Phrasal Verbs
Add up to: cost
Example: "All the groceries added up to $50.00."
Back up: reverse or defend/support
Example: "Rob backed up Sally’s alibi."
Break down:
Stop working: "Our garbage disposal broke down yesterday."
Divide into parts: "The teacher broke down the assignment part-by-part."
Call off: cancel
Example: "Andy called off the meeting after he got sick."
Calm down: relax
Example: "Calm down and take a deep breath."
Come across: find
Example: "I came across a message in a bottle."
Dress up: to put on nice clothes or to put on a costume
Example: "You should dress up for your job interview."
Drop in/drop by: visit
Example: "My aunt Sally dropped in on her way home."
Figure out: come to understand
Example: "It took us two hours to figure out the answer to his riddle."
Fill in/fill out: complete a form
Example: "You have to fill out a lot of paperwork to run for president."
Find out: discover
Example: "Will we ever find out the meaning of life?"
Get away with: avoid punishment
Example: "The thief came close to getting away with his crime."
Get rid of: dispose of
Example: "This bug spray should get rid of your roach problem."
Give away: reveal a secret
Example: "Don’t give away the ending to the movie."
Give in/give up: concede
Example: "After hours of fighting, the boxer finally gave in."
Go over: review
Example: "The professor went over the answers to the exam."
Hand in/turn in: submit
Example: "The students were asked to hand in their homework."
Hang out with: join
Example: "Ask Jerry if he wants to hang out with us tonight."
Keep up: continue
Example: "Keep up the good work!"
Let down: disappoint
Example: "Don’t let me down by dropping out of school."
Load up on: stockpile
Example: "Before you go hiking, load up on food and water."
Look after: supervise
Example: "Who will look after the kids?"
Look down on: think less of
Example: "You shouldn’t look down on people with less money."
Look forward to: anticipate
Example: "I look forward to meeting you in person."
Look into: investigate
Example: "The chief promised he’d look into the charges of bribery."
Look out for: protect or be vigilant about
Example: "The babysitter promised he would look out for the kids."
Look over: examine
Example: "Have an editor look over your draft before you turn it in."
Look up to: respect
Example: "I look up to the hard-working executive."
Make up:
Fabricate/invent: "He made up that story about the haunted house."
Forgive each other: "We had a nasty fight, but we made up the next morning."
Pass away: die
Example: "She passed away at the age of 99."
Pass out: faint or distribute
Example: "Taylor passed out after spending too much time in the heat."
Pick out: choose
Example: "Pick out your favorite t-shirt and I’ll buy it for you."
Put off: postpone
Example: "He put off the meeting until he started feeling better."
Put up with: tolerate
Example: "I can only put up with so much misbehavior."
Run into: encounter
Example: "I ran into an old friend at the reunion."
Run out of: be depleted
Example: "You don’t want to run out of gas around here."
Set up: organize
Example: "We set up a club devoted to studying Shakespeare."
Sit in for: substitute
Example: "Ms. Brown is sitting in for Mr. Jones at the meeting."
Split up: divide
Example: "Ms. Maple split up the class into three groups."
Stand by: defend/support
Example: "We stand by our decision."
Think over: consider
Example: "You should think over your decision."
Throw away: dispose of
Example: "Throw away your trash before you leave the park."
Try out: test
Example: "Try out this new vacuum cleaner on your carpet."
Turn down: refuse
Example: "Joe surprised us all by turning down the promotion."
Use up: deplete
Example: "The planet used up all of its uranium reserves."