no money to steal.
Smoke out	Force someone out of a place they’re	The police SMOKED the gang OUT and
Smoke out	hiding in.	arrested them.
Snaffle up	Consume, take, buy something other people may want.	They SNAFFLED UP all the food before we got there.
Snap off	Break a piece off something.	He SNAPPED OFF a bit of chocolate from the bar and gave it to me..
Snap out of	Control negative emotions.	I was feeling depressed and knew I had to SNAP OUT OF it.
Snap to it!	Do something quickly.	He had taken ages so I told him to SNAP TO IT and get it finished.
Snap up	Get, acquire or buy something quickly.	Collectors SNAPPED UP every copy the day it was released.
Snarl up	Entangle.	My line was all SNARLED UP after I caught that last fish.
Sneak out	Depart furtively.	Although the thieves tried to SNEAK OUT after dark, we were ready for them.
Sneak up on	Approach someone furtively.	Dave tried to SNEAK UP ON the guard, but was seen anyway.
Sniff	Look around to see how good something	I SNIFFED AROUND to see if I could
around	is or to try to find something better.	find a better deal.
Sniff at	Disapprove or be scornful.	A job opportunity like that is not to be SNIFFED AT.
Sniff out	Find something by smell (usually for	Customs use dogs to SNIFF OUT illegal
Sniff out	dogs).	drugs being smuggled in.
Sniff out	Find out information, especially when	Our rivals are trying to SNIFF OUT our
Sniff out	people don’t want anyone to know.	plans for expansion.
Snitch on	Divulge secrets, inform authorities about	Reggie was caught after someone
Snitch on	someone.	SNITCHED ON him to the teacher.
Snuff out	Extinguish a small flame by covering it.	I SNUFFED OUT the candles before I went to bed.
Snuff out	Kill.	He got SNUFFED OUT in a gang war. I messed up the first question, which
Snuff out	End something suddenly.	SNUFFED OUT my chances of getting a good grade.
Sober up	Stop showing the effects of alcohol or drugs.	Keith SOBERED UP a bit when we left the pub and walked home.

Soften up Soften up	Weaken. Do things to please someone in the hope that they will do what you want. Continue even when things get difficult. Resolve a problem.	The bombardment SOFTENED UP their defenses; I think we can move in tomorrow. I paid for everything to SOFTEN them UP before they made the decision. Life got hard for my dog when he went blind, but he just SOLDIERED ON and never complained. Has the firm SORTED OUT its tax problems yet? He SOUNDED OFF about the quality of the food. You should SOUND her OUT to get her

Soldier on Sort out
Sound off	To express your opinions forcefully.
	Check what someone thinks about an issue, idea, etc..
Sound out	Check what someone thinks about an issue, idea, etc..	opinion before you go ahead with the plan.
Spaff away Spark off	Waste (money, time, resources, etc). Cause something, usually unpleasant, to happen. Light a cigarette or joint.	The council is SPAFFING AWAY our taxes on bonuses and consultants. The riot was SPARKED OFF by the police raid on the club. They SPARKED UP in a no smoking
Spark up
Spark up		area.
Speak out	Talk openly and freely.	People are afraid to SPEAK OUT in oppressive political regimes.
Speak up	Talk more loudly.	They couldn’t hear the speaker and asked him to SPEAK UP a bit.
Spell out	Explain something in great detail.	He won’t understand you unless you SPELL everything OUT for him.
Spell out	Write or say the individual letters that	I had to SPELL my surname OUT to him
Spell out	make up a word.	as he didn’t know how to spell it.
Spew out	Expel, throw out.	The volcano is SPEWING OUT lava and hot gases.
Spew up	Vomit.	He SPEWED UP when he was drunk.
Spill out	When large numbers of people leave a	The crowd SPILLED OUT onto the
Spill out	place at the same time.	streets after the match had ended.
Spill out	Come or flow out of a box, container, etc.	The container was cracked and the chemicals SPILLED OUT.
Spill out	Express or display emotions openly.	I let my frustration SPILL OUT.
Spill over	When something bad has a wider impact on other people or situations.	The protests and demonstrations have SPILLED OVER into neighbouring states.
Spill over	Flow over the edge or top of a container.	I forgot to turn the tap off and the water SPILLED OVER.
		The research SPUN OFF a number of
Spin off	Produce an unexpected additional benefit.	new products as well as solving the problem.
Spin off	Form a separate company from part of an	They SPUN OFF the retail division last
Spin off	existing one.	year.
Spin off	Create a TV show using characters from a	They SPUN it OFF from the main show,

	popular show.	but it didn’t really attract many viewers.
Spin out	Lose control (vehicle).	The car hit the water and SPUN OUT.
Spin out	Make something last as long as possible.	I SPUN the work OUT to make as much money from the job as I could.
Spirit away	Remove someone secretly from a place.	They SPIRITED her AWAY before the police arrived.
Spirit off	Remove someone secretly from a place.	They SPIRITED him OFF before any trouble started.
Spit it out	An informal way of telling someone to say Hurry up, SPIT IT OUT! I can’t wait all something they are unwilling to say. day for the truth.
Spit out	Say something angrily.	He SPAT her name OUT when he saw her arrive.
Splash down	Land in the sea (space capsules).	Apollo 13 SPLASHED DOWN after a harrowing flight.
Splash out	Spend a lot of money on something that is not essential.	We went to an expensive restaurant and SPLASHED OUT to celebrate
Splash out on	Spend a lot of money on something.	I SPLASHED OUT ON a new camera.
Split up	Divide into groups.	The teacher SPLIT the class UP into groups of four.
Split up	Finish a relationship.	They are always SPLITTING UP and then getting back together again.
Spoil for	Really want something.	He’s been SPOILING FOR an argument all day.
Sponge down	Clean something with a sponge.	I’ll SPONGE it DOWN before putting it away.
Sponge off	Accept free food and support without any shame or qualms.	Let’s go to New York, we can always SPONGE OFF my brother there.
Sponge on	Accept or get money without doing any work.	A lot of people are SPONGING ON the state by claiming benefits they’re not entitled to.
Spring back	Return to original position after being bent, forced or when pressure is removed.	The lock SPRINGS BACK when the key is turned.
Spring for	Pay for, often generously.	She is going to SPRING FOR all their medical bills.
Spring from Appear suddenly and unexpectedly.		He SPRANG FROM the bushes when I walked past.
Spring from Be the cause of something.		His anger SPRINGS FROM his feelings of insecurity.
Spring on	Surprise someone.	They SPRUNG a birthday party ON me at work.
Spring up	Appear suddenly.	Charity shops are SPRINGING UP in the recession.
Spruce up	To smarten, make something neat and tidy.	We SPRUCED the flat UP before we put it on the market.
Spur on	Encourage someone to continue.	The thought of the bonus SPURRED her ON to complete the work on time.

Square away	Finish or sort something out.	There are few things I have to SQUARE AWAY before I can leave.
	Confront someone or prepare to fight them.	The two drunks SQUARED OFF and the
Square off	Confront someone or prepare to fight them.	barman had to intervene before a fight broke out.
Square off	Confront someone or prepare to fight	They SQUARED OFF AGAINST the
against	them.	police when they arrived.
Square up	Pay back a debt.	Can I SQUARE UP with you for last night?
Square up	Confront someone or prepare to fight them.	The companies are SQUARING UP for a fight.
Square up to	Accept responsibility or guilt.	They need to SQUARE UP TO what they did wrong if we are to make any progress.
Square with	Match, conform to.	What he said doesn’t SQUARE WITH what the others said.
Square with	Check with someone that something is OK.	I’ll have to CHECK that WITH my boss before I can confirm it.
Squeeze up	Get more people into a space than normal	Four of us had to SQUEEZE UP in the
Squeeze up	or comfortable.	back of the car.
Stack up	Put things in a pile.	I STACKED UP the boxes.
Stack up	Accumulate.	Work STACKED UP while I was away on holiday.
Stack up	Increase, accumulate something.	I’ve been STACKING UP a lot of air miles.
Stack up	Be logical, make sense.	The budget figures don’t STACK UP.
Stack up	Build up the number of planes waiting to	Planes were STACKING UP while the
Stack up	land at an airport.	airport was closed after the bomb threat.
Stack up	Be as good as something.	The new model doesn’t STACK UP
against	Be as good as something.	AGAINST the old one.
Staff up	Employ someone for something specific.	They haven’t STAFFED the project UP yet.
Stamp out	Get rid of something.	The government has started a campaign to STAMP OUT drugs in schools.
Stand about	Spend time in a place waiting or doing	We STOOD ABOUT drinking coffee
Stand about	nothing or very little.	before the lecture.
Stand	Spend time in a place waiting or doing	We STOOD AROUND for an hour
around	nothing or very little. Leave a position so that someone else can take it.	waiting for them to turn up. The prime minister should STAND
Stand aside		ASIDE and let a new leader head the party.
Stand back	Keep a distance from something.	We STOOD BACK while he lit the firework.
Stand back	Try to understand something by taking a	We need to STAND BACK and look at
Stand back	different perspective.	the problem differently.
Stand by	Support someone.	He STOOD BY her throughout the trial as he believed her to be innocent.
Stand by	Be ready and waiting for something to	The emergency services were

	happen.	STANDING BY waiting for the plane to land.
Stand down	Leave a job or position so that someone	The minister announced her intention to
Stand down	else can take it.	STAND DOWN at the next election.
Stand down	Finish being asked questions in a court.	The judge told the witness to STAND DOWN after the questioning.
Stand for	Accept or tolerate behaviour.	I’m not going to STAND FOR their rudeness any longer.
Stand for	The words represented by certain initials.	‘WHAT do the letters BBC STAND FOR? ‘ ‘British Broadcasting Corporation.’
Stand in for	Substitute someone temporarily.	She had to STAND IN FOR the editor while he was on holiday.
Stand out	Be extraordinary and different.	She STOOD OUT from the crowd in selection and was offered the job.
Stand up	Move from a sitting or lying down to a vertical position.	Everybody STOOD UP when the judge entered the court.
Stand up	Fail to keep an appointment.	He agreed to meet me last night, but he STOOD me UP.
Stand up for	Defend, support.	He’s the kind of manager who will always STAND UP FOR his staff.
Stand up to	Keep your principles when challenged by an authority.	She STOOD UP TO the police when they tried to corrupt her.
Stand up to	Resist damage.	This coat will STAND UP TO the roughest weather conditions.
Stare down	Look at someone until they cannot look at	He was angry but I STARED him DOWN
Stare down	you.	and he left without saying much.
Start off	Make something start.	They STARTED OFF the meeting with an attack on our performance.
Start off	Begin life, a career or existence.	She STARTED OFF as a receptionist and ended up as the CEO.
Start off	Begin a journey.	We STARTED OFF early because we knew the journey would take all day.
Start off	Make someone laugh.	I was trying to be serious, but their comment STARTED me OFF.
Start off on	Help someone to start a piece or work or activity.	I STARTED her OFF ON the project then left her to finish it.
Start on	Begin to use or consume.	It’s time to START ON that bottle of wine.
Start on	Criticise angrily.	The manager was furious and STARTED ON her staff for not trying hard enough.
Start on at	Criticise or nag.	He STARTED ON AT me for being late.
Start out	Begin a journey.	We STARTED OUT early in the morning.
Start out as	Begin life, existence or a career.	What had STARTED OUT AS a protest quickly turned into a full-blown rebellion.
Start out to	Intend, plan.	I didn’t START OUT TO become the boss- it just happened.
Start over	Begin something again.	It’s a mess- I think we should just START

		OVER.
Start up	Open a business.	The firm STARTED UP on a shoestring budget.
Start up	Begin, especially sounds.	There was a pause, then the noise STARTED UP again.
Start up	When an engine starts working.	The car STARTED UP first time.
Start up	Make an engine work.	I STARTED the car UP.
Start up	Sit or stand upright because someone has	He STARTED UP when I entered the
Start up	surprised you.	room and tried to hide what he was doing.
Stash away	Store or hide something in a safe place.	I STASHED some money AWAY behind some books.
Stave in	Push or break something inwards.	The police STOVE the front door IN and arrested them.
Stave off	Delay, prevent something from happening.	The medicine STAVED OFF the worst of the disease.
Stay away	Not come.	He said he didn’t like them coming and wanted them to STAY AWAY.
Stay away	Avoid, not come.	He told them to STAY AWAY FROM
from	Avoid, not come.	him.
Stay in	Not go out.	I’m going to STAY IN and chill tonight; I can’t be bothered to go out.
Stay on	Remain longer than anticipated.	She STAYED ON after she graduated to do a Master’s degree.
Stay out	Not go home.	We STAYED OUT all night.
Stay over	Stay overnight.	I STAYED OVER at a friend’s house last night because of the train strike.
Stay up	Not go to bed.	The children STAYED UP until way past their bedtime.
Steal away	Leave a place quietly or secretly.	We didn’t want to wake them, so we STOLE AWAY in the middle of the night. Not wanting to attract attention, she STOLE OUT early.
Steal out	Leave in a stealthy or quiet manner.
Steal over	Be gradually overcome by an emotion or feeling.	A feeling of pride STOLE OVER me as I watched.
		The lights were off and everything was
Steal up	Approach quietly or secretly.	quiet so we STOLE UP as quietly as we could.
Steal up on	Approach a place or someone quietly or	We STOLE UP ON them so that they
Steal up on	secretly.	couldn’t sound the alarm. He’s trying to STEER CLEAR OF his
Steer clear of	secretly.
Steer clear of	Avoid.	lecturer because he hasn’t finished his assignment yet.
Stem from	Originate, be caused by.	The trouble STEMS FROM their refusal to discuss the matter.
Step aside	Leave a job or position so that someone else can take over.	Everyone thinks that the prime minister should STEP ASIDE so that someone new can lead the party into the election.

Step back Step down Step down Step forward Step in Step on it Step out Step to	Look at something from a different perspective. Leave a job or position so that someone can take over. Reduce. Offer help.	We should STEP BACK and try to see how our customers will view the scheme. The CEO STEPPED DOWN after the share price dropped. Production is being STEPPED DOWN because demand has dropped. When I had the accident, a lot of people STEPPED FORWARD to help me. I had to STEP IN when they started fighting. I told the taxi driver to STEP ON IT as I was late for the meeting. They’ve STEPPED OUT for a cigarette. Don’t STEP TO those guys; they’ll kill you. He tried to STEP TO her in the bar. The police have STEPPED UP the pressure on beggars working the Underground. He’s late, but I’ll STICK AROUND for another few minutes before I leave. She found the course very tough but she STUCK AT it and did well in the end. No one STUCK BY him when the scandal became public. They are STICKING BY their claims. I couldn’t answer the test so I just STUCK anything DOWN that I could remember. I STUCK the label DOWN. She STUCK IT TO me for turning up half an hour late. My boss always STICKS IT TO me when she’s in a bad mood. He’s so much better than the others that he STICKS OUT. He STUCK his tongue OUT at me. I STUCK it OUT even though I hated every minute of it. We’re STICKING OUT FOR a 5%
	Get involved by interrupting something. An imperative used to tell someone to go faster, especially when driving. Leave a place for a very short time. Confront. Chat, talk to. Increase. Stay in a place for some time.
Step to Step up Stick around Stick at
Step to Step up Stick around Stick at	Continue doing something despite difficulties. Support someone when they are having difficulties. Support a plan, opinion or decision. Write something quickly or without thinking about it. Join surfaces with glue. Criticise someone. Treat someone badly or unfairly.
Stick by
Stick by Stick down Stick down Stick it to Stick it to
Stick out	Be easily noticed.
Stick out Stick out	Extend part of your body. Continue doing something difficult or unpleasant. ■ Demand a salary raise.
Stick out for
		increase.
		The Prime Minister decided to STICK
Stick to	Not change.	TO the original plan despite the criticism in the media.
Stick to	Restrict or limit and not change.	I STUCK TO the path and didn’t take the shortcut.

Stick together		If we don’t STICK TOGETHER, things
Stick together	Support each other.	will be much worse for all of us- we need some unity.
Stick up	Stand on end.	The static electricity made my hair STICK UP.
Stick up	Rob using weapons.	They STUCK the bank UP and stole tens of thousands.
Stick up for	Support or defend.	You have to STICK UP FOR yourself here, because no one will back you.
Stick with	Not change something.	We’d better STICK WITH our original idea.
Stick with	Stay near someone.	He told the children to STICK WITH him in the station.
Stick with	Not be forgotten.	The details have STUCK WITH me ever since.
Stick with	Continue with something difficult or unpleasant.	I STUCK WITH the job though I found it very stressful.
Stiffen up	Become rigid.	My back STIFFENS UP in cold weather.
Stiffen up	Make something rigid.	They used starch to STIFFEN the collars UP.
		He STIRRED things UP by complaining
Stir up	Make trouble for someone else.	to senior management about his line manager.
Stitch up	Sew something so that it is closed.	I STITCHED UP the hole in my sleeve.
Stitch up	Finalise a deal.	We get the contract STITCHED UP this week.
Stitch up	Cheat someone or make them look guilty when they aren’t.	The police STITCHED them UP because they couldn’t find any evidence against them.
Stomp off	Leave somewhere angrily.	He lost his temper and STOMPED OFF home.
Stomp on	Treat badly or defeat.	They STOMP ON their competitors.
Stop around	Visit someone for a short time..	Why don’t you STOP AROUND my place on your way back?
Stop back	Return somewhere.	I’ll STOP BACK this afternoon when you’re free.
Stop behind Stay somewhere when other people leave.		I STOPPED BEHIND at the end of the lecture to ask a couple of questions.
Stop by	Visit somewhere briefly or quickly.	I must STOP BY the supermarket and pick up some things for dinner.
Stop in	Stay at home.	I was feeling tired so I STOPPED IN last night.
Stop in	Visit briefly.	I STOPPED IN at my aunt’s after work.
Stop off	Break a journey.	We STOPPED OFF for lunch about halfway there, then carried on driving.
Stop out	Be out late, especially when you are expected home.	Her parents were annoyed because she STOPPED OUT all night.

		I STOPPED OVER in Bangkok for a
Stop over	Stay somewhere when on a journey.	couple of days on my way back from Tokyo.
Stop up	Stay up late.	I STOPPED UP last night watching the film.
Stop up	Fill or block something.	I STOPPED UP the bottle with a cork.
Storm off	Leave a place angrily.	They had a row and he STORMED OFF. He lost his temper and STORMED OUT
Storm out	Leave a place angrily.	OF the bar. (If you don’t mention the place, you can just say ‘He stormed out’)
Stow away	Hide in a vehicle to travel without people	She STOWED AWAY on the plane but
Stow away	knowing.	was caught when it landed.
Stow away	Store something in a safe place.	We STOWED it AWAY in the garage to keep it dry.
Straighten out		I’m always having to STRAIGHTEN
Straighten out	Make something straight.	OUT the wires connected to my computer.
Straighten out	Deal with a problem.	I had to STRAIGHTEN OUT things after the mess they had made.
Straighten	Make clear and resolve.	There are a few issues I’d like to
out	Make clear and resolve.	STRAIGHTEN OUT first.
Straighten out	Improve someone’s behaviour.	Starting work has STRAIGHTENED him OUT and calmed him down.
Straighten up	Stand straight.	She STRAIGHTENED UP when her boss walked in.
Straighten	Tidy.	I STRAIGHTENED UP the room before
up	Tidy.	they arrived.
Strike back	Attack, take action against someone who	At first, he ignored them, but when things
Strike back	has hurt you.	got very serious, he STRUCK BACK. A hitman STRUCK him DOWN as he
	has hurt you.
Strike down	Kill.	entered the building.(This verb is often used in the passive- He was struck down as he entered the building.) I was STRUCK DOWN with food
Strike down	Make someone ill.	poisoning.(This verb is mostly used in the passive.)
Strike down Strike off	Disallow a law, decision, etc. Remove someone’s professional licence to practise. Have a good idea.	The Appeal Court STRUCK DOWN the lower court’s ruling. The Medical Council STRUCK him OFF for malpractice. I STRUCK ON the solution when I was out with my dog. After doing the same job for five years, I
Strike on

Strike out	Start doing something new and different.	decided to STRIKE OUT and change
		careers.
Strike out	Try to hit someone.	When he pushed me, I STRUCK OUT.
Strike out	Start going towards a place.	We got up early and STRUCK OUT for our final destination.

Strike out	Cross writing out.	As they arrived, I STRUCK their names OUT on the list I had.
Strike out	Fail.	I tried to get the government to support us but I STRUCK OUT.
Strike up	Start (conversation, relationship).	He STRUCK UP a conversation with me in the bar.
Strike up	Start performing music.	The band STRUCK UP and everyone turned to listen.
Strike upon	Have a good idea.	It took us a long time to STRIKE UPON a solution.
		They kept saying they were interested,
String along Deceive someone for a long time.		but they were just STRINGING me
String along	Accompany someone because you haven’t got anything better to do. Make something last as long as possible. Put words together into a coherent text. Hang somebody.	ALONG Is it alright if I STRING ALONG with you tonight? There was half an hour to go, so I STRUNG the questions OUT as long as I could. I was so nervous in the interview that I could hardly STRING a sentence TOGETHER. The rebels STRUNG the soldiers UP after they captured them. He STUBBED his cigarette OUT in a saucer because he couldn’t find an ashtray. I STUFFED the exam UP. You’ll never guess what I STUMBLED ACROSS when I was packing my stuff. I STUMBLED UPON these photos when I was clearing my room up. He didn’t want to pay me back, but I got him to STUMP UP in the end. Everyone around her was taking drugs and she got SUCKED IN. The country got SUCKED INTO the war. He is always SUCKING UP to try to get the boss’s approval. He’s always SUCKING UP TO our boss. They SUITED UP and went to the interview At the end of the lecture, she SUMMED UP the main points again. Andrea couldn’t SUMMON UP the enthusiasm to apply for the position. It took her ages to SUSS OUT what was going on.
String out String together
String up

Stub out Stuff up Stumble across Stumble upon Stump up Suck in	Extinguish a cigarette. Make a mistake, do badly, spoil. Find something accidentally.
	Find something accidentally.
	Pay for something. Become involved in something unpleasant. Become involved in something unpleasant. Try to ingratiate yourself. Ingratiate yourself with someone. Get dressed or put on a uniform for an activity or task. Summarise. Get the energy or courage to do something. Come to understand.
Suck into Suck up Suck up to Suit up Sum up Summon up
Suss out

Swan about	Move in a dramatic or affected manner.	He SWANNED ABOUT at the party.
Swan	Move in a dramatic or affected manner.	She SWANNED AROUND trying to
around	Move in a dramatic or affected manner.	impress people.
Swan in	Enter in a dramatic or attention-seeking	He SWANNED IN surrounded by
Swan in	manner.	photographers.
Swan off	Leave somewhere in a defiant or pompous	He didn’t like the way the spoke to him so
Swan off	manner.	he SWANNED OFF angrily.
Swear by	Have great confidence in.	I SWEAR BY their products- they’re the best on the market. He SWORE DOWN that he hadn’t done it.
Swear down Promise that something is true.
Sweep through	Pass easily, succeed.	She SWEPT THROUGH the exams.
Sweep through	Move quickly through.	The disease SWEPT THROUGH the population.
Swing around	Change your opinion quickly.	They SWUNG AROUND to our idea after reading the press reports.
Swing around	Turn around quickly.	He SWUNG ROUND to see what had made the noise.
Swing at	Try to hit.	He SWUNG AT me but missed.
Swing by	Visit a person or place on your way somewhere.	I will SWING BY this afternoon and pick you up.
Swing round	Change your opinion quickly.	They were against it at first then SWUNG ROUND and supported it.
Swing round	Turn around quickly.	She SWUNG ROUND and greeted them.
Syphon off Syphon off	Take business, support or votes from someone. Divert money illegally.	The candidate SYPHONED OFF a lot of votes because of his anti-war stance. The minister had been SYPHONING OFF funds from his department for years. They TACKED ON a new ending to the

Tack on	Add something that wasn’t planned.	film when they found that test audiences didn’t like the original.
Tack onto	Add or attach something that wasn’t	I TACKED a quick message ONTO the
Tack onto	planned to something.	end of the letter after I’d printed it.
Tag along	Accompany someone, especially if they	You’re off to the cinema; can we TAG
Tag along	haven’t specifically invited you.	ALONG?
Tag on	Add an additional point to something	He TAGGED ON a few comments after
Tag on	written or spoken.	reading my report.
Tag onto	Add an additional point to something written or spoken.	He TAGGED his ideas ONTO the end of my report.
Tag with	Add a keyword link or bookmark to a blog entry or webpage.	The post was TAGGED WITH keywords.
Tail away	Become silent or inaudible.	His voice TAILED AWAY when he was speaking about what he’d done wrong.
Tail back	Form a traffic jam.	The traffic TAILED BACK for several miles after the accident.

Tail off		Become silent or inaudible.	The voices TAILED OFF when she entered.
			Profits TAILED OFF sharply in the last
Tail off		Decrease.	quarter of the year as a result of the
			increase in the price of oil.
Take	after	Look like, resemble.	He TAKES AFTER his mother.
Take	apart	Take something to pieces.	She TOOK the photocopier APART to see what had got stuck in it.
Take	aside	Get someone alone to talk to them.	The teacher TOOK her ASIDE and said that she’d failed the exam.
Take	away	Remove.	The police TOOK the protestors AWAY.
Take	back	Make someone nostalgic.	That song always TAKES me BACK to when I was at university.
Take	back	Retract a statement, admit that something	I had to TAKE BACK everything bad I’d said about them when I learned how
Take Take	down down	was wrong. Make notes or write down in full. Remove.	they’d helped out. The police TOOK DOWN his answers to their questions. People TAKE DOWN their Christmas decorations twelve days after Christmas. The lecture was rather boring and I didn’t TAKE IN much of what the lecturer said.
Take	in	Absorb information.
Take	in	Deceive.	She TOOK me IN with her story until someone told me the truth.
			The jacket was far too big around the
Take	in	Make clothes smaller.	shoulders, so I had it TAKEN IN so that I could wear it.
Take		Assume care or support.	The family TOOK IN the three homeless
Take	in	Assume care or support.	kittens.
Take	it	Accept criticism.	He’s good at criticising others, but can’t TAKE IT himself.
Take	it out		Whenever things go wrong, he always
Take	it out	Abuse someone because you’re angry.	shouts and TAKES IT OUT ON me, even if I had nothing to do with the problem.
on Take	it	Abuse someone because you’re angry.
on Take	it	Take responsibility, often without	I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF to make
upuii yourself		consulting other people.	sure he got up on time.
			The software house really TOOK OFF
Take	off	Make great progress.	when they produced the latest version of their DTP package.
Take	off	Reduce the price of an item.	They’ve TAKEN ten percent OFF designer frames for glasses.
Take	off	When a plane departs or leaves the	The flight for Dublin TOOK OFF on
Take	off	ground.	time.
Take Take	off	Remove. Allow passengers on a ship or plane.	It was hot, so I TOOK my jacket OFF. The plane stopped at Zurich to TAKE ON
Take Take	on
	on		some passengers.
Take	on	Assume a responsibility.	She TOOK ON the task of indexing the

		book. The council has had to TAKE ON twenty
Take on	Employ.	extra employees to handle their increased workload.
Take out	Borrow a library book.	I TOOK OUT all the books I needed for my essay from the library.
Take out	Borrow money from a bank or other	Jackie and Anil TOOK OUT a mortgage
Take out	official lender.	to buy a bigger flat. The dentist TOOK OUT all of my
	official lender.	to buy a bigger flat. The dentist TOOK OUT all of my
Take out	Extract or remove.	wisdom teeth before they started causing any problems.
Take out	Go out socially with someone, especially	a He TOOK her OUT to a restaurant last
Take out	date.	Friday night. I TOOK OUT some health insurance
	date.	Friday night. I TOOK OUT some health insurance
Take out	Obtain insurance.	before I went backpacking around Latin America.
Take out	Kill, murder.	The gang TOOK him OUT after he spoke to the police.
Take over	Assume control of a company or organisation.	The bank was TAKEN OVER by a Hong Kong bank that needed to buy a bank to get into the British market.
Take over	Start a job or position that someone had	She TOOK OVER responsibility for the
Take over	occupied before you.	project last month.
Take	Explain something to someone.	He TOOK me THROUGH the procedures
through	Explain something to someone.	before we started. He’s TAKEN TO wearing a baseball cap
through		before we started. He’s TAKEN TO wearing a baseball cap
Take to	Make a habit of something.	since his hair started thinning more noticeably. An awful lot of my time at work is
Take up	Fill or occupy time or space.	TAKEN UP with pointless bureaucracy nowadays.
Take up	Make clothes shorter.	The trousers were too long so I TOOK them UP to make them fit.
Take up	Start a new hobby, pastime, etc..	He TOOK UP squash as he felt he had to lose some weight.
Talk around	Persuade.	He TALKED them AROUND to accepting his point of view.
Talk around	Talk about a problem or issue without	They TALKED AROUND the issue
Talk around	really dealing with it.	without reaching a conclusion.
Talk at	Talk to someone and not give them a chance to reply or listen to them.	There’s no point trying to convince them- they’ll just TALK AT you until you give up.
Talk back	Respond rudely to a person in authority.	The teacher was cross because the pupil TALKED BACK to her.
Talk down	Try to make something sound less	The company CEO TALKED DOWN the
Talk down	important.	recent fall in shares.
Talk down	Persuade someone not to jump off a high	A man was threatening to jump off the
	place to kill themselves.	building but the police TALKED him

		DOWN.
Talk down to	Talk in a way to show your superiority not communicate.	She’s a dreadful teacher and TALKS DOWN TO her students instead of teaching them.
Talk into	Persuade someone to do something.	She didn’t want to let me go, but I finally managed to TALK her INTO it.
Talk out	Discuss a problem or issue to find a solution.	They had a meeting to TALK OUT how people felt.
		He was going to drive home after
Talk out of	Persuade someone not to do something.	drinking half a bottle of wine, but his friends TALKED him OUT OF it.
Talk over	Discuss.	We TALKED OVER the problems in our relationship, but couldn’t sort things out.
Talk round	Persuade.	She TALKED them AROUND to accepting her point of view.
Talk round	Talk about a problem or issue without	WE TALKED ROUND the issue but
Talk round	really dealing with it.	didn’t reach a conclusion.
Talk through	Guide someone through an issue.	The teacher TALKED me THROUGH the test so I knew what to expect.
Talk up	Make something appear more important or significant than it really is.	The government are trying to TALK UP the effect of their policies.
Talk yourself out	Talk until you have nothing left to say.	He TALKED himself OUT after a couple of hours and calmed down.
Tap for	Get money off someone.	I TAPPED him FOR a loan.
Tap into	Use or exploit a plentiful resource for your The company is hoping to TAP INTO the benefit. Chinese market.
Tap off with	Have sex with.	He TAPPED OFF WITH someone at the party on Saturday.
Tap out	Play a rhythm quietly.	He TAPPED OUT the tune with his pencil while he was thinking.
Tap out	Use all the money available.	How can we buy a new house without TAPPING OUT our savings account.
Tap up	Approach a footballer illegally to get them Chelsea were accused of TAPPING him to change teams. UP even though he was under contract.
Team up	Work with someone or a group to achieve something.	They TEAMED UP to publicise the issue
Tear apart	Disturb or upset greatly.	People were TORN APART when news of the train crash came through.
Tear at	Pull or try to pull something to pieces.	The fighters TORE AT each other.
Tear away	Stop someone doing something	I had to TEAR him AWAY from the
Tear away	unwillingly.	office for dinner.
Tear away	Remove a surface violently.	The roof was TORN AWAY in the hurricane. The estate was TORN DOWN so that
Tear down	Demolish.	they could develop the land into luxury flats.
Tear into	Criticise strongly or angrily.	She TORE INTO me for losing it.

Tear off	Remove part of a form or letter using your	She TORE the slip OFF the bottom of the
Tear off	hands, not scissors.	form and sent it with her cheque.
Tear off	Leave at high speed.	The police TORE OFF in their car after arresting her.
Tear off	Remove with force.	The storm TORE the roof OFF.
Tear out	Depart rapidly.	The sheriff TORE OUT after the escaping criminals.
Tear up	Rip into pieces.	He TORE the fax UP and threw the bits of paper in the bin.
Tear up	Destroy.	They are TEARING UP the old part of town to build a new shopping centre.
Tear up	Have eyes fill with tears.	After hearing the tragic news he TEARED UP and could hardly speak.
Tee off	Start or launch an event.	The new project will TEE OFF next month.
	Place a golf ball on a short plastic or
Tee off	wooden stick before hitting it at the start of a hole..	He TEED OFF at the first hole.
Tee off	Annoy someone.	It TEES me OFF when they turn up late.
Tee off on	Criticise.	She TEED OFF ON me about the work I gave her.
Tee up	Place a golf ball on a short plastic or wooden stick before hitting it at the start of a hole..	She TEED UP two strokes ahead at the last hole.
Tee up	Make preparations before starting or	They are TEEING UP for the conference
Tee up	launching something.	tomorrow.
Tell apart	See a difference between two things.	They’re identical twins so I cannot TELL them APART.
Tell off	Chide; talk angrily to someone about	His fiancee TOLD him OFF for arriving
Tell off	something they’ve done wrong..	nearly an hour late.
Tell on	Report someone to an authority.	The pupil TOLD ON the others for cheating and the teacher failed them.
Text out	Cancel an appointment by sending a text	I was feeling too tired to go and TEXTED
	message.	OUT. I’ve THOUGHT it OVER and have made
Think over	Consider something carefully.	up my mind; I’m going to take the job in Leeds.
Think	Consider all the possibilities and outcomes The plan fell through because they hadn’t
through	of a situation.	THOUGHT it THROUGH properly.
Think up	Create or invent something, especially	I’d better THINK UP a good reason for
Think up	when lying.	handing the work in late.
Throw	Discard something when no longer	I THREW the alarm clock AWAY
away	needed.	because it had stopped working.
Throw in	Join, accompany.	May I THROW IN with you? My companions left me behind.
Throw in	Add something to a deal.	They THREW IN a printer so I bought it from them.

Throw off	Remove item of clothing quickly.	I THREW OFF my shoes and flopped on the settee.
Throw off	Get rid of.	It took me ages to THROW OFF the cold
Throw off	Produce light or heat.	The lamp THROWS OFF a lot of heat.
Throw on	Put clothes on quickly.	I THREW ON a jacket and rushed outside.
Throw out	Get rid of.	I THREW OUT all my old clothes to make some space in my wardrobe.
Throw out	Dislocate.	Edward slipped on the ice and THREW OUT his shoulder.
Throw out	Reject.	The committee THREW the proposal OUT.
Throw out	Produce heat, fumes.	The car THROWS OUT a lot of smoke.
Throw out	Expel.	The school THREW him OUT for smoking.
Throw over	End a relationship with someone.	She THREW me OVER last year.
Throw over	Reject, refuse to accept.	They THREW OVER the agreement.
Throw together	Make or arrange quickly.	I THREW a quick dinner TOGETHER before we left.
		The prawns she ate at lunch made her
Throw up	Vomit.	THROW UP and she had to go home early.
Throw up	Produce problems, results, ideas, etc.	The talks THREW UP some interesting possibilities.
Throw up	Leave a job or position suddenly.	She THREW UP her job to go travelling. The road was bumpy and the car in front
Throw up	Create clouds of dust or splash water into the air.	was THROWING UP so much dust that we could hardly see where we were going.
Throw	Make it clear you are sexually attracted to	He THREW HIMSELF AT her but she
yourself at	someone.	wasn’t interested.
Throw yourself into	Do something enthusiastically or energetically.	She THREW herself INTO the project.
Tick along	Make reasonable progress without any serious problems.	Things are TICKING ALONG at work while the director’s away.
Tick away	Pass (of time).	The last few seconds TICKED AWAY and the team couldn’t come back.
Tick by	Pass (of time).	The seconds TICKED BY and the team failed to score.
Tick off	Annoy.	She really TICKS me OFF when she doesn’t reply to my emails.
Tick off	Scold.	He TICKED me OFF for arriving late.
Tick off	Put a mark on an item in a list when it has	She TICKED OFF our names when we
Tick off	been dealt with.	arrived.
Tick over	Continue working, but without improving.	The company TICKED OVER while she was away on holiday.

		The mechanic left the engine TICKING
Tick over	Operate but without moving (engines).	OVER for a while to see if he could see what was causing the problem.
Tide over	Use something carefully so as not to finish This £50 will have to TIDE me OVER it. until I get paid.
Tidy up	Put things in the correct place in a room.	I TIDIED UP my bedroom because it was a complete mess.
Tie back	Fasten or secure so that it doesn’t obstruct.	She TIED her hair BACK before playing tennis.
Tie down Tie down Tie down	Secure something to prevent it moving. Remove or restrict freedom. Stop people (often police or military) going where they are needed. Agree, be connected or support. Associate with.	They TIED him DOWN to stop him escaping. Marriage TIES you DOWN. The army were TIED DOWN with the rebellion and couldn’t help. The theory TIES IN with what the police have been saying. He is TIED IN somehow with the crime syndicate. The publication TIES IN WITH the twentieth anniversary of the incident.
Tie in Tie in
Tie in with	Occur at the same time.
Tie up	Tie or fasten something securely.	They TIED UP the hostages so that they couldn’t escape.
Tie up	Stop someone doing something.	Work has TIED me UP all week.
Tie up	Fasten.	I TIED UP my shoelaces.
Tie up	Block a road, etc.	The convoy TIED UP the road for an hour.
Tighten up	Make something more secure or function better.	They’re TIGHTENING UP security for the president’s visit.
Time out	End or close because of a time limit.	The program TIMED OUT before I could reply.
Time out	End or close something because of a time	The program TIMED me OUT after
Time out	limit.	twenty minutes.
Tip off	Secretly inform the police or authorities.	The police arrested the drug dealer after someone TIPPED them OFF.
Tip over	Spill, make something fall on its side.	I TIPPED my coffee OVER and ruined my keyboard.
Tire of	Get bored of something.	She soon TIRED OF the course and dropped out.
Tire out	Make someone exhausted.	Working so much TIRES me OUT.
Toddle off	Leave, go home.	It’s geting late, so I’m going to TODDLE OFF home.
		The Minister tried to TONE DOWN what
Tone down	Make something sound more moderate.	she had said when the press started attacking her.
Tool up	Provide equipment.	The company spent a lot on TOOLING the factory UP.

Tool up	Arm yourself or somebody.	The gangsters got TOOLED UP before they went into the club.
Tootle off	Leave, depart.	It’s getting late, so we’re going to TOOTLE OFF home.
Top off	Finish something in a special way.	He complained for an hour and to TOP it OFF started shouting his head off.
Top out	Stop increasing, reach the highest point.	The temperature TOPPED OUT at forty degrees yesterday.
Top up	Refill something that isn’t empty yet.	Shall I TOP UP your drink while I’m pouring myself one?
Toss about	Discuss something freely and openly, but	WE TOSSED ideas ABOUT before the
Toss about	not very seriously.	negotiations.
Toss around	Discuss something freely and openly, but	We TOSSED their plan AROUND a bit
Toss around	not very seriously.	and then rejected it.
Toss back	Drink quickly.	I TOSSED BACK my beer and left.
Toss down	Drink quickly.	I TOSSED a couple of drinks DOWN before they arrived.
Toss for	Make a decision by throwing a coin and seeing which side lands face up.	We TOSSED FOR who would start.
Toss off	Write something quickly and carelessly.	I TOSSED OFF the essay the night before I had to hand it in.
Toss up	Decide something by throwing a coin and	We TOSSED UP to see who would kick
Toss up	seeing which side lands face up..	off.
Touch down	Land (planes).	The plane TOUCHED DOWN at Narita airport an hour late.
Touch for	Borrow money.	I TOUCHED him FOR some cash as I’d forgotten my cards.
Touch off	Cause a problem to occur.	The government’s decision TOUCHED OFF riots in the capital.
Touch on	Mention.	The talk TOUCHED ON the issue, but didn’t give any new information. I couldn’t be bothered to redecorate, so I
Touch up	Improve the appearance of something.	just TOUCHED UP the bits that needed painting the most.
Touch up	Touch someone in a sexual way.	She got angry when he tried to TOUCH her UP in the elevator.
Touch upon	Mention.	They didn’t TOUCH UPON the subject because of the controversy.
Tow away	Remove a vehicle, especially if parked	I parked in a no-parking zone and they
Tow away	illegally.	TOWED my car AWAY.
Toy at	Pretend to think about or think about in a	She TOYED AT getting them to help her
Toy at	casual way.	but then did it alone.
Toy over	Think about something.	I TOYED OVER the idea for a while, but decided not to go ahead with it. It was horrible, so I just TOYED WITH the food.
Toy with	Not eat much of a meal.
Toy with	Consider something, but not very	We TOYED WITH the idea of moving to

	seriously.	the country, but it isn’t really practical.
Toy with	Move or play with something to occupy your hands.	He TOYED WITH his cup.
Toy with	Treat insincerely.	He thought she loved him but she was just TOYING WITH him.
Track down Find after a long search.		It took me ages to TRACK them DOWN in the crowd at the football game.
Trade down	Sell something and replace it with something cheaper.	Their house it too large now that their children have left home, so they’re going to TRADE DOWN to something smaller.
Trade in	Exchange something old as part of the	She TRADED IN her old car for the new
Trade in	price of something new.	model.
Trade in	Leave your wife or husband to marry someone younger.	He TRADED IN his wife when he became the chairman.
Trade off	Bargain, make a deal or compromise.	A longer working week was TRADED OFF for a pay rise.
Trade off	Accept something you don’t really want to	We had to TRADE OFF space for the
Trade off	get something you do want.	location when buying the apartment.
Trade on	Exploit, use something to your advantage.	He TRADES ON their insecurity to get his way.
		British wine drinkers have TRADED UP
Trade up	Buy larger or more expensive items.	over the last few years from cheap plonk to expensive wines.
Trade up	Leave your wife or husband and marry someone better looking, richer, etc.	She supported him for years while he was struggling, but when he hit the big time he left her and TRADED UP.
Trade upon	Exploit, use to your advantage.	They TRADE UPON their reputation to scare rivals.
Train up	Teach someone the specific skills they will I have been TRAINING my new assistant need to carry out a job or task. UP.
Trickle	Pass benefits from economic expansion	Despite the economic boom, few benefits
down	through the economy to the less fortunate.	have TRICKLED DOWN to the poor.
Trip out	Be under the influence of psychoactive drugs.	After taking the LSD he TRIPPED OUT for hours.
Trip over Trip over	Fall. Fall because you hit an obstacle.	I TRIPPED OVER and hurt my knee. I TRIPPED OVER the kerb and broke my
Trip over Trip over	Fall. Fall because you hit an obstacle.	nose.
		I TRIPPED UP in the interview when
Trip up	Make a mistake.	they asked me about what I could offer the company.
Trot off	Leave.	The meeting was over so I TROTTED OFF.
Trot off to	Go somewhere.	I TROTTED OFF TO see the dentist.
Trot out	Make a statement (meant negatively).	The spokeswoman TROTTED OUT the same old unconvincing excuses. The police TRUMPED UP the charges
Trot out
Trump up	Charge or accuse someone falsely.	against him and he ended up in prison though he hadn’t done it.

Try back	Phone back.	I called but they weren’t in, so I’ll TRY BACK later.
Try for	Make an attempt to get something.	I’m going to TRY FOR the job.
Try it on	Provoke someone by being annoying or behaving badly.	The children were TRYING IT ON all night until I lost my temper.
Try it on	Attempt to get something, usually by deceit, without great hopes of success.	He knew I wasn’t got to let him do it- he was just TRYING IT ON.
Try on	Put clothes on to see if they fit.	I TRIED the jacket ON before I bought it.
Try out	Test.	Scientists are TRYING OUT a new drug in the fight against the disease.
Try out	Test something to see if you like it or want I TRIED OUT the program before I to buy it. bought it.
Try out for	Be tested for a sports team.	He TRIED OUT FOR the baseball team.
Tuck away	Put something in a safe place.	I TUCKED the money AWAY in my drawer.
Tuck away	Eat a lot.	We TUCKED AWAY a huge dinner before we went out.
Tuck in	Tidy the ends of items of clothing by placing them inside something.	I forgot to TUCK my shirt IN.
Tuck in	Start eating enthusiastically.	The dinner smelled so good I couldn’t wait to TUCK IN.
	Arrange the sheets, duvet or blankets to
Tuck in	make someone, usually a child, comfortable in bed.	He TUCKED her IN and read her a story.
Tuck into	Start eating something.	I was starving and TUCKED INTO the food.
Tuck up	Arrange the sheets, duvet or blankets to make someone, usually a child, comfortable in bed.	She TUCKED her children UP in bed and switched the lights off.
Tune in	Watch or listen to a TV or radio show.	Be sure to TUNE IN next week for the next episode.
Tune in to	Watch or listen to a TV or radio programme.	Make sure you TUNE IN TO next week’s show.
Tune out	Ignore, not pay attention.	I TUNED him OUT because he was talking such rubbish.
Tune up	Improve the performance of a machine or engine.	He’s TUNED his car UP for the race.
Tune up Turn against	Tune a musical instrument before playing.	The orchestra TUNED UP their instruments before the concert. The public TURNED AGAINST the
Tune up Turn against	Stop liking and start disliking.	government when they became arrogant and ceased to listen.
		The doorman TURNED him AWAY from
Turn away	Not allow someone to enter a place.	the nightclub because he was wearing trainers.
Turn down	Reduce volume, temperature, etc..	The room was too hot, so she TURNED the heating DOWN.

Turn down	Reject an offer, invitation, etc..	They offered her the job, but she TURNED it DOWN.
Turn down	Fold the top covers of a bed down to make it ready for someone to go to sleep.	The hotel staff TURNED DOWN the bed and scattered flower petals on it while we was having dinner.
Turn in	Go to bed.	I TURNED IN at half past eleven because I had an early start the next morning.
Turn in	Hand in, submit.	She TURNED IN her paper.
Turn into	Become.	Tadpoles TURN INTO frogs.
Turn off	Stop a machine.	I TURNED the TV OFF and went to bed.
Turn on	Cause someone to feel attraction or pleasure.	He really TURNS me ON.
Turn on	Start a machine.	I TURNED the radio ON to get the weather forecast.
Turn on	Attack.	The neighbour’s dog TURNED ON me when I tried to stroke it.
Turn out	Produce.	The factory TURNS OUT three thousand units a day.
Turn out	Produce an unexpected result.	It looked as if we were going to fail, but it TURNED OUT well in the end.
Turn out	Stop a light.	She TURNED OUT the lights and went to bed.
Turn out	Attend.	Thousand TURNED OUT for the demonstration.
Turn over	Give to the authorities.	The court ordered the company to TURN OVER their financial records.
Turn to	Try to get help.	She had nobody to TURN TO when her husband died.
Turn to	Take up a habit.	He TURNED TO drink after he lost his job.
Turn up	Appear.	She didn’t TURN UP for class today.
Turn up	Increase volume, temperature, etc..	I TURNED the music UP full blast.
Type in	Enter computer data or text.	He TYPED the text IN and printed it off.
Type out	Write a full or finished version of a text on a computer.	She TYPED her essay OUT and handed it in a the last minute.
Type up	Type a finished version.	She TYPED UP her lecture notes and printed them out.
Urge on	Encourage.	The crowd URGED the players ON.
Urge on	Persuade or pressure to accept something.	They URGED the deal ON the company.
Urge upon	Persuade or pressure to accept something.	They URGED the contract UPON us.
Use up	Finish or consume all of something.	We USED UP all the olive oil.
Usher in	Be at, mark or celebrate an important point We always give a party USHER IN the in time. NEW YEAR.
Usher in	Make important changes happen.	Her appointment as CEO USHERED IN a whole new phase in the company’s growth.
Vacuum up	Consume.	He VACUUMED UP all of the food.

Vamp up	Make something more exciting, attractive, etc.	The place is dull and you need to VAMP it UP.
Vamp up	Invent, maker up, improvise.	I had to VAMP UP a reason for being so late.
Veg out	Relax, do nothing.	I’m going to VEG OUT in front of the TV tonight.
Venture	Leave somewhere safe or comfortable.	If the storm has finished, we could
forth	Leave somewhere safe or comfortable.	VENTURE FORTH.
Wade in	Start something or get involved, often without thinking or to forcefully.	He just WADED IN without listening to what anyone had to say.
Wade in	Attack.	The hooligans WADED IN when they saw fans from the other team.
Wade into	Become embroiled or involved in a situation, without thinking or planning usually.	They WADED INTO the negotiations and the deal collapsed.
Wade	Get to the end of something with	It took me ages to WADE THROUGH the
through	difficulty.	book.
Wait about	Wait somewhere doing nothing.	I WAITED ABOUT for an hour, but they didn’t come.
Wait around	Wait somewhere doing nothing.	They were just WAITING AROUND to see if anything was going to happen.
Wait behind	Stay somewhere after other people have left.	I WAITED BEHIND to ask the lecturer a question.
Wait in	Stay at home because someone is going to visit.	I WAITED IN for the guy to fix the TV.
Wait on	Serve people in a restaurant.	They have two people WAITING ON each table.
Wait on	Sell goods in a shop.	He WAITS ON customers in an electronics store.
Wait on	Provide someone with everything they need or want.	He has a butler who WAITS ON him.
Wait on	Wait for a result before being able to make a decision.	They’re WAITING ON the results of the vote before taking a final decision.
Wait out	Wait till something has finished, usually something unpleasant.	We’ll have to WAIT OUT this uncertainty.
Wait up	Not go to bed because you are waiting.	I was worried and WAITED UP until they got home safe and sound.
Wait up!	Stop (imperative).	Wait up! I need to talk to you.
Wait upon	Provide someone with what they require.	They used to have servants WAITING UPON them.
Wait upon	Wait for a result before being able to make a decision.	They must WAIT UPON the outcome of the match before they know who they’ll be playing.
Wake up	Stop sleeping.	I WOKE UP at half past six this morning.
Walk away from	Leave something you don’t like.	You can’t just WALK AWAY FROM your problems.
Walk away	Win easily.	She WALKED AWAY WITH the first

with		prize.
Walk back	Retract a statement.	They declined to WALK BACK FROM
from	Retract a statement.	their comments despite the controversy.
Walk in on	Enter somewhere unexpectedly and see something.	He WALKED IN ON them planning to sack him.
Walk into	Get work without effort. Be unaware of the presence of something and either enter it (a trap) or bump into it	He WALKED INTO a great job straight after university. You WALKED INTO that one [You
Walk into		became victim to a trap I set]orI WALKED INTO a door and broke my
	(an obstruction).	nose.
Walk off	Go for a walk to reduce the effects of an illness or bad feeling.	I tried to WALK OFF my hangover.
Walk off with	Win easily.	He WALKED OFF WITH the award.
Walk off	Take something without permission or	Someone WALKED OFF WITH my
with	steal.	umbrella so I got soaked. I saw the accident but just WALKED ON
Walk on	Continue walking. Leave work because of a dispute with the management.	as I didn’t want to have to give a statement. The workers WALKED OUT because the
Walk out		felt that safety wasn’t being handled correctly.
Walk out	Leave a place angrily or because you are	The film was a bore so I WALKED OUT
Walk out	not satisfied.	halfway through.
Walk out on	Leave somebody angrily.	He WALKED OUT ON his wife last year.
Walk	Explain or demonstrate something	He WALKED me THROUGH the
through	carefully to someone.	procedures.
Walk up	Go to someone.	A man WALKED UP and asked me the time.
Waltz	Pass or succeed easily.	She WALTZED THROUGH the tests and
through	Pass or succeed easily.	got the highest score.
Wander off	Leave a place, usually without telling	She WANDERED OFF and got lost in the
Wander off	other people.	crowd.
Wander off	Stop paying attention.	The lecture was boring and my mind WANDERED OFF after ten minutes.
Want out	Want to leave a relationship or arrangement. Do exercises before a sport.	Jackie wasn’t happy with her marriage and WANTED OUT. The team WARMED UP half an hour before the volleyball match. The ice cream stall on the beach was WASHED AWAY in the storm last night. I WASHED the antibiotics DOWN with a glass of water. The rain WASHED OUT the championship final. He felt numb as grief WASHED OVER him.
Warm up
Wash away Wash down	When floods or waves completely remove a structure, building, etc.. Drink in order to swallow something solid.
Wash out	Rain so heavily that an event has to be cancelled. Suddenly experience a strong emotion.
Wash over

Wash up	Clean everything used to prepare food and eat it.	The children WASHED UP after lunch.
Wash up	When something in the sea or river is left on the shore or bank.	After the crash, several bodies WASHED UP on the beach.
Wash up	Wash face and hands.	Be sure you and the kids WASH UP before dinner.
Waste away	Become very thin and weak, usually due to illness.	He WASTED AWAY as the cancer got worse.
Watch out	Be careful (imperative).	Watch out- there’s ice on the road.
Watch out	Be careful of something.	WATCH OUT FOR bats in the caves;
for	Be careful of something.	many have rabies.
Watch over	Keep an eye on something or someone to check that there’s no trouble.	The lecturer WATCHED OVER the students as they did the experiment. The Freedom of Information Act was
Water down	Make something weaker and less	WATERED DOWN by the Government
Water down	effective.	and didn’t give ordinary people much access to official data files
	effective.
Wave aside	Ignore or refuse to consider what someone	They WAVED ASIDE our objections and
Wave aside	says.	carried on with the plan.
Wave down	Make a hand signal to stop a vehicle.	They WAVED the van DOWN and got a lift after the accident.
Wave off	Go to a place where someone is leaving to wave goodbye.	We WAVED her OFF at the station.
Wave on	Make a hand signal to tell someone to keep moving.	The accident was bad, but the police WAVED us ON.
Wean off	Slowly stop a dependency on something.	We will have to WEAN him OFF his obsession. The lawn has been WORN AWAY by
Wear away	Erode, remove gradually.	people walking across it and it’s just bare soil now with hardly a blade of grass.
Wear down	Make something weaker.	The stress of my job is WEARING me DOWN.
Wear off	Stop having an effect.	The anaesthetic WORE OFF and my tooth started hurting.
Wear out	Use something until it stops working.	She played the video so many times that she WORE the tape OUT.
Weed out	Remove, get rid of.	The company WEEDED OUT the unsuccessful sales reps.
Weigh down on	Burden with responsibilities, duties, etc.	The requirements of her new job WEIGHED DOWN ON her.
Weigh in	Have a certain weight (in sports like boxing).	The champion WEIGHED IN at 120 kilos.
Weigh in	Enter an argument forcefully.	He disliked the plan and WEIGHED IN with some heavy criticism.
Weigh in on	Enter an argument or discussion to express She WEIGHED IN ON their immigration
Weigh in on	a strongly felt idea.	policies.
Weigh on	Make someone consider carefully.	The issues raised WEIGHED ON her mind.

Weigh out	Measure a certain amount of something by Could you WEIGH OUT 200 grammes of weight. that for me?
Weigh up	Assess.	They WEIGHED the pros and cons UP carefully before deciding.
Weird out	Disturb, cause concern or worry.	The way he spoke was WEIRDING me OUT.
Well up	Feel tears starting.	I felt tears WELLING UP when I heard the news.
Well up	Feel an emotion strongly.	Anger WELLED UP inside us when we saw what they had done.
Well up	Experience an emotion or feeling, start to cry.	Tears WELLED UP when I heard they had died.
Wheel around	Turn quickly and face in the opposite direction.	When he heard the whistle, he WHEELED AROUND to see what was happening.
Wheel out	Use something like an explanation that has been used many times before and has lost its impact.	They WHEELED OUT the same old excuses last time this happened.
Wheel	Turn quickly and face in the opposite	She WHEELED ROUND when he told
round	direction.	her to stop.
While away	Spend time doing something because you have nothing better to do.	We WHILED a couple of hours AWAY playing computer games.
Whip into	Enter rapidly (as for a brief errand).	Ben WHIPPED INTO the convenience store for a bag of crisps.
Whip out	Remove quickly.	The police officer WHIPPED OUT her radio and called for back-up. Lola WHIPPED OUT OF a side street
Whip out of	Exit rapidly.	without looking and broadsided a police car.
Whip through	Do something quickly.	She WHIPPED THROUGH the task.
Whip up	Make food quickly.	We got back late and WHIPPED UP dinner.
Whip up	Mix liquid food quickly to make it thick and creamy.	I WHIPPED UP the egg whites.
Whip up	Make people feel more strongly about something.	The boss tried to WHIP UP some support for her new policies.
Whisk away	Take to another place quickly.	The police WHISKED the minister AWAY when the trouble started.
White out	Use correction fluid to cover a mistake in	Could you pass the Tippex? I need to
White out	a written text.	WHITE this mistake OUT.
Wig out	Become excited and lose control.	He WIGGED OUT when he heard that he had failed.
Wiggle out	Avoid doing.	He was supposed to be in charge but tried to WIGGLE OUT.
Wiggle out of	Avoid doing something.	I WIGGLED OUT OF having to work late.

		I was going to have the hottest curry on
Wimp out	Not be brave enough to do something.	the menu, but I WIMPED OUT and had a mild lamb Korma instead.
Wind down	Relax.	I’m going to WIND DOWN in the country this weekend and do nothing.
Wind down	Slowly close a business or organisation.	They WOUND the committee DOWN after the inquiry.
Wind on	Forward a film or tape to a certain point.	He WOUND the video ON to show us the
Wind on	Forward a film or tape to a certain point.	scene.
Wind up	Close a company because it’s unprofitable.	The company was WOUND UP when the creditors demanded payment.
Wind up	Tighten the spring in a watch or clock to	I forgot to WIND UP my alarm clock and
Wind up	make it work.	overslept.
Wind up	Irritate someone or increase their stress level, especially if done deliberately.	The children are really WINDING me UP
Winkle out	Find or get something that takes a great	It took me a while to WINKLE the truth
Winkle out	deal of effort.	OUT of him.
Wipe out	Make someone very tired.	Revising for the exam last night WIPED me OUT.
Wipe out	Kill all of a population, make extinct.	A meteor crashing into the planet WIPED the dinosaurs OUT.
Wire up	Make electrical connections.	She WIRED her new stereo system UP as soon as she got home.
		His supervisor told him to WISE UP and
Wise up	Stop being stupid.	start following the rules or else he’d lose his job. The solicitor WORDED her UP client
Word up	Give someone information, advice.	before the police interview, so they go very little out of him.
Word up!	A phrase that was used a greeting.	‘Word up! You OK?’
Work off	Exercise to remove stress or weight.	She goes to the gym to WORK OFF her anger.
Work on	Improve or develop.	Scientists are WORKING ON genetically modified crops and foods.
		Things were going wrong for them but
Work out	End nicely.	fortunately it all WORKED OUT in the end.
Work out	Find the answer or solution.	I couldn’t WORK OUT all the answers to the crossword puzzle. They WORKED him OVER and robbed him.
Work over	Assault, beat up.
Work over	Repeat, do again.	They WORKED it OVER until they had got it right.
Work over	Examine carefully.	They WORKED OVER the market looking for bargains.
Work through	Deal with, resolve a problem, often emotional.	It took him a long time to WORK THROUGH his anger after he lost his job.

Wrap	Cover with clothing, usually to keep	She WRAPPED a scarf AROUND her
around	warm.	head because it was so cold.
Wrap around	Cover or encircle with part of your body.	He WRAPPED his arms AROUND her.
Wrap round	Cover with clothing, usually to keep warm.	He WRAPPED the cloth ROUND his fingers to keep warm.
Wrap round Cover or encircle with part of your body.		She WRAPPED her arms ROUND him.
Wrap up	Cover in paper.	They WRAPPED UP the presents then put a ribbon around them.
Wrap up	Dress warmly.	WRAP UP carefully or you’ll catch your death of cold outside in that rain.
Wrap up Wriggle out of Write down	Finish. Avoid doing something in a way other people don’t like. Make notes.	That WRAPS things UP, so we’ll end this meeting. He always manages to WRIGGLE OUT OF any extra work we get. I WROTE her mobile number DOWN on a scrap of paper and I’ve lost it. They asked viewers to WRITE IN with their opinions and suggestions. He WROTE the car OFF in an accident on the motorway.
Write in	Send a letter to a TV station, etc..
Write off	Destroy a car in an accident.
Write out	Write something completely.	I WROTE OUT my notes in full to help me remember them.
Write up	Make complete written version.	I WROTE UP the report and submitted it.
Yack on	Talk continuously, especially if it is an annoying way.	He YACKED ON for an hour.
Yammer on	Talk continuously, especially if it is an annoying way.	She YAMMERED ON for ages.
Yield to	Surrender.	I tried hard to resist, but in the end I YIELDED TO temptation and ate it all. The police have ZEROED IN ON the
Zero in on	Direct or focus attention on.	man they believe to be responsible for the murder.
Zero in on	Head for, move towards.	The hurricane is ZEROING IN ON Florida.
Zero out	Cut off funding for a project.	The debt was ZEROED OUT by the department.
Zero out	Reduce to zero, cancel, remove.	The entry was ZEROED OUT of the database.
Zip around	Move quickly.	We ZIPPED AROUND the supermarket to get the shopping done.
Zip by	Pass quickly.	The motorbike ZIPPED BY the cars stuck in the traffic jam.
Zip it	Keep quiet, say nothing.	He told me to ZIP IT, so I said nothing.
Zip up	Keep quiet.	He was being stupid in the meeting, so we told him to ZIP UP.
Zone in	Pay attention after not doing so.	I was bored at first but then ZONED IN

		when things started getting more interesting.
Zone in on	Pay attention after not doing so.	I ZONED IN ON what they were saying when they started gossiping.
Zone out	Not pay attention.	She ZONED OUT during the lecture because it was so boring.
Zone out	Dissociate yourself from a situation.	I put some ambient music on and ZONED OUT.
Zonk out	Fall asleep.	I ZONKED OUT during the film and missed most of it.
Zoom in	Focus more closely.	The camera ZOOMED IN to show people’s faces.
Zoom in on	Focus more closely.	The camera ZOOMED IN ON his face.
Zoom off	Go somewhere quickly.	He rushed out of the building and ZOOMED OFF in his car.
Zoom out	Focus less closely.	The camera ZOOMED OUT to show all the crowd.

СКАЧАТЬ

2 Comments

Custom Made Evening Dress for Wedding says:

19/06/2021 at 02:17

It’s an awesome piece of writing in favor of all the web visitors; they will get
benefit from it I am sure.
Психолог я says:

17/02/2023 at 16:09

Речевые штампы (как поживаете?) — это «собачье дерьмо»;
Объяснения, рассуждения, доказательства — это «бычье дерьмо»;
Теория ( в том числе теория психологии) — это «слоновье дерьмо»;
Фриц Перлз

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