Phrasal verbs

ex 1
ex.2
ex.3
ex.4
ex.5 verbs with UP
ex. 6 ON

additional ex-s with phrasal verbs
Oxford dictionary of phrasal verbs
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/phrasal-verbs
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 red-handed.

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 information received.
The police were ACTING UPON a tip-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.

Add up to
Have a certain result.
Trains delays are getting worse and with 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 back
To reply rudely to someone in authority.
Her mother was shocked when she started ANSWERING her BACK and refusing to help.

Answer for
Be held responsible for a problem.
The government should be made to ANSWER FOR their failure to sort out the problem.

Answer for
Speak on behalf of someone or from knowing them.
I can ANSWER FOR my partner because I know her position on this issue.

Argue down
Beat someone in a debate, discussion or argument.
The teacher tried to ARGUE the girl DOWN, but she couldn't.

Argue down
Persuade someone to drop the price of something they're selling.
She ARGUED him DOWN ten percent.

Argue down
Try to persuade people not to accept a proposition, motion, etc.
They tried to ARGUE DOWN the proposal.

Argue out
Argue about a problem to find a solution.
If we can't ARGUE our differences OUT, we'll have to take them to court.

Ask about
Ask how someone is doing, especially professionally and in terms of health.
He ASKED ABOUT my father.

Ask after
Enquire about someone's health, how life is going.
Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER you, so I told her you were fine.

Ask around
Ask a number of people for information of help.
I have no idea, but I'll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help.

Ask around
Invite someone.
We ASKED them AROUND for dinner.

Ask for
To provoke a negative reaction.
You're ASKING FOR trouble.

Ask for
Request to have or be given.
I ASKED FOR the menu.

Ask in
To invite somebody into your house.
'Jon's at the door.' 'ASK him IN.'

Ask out
To invite someone for a date.
He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy.

Ask over
Invite.
They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday.

Ask round
Invite someone.
We ASKED John ROUND for diner.

Auction off
Sell something in an auction.
They AUCTIONED OFF their property as they were heavily in debt.

Back away
Retreat or go backwards.
The crowd BACKED AWAY when the 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 files and documents so that you won't lose all your work if something goes wrong with the hardware.

Back up
Support.
The rest of the staff BACKED her UP when she complained about working conditions.

Back up
Drive a vehicle backwards.
Tom BACKED UP without looking and ran over his laptop.

Bag out
Criticise.
Don't bag out BAG OUT Australian English.

Bail out
Save, rescue.
The government had to BAIL OUT the airline because it was losing so much money.

Bail out
Remove water from something that is flooded.
The boat was leaking so they had to BAIL it OUT.

Bail out
Jump out of a plane because it is going to crash.
The pilot BAILED OUT when he saw that the engines had failed.

Bail out of
Pay a bond to release someone from jail.
I must BAIL my drunken brother OUT OF jail.

Bail out on
Stop supporting someone when they are in trouble.
Everybody BAILED OUT ON him when the scandal broke.

Bail up
Talk to someone and delay them.
I was late because he BAILED me UP on the phone and wouldn't shut up.

Bail up
Rob someone at gunpoint.
He was BAILED UP by a couple of muggers as he came out of the bank.

Ball up
Confuse or make things complicated.
The new project has BALLED me UP- I have no idea what to do.

Ball up
Roll or form into a round shape.
He BALLED UP his napkin when he had finished eating.

Balls up
Spoil, ruin.
He BALLSED the presentation UP.

Bang about
Move in a place making a lot of noise.
He's BANGING ABOUT in the kitchen.

Bang around
Move in a place making a lot of noise.
I can hear him BANGING ABOUT upstairs.

Bang on
Talk at great length.
He BANGED ON for half an hour but no one was listening.

Bang on about
Keep talking about something.
He's always BANGING ON ABOUT football.

Bang out
Play a musical instrument loudly.
She BANGED the tune OUT on the piano.

Bang up
Put someone in prison.
The judge BANGED him UP for eight years.

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 down
Persuade someone to drop the price of something they're selling.
I BARGAINED her DOWN to half what she originally wanted.

Bargain for
Expect something to happen (usually negative).
I hadn't BARGAINED FOR so many 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.

Barge into
Enter a place and interrupt people rudely.
They BARGED INTO my office without 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.

Bash up
Break, damage or hurt by hitting.
They BASHED him UP in the fight in the 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.

Be cut up
Be upset.
She was very CUT UP about coming 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 with
Be ill.
Gul is DOWN WITH some bug and is off 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 they affect the person badly.
He IS ON anti-depressants and has 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 absent from a place.
She IS OUT on a visit for the day.

Be out of
Have no more left.
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 away
Work hard.
She's BEAVERING AWAY before her 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 time.
The new government has found it hard to BED DOWN and become accepted.

Bed out
Move a plant outside.
I BEDDED the plants OUT when the weather warmed up.

Beef up
Make something stronger or more solid.
The company BEEFED UP their case 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, thing, etc.
Their ideas BELONG TO the nineteenth 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.
The email addresses were BLANKED OUT in the documents shown to the court.

Blank out
Have a temporary memory failure.
I was so nervous in the interview that I 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 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 leaving.
The police BLOCKED OFF the road 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 margin.
Their new product has BLOWN all the others AWAY.

Blow away
Impress greatly.
Her first novel BLEW me AWAY.

Blow away
When the wind moves something from a place.
The flag BLEW AWAY in the storm; we'll 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
Arrive, sometimes suddenly or unexpectedly.
He BLEW IN from Toronto early this morning.

Blow off
Not keep an appointment.
We were going to meet last night, but she BLEW me OFF at the last minute.

Blow off
Ignore, not do something.
I BLEW the homework OFF and did badly.

Blow off
Expel gas from the anus.
He BLEW OFF in front of everybody.

Blow out
Extinguish candles, matches, etc..
She BLEW the candles OUT on her birthday cake.

Blow out
Defeat decisively.
The Broncos BLEW OUT the Raiders 55-0.

Blow over
When a scandal gets forgotten.
The scandal BLEW OVER within a fortnight when the press found someone else to attack.

Blow up
Explode.
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, especially if you shouldn't.
I was really angry when he BLURTED 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.

Bog down
Slow make progress.
Yasini got BOGGED DOWN in his 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
Amount to.
It all BOILS DOWN TO money at the end of the day.

Boil over
When a hot liquid spills out of a container.
I left the milk on the cooker and it BOILED OVER.

Boil over
When people lose their tempers and things get nasty.
The tension had been building up and it 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.

Bottle away
Store up.
He kept his feelings BOTTLED AWAY.

Bottle out
Lack courage to do something.
She was going to tell her boss exactly what she thought, but BOTTLED OUT in the end.

Bottle up
Not express your feelings.
She BOTTLED UP her feelings even though she was furious with them and kept quiet.

Bottom out
Pass the lowest point and start rising.
The recession BOTTOMED OUT and the economy is recovering well.

Bounce into
Force someone.
They have BOUNCED the government INTO calling an early election.

Bounce back
Recover.
The economy is BOUNCING BACK 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
Surprise someone greatly.
I was BOWLED OVER by the news.

Bowl over
Knock someone to the ground.
He was BOWLED OVER by the crowd rushing out.

Box in
Prevent something from moving, especially vehicles.
I was BOXED IN by the bus and couldn't change lane.

Box up
Pack things in boxes to move them.
At the end of term, I BOXED my books UP and sent them home.

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, etc..
The supermarkets have BRANCHED OUT into banking.

Break away
Leave an organisation, usually to form a new one.
The SDP BROKE AWAY from the Labour Party.

Break down
End negotiations unsuccessfully.
The talks between management and the unions BROKE DOWN acrimoniously.

Break down
Start crying.
He BROKE DOWN in tears.

Break down
Stop working.
My car's BROKEN DOWN, so I came by taxi.

Break down
Remove a barrier or obstacle.
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 fully functional..
I must watch my speed until I BREAK IN 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 irritation..
The measles caused me to BREAK OUT IN a rash.

Break out of
Escape.
Three dangerous Category A prisoners BROKE OUT OF Wandsworth Prison last night.

Break through
Pass a barrier or obstacle.
The crowd BROKE THROUGH the 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 holidays.
Schools BREAK UP at the end of June for the summer holidays.

Break up
Finish a relationship.
They had been going out for a couple of years before they BROKE UP.

Break up
Become inaudible over the telephone because of interference.
You're BREAKING UP; I'll call you back in a minute and see if we get a better connection.

Breeze along
Move easily and quickly.
The film BREEZES ALONG for the first 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.

Brighten up
Become happier.
He BRIGHTENED UP when he heard the news.

Brighten up
Make something more attractive or pleasant.
We tried to BRIGHTEN the place UP by painting it.

Bring about
Make something happen.
The changes to the law were BROUGHT ABOUT by the government because so many people were ignoring the old one.

Bring along
Bring someone or something to certain place.
You can BRING your friends ALONG if you like.

Bring along
Help someone improve.
Her coach has BROUGHT her ALONG a lot in the last six months.

Bring around
Persuade or convince someone.
It took me ages to BRING him AROUND to my point of view.

Bring around
Bring something with you when you visit.
He BROUGHT some books AROUND when he came last night.

Bring around
Get someone talking about something.
He didn't want to discuss the details, but I managed to BRING him AROUND and he told me everything.

Bring back
Cause someone to remember.
Visiting my old school BROUGHT BACK memories of when I was a pupil there.

Bring back
Return.
He took the calculator home yesterday and hasn't BROUGHT it BACK yet.

Bring down
Make a government fall.
The vote of no-confidence BROUGHT the government DOWN.

Bring down
Make something cheaper.
The improvements in technology have BROUGHT the prices of computers DOWN considerably in recent months.

Bring forth
Produce something, make it known or visible.
The prosecution BROUGHT FORTH a 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.

Bring forward
Make something happen earlier than originally planned.
The meeting has been BROUGHT FORWARD to this Friday instead of next 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 the process.
Getting wet in the rain yesterday 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 unconsciousness or an anaesthetic.
The doctors BROUGHT him ROUND a 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.

Brush up
Improve a skill quickly.
She took a two-week course to BRUSH 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 under
Accept something under pressure, against your will.
They didn't like the ideas, but had to 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
Open your eyes wide in surprise.
He BUGGED OUT when she turned up.

Bug out
Leave somewhere in a hurry.
They BUGGED OUT when the police arrived.

Build up
Develop a company.
She BUILT the business UP from nothing into a market leader in less than a decade.

Build up
Increase.
Tension has been BUILDING UP ever since the government passed the unpopular law.

Bulk out
Make something bigger or thicker.
I BULKED the essay OUT with a few quotes to reach the number of word required.

Bulk up
Gain weight, develop bigger muscles.
He's BULKED UP a lot since he got those steroids.

Bump into
Meet by chance.
I BUMPED INTO Helen on the underground the other day.

Bump off
Kill.
The drug dealer was BUMPED OFF by a rival gang.

Bump up
Increase.
They BUMP UP the prices in the high season.

Bundle off
Send someone somewhere.
He BUNDLED the kids OFF to bed.

Bundle out
Expel.
The barman BUNDLED the drunk OUT because he was annoying the other customers.

Bundle up
Put on warm clothing.
We BUNDLED UP before going out as it was snowing.

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.

Burn down
Burn completely.
They had to completely rebuild the museum after the old one BURNED DOWN.

Burn off
Remove by burning or similar process.
I BURN OFF a lot of calories in the gym.

Burn out
Lose enthusiasm and energy to continue in a demanding job.
Jennie BURNT OUT after ten years 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.

Burn up
To be or cause to be highly annoyed.
His undeserved win in the election really BURNS me UP.

Burst into
Catch fire very quickly.
The car BURST INTO flames and the driver died as he didn't have time to get out.

Burst into
Laugh, cry or clap loudly.
She BURST INTO laughter when she heard the joke.

Bust up
End a relationship, usually angrily or after arguing.
They BUST UP after a row last night.

Butt in
Interrupt.
I hope you don't mind me BUTTING IN on your conversation, but I couldn't help hearing what you said...

Butt out
Not be involved in other people's business.
This is none of your business, so just BUTT OUT!

Butter up
Praise or flatter someone excessively.
I tried BUTTERING my tutor UP but she still wouldn\'t let me hand it in late.

Buy in
Force a CD or record into the charts by buying lots of copies.
Joe Meek's last hit, 'Singin' the Blues', was probably BOUGHT IN at number 40, but failed to go any higher.

Buy into
Accept an idea.
I never BOUGHT INTO the idea of a federalist Euopean Union.

Buy off
Pay someone to stop them causing trouble.
He BOUGHT the newspaper OFF by placing a lot of adverts.

Buy out
Buy somebody's share in a company.
His business partners BOUGHT him OUT to get rid of him.

Buy up
Buy all of something.
We BOUGHT UP all the shop had before the price went up.

Buzz around
Move quickly around a place.
Reporters were BUZZING AROUND the scene of the accident.

Buzz off
Leave somewhere.
I'm BUZZING OFF now- I have to meet 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.

Call for
Demand.
The Opposition party CALLED FOR the 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
Telephone for something.
I'll CALL FOR a cab right away.

Call for
Go and collect someone to take them out.
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.

Call off
Cancel.
The concert had to be CALLED OFF 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 to speak in public. (Formal).
I now CALL ON the other party to give their account of what happened.

Call out
Expose or accuse someone of wrongdoing or incompetence.
He CALLED them OUT over awarding 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.
She CAPPED OFF the meeting with a radical proposal.

Care for
Like.
I don't CARE FOR fizzy drinks; I prefer water.

Carried away
Get so emotional that you lose control.
The team got CARRIED AWAY when they won the championship and started shouting and throwing things around.

Carry forward
Include a figure in a later calculation.
They CARRIED FORWARD their losses 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 CARRYING 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 test 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 CARRY-OUT.

Carry over
Continue past a certain point.
The meeting CARRIED OVER into the 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 stealing or without permission.
The thieves CARTED OFF all the ticket receipts.

Carve out
Create or get a area where you can be special or successful.
She's CARVED OUT a career in photojournalism.

Carve up
Divide into smaller pieces.
They CARVED the company UP and sold a lot off.

Carve up
Overtake someone and then pull directly in front of a car.
The idiot CARVED us UP and forced me 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 of 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 business at the end of the day.
After the shop closed, they have to CASH 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.

Catch on
Finally understand what is going on.
Everyone else realised what was 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 with
Do something that should have been done earlier.
I'm going home to CATCH UP WITH my sleep.

Catch up with
Meet someone after a period of time and find out what they have been doing.
I CAUGHT UP WITH her at the conference.

Catch up with
When something negative starts to have an effect.
His criminal behaviour is starting to CATCH UP WITH him.

Catch up with
Punish someone after they have been doing something wrong for a long time.
The tax authorities CAUGHT UP WITH me for not submitting my tax returns.

Catch up with
Learn something new that many people already understand.
My mother's trying to CATCH UP WITH 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.

Chalk up to
Explain the reason for a problem.
They CHALKED the poor sales UP TO 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.

Charge with
Accuse somebody of a crime.
She was arrested in customs last night 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 something.
The librarian is CHASING me UP about 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 interested in to get them interested in you.
He spent the whole night CHATTING her UP.

Cheat on
Be sexually unfaithful.
She CHEATED ON me with my friend.

Cheat on
Deceive or betray, often in a sexual and/or emotional context.
She thought he had always been faithful to her, but he had been CHEATING ON 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 airport.
They CHECKED IN at the Ritz 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 something to see if it's satisfactory.
I CHECKED the new restaurant OUT as 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 deciding.
I'll CHEW ON it for a day or two and let you know what I think.

Chew out
Criticize someone angrily.
They CHEWED him OUT for being late.

Chew over
Think about an issue.
He asked for a few days to CHEW the 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 at
Gradually reduce something to make it less powerful, effective, etc.
They have been CHIPPING AWAY AT 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 or want.
I CHUCKED OUT some stuff I found in the fridge that had gone bad.

Chuck up
Vomit, be sick.
He got ridiculously drunk and 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 amounts without much regard to quality.
The government CHURNS OUT 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.

Claw back
Retake possession with difficulty.
The opposition parties are trying to 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.

Clear out
Tidy up thoroughly and throw away unwanted stuff..
I spent the whole weekend CLEARING 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
Improve (weather).
The skies CLEARED UP and the sun came out.

Click through
Open an advertisement on the Internet.
Only a tiny fraction of users ever bother CLICKING THROUGH the banner adverts.

Climb down
Accept that you are wrong and change your position.
The Prime Minister had to CLIMB 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 upon
Get near someone.
The police were CLOSING IN UPON the gang.

Close off
Block a place to stop people entering.
The police CLOSED the road OFF after the explosion.

Close on
Get nearer.
She is CLOSING ON the leader of the 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 about
Behave stupidly or waste time.
The students were CLOWNING ABOUT all lesson.

Clown around
Behave stupidly or waste time.
I couldn't concentrate because they were CLOWNING AROUND all afternoon.

Coast along
Do something without making much effort or trying to improve.
She's been COASTING ALONG all year and hasn't made a lot of progress.

Cobble together
Make, assemble or produce something quickly, without much care.
They COBBLED a few pages TOGETHER and submitted it.

Cock up
Ruin or spoil something.
It was so easy, but he managed to COCK everything UP.

Colour (Color) up
Blush.
He COLOURED (COLORED) UP when 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 across
Agree to have sex with someone.
I was surprised when she CAME ACROSS on the first night.

Come across
The way other people see you.
He CAME ACROSS as shy because he 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.

Come apart
Break into pieces.
It CAME APART when I tried to lift it off 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 before
Appear in court charged with a crime or offence.
He CAME BEFORE the court on charges 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 upon
Criticise, reprimand severely.
They will COME DOWN UPON us if we 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
Provide information.
None of the witnesses CAME FORTH 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
Be important or relevant.
Money doesn't COME INTO it; I simply will not do it under any circumstances.

Come into
Inherit.
She CAME INTO a lot of money when her grandmother died.

Come into use
Start being used.
The computerised system CAME INTO USE at the end of last year.

Come off
When something breaks off.
I picked it up and the handle CAME OFF in my hand.

Come off
Be successful.
I was surprised when the plan CAME OFF so easily.

Come off it
I don't believe what you're saying; used as an imperative.
COME OFF IT; tell me the truth for goodness' sake.

Come on
Encouragement.
COME ON; don't give up now when you're so close to finishing.

Come on
Start an illness.
I've got a bit of a headache. I hope it doesn't mean I've got flu COMING ON.

Come on
Start functioning (machines, etc).
The central heating COMES ON automatically an hour before I have to get up.

Come out
A secret is revealed.
The details of the scandal CAME OUT in the press and she had to resign.

Come out
Be published or otherwise available to the public.
The band's new CD is COMING OUT in September.

Come out
Disappear when washed.
The red wine I spilt just will not COME OUT of the carpet no matter what I try to clean it with.

Come out
Let people know that you are lesbian or gay.
She CAME OUT at university and has been living with her partner, Jane, for the last couple of years.

Come out
When the sun appears.
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 coma.

Come out with
Make something available.
They have just COME OUT WITH a new version.

Come out with
Say something publicly and unexpectedly.
She CAME OUT WITH the answer when everyone was expecting it to remain unsolved.

Come over
Feel strange.
I CAME OVER all faint and weak because my sugar level was too low. (British)

Come over
Affect mentally in such a way as to change behaviour (possibly related to 'overcome').
I'm sorry about last night - I don't know what CAME OVER me.

Come round
Become conscious, wake up from anaesthetic.
She CAME ROUND and learned that the operation had been a complete success.

Come round
Change your opinion.
At first she didn't like the idea, but she CAME ROUND to our way of thinking in the end.

Come through
Arrive (messages and information).
News is COMING THROUGH of a major accident on the M25, where freezing fog has been making driving conditions extremely dangerous.

Come through
Communicate an emotion.
The anger she felt COMES THROUGH.

Come through
Produce a result.
They promised they'd do it, but they haven't COME THROUGH yet.

Come through with
Provide something needed.
He didn't COME THROUGH WITH the money and they went bust.

Come to
Become conscious, wake up from anaesthetic.
She CAME TO an hour after the operation.

Come to
Result in.
The two men started arguing but they soon CAME TO blows and started fighting in earnest.

Come up
Appear.
I'll be late home tonight because 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-of-town 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.

Conjure up
Create something without many resources.
I had to CONJURE UP a full weekend's 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.
Since it started, many companies have CONTRACTED IN to lend their support.

Contract out
Give a contract for a service outside the company you work for.
They have CONTRACTED OUT their catering services to save money.

Contract out of
Formally leave and agreement.
I CONTRACTED OUT OF the deal years ago.

Cool down
Get cooler.
I left the tea for a minute until it had COOLED DOWN enough to drink.

Cool down
Become calm.
It took me ages to COOL DOWN after the argument.

Cool off
Become calmer.
We’ll talk to Fred once he COOLS OFF and can talk rationally.

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.

Cop out
Choose an easy alternative.
She was going to take a Master's degree but COPPED OUT and chose the Diploma course instead.

Cost up
Calculate how expensive some work is going to be.
The decorators are going to COST UP the 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 by coughing.
He gave up smoking after he COUGHED UP some blood.

Could do with
Need or want something.
I COULD really DO WITH a cup of tea.

Count against
Affect negatively, make less likely to succeed.
Not having a university degree will COUNT AGAINST her.

Count among
Include someone or something in a group, category, etc.
I COUNT her AMONG my closest friends.

Count down
Wait impatiently or excitedly for something to happen.
I'm COUNTING DOWN the days till they leave.

Count for
Be recognised as important, worthwhile or valuable.
Experience COUNTS FOR a lot in decision making.

Count in
Include or involve.
If you're going on that skiing holiday, you can COUNT me IN; I'd love to go.

Count off
Say numbers aloud in a sequence.
They COUNTED the students OFF as they arrived.

Count on
Depend, rely.
You can COUNT ON them; if they have promised to do something, they'll do it.

Count on
Expect something to happen and base plans on it.
I was COUNTING ON the payment arriving last week and was really angry 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 a certain amount of money.
He COUNTED OUT £250 and paid me.

Count towards
Be a part needed to complete something.
The coursework COUNTS TOWARDS the final grade.

Count up
Add.
COUNT UP the number of tickets sold, please.

Count upon
Expect something to happen and base plans on it.
I was COUNTING UPON their support and lost because they didn't vote my way.

Count upon
Depend, rely.
I COUNT UPON them to help me.

Cover for
Provide an excuse or alibi.
She asked me to COVER FOR her if anyone asked where she'd gone.

Cover for
Do someone's work while they are temporarily absent.
I COVERED FOR her while she was off sick.

Cover up
Conceal, try to stop people finding out.
They tried to COVER UP the incident but it got into the newspapers.

Cozy up
Make yourself comfortable.
It was cold and I COZIED UP by the fire.

Cozy up to
Make yourself popular with someone.
He's been COZYING UP TO our boss because he wants a pay rise.

Crack down on
Use more authority than usual.
The police always CRACK DOWN ON drink-driving offences over the Christmas 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 too tired, drunk, etc. to leave.
Dave CRASHED OUT at a friend's flat 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 wrongfully or unfairly.
This means smaller banks can CREAM 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 on
To do the same activity for a very long time.
He's been CREEPING OUT ON that 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 is wrong.
She CROSSED OUT her mistakes and 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 down
Clear a table in a restaurant.
The waiter CRUMBED DOWN before 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
Affect people of different groups, classes, etc.
The issue CUTS ACROSS social backgrounds as it affects us all equally.

Cut back
Reduce.
The firm CUT BACK production because sales were sluggish.

Cut back
Remove branches from a plant or tree to encourage future growth.
We CUT the tree BACK every winter.

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.

Cut down
Shoot.
A lot of soldiers were CUT DOWN by enemy fire as they stormed the airport.

Cut down
Reduce a vertical thing to ground level by cutting.
The logger CUT the tree DOWN.

Cut down
Cut something from a high position.
After Christmas he didn't carefully detach all the decorations, he just CUT them all DOWN.

Cut down on
Reduce.
Doctors advised her to CUT DOWN ON 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.

Cut out on
Let down, snub.
Although he'd promised to help, the star 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.

Cut up
Drive into a neighbouring lane, directly in front of another vehicle.
I was just driving onto the motorway slip-road, when a red Mini CUT me UP and I 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 plant is affected by fungal parasites.
The seedlings DAMP OFF in the spring if 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.

Decide on
Choose, select.
Trevor spent a long time looking at flats before he bought one, but eventually DECIDED ON one near his work.

Decide upon
Choose, select.
Jane spent a long time looking at houses 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.

Die down
Decrease or become quieter.
It was on the front pages of all the papers 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.

Die out
Become extinct or disappear.
Some scientists say that the dinosaurs 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 return.
He DISHES it OUT, but gets all hurt 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 unproductive.
I couldn't get down to my work and DOSSED ABOUT all night.

Doss around
Spend time doing very little or being unproductive.
I spent the afternoon DOSSING AROUND.

Doss down
Sleep somewhere temporarily because you don't go home.
I was feeling really tired, so I DOSSED 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 too many people.
We had to DOUBLE UP because we 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.

Draw down
Reduce levels.
The administration want to DRAW 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.

Draw into
Get involved in something unpleasant.
I didn't want to take sides because I didn't 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 needed.
The director DREW the meeting OUT with a lengthy speech.

Draw out
Make a shy person more outgoing.
He was so quiet at first, but the teacher managed to DRAW him OUT and get him to participate.

Draw up
Prepare a contract.
The contract was DRAWN UP by our solicitor.

Draw up
When a vehicle stops.
The police car DREW UP alongside him 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.

Dream up
Invent something, have an idea.
They DREAMED UP the scheme for the improvements and it was accepted by the board.

Dredge up
Discover things about someone's past.
The newspapers DREDGED UP the 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 someone.
We were great friends at school but DRIFTED APART when we went to 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 computer.
I really had to DRILL DOWN to get the answers from the database.

Drill down through
Get to the bottom of something, get detailed data.
They DRILLED DOWN THROUGH the information to find the truth.

Drill into
Repeat something many times to make someone learn it.
The teacher DRILLED the rules INTO the students.

Drink up
Finish a drink.
DRINK UP, please; it's closing time.

Drive away
Force an animal or someone to leave a place.
Their unfriendliness DRIVES customers 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.

Drone on
Talk boringly for a long time.
The minister DRONED ON for an hour and the audience looked increasingly bored.

Drop around
Visit someone, often without making an arrangement.
We DROPPED AROUND to collect the stuff we'd left there last week.

Drop around
Deliver.
I DROPPED AROUND the things they 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 leave it or them there..
I DROPPED the kids OFF at school on 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 someone in it
Get someone into trouble.
I really DROPPED him IN IT when I told 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 heard.
The music DROWNED OUT the sound of the phone ringing.

Drum into
To make someone learn or believe something by constant repetition.
They DRUM all the traps INTO you 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 addicted.
He checked into a clinic to DRY OUT 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, source, etc.
The lake DRIED UP because of the water 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.
Television has been DUMBING DOWN the news for years.

Dump on
Treat someone badly.
Her boss DUMPS ON everyone when things go wrong.

Dump on
Criticize heavily, often unfairly.
She DUMPS ON her family a lot.

Dump on
Tell someone your problems.
When he';s depressed, he needs someone to DUMP ON.

Dwell on
Spend a lot of time on something.
The programme DWELLED ON little other than the scandal.

Dwell upon
Spend a lot of time on something.
She DWELT UPON the economic situation in her speech.

Ease off
Reduce pressure.
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 consumed.
The graphics EAT UP our bandwidth- 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
Approach slowly.
She EDGED UP behind the bus at the red light.

Egg on
Encourage.
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.

Fall back on
Be able to use in an emergency.
It was good to have some money in the bank to FALL BACK ON when I lost my job.

Fall behind
Make less progress.
I was ill for a week and FELL BEHIND with my work.

Fall down
Fall on the ground.
I slipped on the ice and FELL DOWN.

Fall down
Have a weak point.
The argument FALLS DOWN when you look at how much it'll cost.

Fall for
Be attracted to somebody, fall in love.
He FELL FOR her the moment their eyes met.

Fall for
Believe a lie or a piece of deception.
He FELL FOR my story and allowed me yet another extension for the submission of my thesis.

Fall in
Collapse.
The ceiling FELL IN hurting a lot of people.

Fall into
Start doing something unplanned.
I just FELL INTO my job when an opportunity came up.

Fall off
Decrease.
The membership FELL OFF dramatically when the chairperson resigned.

Fall out
Argue and be on bad terms with someone.
They FELL OUT over the decision and hardly speak to each other any more.

Fall out
Lose hair.
He's started getting worried about baldness because his hair is FALLING OUT rather quickly.

Fall over
Fall on the ground.
I slipped on the ice and FELL OVER.

Fall through
Be unsuccessful.
The plans FELL THROUGH when 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
Tie something so that it doesn't move.
We FASTENED it DOWN to keep the wind from blowing it away.

Fasten on
Give attention to something that confirms your beliefs.
They have FASTENED ON the speech as a source of inspiration.

Fasten onto
Follow someone closely, normally when they don't want your company.
He FASTENED ONTO the minister on his visit and asked him repeatedly about the scandal.

Fasten onto
Give attention to something that confirms your beliefs.
They FASTEN ONTO any figures that 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 their favour or something from them.
He's always FAWNING ON his boss to 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 out.
They FENCED OFF one side of the park to keep dogs out.

Fend for
Take care of yourself or someone with help from other people.
The children had to FEND FOR 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 around
Waste time doing silly things, or unsuccessful things.
I FIDDLED AROUND with the phone 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 hidden.
He tried to FIGHT BACK the tears when he heard the news of her death.

Fight it out
Struggle to see who wins, both by arguing or fighting.
Their FIGHTING IT OUT to see who will become the next CEO.

Fight off
Fight an attacker and force them back.
The old lady managed to FIGHT the 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 storage in a filing system.
I FILED a copy of the letter AWAY for my records.

File for
Apply for something legally, like divorce or bankruptcy.
They FILED FOR divorce after two years 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.

Filter out
Remove something unwanted.
It FILTERS OUT all the impurities and chemicals in tap water so that it tastes better.

Find out
Discover.
I went to the library to FIND OUT all I could about the life and work of Joe Meek.

Finish off
Finish completely.
They FINISHED OFF all the chocolates 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.
The animal was badly hurt, so they FINISHED it OFF to end its suffering.

Finish off
Beat, make victory certain in sport.
The second goal FINISHED them OFF.

Finish off
Consume all.
We FINISHED OFF the coffee and had to get some more.

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, emails, etc).
He FIRED OFF an email complaining 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 discussion.
We need to FIRM UP some aspects of the 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, etc.
She reached into her handbag and FISHED some coins OUT.

Fish out
Remove from water, such as the sea, rivers, etc.
It's fallen in the pool- I'll have to FISH it OUT.

Fit in
Get on in a group of people.
I didn't FIT IN with the other 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.

Fit in with
Be convenient or occur conveniently.
They're not arriving until Thursday, 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 equipment.
They didn't FIT the troops OUT WITH the necessary protective gear.

Fit up
Frame someone- make them look guilty of something they haven't done.
The police FITTED him UP for dealing 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
Signal at a vehicle to get it to stop.
The police officer FLAGGED the car DOWN because it didn't have its headlights on.

Flag up
Raise an issue, or highlight its importance.
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 through
Change TV channels repeatedly.
I FLICKED THROUGH the channels to 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.
When the police were walking away, he FLIPPED them OFF.

Flip out
Become very excited and lose control.
He FLIPPED OUT when he won the final.

Flip through
Look quickly through a magazine, book, etc.
I FLIPPED THROUGH the latest issue of the magazine in the shop and decided to buy it.

Flog off
Sell something cheaply to get rid of it.
The council FLOGGED OFF the land 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 angrily.
He FLOUNCED OFF when they laughed 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.

Fly about
Circulate (rumours, etc).
The rumour has been FLYING ABOUT 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 something you don't want.
I FOBBED the fake note ONTO a 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 score enough runs, it has to bat again.
They were over 200 runs behind and had to FOLLOW ON.

Follow on from
Be the part of something.
The film FOLLOWS ON from the original.

Follow through
Do what is necessary to complete something or make it successful.
The project went wrong when the staff 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.

Forge ahead
Make a lot of progress in a short time.
We've been FORGING AHEAD with the work and should be finished well before the deadline.

Forge ahead
Move forwards very quickly.
She FORGED AHEAD of the other runners and won.

Freak out
Become very disturbed or angry.
She FREAKED OUT completely when she didn't get the grades to get into university.

Free up
Make money or time available by not using it elsewhere.
If we get the work done tonight, it will FREE UP the weekend to go away.

Free up
Do work or a task for someone to make them available for something.
If you proofread this text, it will FREE me UP to get on with the next part.

Freeze out
Shut out or exclude by unfriendly treatment.
They tried to FREEZE me OUT of the conversation.

Freeze out
Force to retire or withdraw from membership, a job, etc.
After Jim was FROZEN OUT of the case, 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.

Freeze up
When a computer stops working.
The computer FROZE UP; it showed me 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 something.
The magazine gives you tips on how to FRESHEN UP your home cheaply.

Frighten away
Scare someone so much that they go away.
The noise FRIGHTENED the birds AWAY.

Frighten away
Scare or worry someone enough to stop them doing something they had planned.
The strikes FRIGHTENED many visitors 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.
The crash in share prices FRIGHTENED investors OFF.

Front for
Represent someone, especially when covering illegal or wrongful activities.
The solicitor FRONTS FOR a number of criminal gangs.

Front off
Confront someone and let them know you are prepared to fight.
The two guys FRONTED each other 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.

Gear to
Organise or arrange something for a particular purpose, audience, etc. (Often passive).
It's not GEARED TO non-specialists.

Gear towards
Organise or arrange something for a particular purpose, audience, etc.
The project is GEARED TOWARDS older people.

Gear up
Get ready for a busy period.
The shops are GEARING UP for the New Year sales.

Geek out
Talk at length about computing.
Henry always GEEKS OUT at parties and 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 many people.
She GETS ABOUT a bit; she's always with some new guy.

Get above
Behave as if you are better or more important than others.
She's been GETTING ABOVE 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
Go from one side to the other.
It's impossible to GET ACROSS the road with all this traffic.

Get across
Move something from one side to the other.
How are we going to GET these bags ACROSS the river?

Get across to
Be convincing or make a good impression.
How can I GET ACROSS TO my audience?

Get after
Nag or exhort someone.
You should GET AFTER them to finish the work.

Get after
Chase.
GET AFTER her and give her the message before she leaves the building.

Get ahead
Progress.
Nowadays, you need IT skills if you want to GET AHEAD.

Get ahead of
Move in front of.
I work at home in the evening to GET AHEAD OF schedule.

Get along
Have a good relationship.
Why don't you two GET ALONG? You're always arguing.

Get along
Leave.
It's late; we must be GETTING ALONG.

Get along
Progess.
How's the homework GETTING ALONG?

Get along in
Progress.
How are you GETTING ALONG IN the company.

Get along with
Have a good relationship with someone.
I don't GET ALONG WITH my sister- we have nothing in common.

Get along with
Deal with, handle.
How are you GETTING ALONG WITH the training course?

Get around
Become known.
It didn't take long for the news to GET AROUND once it got into the newspapers.

Get around
Visit many different places.
He GETS AROUND a lot- he's always flying somewhere different.

Get around
Walk or go to places.
He's finding it hard to GET AROUND 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.

Get around
Persuade, convince.
She didn't want to accept my application because it was late, but I managed to GET AROUND her.

Get around
Have personal or sexual relationships with many people.
He GETS AROUND a bit; he's always with some new girlfriend.

Get around to
Finally manage to do something, make the effort to do something.
It always takes me ages to GET AROUND to replying to letters.

Get at
Criticise.
His boss is always GETTING AT him for arriving late.

Get at
Mean.
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 from
Go somewhere different or do something different.
Work's getting on top of me; I need to 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 with
Not get caught, criticised or punished for doing something wrong.
Thieves GOT AWAY WITH two Picassos, which were never found.

Get away with
Achieve something, despite not doing it correctly or properly.
Do you think we could GET AWAY 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 into
Start doing something after stopping for some time.
I am GETTING BACK INTO my Khmer 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.

Get back to
Respond when you know the answer.
I don't know at the moment, but I will 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, exhausted, etc..
The miserable weather in winter really 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.

Get down
Leave the table after eating.
When they had finished dinner, the 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 on
Criticise.
My mother used to GET DOWN ON us for not doing enough homework.

Get down to
Start working seriously.
I find it extremely difficult to GET 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.

Get in
Arrive home.
She didn't GET IN till well after twelve o'clock because she'd been out for a few drinks with her mates.

Get in
Enter a car or taxi.
The taxi pulled up and we GOT IN.

Get in
Buy or obtain supplies, like food.
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
Enter a building or place.
I borrowed her pass to GET IN.

Get in
Be elected.
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 IN.

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 together
Control things in your life to achieve your aims.
If I don't GET IT TOGETHER, I will 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.

Get on
Continue doing something.
The teacher asked the pupils to GET ON 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 a reasonable degree of success.
How are you GETTING ON with your 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 want them to do something.
We'd better GET ONTO someone to fix 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 socialise.
She doesn't GET OUT much now she has 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 to use it.
I GOT the car OUT so that we could load 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 see or buy.
We have to GET the report OUT by the 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 with
Do something unpleasant that has to be done rather than delaying it any more.
I GOT the test OVER WITH rather than 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 before we finish.

Get round (around) to
Finally manage to do something.
It always takes me ages to GET ROUND to writing letters. (In American English 'around' is used)

Get round (or around)
Persuade someone.
She didn't want to let me do it, but I 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
Finish.
I'm going to take some work home because I haven't managed to GET THROUGH it all today.

Get through
Succeed in an exam or test.
My car didn't GET THROUGH its inspection.

Get through
Help someone or something succeed or pass a test or exam.
My teacher GOT me THROUGH the 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, etc).
If the proposal GETS THROUGH, it'll 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 to
Make someone understand.
I explained it carefully, but I just couldn't 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.

Get to
Start discussing a topic.
We asked him to GET TO the point, but he just waffled away.

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
Organise.
They GOT UP a list of two hundred people who were opposed to the local council's plans.

Get up to
Do something wrong or naughty.
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.

Gin up
Boost, increase or exaggerate.
The candidates tried to GIN UP support at 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 through the marriage ceremony.
He GAVE his daughter AWAY and told the groom to look after her.

Give away
Tell a secret, often unintentionally.
She didn't GIVE anything AWAY about 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 up.
She had to GIVE her baby AWAY as she 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 boxing.
He is GIVING AWAY thirty pounds to 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 or requires too much energy.
I couldn't finish the crossword puzzle and had to GIVE IN and look at the answers.

Give in
Submit homework, etc..
The projects have to be GIVEN IN three 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 something.
They really GAVE IT TO me for 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 return, usually time or money.
He GIVE OF his free time to help the 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 yourself up
Surrender to the police or authorities.
The gang GAVE THEMSELVES UP last 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.

Gnaw at
Harm gradually.
The government's dishonesty has 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
Proceed.
We now intend to GO AHEAD WITH the final stage of the project.

Go along with
Accept a decision or suggestion.
I didn't really agree, but I WENT ALONG WITH the decision because I was in the minority.

Go along with
Accompany.
I plan to GO ALONG WITH them as far as Los Angeles.

Go around
Circulate.
A rumour is GOING AROUND about the Attorney General.

Go around
Be or have enough of something.
There aren't enough jobs to GO 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.

Go before
Precede.
We can´t ignore what has GONE 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, followed 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 the 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.

Go out to
Feel sympathy with someone.
Our condolences GO OUT TO all the 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 the vacuum cleaner before they arrived.

Go over to
Go on a journey.
I'm GOING OVER TO Hong Kong next 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.

Go round
Be or have enough of something.
There aren't enough jobs to GO ROUND for the numbers of people graduating nowadays.

Go round
Circulate.
There's a nasty rumour GOING ROUND about them.

Go round
Visit.
I WENT ROUND last night to see them.

Go through
Experience.
You wouldn't believe what I WENT THROUGH when I was ill!

Go through
Read again.
I WENT THROUGH my notes before the exam.

Go through
Examine, search.
I WENT THROUGH my desk looking for the letter.

Go through
Do something in a certain way or following certain procedures.
You must GO THROUGH the proper 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 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 with
Do or complete something you've agreed to.
He did promise, but I doubt that he'll GO 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
Contibute.
The money WENT TOWARDS my university fees.

Go under
Go bankrupt.
Many small shops are GOING UNDER because they cannot compete with the supermarkets.

Go under
Lose consciousness.
She WENT UNDER a few minutes after they administered the anaesthetic.

Go under
Sink.
The ship WENT UNDER in a heavy storm.

Go up
Rise or climb.
The price of petrol has GONE UP sharply 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 something else.
She GROUND her cigarette INTO the 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 together
Gradually become attached, united or close.
We GREW TOGETHER while we were 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 around
Waste time.
I've been HACKING AROUND all 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 about!
Stop what you're doing and pay attention to me.
HANG ABOUT! We're not allowed to do this.

Hang around
Stay in a place.
They HANG AROUND the station most of the day.

Hang back
Not move forwards to avoid doing something.
When they raced towards the entrance, I 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 shouldn't want it or can't have it.
I have always HANKERED FOR a soft-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 against
Dislike, disagree or hold a grudge (Usually negative).
I HAVE nothing AGAINST their proposals.

Have around
Entertain someone in your home.
I HAD the neighbours AROUND for dinner last night.

Have down as
Think of someone or something in a particular way.
I HAD her DOWN AS a liberal, but I was 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 with
Discuss or argue an issue to improve a situation.
I'd been worried for ages, so I decided to 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 direction.
The sheriff and his men HEADED the 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 communication from someone.
I haven't HEARD FROM them since we 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 about someone.
I have HEARD nothing OF them since 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 found.
They HID the money AWAY in secret bank accounts.

Hide away
Go or stay somewhere where you won't be found or away from people.
I'm renting a cottage where I can HIDE AWAY for the summer.

Hide out
Go or stay somewhere to avoid being caught or found.
The police think he's HIDING OUT in the woods.

Hinge on
Depend very much or completely.
Everything HINGES ON the results of the negotiations; if they go badly, we'll be in real trouble.

Hinge on
Be an essential point for the development of a story.
The film HINGES ON his not being recognised when he's in disguise.

Hinge upon
Depend very much or completely.
Everything HINGES UPON the results of the negotiations; if they go badly, we'll be in real trouble.

Hit back
Attack or criticise.
The president HIT BACK at her critics in a speech last night.

Hit for
Get someone to pay or donate money.
They HIT the sponsors FOR a lot of money.

Hit it off
Have a good relationship from the first time you meet a person.
We HIT IT OFF immediately and became firm friends.

Hit it off with
Like someone from the first time you meet them.
I HIT IT OFF WITH her immediately.

Hit on
Have an idea.
I suddenly HIT ON the solution

Hit on
Talk to someone to try to attract them sexually.
She HIT ON him at the party and they went back to her house.

Hit on
Ask for money.
A beggar HIT ON me when I left the restaurant.

Hit out at
Respond angrily to criticism.
The government HIT OUT AT the media for their negativity.

Hit up
Inject drugs.
She's been HITTING UP for years.

Hit up
Ask someone for some money.
He always tries to HIT me UP for money when we meet.

Hit up on
Inject drugs.
He's been HITTING UP ON heroin for years.

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 against
Have a grudge against someone, or little respect.
He was very rude, but I won't HOLD it AGAINST him.

Hold back
Not show emotion.
It was really hard to HOLD BACK the tears.

Hold back
Prevent something moving forwards or progressing.
Lack of funding HELD the project BACK.

Hold back
Not disclose information or make it public.
The government HELD BACK the findings of the report for fear of alienating voters.

Hold back from
Not allow yourself to do something.
I had to HOLD BACK FROM losing my temper with them.

Hold down
Keep a job.
He's so unreliable that he can never 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.
Chelsea couldn't HOLD their opponents OFF and lost the game.

Hold on
Wait.
Could you HOLD ON for a minute; she'll be free in a moment.

Hold on
To hold tightly.
We HELD ON as the bus started to move.

Hold on to
Hold tightly.
I HELD ON TO my luggage while I was waiting fr the taxi so that it didn't get stolen.

Hold onto
Keep as long as possible.
It tried to HOLD ONTO my cash during 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 in.

Hold out against
Try to reject.
The staff are HOLDING OUT AGAINST 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 planned.
It has been so successful that they have HELD it OVER for another fortnight.

Hold together
Not break up.
The society managed to HOLD TOGETHER despite the crisis.

Hold up
Delay when travelling.
I was HELD UP by the terrible traffic and arrived half an hour late for my appointment.

Hold up
Rob with violence or threats thereof.
Two armed men HELD UP the bank in 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 situation.
They HOLED UP in a remote cottage while the police were searching for them.

Home in on
Target.
The government is HOMING IN ON benefit fraud.

Hone in on
Target, focus.
The company HONED IN ON its rival 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 around
Act in a dangerous or reckless way, especially when driving fast.
He was HOONING AROUND in his new car last night and the police pulled him.

Horse around
Not be serious.
The class were HORSING AROUND 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 at something.
They have HOSED DOWN an obscure 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 down
Settle in a place as comfortably as possible to stay there.
The troops HUNKERED DOWN in the 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.

Iron out
Remove small problems or irregularities.
The management team IRONED OUT 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 around
Make trouble for someone, fail to keep promises.
Don't listen to him- he always JACKS 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 badly.
He was JERKING us AROUND and 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 better.
I need to buy some memory to JUICE my 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.

Keel over
Surrender, give in.
He was going to confront his boss, but 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.

Keep up
Maintain a continuous action, persist.
First I phoned you and left a message that you should phone me; then you phoned and I was out, so you left a message; then...! How long can we KEEP this UP without ever speaking to each other directly?

Keep up at
Continue, not quit.
Learning a language is difficult, but if you KEEP UP AT it, you'll succeed in the end.

Keep up with
Move at the same rate.
He walks too fast and it's really hard to KEEP UP WITH him.

Keep up with
Stay up to date.
It's hard to KEEP UP WITH all the latest 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 around with
Spend time with.
I used to KICK AROUND WITH them, 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.

Kick back
Relax.
Rather than go out tonight, we plan to KICK BACK and watch television.

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.

Kick out
Expel.
The family KICKED the au pair OUT 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 planning to.
It's too late to get the train, so can I KIP 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 down
Demolish.
They KNOCKED DOWN the old church 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.

Knock out
Hit and make somebody unconscious.
The reigning middleweight champion 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
Make a great effort.
I've got my exams next week and I haven't done much work, so I'd better KNUCKLE DOWN.

Knuckle under
Submit to authority.
The teacher made the students KNUCKLE UNDER and hand their projects in on time.

Land in
Get someone into trouble.
He LANDED ME IN it when he told them what I had done wrong.

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 profitable.
Oil companies have LATCHED ONTO 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 your advantage.
They have LEAPT ON the bandwagon to 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.

Let off
Not punish.
The judge LET him OFF with a fine 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.

Let out
Allow to leave or go out.
The convict was LET OUT of prison after 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 for
Prepare for something that will require a great effort.
They are LIMBERING UP FOR the end 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 with
Connect with someone or contact them.
We LINKED UP WITH the firm over the 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 study..
The university has a residential halls 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 rented.

Live through
Experience different times.
It was hard to LIVE THROUGH the recession, but we managed it.

Live together
Have a relationship and live in the same place without marrying.
We LIVED TOGETHER for a few years 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 place without marrying.
I LIVED WITH her for a couple of years 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 for a very long time.
They LOCKED him AWAY for life after 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 cannot leave.
They are LOCKED IN now that they 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 entering.
The management LOCKED the staff OUT because they had turned down the 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 away
Go somewhere away from people to study or work.
I LOCK MYSELF AWAY for a few weeks before exams.

Log in
Enter a restricted area on a computer system.
I had forgotten my password and couldn't LOG IN.

Log into
Enter a restricted area of a computer system.
I LOGGED INTO the staff intranet to check my email.

Log off
Exit a computer system.
When she'd finished working on the 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.

Log out
Exit a computer system.
Danny closed the programs and 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 on
Have a low opinion of.
He LOOKS DOWN ON his colleagues because he thinks he's better than they are.

Look for
Try to find.
I've been LOOKING FOR all their hidden files, but I can't find them anywhere.

Look forward to
Wait for or anticipate something pleasant.
I'm LOOKING FORWARD TO meeting you.

Look in
Make a quick visit.
I'll LOOK IN on my way home.

Look in on
Visit briefly to see if everything's all right.
I'm going to LOOK IN ON grannie on the way home tonight as she's been a bit unwell recently.

Look into
Research, investigate.
We'll LOOK INTO the problem and come back to you when we have the information.

Look on
Watch something like a crime without helping.
The crowd just LOOKED ON as the old 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 for
Take care of someone, make sure someone is cared for.
She LOOKED OUT FOR her sister when she started school.

Look out for
Keep alert and try to see.
We we told to LOOK OUT FOR any suspicious behaviour.

Look over
Inspect.
They came to LOOK the house OVER with a view to buying it.

Look round
Inspect a house.
We LOOKED ROUND the house and decided that we didn't like it enough to buy it.

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.

Loosen up
Become more relaxed or comfortable.
He was very shy at first but has 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.

Magic away
Make something disappear quickly.
He MAGICKED the bill AWAY and paid for us all before I could get my wallet out.

Make after
Chase.
The police MADE AFTER the stolen car.

Make away with
Steal.
The thieves MADE AWAY WITH the painting.

Make do with
Accept something less satisfactory because there's no alternative.
There's no coffee, so we'll have to MAKE 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 to
Try to compensate for doing something wrong.
He tried to MAKE IT UP TO her, but she 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 with
Steal.
Thieves MADE OFF WITH over a 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
Compensate.
I sent her a present to try to MAKE UP FOR my appalling behaviour.

Make up to
Increase a sum received to a higher figure.
The charity collected £24,517.57, and the 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.

Mark down
Give a student a lower grade for a particular reason.
Students who gave obviously rehearsed answers were MARKED DOWN, while 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 as
Consider someone or something to be of a certain group, type, etc..
I MARKED them DOWN AS conservatives, but they're very liberal.

Mark off
Tick, cross out or otherwise mark something to show that it has been dealt with.
I MARKED OFF the items on the list as I finished them.

Mark out
Draw lines to enclose an area.
They MARKED OUT the pitch.

Mark out for
Show promise for the future.
His dedication MARKED him OUT FOR 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, religion, etc.
Many religions encourage their followers to MARRY IN.

Marry out
Marry someone of a different ethnicity, religion, etc.
Her parents disowned her and refused to 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 against
Evaluate or judge by comparison.
The work doesn't look good if you 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 or weigh the amount needed.
He MEASURED OUT the flour for the bread.

Measure out
Weigh or measure an exact amount.
She MEASURED OUT a hundred grammes of the powder.

Measure up
Find the size of something.
The estate agent MEASURED UP all the rooms.

Measure up
Be good enough, meet the required standard.
She didn't MEASURE UP in her 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, until it becomes liquid.
They MELTED the gold statue DOWN and turned it into gold bars.

Mess about
Not be serious, not use something properly.
The children were MESSING ABOUT 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 marriage or a permanent relationship.
He's not faithful- he's been MESSING ABOUT since they were married.

Mess about with
Have a sexual relationship outside marriage or a permanent relationship.
She's been MESSING ABOUT WITH another guy she knows from work.

Mess about with
Try to improve something, usually making things worse.
The computer was working fine until he started MESSING ABOUT WITH it.

Mess around
Not be serious, play with something.
I was MESSING AROUND on the internet because I couldn't be bothered to do any work.

Mess around
Treat someone badly.
She is always MESSING me AROUND and never does what she promises.

Mess around
Have a sexual relationship outside marriage or a permanent relationship.
She's not faithful- she's been MESSING ABOUT since they got married.

Mess around with
Have a sexual relationship outside marriage or a permanent relationship.
He's been MESSING ABOUT WITH a woman he works with.

Mess around with
Try to improve something, usually making things worse.
The computer was working fine until they 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 unsuccessfully.
She's been MESSING WITH it for hours and it still doesn't work.

Mete out
Give people harsh punishments or treatment.
They METED OUT savage penalties to 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 test it.
They MOCKED UP an example to show us what they would look like.

Moggy off
Leave ('moggie off' is also used.).
We MOGGIED OFF early.

Monkey around
Not be serious.
The police officer told the drunks to stop MONKEYING AROUND and go home quietly.

Mooch about
Spend time doing little or nothing.
I MOOCHED ABOUT the whole afternoon because I didn't feel like working.

Mooch around
Spend time doing little or nothing.
I MOOCHED AROUND the house all 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 a victory..
After the battle, it took them a couple of 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 delay.
The construction can MOVE AHEAD 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 satisfactory manner.
The project's MOVING ALONG and 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 from
Stop doing or using something to change to something different.
They're MOVING AWAY FROM 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.

Move in
Start living in a place.
The house was empty for ages, but some 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 along
Continue without a clear aim or plan.
If you're ambitious, you cannot MUDDLE ALONG.

Muddle through
Do or achieve something without knowing what is required or having a plan.
We didn't know what to expect and just MUDDLED THROUGH.

Muddle up
Take things that are ordered or sequenced and mess them up.
My cleaner MUDDLED UP my books and I can't find anything.

Muddle up
Mistake a person or thing for someone or something else because they look similar.
I MUDDLE her and her sister UP.

Mug up
Study quickly, revise.
I have to MUG UP before the exam.

Mug up on
Study something quickly, revise.
I need to MUG UP ON my history for the test.

Mull over
Think about an issue or problem.
She said that she'd had to MULL IT OVER before deciding what was

Muscle in
Become involved in something when your involvement is not wanted.
We tried to exclude him of the committee, but he MUSCLED IN.

Muscle in on
Become involved in something despite opposition to your involvement.
She MUSCLED IN ON the deal even though we wanted to do it without her.

Muscle into
Become involved even though there is opposition to your involvement.
They are MUSCLING INTO our market and there is very little we can do to stop them.

Muscle out
Use power, contacts, etc, to force someone out.
They used their contacts in local government to MUSCLE the competitors OUT.

Naff off
Get lost, go away (used as imperative).
He was making a fuss, so I told him to NAFF OFF.

Nag at
Repeatedly criticise someone verbally.
My boss is always NAGGING AT me about my arriving a few minutes late for work.

Nail down
Succeed in getting, achieve.
They are having trouble NAILING DOWN the contract.

Nail down
Understand fully.
I can't NAIL DOWN what's wrong with their idea, but I'm sure it won't work.

Nail down
Get full information from someone.
I can't NAIL them DOWN about when 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 another person.
I was NAMED AFTER my uncle who 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 through
Pass a law, regulation, etc, without considering or debating it seriously.
Parliament NODDED the bill 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 around
Look around for evidence.
The boss keeps NOSING AROUND our 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.

Note down
Write something short like a phone number for future reference..
She NOTED DOWN my fax number so 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.

Occur to
Enter one's mind.
Didn't it OCCUR TO you to help me 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 something.
If you want them to notify you of updates, you have to OPT IN.

Opt into
Choose to be a member or part of something.
I OPTED INTO the scheme.

Opt out
Choose not to be part of something.
The UK OPTED OUT of a lot of EU 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.

Pack in
Fill a venue.
They really PACK them IN at the club- it 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 imperative).
The kids were making a fuss, so I told 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
Stop doing something.
You should PACK UP smoking.

Pack up
Finish work.
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 keep them.
At the end of the presentation, I PACKED UP my laptop.

Pad down
Sleep somewhere for the night.
I'm too tired to come home; can I PAD DOWN here tonight?

Pad out
Make a text longer by including extra content, often content that isn't particularly relevant.
I couldn't think of much to write, so I PADDED the essay OUT with a few 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 true.
He tried to PALM me OFF with a pathetic excuse.

Palm off
Pretend something is better than it is in order to sell it.
He tried to PALM his computer OFF as 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.
The government tried to PAPER OVER the problems in the proposal, but the press were very critical.

Pare back
If you pare something back, you reduce the size or numbers..
They have had to PARE BACK the services they offer as their funding was reduced.

Pare down
Reduce, decrease.
They have PARED DOWN the number of employees as they haven't been doing well.

Part with
Give something away, especially when you don't want to.
I found it very hard to PART WITH my 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.

Pass by
Miss an opportunity.
The chance for promotion PASSED me BY.

Pass down
Transmit information or give property to younger generations.
The tales were PASSED DOWN for centuries without changing ay of the words.

Pass for
Be accepted as something, usually when not.
You'd be surprised at what PASSES FOR good cooking in many restaurants.

Pass off
Convince something that something is real.
I managed to PASS OFF the fake money in the market.

Pass off
Happen in a certain way.
The demonstration PASSED OFF peacefully.

Pass on
Give a message to someone.
I'll PASS the message ON when she gets here.

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 through
Visit a place without stopping or only stopping briefly.
I didn't see much as I was only PASSING THROUGH the town.

Pass to
Give ownership or responsibility to someone.
The shares PASSED TO his daughter when he died.

Pass to
Become owner of or responsible for something.
The property will PASS TO her when they die.

Pass up
Decline a chance.
She PASSED UP the opportunity to go to 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 together
Create or assemble something quickly without much planning.
They PATCHED TOGETHER a coalition 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 treatment.
After the accident, they PATCHED her 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 direction.
Some of the crowd PEELED AWAY to get out of the crush.

Peel away from
Leave a group by moving in a different direction.
They PEELED AWAY FROM the crowd and went down a side road.

Peel off
Leave a group by moving in a different direction.
When the police blocked the road, a few protesters PEELED OFF and left the march.

Peel off from
Leave a group by moving in a different direction.
They PEELED OFF FROM the 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 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, energetic or interested.
Her talk PEPPED us UP.

Perk up
Feel better or happier, make someone feel better or happier.
She was ill in bed with flu, but she PERKED UP a bit when some friends dropped by.

Peter out
Lose impetus and stop.
Everyone was keen at first, but the 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.

Phase out
Remove gradually.
They have introduced a compact edition 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.

Pick off
Target individuals to change a group.
There were many rebels against the 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.

Pick out
Identify from a picture.
The victim couldn't PICK OUT her attacker from the photos the police showed her.

Pick through
Search something that is disordered for something.
The police have been PICKING 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 wrong.
My teacher PICKS UP ON any mistake I 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, worry, etc.
He's been PINING AWAY since his wife 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.

Pitch into
Criticise severely or attack someone.
The shareholders PITCHED INTO the management about their pay rises at the meeting.

Plant out
Put a young plant that has been grown in a pot or greenhouse into the ground.
They need to be PLANTED OUT in the spring.

Plate up
Put food onto a plate to serve.
PLATE UP and drizzle with salsa verde.

Play along
Pretend to agree or accept something in order to keep someone happy or to get more information.
I disagreed with the idea but I had to PLAY ALONG because everyone else liked it.

Play around
Be silly.
The children were PLAYING AROUND 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 never wins a case.

Play away
Be sexually unfaithful when away from home.
He travels abroad a lot and his wife 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.

Play down
Try to make something seem less important.
The Government has tried to PLAY 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 so that you benefit.
He PLAYED them OFF against each other to get the best deal.

Play on
Continue playing a sport though there might be a reason to stop.
It looked like a foul, but the referee told 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 its effect.
Computer games allow people to PLAY 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 fine.
The CEO PLEADED OUT and blamed 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 through
Eat a big meal.
We PLOUGHED THROUGH all seven courses.

Plough through
Read something that is difficult or takes a lot of time.
It took me ages to PLOUGH THROUGH 'Ulysses'.

Plough through
Move through somewhere where there is little space or there are obstacles.
The boat had to PLOUGH THROUGH 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 business.
We PLOWED BACK all the profits to 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 through
Eat a big meal.
We PLOWED THROUGH all eight courses.

Plow through
Read something that is difficult or takes a lot of time.
It takes me ages to PLOW THROUGH any of Henry James' novels.

Plow through
Move through somewhere where there is little space or there are obstacles.
The police car had to PLOW THROUGH 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 down
Put something in a place without taking care.
He PLUMPED his bag DOWN and kicked his shoes off.

Plump for
Choose.
I PLUMPED FOR the steak frites.

Plump up
Make something like a cushion bigger and softer by shaking it.
I PLUMPED UP the pillow and lay down.

Plump yourself down
Sit down heavily.
She PLUMPED HERSELF DOWN next to me and started asking me what had happened.

Point out
Make someone aware of something.
He POINTED OUT that I only had two weeks to get the whole thing finished.

Poke about
Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something.
I POKED ABOUT in my CD collection to see if I could find it.

Poke around
Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something.
I POKED AROUND in my desk to see if the letter was there.

Polish off
Finish, consume.
She POLISHES OFF half a bottle of gin every night.

Polish up
Improve something quickly.
I need to POLISH UP my French before I go to Paris.

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.

Poop out on
Fail to keep an appointment.
We were supposed to meet yesterday, but 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 on a computer screen..
The dialogue box POPPED UP up when I 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
Spend some time doing little things for pleasure.
I POTTERED AROUND, sorting out my CDS and a few other things.

Pour down
Rain hard.
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 electronic device.
I POWERED DOWN my computer and went for lunch.

Power off
Cut the electricity to a computer or device to turn it off.
You mustn't POWER it OFF while it is 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 obtain something.
The workers are PRESSING FOR better pay and conditions.

Press forward with
Continue or go ahead with a project, process, plan, etc.
The government are PRESSING 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.

Price up
Charge more for something.
In rural areas where they have a monopoly, some garages PRICE UP fuel because there's nowhere else to buy it.

Print out
Make a hard copy of a computer document.
He PRINTED OUT the letter and checked through it carefully.

Prop up
Support something, both physically and financially, politically, etc..
The council have PROPPED UP the museum for years with grants.

Psych out
Work out or anticipate someone's intentions.
We have to try to PSYCH OUT our rivals.

Psych out
Make someone less confident.
Boxers try to PSYCH their opponents 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.

Pull apart
Stop people or animals fighting.
A fight broke out in the pub and it was hard to PULL the people involved APART.

Pull apart
Make someone unhappy or upset.
It PULLED me APART to see them arguing so much.

Pull away
When a vehicle moves from a place.
The car PULLED AWAY from the lights at high speed.

Pull back
Score a goal or point when losing.
They were two-nil down until five minutes before the end, when they PULLED BACK a goal.

Pull back
Move away from a place, especially when talking about soldiers.
They have PULLED the troops BACK 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.

Pull out
Withdraw.
The project was going badly and they decided to PULL OUT

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 through
Recover from and illness or problem.
At one stage it looked as if she was going 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 together
Work together as a team.
If we all PULL TOGETHER, we'll have it 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 emotions.
He was so angry that he couldn't PULL 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 gently).
PUT the gun DOWN slowly and keep 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

Put in
Install.
They had to PUT IN a whole new central heating system because the house was so cold.

Put in for
Make a request.
He PUT IN FOR a transfer to the new branch.

Put off
Postpone.
The concert's been PUT OFF until next 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.

Put out
Broadcast.
Several charities PUT OUT an appeal on 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.

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 night or a few days..
She PUT me UP for the night because I'd missed the last bus and there were no 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 subject.
The girl's mother was QUARRELING OUT with her daughter about the party.

Quarrel with
Dispute or disagree with something.
I am not QUARRELLING WITH their idea, but I think there are other possibilities.

Queer up
Mess up, ruin.
I QUEERED the exam UP.

Quieten down
Fall silent.
The audience QUIETENED DOWN when the lights were switched off in the 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
Sleep, take a nap.
I'm tired- I'm going to RACK OUT.

Rack up
Acquire a lot of something.
He's RACKED UP a number of convictions for speeding.

Rack up
Damage.
They RACKED UP the car in an accident.

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 to
Ask for help.
I REACHED OUT TO you when I was in trouble and you were a great help.

Reach out to
Offer help.
Charities are REACHING OUT TO those who lost their homes in the floods.

Reach out to
Try to communicate and establish good relations with people.
The candidates are REACHING OUT TO the poor to get their votes.

Read off
Read a list aloud for someone to write down.
I READ OFF the figures and she wrote 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 some thought.
He REASONED OUT the answer to the 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 get them to do what you want them to.
They hope the discounts will REEL 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, initiative, etc..
The company ROLLED OUT its takeover 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 through
Do something easily or quickly.
We ROMPED THROUGH the tasks 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.

Rope in
Get somebody to help.
The teacher ROPED her students IN to carry her stuff when she had to change classroom.

Rope into
Get someone to help or become involved, usually when they don't want to.
I got ROPED INTO helping them set the stall up.

Rope off
Extend ropes or barriers across or around an area.
The celebrity entrance was ROPED OFF 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 relax.
The trainer RUBBED her DOWN after the race.

Rub in
Apply a substance like cream or ointment and rub it until it is absorbed.
He applied the steroid cream and 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 other family members or to elope.
She RAN AWAY to avoid a forced 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.

Run into
Cost.
The project has RUN INTO millions of 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.

Run over
Hit with a vehicle.
The driver couldn't stop in time and RAN the fox OVER when it ran in front of his car.

Run over
Exceed a time limit.
The meeting RAN OVER by twenty minutes.

Run through
Practise a dramatic work like a play quickly.
The cast RAN THROUGH the play the day before it opened to the public.

Run through
Stab or wound deeply with a knife, sword, etc..
The musketeer RAN his enemy 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, often negative.
Things are a bit tight and won't RUN TO 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.

Run up on
Approach someone without their knowing.
Robert was sitting in his car and a guy 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.

Rush into
Do something too quickly.
They don't want to be RUSHED INTO 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 preparation.
We RUSTLED UP dinner from what was 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 is difficult or hard work.
They SADDLED me WITH preparing the visit.

Sag off
Not go to school or work, or leave early when you shouldn't.
I was bored so I SAGGED OFF work 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 planned.
They had to SCALE BACK the project because of the costs.

Scale down
Make something smaller than originally planned.
They have had to SCALE DOWN the 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 away.
The vicious Doberman guard-dog SCARED the burglars AWAY.

Scout about
Look in different places for something.
The company is SCOUTING ABOUT for new staff.

Scout around
Look in different places for something.
We SCOUTED AROUND to find the best 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.

Scout up
Try to find someone for a task or requirement.
We'd better SCOUT UP a replacement for 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 accepted.
The government SCRAPED IN with 51% 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
Manage to collect enough of something you need, usually money.
I had to search my flat for money to SCRAPE TOGETHER what I needed.

Scrape up
Manage to collect enough of something you need, usually money.
It took me ages to SCRAPE UP the money for the tickets.

Screen off
Separate a part of a room with something like a curtain, screen, etc..
We SCREENED OFF the area where we had the discussion from the rest of the meeting.

Screen out
Exclude.
Applicants without the right qualifications were SCREENED OUT.

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
Waste time.
He spent the afternoon SCREWING AROUD and got nothing done.

Screw around
Be sexually promiscuous.
He SCREWED AROUND a lot at university.

Screw over
Treat harshly or cheat.
The IRS really SCREWED him OVER.

Screw up
Do badly or fail.
David SCREWED UP his oral exam but still managed to scrape a pass.

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 when they are leaving your house.
Are you sure you're going? I'll get your coats and SEE you OUT.

See through
Continue with something to the end.
They had a lot of difficulties in implementing the project, but the team SAW it THROUGH successfully.

See through
Realise someone is lying or being deceitful.
The police quickly SAW THROUGH her 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 the money or don't need it.
She SOLD OFF her furniture before she emigrated.

Sell on
Convince someone.
We managed to SELL him ON the expansion plans.

Sell on
Buy something then sell it to someone else.
We buy them wholesale and SELL them ON to the public.

Sell out
Have no more of something left because it has been bought.
The tickets for the Primal Scream concert at the Brixton Academy SOLD OUT in a couple of hours.

Sell out
Lose all artistic integrity in return for commercial success.
Most bands SELL OUT when they sign to a major record label, and forget all their principles when pursuing chart success.

Sell up
Sell a house or business to move somewhere or do something different.
We want to SELL UP and move to the 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 and wrecking shops.

Send in
Write to get information.
If you want to enter the competition, you have to SEND IN for an entry form.

Send off
Expel a sports player from a match.
The football striker was SENT OFF for arguing with the referee's decision.

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.

Send up
Imitate/impersonate for comic effect.
The mischievous schoolboy was standing 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 from others.
The quality of their work SETS them APART from their rivals.

Set aside
Overturn a court verdict or decision.
The Appeal Court SET ASIDE the guilty 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.

Set off
Explode a bomb.
Terrorists SET OFF a car bomb in the city 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.

Set up
Start a company.
They SET UP a dot com company, floated 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.

Settle down
Start living a fixed and routine life.
After years of partying and drinking, she finally got married and SETTLED DOWN.

Settle for
Accept whatever is available.
We were upset not to win and had to SETTLE FOR the second prize.

Settle in
Get used to.
It took him a while to SETTLE IN when he moved to Japan.

Settle on
Agree.
They couldn't agree at first on a name for 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 attractive to the reader or listener.
The government denied that they had 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.

Shake down
Extort or cheat money from someone.
He SHOOK the guy DOWN with some 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 creases.
He took the tablecloth outside and 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.

Shoot off
Leave promptly and quickly.
I'll have to SHOOT OFF as soon as the 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 around
Look around for the best price, quality, etc..
If you SHOP AROUND, you can find 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 being heard.
His efforts to raise the issue were SHOUTED DOWN.

Shout out
Say something loudly, often to attract someone's attention.
She SHOUTED OUT my name.

Show around
Take someone to a place to show them certain parts.
The estate agent SHOWED us AROUND 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 through
When a feeling can be seen despite attempts to conceal it.
His anger SHOWED THROUGH despite 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 ashamed.
He SHOWED us UP when he arrived 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.

Shut away
Imprison or remove someone's freedom.
Many people have been SHUT AWAY in psychiatric hospitals for disagreeing with the government.

Shut down
Close a business, shop, etc..
The shop SHUT DOWN when the out-of-town supermarket opened.

Shut down
Turn a computer off.
You should close all programs before you SHUT a computer DOWN.

Shut in
Prevent someone from leaving.
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 yourself away
Withdraw from company.
She's SHUT herself AWAY to revise for her exams.

Shy away from
Avoid doing something because you lack confidence.
Many learners SHY AWAY FROM using 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.

Sift through
Examine a lot of things carefully.
We had to SIFT THROUGH thousands of files before we found what we were looking for.

Sign away
Give away legal or property rights.
He SIGNED AWAY his rights to 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.
I SIGN INTO MSN Messenger automatically when I boot up.

Sign off
End a message.
I'll SIGN OFF now, but will write again next week.

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 work.
My doctor SIGNED me OFF for a month 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
Make a contract with.
She's SIGNED WITH EMI for the next few years.

Simmer down
Become calmer, make less noise.
He told them to SIMMER DOWN 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 they are absent.
Her deputy's SITTING IN FOR her while she's away.

Sit in on
Attend as an observer.
She SAT IN ON the meeting and took notes but said nothing.

Sit on
Be on a committee.
She's SAT ON the finance committee from the beginning.

Sit on
To handle somebody firmly who behaves impertinently, conceitedly.
If his girlfriend finds out, she'll get mad and SIT ON him.

Sit on
Hold information back or keep it secret.
The government have been SITTING ON the report because it was so critical.

Sit out
Not take part.
I had to SIT the game OUT because I was ill.

Sit over
Eat or drink slowly.
WE SAT OVER dinner discussing the plans.

Sit through
Stay till the end of something dull.
I was bored and wanted to leave halfway through, but we SAT THROUGH the film.

Sit with
Reconcile different positions.
It's hard to see how their new plan SITS WITH the promises they made.

Size up
Assess a situation or person carefully..
The doorstaff SIZED UP everyone entering the club.

Size up
Make something bigger or produce bigger products.
Soft drinks manufacturers have SIZED UP their products in recent years.

Skin up
Make a cannabis joint.
She SKINNED UP a fat spliff.

Skin up
Make a cannabis joint.
Who's going to SKIN UP?

Skive off
Avoid doing work or other duty.
I pretended I was ill and SKIVED OFF on Monday.

Slack off
Reduce one's effort, perform with less enthusiasm and energy.
Students usually begin the term well, then SLACK OFF near the end of the semester.

Slacken off
Become less busy or intense.
Work SLACKENS OFF during the holiday period.

Slag off
Criticise heavily.
The concert was terrible and all the papers SLAGGED the band OFF.

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 alcohol, drugs, etc..
She went to bed TO SLEEP OFF the 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
Not wake up.
I SLEPT THROUGH the storm even though the wind blew some slates off the roof.

Slice off
Cut, remove an amount or part of something.
They CUT 10% OFF the original price.

Slice up
Cut completely into pieces or slices.
I SLICED the cake UP and handed it round to the people there.

Slip away
Lose an opportunity or the chance of winning, succeeding, etc.
Their hopes of getting back into the game SLIPPED AWAY after the second goal.

Slip away
Pass quickly (time).
The year has SLIPPED AWAY and it is hard to believe it's over.

Slip by
Pass quickly (time).
The years SLIP BY as you get older.

Slip by
Lose an opportunity or the chance of winning, succeeding, etc.
He didn't follow the offer up and let it 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 speaking.
He SLIPPED IN a mention of his exam 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 negative state or condition.
The economy SLIPPED INTO recession 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
Go somewhere discreetly.
We SLIPPED OFF TO the pub.

Slip on
Put clothes on quickly.
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 know.
The lecture sounded really boring, so I SLOPED OFF and went to the pub.

Slough off
Get rid of, dispose.
The government is increasing its powers 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 hiding in.
The police SMOKED the gang OUT and 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 around
Look around to see how good something is or to try to find something better.
I SNIFFED AROUND to see if I could 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 dogs).
Customs use dogs to SNIFF OUT illegal drugs being smuggled in.

Sniff out
Find out information, especially when people don't want anyone to know.
Our rivals are trying to SNIFF OUT our plans for expansion.

Snitch on
Divulge secrets, inform authorities about someone.
Reggie was caught after 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.

Snuff out
End something suddenly.
I messed up the first question, which 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
Weaken.
The bombardment SOFTENED UP their defenses; I think we can move in tomorrow.

Soften up
Do things to please someone in the hope that they will do what you want.
I paid for everything to SOFTEN them UP before they made the decision.

Soldier on
Continue even when things get difficult.
Life got hard for my dog when he went blind, but he just SOLDIERED ON and never complained.

Sort out
Resolve a problem.
Has the firm SORTED OUT its tax problems yet?

Sound off
To express your opinions forcefully.
He SOUNDED OFF about the quality of the food.
Sound out
Check what someone thinks about an issue, idea, etc..
You should SOUND her OUT to get her opinion before you go ahead with the plan.

Spaff away
Waste (money, time, resources, etc).
The council is SPAFFING AWAY our taxes on bonuses and consultants.

Spark off
Cause something, usually unpleasant, to happen.
The riot was SPARKED OFF by the police raid on the club.

Spark up
Light a cigarette or joint.
They SPARKED UP in a no smoking 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 make up a word.
I had to SPELL my surname OUT to him 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 place at the same time.
The crowd SPILLED OUT onto the 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.

Spin off
Produce an unexpected additional benefit.
The research SPUN OFF a number of new products as well as solving the problem.

Spin off
Form a separate company from part of an existing one.
They SPUN OFF the retail division last year.

Spin off
Create a TV show using characters from a popular show.
They SPUN it OFF from the main 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 something they are unwilling to say.
Hurry up, SPIT IT OUT! I can't wait all 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.

Square off
Confront someone or prepare to fight them.
The two drunks SQUARED OFF and the barman had to intervene before a fight broke out.

Square off against
Confront someone or prepare to fight them.
They SQUARED OFF AGAINST the 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 or comfortable.
Four of us had to SQUEEZE UP in the 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 land at an airport.
Planes were STACKING UP while the airport was closed after the bomb threat.

Stack up against
Be as good as something.
The new model doesn't STACK UP 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 nothing or very little.
We STOOD ABOUT drinking coffee before the lecture.

Stand around
Spend time in a place waiting or doing nothing or very little.
We STOOD AROUND for an hour waiting for them to turn up.

Stand aside
Leave a position so that someone else can take it.
The prime minister should STAND 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 different perspective.
We need to STAND BACK and look at 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 happen.
The emergency services were STANDING BY waiting for the plane to land.

Stand down
Leave a job or position so that someone else can take it.
The minister announced her intention to 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 you.
He was angry but I STARED him DOWN 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 surprised you.
He STARTED UP when I entered the 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 from
Avoid, not come.
He told them to STAY AWAY FROM 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.

Steal out
Leave in a stealthy or quiet manner.
Not wanting to attract attention, she STOLE OUT early.

Steal over
Be gradually overcome by an emotion or feeling.
A feeling of pride STOLE OVER me as I watched.

Steal up
Approach quietly or secretly.
The lights were off and everything was quiet so we STOLE UP as quietly as we could.

Steal up on
Approach a place or someone quietly or secretly.
We STOLE UP ON them so that they couldn't sound the alarm.

Steer clear of
Avoid.
He's trying to STEER CLEAR OF his 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
Look at something from a different perspective.
We should STEP BACK and try to see how our customers will view the scheme.

Step down
Leave a job or position so that someone can take over.
The CEO STEPPED DOWN after the share price dropped.

Step down
Reduce.
Production is being STEPPED DOWN because demand has dropped.

Step forward
Offer help.
When I had the accident, a lot of people STEPPED FORWARD to help me.

Step in
Get involved by interrupting something.
I had to STEP IN when they started fighting.

Step on it
An imperative used to tell someone to go faster, especially when driving.
I told the taxi driver to STEP ON IT as I was late for the meeting.

Step out
Leave a place for a very short time.
They've STEPPED OUT for a cigarette.

Step to
Confront.
Don't STEP TO those guys; they'll kill you.

Step to
Chat, talk to.
He tried to STEP TO her in the bar.

Step up
Increase.
The police have STEPPED UP the pressure on beggars working the Underground.

Stick around
Stay in a place for some time.
He's late, but I'll STICK AROUND for another few minutes before I leave.

Stick at
Continue doing something despite difficulties.
She found the course very tough but she STUCK AT it and did well in the end.

Stick by
Support someone when they are having difficulties.
No one STUCK BY him when the scandal became public.

Stick by
Support a plan, opinion or decision.
They are STICKING BY their claims.

Stick down
Write something quickly or without thinking about it.
I couldn't answer the test so I just STUCK anything DOWN that I could remember.

Stick down
Join surfaces with glue.
I STUCK the label DOWN.

Stick it to
Criticise someone.
She STUCK IT TO me for turning up half an hour late.

Stick it to
Treat someone badly or unfairly.
My boss always STICKS IT TO me when she's in a bad mood.

Stick out
Be easily noticed.
He's so much better than the others that he STICKS OUT.

Stick out
Extend part of your body.
He STUCK his tongue OUT at me.

Stick out
Continue doing something difficult or unpleasant.
I STUCK it OUT even though I hated every minute of it.

Stick out for
Demand a salary raise.
We're STICKING OUT FOR a 5% increase.

Stick to
Not change.
The Prime Minister decided to STICK 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
Support each other.
If we don't STICK TOGETHER, things 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.

Stir up
Make trouble for someone else.
He STIRRED things UP by complaining 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.

Stop over
Stay somewhere when on a journey.
I STOPPED OVER in Bangkok for a 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.

Storm out
Leave a place angrily.
He lost his temper and STORMED OUT 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 knowing.
She STOWED AWAY on the plane but 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
Make something straight.
I'm always having to STRAIGHTEN 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 out
Make clear and resolve.
There are a few issues I'd like to 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 up
Tidy.
I STRAIGHTENED UP the room before they arrived.

Strike back
Attack, take action against someone who has hurt you.
At first, he ignored them, but when things got very serious, he STRUCK BACK.

Strike down
Kill.
A hitman STRUCK him DOWN as he entered the building.(This verb is often used in the passive- He was struck down as he entered the building.)

Strike down
Make someone ill.
I was STRUCK DOWN with food poisoning.(This verb is mostly used in the passive.)

Strike down
Disallow a law, decision, etc.
The Appeal Court STRUCK DOWN the lower court's ruling.

Strike off
Remove someone's professional licence to practise.
The Medical Council STRUCK him OFF for malpractice.

Strike on
Have a good idea.
I STRUCK ON the solution when I was out with my dog.

Strike out
Start doing something new and different.
After doing the same job for five years, I 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.

String along
Deceive someone for a long time.
They kept saying they were interested, but they were just STRINGING me ALONG

String along
Accompany someone because you haven't got anything better to do.
Is it alright if I STRING ALONG with you tonight?

String out
Make something last as long as possible.
There was half an hour to go, so I STRUNG the questions OUT as long as I could.

String together
Put words together into a coherent text.
I was so nervous in the interview that I could hardly STRING a sentence TOGETHER.

String up
Hang somebody.
The rebels STRUNG the soldiers UP after they captured them.

Stub out
Extinguish a cigarette.
He STUBBED his cigarette OUT in a saucer because he couldn't find an ashtray.

Stuff up
Make a mistake, do badly, spoil.
I STUFFED the exam UP.

Stumble across
Find something accidentally.
You'll never guess what I STUMBLED ACROSS when I was packing my stuff.

Stumble upon
Find something accidentally.
I STUMBLED UPON these photos when I was clearing my room up.

Stump up
Pay for something.
He didn't want to pay me back, but I got him to STUMP UP in the end.

Suck in
Become involved in something unpleasant.
Everyone around her was taking drugs and she got SUCKED IN.

Suck into
Become involved in something unpleasant.
The country got SUCKED INTO the war.

Suck up
Try to ingratiate yourself.
He is always SUCKING UP to try to get the boss's approval.

Suck up to
Ingratiate yourself with someone.
He's always SUCKING UP TO our boss.

Suit up
Get dressed or put on a uniform for an activity or task.
They SUITED UP and went to the interview

Sum up
Summarise.
At the end of the lecture, she SUMMED UP the main points again.

Summon up
Get the energy or courage to do something.
Andrea couldn't SUMMON UP the enthusiasm to apply for the position.

Suss out
Come to understand.
It took her ages to SUSS OUT what was going on.

Swan about
Move in a dramatic or affected manner.
He SWANNED ABOUT at the party.

Swan around
Move in a dramatic or affected manner.
She SWANNED AROUND trying to impress people.

Swan in
Enter in a dramatic or attention-seeking manner.
He SWANNED IN surrounded by photographers.

Swan off
Leave somewhere in a defiant or pompous manner.
He didn't like the way the spoke to him so he SWANNED OFF angrily.

Swear by
Have great confidence in.
I SWEAR BY their products- they're the best on the market.

Swear down
Promise that something is true.
He SWORE DOWN that he hadn't done it.

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
Take business, support or votes from someone.
The candidate SYPHONED OFF a lot of votes because of his anti-war stance.

Syphon off
Divert money illegally.
The minister had been SYPHONING OFF funds from his department for years.

Tack on
Add something that wasn't planned.
They TACKED ON a new ending to the film when they found that test audiences didn't like the original.

Tack onto
Add or attach something that wasn't planned to something.
I TACKED a quick message ONTO the end of the letter after I'd printed it.

Tag along
Accompany someone, especially if they haven't specifically invited you.
You're off to the cinema; can we TAG ALONG?

Tag on
Add an additional point to something written or spoken.
He TAGGED ON a few comments after 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.

Tail off
Decrease.
Profits TAILED OFF sharply in the last 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 was wrong.
I had to TAKE BACK everything bad I'd said about them when I learned how they'd helped out.

Take down
Make notes or write down in full.
The police TOOK DOWN his answers to their questions.

Take down
Remove.
People TAKE DOWN their Christmas decorations twelve days after Christmas.

Take in
Absorb information.
The lecture was rather boring and I didn't TAKE IN much of what the lecturer said.

Take in
Deceive.
She TOOK me IN with her story until someone told me the truth.

Take in
Make clothes smaller.
The jacket was far too big around the shoulders, so I had it TAKEN IN so that I could wear it.

Take in
Assume care or support.
The family TOOK IN the three homeless kittens.

Take it
Accept criticism.
He's good at criticising others, but can't TAKE IT himself.

Take it out on
Abuse someone because you're angry.
Whenever things go wrong, he always shouts and TAKES IT OUT ON me, even if I had nothing to do with the problem.

Take it upon yourself
Take responsibility, often without consulting other people.
I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF to make sure he got up on time.

Take off
Make great progress.
The software house really TOOK OFF 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 ground.
The flight for Dublin TOOK OFF on time.

Take off
Remove.
It was hot, so I TOOK my jacket OFF.

Take on
Allow passengers on a ship or plane.
The plane stopped at Zurich to TAKE ON some passengers.

Take on
Assume a responsibility.
She TOOK ON the task of indexing the book.

Take on
Employ.
The council has had to TAKE ON twenty 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 official lender.
Jackie and Anil TOOK OUT a mortgage to buy a bigger flat.

Take out
Extract or remove.
The dentist TOOK OUT all of my wisdom teeth before they started causing any problems.

Take out
Go out socially with someone, especially a date.
He TOOK her OUT to a restaurant last Friday night.

Take out
Obtain insurance.
I TOOK OUT some health 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 occupied before you.
She TOOK OVER responsibility for the project last month.

Take through
Explain something to someone.
He TOOK me THROUGH the procedures before we started.

Take to
Make a habit of something.
He's TAKEN TO wearing a baseball cap since his hair started thinning more noticeably.

Take up
Fill or occupy time or space.
An awful lot of my time at work is 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 really dealing with it.
They TALKED AROUND the issue 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 important.
The company CEO TALKED DOWN the recent fall in shares.

Talk down
Persuade someone not to jump off a high place to kill themselves.
A man was threatening to jump off the 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.

Talk out of
Persuade someone not to do something.
He was going to drive home after 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 really dealing with it.
WE TALKED ROUND the issue but 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 benefit.
The company is hoping to TAP INTO the 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 to change teams.
Chelsea were accused of TAPPING him 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 unwillingly.
I had to TEAR him AWAY from the office for dinner.

Tear away
Remove a surface violently.
The roof was TORN AWAY in the hurricane.

Tear down
Demolish.
The estate was TORN DOWN so that 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 hands, not scissors.
She TORE the slip OFF the bottom of the 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.

Tee off
Place a golf ball on a short plastic or 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 launching something.
They are TEEING UP for the conference 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 something they've done wrong..
His fiancée TOLD him OFF for arriving 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 message.
I was feeling too tired to go and TEXTED OUT.

Think over
Consider something carefully.
I've THOUGHT it OVER and have made up my mind; I'm going to take the job in Leeds.

Think through
Consider all the possibilities and outcomes of a situation.
The plan fell through because they hadn't THOUGHT it THROUGH properly.

Think up
Create or invent something, especially when lying.
I'd better THINK UP a good reason for handing the work in late.

Throw away
Discard something when no longer needed.
I THREW the alarm clock AWAY 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.

Throw up
Vomit.
The prawns she ate at lunch made her 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.

Throw up
Create clouds of dust or splash water into the air.
The road was bumpy and the car in front was THROWING UP so much dust that we could hardly see where we were going.

Throw yourself at
Make it clear you are sexually attracted to someone.
He THREW HIMSELF AT her but she 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 been dealt with.
She TICKED OFF our names when we arrived.

Tick over
Continue working, but without improving.
The company TICKED OVER while she was away on holiday.

Tick over
Operate but without moving (engines).
The mechanic left the engine TICKING 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 it.
This £50 will have to TIDE me OVER 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
Secure something to prevent it moving.
They TIED him DOWN to stop him escaping.

Tie down
Remove or restrict freedom.
Marriage TIES you DOWN.

Tie down
Stop people (often police or military) going where they are needed.
The army were TIED DOWN with the rebellion and couldn't help.

Tie in
Agree, be connected or support.
The theory TIES IN with what the police have been saying.

Tie in
Associate with.
He is TIED IN somehow with the crime syndicate.

Tie in with
Occur at the same time.
The publication TIES IN WITH the twentieth anniversary of the incident.

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 limit.
The program TIMED me OUT after 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.

Tone down
Make something sound more moderate.
The Minister tried to TONE DOWN what 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 not very seriously.
WE TOSSED ideas ABOUT before the negotiations.

Toss around
Discuss something freely and openly, but not very seriously.
We TOSSED their plan AROUND a bit 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 seeing which side lands face up..
We TOSSED UP to see who would kick 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.

Touch up
Improve the appearance of something.
I couldn't be bothered to redecorate, so I 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 illegally.
I parked in a no-parking zone and they TOWED my car AWAY.

Toy at
Pretend to think about or think about in a casual way.
She TOYED AT getting them to help her 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.

Toy with
Not eat much of a meal.
It was horrible, so I just TOYED WITH the food.

Toy with
Consider something, but not very seriously.
We TOYED WITH the idea of moving to 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 price of something new.
She TRADED IN her old car for the 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 get something you do want.
We had to TRADE OFF space for the location when buying the apartment.

Trade on
Exploit, use something to your advantage.
He TRADES ON their insecurity to get his way.

Trade up
Buy larger or more expensive items.
British wine drinkers have TRADED UP 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 need to carry out a job or task.
I have been TRAINING my new assistant UP.

Trickle down
Pass benefits from economic expansion through the economy to the less fortunate.
Despite the economic boom, few benefits 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
Fall.
I TRIPPED OVER and hurt my knee.

Trip over
Fall because you hit an obstacle.
I TRIPPED OVER the kerb and broke my nose.

Trip up
Make a mistake.
I TRIPPED UP in the interview when 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.

Trump up
Charge or accuse someone falsely.
The police TRUMPED UP the charges 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 to buy it.
I TRIED OUT the program before I 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.

Tuck in
Arrange the sheets, duvet or blankets to 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
Tune a musical instrument before playing.
The orchestra TUNED UP their instruments before the concert.

Turn against
Stop liking and start disliking.
The public TURNED AGAINST the government when they became arrogant and ceased to listen.

Turn away
Not allow someone to enter a place.
The doorman TURNED him AWAY from 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 in time.
We always give a party USHER IN the 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 forth
Leave somewhere safe or comfortable.
If the storm has finished, we could 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 through
Get to the end of something with difficulty.
It took me ages to WADE THROUGH the 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 with
Win easily.
She WALKED AWAY WITH the first prize.

Walk back from
Retract a statement.
They declined to WALK BACK FROM 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.
He WALKED INTO a great job straight after university.

Walk into
Be unaware of the presence of something and either enter it (a trap) or bump into it (an obstruction).
You WALKED INTO that one [You became victim to a trap I set]orI WALKED INTO a door and broke my 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 with
Take something without permission or steal.
Someone WALKED OFF WITH my umbrella so I got soaked.

Walk on
Continue walking.
I saw the accident but just WALKED ON as I didn't want to have to give a statement.

Walk out
Leave work because of a dispute with the management.
The workers WALKED OUT because the felt that safety wasn't being handled correctly.

Walk out
Leave a place angrily or because you are not satisfied.
The film was a bore so I WALKED OUT halfway through.

Walk out on
Leave somebody angrily.
He WALKED OUT ON his wife last year.

Walk through
Explain or demonstrate something carefully to someone.
He WALKED me THROUGH the procedures.

Walk up
Go to someone.
A man WALKED UP and asked me the time.

Waltz through
Pass or succeed easily.
She WALTZED THROUGH the tests and got the highest score.

Wander off
Leave a place, usually without telling other people.
She WANDERED OFF and got lost in the 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.
Jackie wasn't happy with her marriage and WANTED OUT.

Warm up
Do exercises before a sport.
The team WARMED UP half an hour before the volleyball match.

Wash away
When floods or waves completely remove a structure, building, etc..
The ice cream stall on the beach was WASHED AWAY in the storm last night.

Wash down
Drink in order to swallow something solid.
I WASHED the antibiotics DOWN with a glass of water.

Wash out
Rain so heavily that an event has to be cancelled.
The rain WASHED OUT the championship final.

Wash over
Suddenly experience a strong emotion.
He felt numb as grief WASHED OVER him.

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 for
Be careful of something.
WATCH OUT FOR bats in the caves; 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.

Water down
Make something weaker and less effective.
The Freedom of Information Act was WATERED DOWN by the Government and didn't give ordinary people much access to official data files

Wave aside
Ignore or refuse to consider what someone says.
They WAVED ASIDE our objections and 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.

Wear away
Erode, remove gradually.
The lawn has been WORN AWAY by 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 a strongly felt idea.
She WEIGHED IN ON their immigration policies.

Weigh on
Make someone consider carefully.
The issues raised WEIGHED ON her mind.

Weigh out
Measure a certain amount of something by weight.
Could you WEIGH OUT 200 grammes of 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 round
Turn quickly and face in the opposite direction.
She WHEELED ROUND when he told 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.

Whip out of
Exit rapidly.
Lola WHIPPED OUT OF a side street 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 a written text.
Could you pass the Tippex? I need to 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.

Wimp out
Not be brave enough to do something.
I was going to have the hottest curry on 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 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 make it work.
I forgot to WIND UP my alarm clock and 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 deal of effort.
It took me a while to WINKLE the truth 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.

Wise up
Stop being stupid.
His supervisor told him to WISE UP and start following the rules or else he'd lose his job.

Word up
Give someone information, advice.
The solicitor WORDED her UP client 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.

Work out
End nicely.
Things were going wrong for them but 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.

Work over
Assault, beat up.
They WORKED him OVER and robbed him.

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 around
Cover with clothing, usually to keep warm.
She WRAPPED a scarf AROUND her 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
Finish.
That WRAPS things UP, so we'll end this meeting.

Wriggle out of
Avoid doing something in a way other people don't like.
He always manages to WRIGGLE OUT OF any extra work we get.

Write down
Make notes.
I WROTE her mobile number DOWN on a scrap of paper and I've lost it.

Write in
Send a letter to a TV station, etc..
They asked viewers to WRITE IN with their opinions and suggestions.

Write off
Destroy a car in an accident.
He WROTE the car OFF in an accident on the motorway.

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.

Zero in on
Direct or focus attention on.
The police have ZEROED IN ON the 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.

back away back off be back be off be out be over be up be up to blow out blow up break down break in break into break off break out break up burst out call back calm down carry on carry out catch up check in check out clean up come across come along come back come by come down come forward come from come in come off come on come out come over come up count on cut off cut out end up fall down fall off figure out find out get along get around get away get back get down get in get off get on get out get over get through get up give up go out go up grow up hang around hang on hang up help out hold on hold out hold up keep on keep up knock down knock off knock out let in let out lie down line up look back look down look for look forward to look out look over make out make up move in move on move out pass out pick up point out pull away pull off pull on pull out pull up put away put down put in put on put out put up run away run into run off run out run over set down set off set up settle down shoot out show up shut down shut up sit back sit down sit up spread out stand by stand out stand up stick out switch off switch on take away take back take in take off take on take out take over take up throw up turn around turn away turn back turn down turn into turn off turn on turn out turn over turn up wake up walk around walk away walk back walk in walk off walk out walk over walk up watch out wind up work out work up write down

[bˈæk əwˈeɪː] [bˈæk ˈɒf] [bi bˈæk] [bi j̆ˈɒf] [bi j̆ˈaʊːt] [bi j̆ouvə] [bi j̆ˈʌp] [bi j̆ʌp tˈuː] [blou w̆ˈaʊːt] [blou w̆ʌp] [brˈeɪːk dˈaʊːn] [brˈeɪːk ɪn] [brˈeɪːk ˈɪntu] [brˈeɪːk ˈɒf] [brˈeɪːk ˈaʊːt] [brˈeɪːk ʌp] [bˈɜːst ˈaʊːt] [kˈɔːl bˈæk] [kˈɑːm dˈaʊːn] [kˈæri j̆ɒn] [kˈæri j̆ˈaʊːt] [kˈætʃ ʌp] [tʃˈek ɪn] [tʃˈek ˈaʊːt] [klˈiːn ʌp] [kˈʌm əkrˈɒs] [kˈʌm əlˈɒŋ] [kˈʌm bˈæk] [kˈʌm baɪː] [kˈʌm dˈaʊːn] [kˈʌm fˈɔːwəd] [kˈʌm frɒm] [kˈʌm ɪn] [kˈʌm ˈɒf] [kˈʌm ɒn] [kˈʌm ˈaʊːt] [kˈʌm ouvə] [kˈʌm ʌp] [kˈaʊːnt ɒn] [kˈʌt ˈɒf] [kˈʌt ˈaʊːt] [ˈend ʌp] [fˈɔːl dˈaʊːn] [fˈɔːl ˈɒf] [fˈɪgə rˈaʊːt] [fˈaɪnd ˈaʊːt] [gˈet əlˈɒŋ] [gˈet ərˈaʊːnd] [gˈet əwˈeɪː] [gˈet bˈæk] [gˈet dˈaʊːn] [gˈet ɪn] [gˈet ˈɒf] [gˈet ɒn] [gˈet ˈaʊːt] [gˈet ouvə] [gˈet θru] [gˈet ʌp] [gˈɪv ʌp] [gou ˈaʊːt] [gou ʌp] [grou ʌp] [hˈæŋ ərˈaʊːnd] [hˈæŋ ɒn] [hˈæŋ ʌp] [hˈelp ˈaʊːt] [hould ɒn] [hould ˈaʊːt] [hould ʌp] [kˈiːp ɒn] [kˈiːp ʌp] [nˈɒk dˈaʊːn] [nˈɒk ˈɒf] [nˈɒk ˈaʊːt] [lˈet ɪn] [lˈet ˈaʊːt] [lˈaɪ dˈaʊːn] [lˈaɪn ʌp] [lˈʊk bˈæk] [lˈʊk dˈaʊːn] [lˈʊk fɔː] [lˈʊk fˈɔːwəd tˈuː] [lˈʊk ˈaʊːt] [lˈʊk ouvə] [mˈeɪːk ˈaʊːt] [mˈeɪːk ʌp] [mˈuːv ɪn] [mˈuːv ɒn] [mˈuːv ˈaʊːt] [pˈɑːs ˈaʊːt] [pˈɪk ʌp] [pˈɔɪːnt ˈaʊːt] [pˈʊl əwˈeɪː] [pˈʊl ˈɒf] [pˈʊl ɒn] [pˈʊl ˈaʊːt] [pˈʊl ʌp] [pˈʊt əwˈeɪː] [pˈʊt dˈaʊːn] [pˈʊt ɪn] [pˈʊt ɒn] [pˈʊt ˈaʊːt] [pˈʊt ʌp] [rˈʌn əwˈeɪː] [rˈʌn ˈɪntu] [rˈʌn ˈɒf] [rˈʌn ˈaʊːt] [rˈʌn ouvə] [sˈet dˈaʊːn] [sˈet ˈɒf] [sˈet ʌp] [sˈetl dˈaʊːn] [ʃˈuːt ˈaʊːt] [ʃou w̆ʌp] [ʃˈʌt dˈaʊːn] [ʃˈʌt ʌp] [sˈɪt bˈæk] [sˈɪt dˈaʊːn] [sˈɪt ʌp] [sprˈed ˈaʊːt] [stˈænd baɪː] [stˈænd ˈaʊːt] [stˈænd ʌp] [stˈɪk ˈaʊːt] [swˈɪtʃ ˈɒf] [swˈɪtʃ ɒn] [tˈeɪːk əwˈeɪː] [tˈeɪːk bˈæk] [tˈeɪːk ɪn] [tˈeɪːk ˈɒf] [tˈeɪːk ɒn] [tˈeɪːk ˈaʊːt] [tˈeɪːk ouvə] [tˈeɪːk ʌp] [θrou w̆ʌp] [tˈɜːn ərˈaʊːnd] [tˈɜːn əwˈeɪː] [tˈɜːn bˈæk] [tˈɜːn dˈaʊːn] [tˈɜːn ˈɪntu] [tˈɜːn ˈɒf] [tˈɜːn ɒn] [tˈɜːn ˈaʊːt] [tˈɜːn ouvə] [tˈɜːn ʌp] [wˈeɪːk ʌp] [wˈɔːk ərˈaʊːnd] [wˈɔːk əwˈeɪː] [wˈɔːk bˈæk] [wˈɔːk ɪn] [wˈɔːk ˈɒf] [wˈɔːk ˈaʊːt] [wˈɔːk ouvə] [wˈɔːk ʌp] [wˈɒtʃ ˈaʊːt] [wˈɪnd ʌp] [wˈɜːk ˈaʊːt] [wˈɜːk ʌp] [rˈaɪt dˈaʊːn]

відступати відстати повернутися, повертатися бути вільним, не працювати не бути на місці закінчитися, завершитися прокинутися, підніматися мати намір щось зробити розбитися вщент, гаснути вибухнути, вийти з себе зламатися, потерпіти невдачу втручатися в розмову ломитися, увірватися перерватися вирватися, спалахувати, припиняти, розлучатися, вигукнути, вибухнути передзвонити, покликати заспокоюватися продовжувати виконувати наздогнати, надолужити, реєструватися перевіряти, з'ясовувати чистити, прибирати натрапити, випадково зустріти йти разом, супроводжувати повертатися заходити, приходити зменшуватися, знижуватися виходити вперед, висуватися взятися, родом з входити, приходити відділятися, покидати, злазити давай, пішли, кинь, проходи виходити (друк), з'являтися переїжджати, приходити підніматися, з'являтися розраховувати на щ.– н. відрізати, відсікати вирізати, припиняти кінчити, закінчити, опинитися падати, впасти, звалитися відпадати, відвалюватися зміркувати, з'ясувати дізнатися уживатися, ладити обійти, подолати, впоратися вислизнути, йти повернутися опустити ввійти, забратися в виходити, покидати, відносити сідати на / в, продовжити йти, їхати, виходити, виймати впоратися, зрозуміти, дістатися проникати через, впоратися вставати, підніматися здатися, відмовитися виходити підніматися виростати, ставати дорослим тинятися, ледарювати чекати, триматися повісити, покласти трубку допомогти, виручити триматися, чекати біля тел. протягувати, витягати піднімати, відстрочити, зупинити продовжувати не відставати, підтримувати збити з ніг, зносити, руйнувати зменшити (ціну), швидко зробити оглушити, вразити, вибити впускати випускати, звільняти лягти, прилягти вибудовувати, ставати в лінію, черга озиратися, обертатися дивитися, дивитися вниз шукати, підшукувати, наглядати чекати з нетерпінням визирати, бути обережним дивитися, переглядати, оглядати розуміти, розрізняти, справлятися складати, вигадувати в'їжджати / поселятися, входити йти далі, продовжувати рух з'їжджати, висуватися, виходити непритомніти, роздавати взяти (предмет, людину, слід і т.п.) вказувати, підкреслювати, помітити від'їжджати, рушати, відскочити знімати, впоратися, з'їхати одягати, тягнути на себе витягати, виймати, вийти зі справи під'їжджати, зупинятися, стрим-ся прибирати, відкласти, ховати покласти, опустити вставляти надягати, одягати, включати витягати, виставляти, тушкувати піднімати, будувати, фінансувати тікати зустріти, зіткнутися, наскочити тікати, тікати, збігати вибігати, кінчатися, виснажуватися підбігати, переїхати, задавити поставити, покласти відправлятися (в шлях) влаштовувати, організовувати поселятися, заспокоюватися вискочити, вилетіти з'являтися, приходити закрити, прикрити, вимкнути змусити замовкнути відкинутися назад / на спинку сідати, всідатися, займати місце підвестися, сідати розтягувати, розгортати чекати, підтримувати виділятися, бути помітним вставати, випрямлятися стирчати, випирати, витягати вимикати включати, з'єднувати абонента прибирати, забирати, відбирати віддати назад, взяти назад сприймати, впустити, розібратися знімати з себе, йти, їхати брати (форму, вид), мати успіх виймати, витягати зміняти, приймати посаду обговорювати, займати (місце) викинути, рвати, скинути, підняти обертатися відвертатися повертатися, повертатися назад відкидати, відхиляти, зменшувати перетворюватися вимикати, згортати, повертати включати опинитися, вийти, вийти перевертатися, передавати з'являтися, траплятися прокидатися, будити когось ходити, бродити всюди ходьби - йти повертатися, йти назад / назад входити йти, позбутися виходити, відмовитися брати участь легко перемогти підійти ближче остерігатися, бути напоготові опинитися, виявитися, залагодити зрозуміти, розібратися, спланувати обробити, створити, розробляти записувати, викладати письмово