| abide by |
To respect or obey a decision, a law or a rule |
If you want to keep your job here, you must abide by our rules. |
| account for |
To explain, give a reason |
I hope you can account for the time you were out! |
| add up |
To make sense, seem reasonable |
The facts in the case just don’t add up. |
| advise against |
To recommend not doing something |
I advise against walking alone in this neighborhood. |
| agree with |
To have the same opinion as someone else. |
I agree with you. I think you should go as well. |
| allow for |
To take into consideration |
We need to allow for unexpected charges along the way. |
| appeal to |
- To plead or make a request
- To be attractive or interesting
|
- He appealed to the court to change its decision.
- A vacation of sunbathing doesn’t appeal to me.
|
| apply for |
To make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan etc.) |
He applied for a scholarship for next semester. |
| back away |
To move backwards, in fear or dislike |
When he saw the bear, he backed away in fright. |
| back down |
To withdraw, concede defeat |
Local authorities backed down on their threats to build on that part of the beach. |
| back up |
- To give support or encouragement
- To make a copy of (file, program, etc.)
|
- I’m going to be very strict with him. I hope you’ll back me up on this?
- You should back up all your computer files in a secure location.
|
| bank on |
To base your hopes on something / someone |
I’m banking on you to help with the charity event. |
| black out |
To faint, lose consciousness |
Jenna fell in the parking lot and blacked out. |
| block off |
To separate using a barrier. |
The police blocked off the street after the explosion. |
| blow up |
- To explode
- To get angry
|
- Tommy blew up the red balloon.
- Don’t blow up at me. It’s not my fault.
|
| boil down to |
To be summarized as |
It all boils down to who has more power. |
| boot up |
To start a computer by loading an operating system or program |
You need to boot up your computer before you begin to work. |
| break away |
To separate from a crowd |
One of the wolves broke away from his pack. |
| break down |
- To go out of order, cease to function
- To lose control of one’s emotions
|
- The washing machine broke down so we had to call in the repair technician.
- John broke down when he heard the news.
|
| break into |
To enter by force |
Burglars broke into my car last night. |
| break out |
To start suddenly |
Rioting broke out after the government raised the fuel prices again. |
| break out of |
To escape from a place by force |
Several prisoners broke out of jail. |
| break up |
To come to an end (marriage, relationship) |
She broke up with Daniel after dating him for five years. |
| bring up |
To raise (a child) |
Sara is bringing up her children by herself. |
| brush up on |
To improve, refresh one’s knowledge of something |
I must brush up on my French before going to Paris next month. |
| bump into |
To meet by chance or unexpectedly |
I bumped into Adam at the bank. He says “hello”. |
| burn out |
- stop (something) working
- become exhausted from over-working
|
- The light bulb burnt out. Please change it.
- She needs to work fewer hours. Otherwise she will burn out.
|
| call back |
To return a phone call |
Could please call back in ten minutes? |
| call off |
To cancel |
The game was called off because of bad weather. |
| calm down |
To become more relaxed, less angry or upset |
It took Kylie several hours to calm down after she saw the accident. |
| carry on |
To continue |
The soldiers carried on walking in order to get to their post before dark. |
| carry out |
- To do something as specified (a plan, an order, a threat)
- To perform or conduct (test, experiment)
|
- His orders were carried out to the letter.
- That company does not carry out tests on animals.
|
| check in |
To register at a hotel or airport |
They said I must check in at least three hours before my flight. |
| check out |
- To pay one’s bill and leave (a hotel)
- To investigate
|
- Donna checked out of the hotel this morning.
- I don’t know if this price is correct. I’ll check it out online.
|
| clam up |
To refuse to speak |
When the police started asking questions, the suspect clammed up. |
| clamp down on |
To act strictly to prevent something |
The local authorities have decided to clamp down on illegal parking in handicapped parking places. |
| come across |
- To find by chance
- To appear, seem, make an impression
|
- I was cleaning up and came across some old photos of you.
- The politician came across as a complete fool during the TV interview.
|
| come forward |
To present oneself |
Has the owner of the winning lotto ticket come forward? |
| count on |
To rely or depend on (for help) |
You can count on me to keep your secret. |
| cut down on |
To reduce in number or size |
I’ve decided to cut down on the amount of sweets I eat. |
| cut out |
- To remove using scissors
- To stop doing something
|
- She cut out a coupon from the newspaper.
- You need to cut out all red meat from your diet.
|
| deal with |
To handle, take care of (problem, situation) |
Catherine is not good at dealing with stress. |
| die down |
To calm down, become less strong |
After the storm died down, we went outside to see the damage it had caused. |
| do without |
To manage without |
She didn’t get a salary this month, so she’ll have to do without extra treats. |
| drag on |
To last longer than expected |
The suspect’s trial dragged on longer than we had expected! |
| draw up |
To write (contract, agreement, document) |
They drew up a contract and had me sign it. |
| dress up |
wear elegant clothes |
Their wedding gave us a chance to dress up and get out of the house. |
| drop in |
To visit, usually on the way somewhere |
Why don’t you drop in to see us on your way home? |
| drop off |
- To deliver someone or something
- To fall asleep
|
- I’ll drop off the papers later today.
- I often drop off in front of the TV.
|
| drop out |
To leave school without finishing |
Zack dropped out of college and joined the army. |
| ease off |
To reduce, become less severe or slow down (pain, traffic, work) |
Traffic usually eases off about 7pm |
| end in |
To finish in a certain way; result in |
Her marriage ended in divorce. |
| end up |
To finally reach a state, place or action |
If you don’t improve your work habits, you’ll end up being fired. |
| fall through |
To fail; doesn’t happen |
His plans to trek through South America fell through when he got sick. |
| figure out |
To understand, find the answer |
He’s trying to figure out how to earn enough money to go on the trip to Spain. |
| fill out |
To complete (a form/an application) |
Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible. |
| find out |
To discover or obtain information |
I’m going to to find out who’s responsible for the power cut. |
| focus on |
To concentrate on something |
Tom had difficultty focusing on work the day before his holiday started. |
| get along (with) |
To be on good terms; work well with |
It’s important to get along with your team supervisor. |
| get at |
To imply |
What are you getting at? Do you think I’m to blame? |
| get away |
To escape |
I think we should get away for the weekend. |
| get by |
To manage to cope or to survive |
Students without jobs have a hard time getting by. |
| get in |
To enter |
When did you get in last night? |
| get into (+noun) |
To enter |
How did you get into your car without the keys? |
| get off |
- To leave (bus, train, plane)
- To remove
|
- You should get off the train in Kings Heath.
- I can’t get the ink stain off my shirt.
|
| get on |
To board (bus, train, plane) |
I’m trying to get on the flight to Brussels. |
| get on with (something) |
To continue to do; make progress |
After they split up, she had a hard time getting on with her life. |
| get on (well) with (somebody) |
To have a good relationship with |
He doesnt get on very well with the other members of the committee. |
| get out |
To leave |
He had a hard time getting out of Newark because of the snow? |
| get out of |
To avoid doing something |
Edna’s trying to get out of working the night shift. |
| get over |
To recover from (illness, disappointment) |
Has she gotten over the flu? |
| get over |
To recover from (illness, disappointment) |
Mary had the chickenpox last week but she got over it. |
| get rid of |
To eliminate |
Please get rid of that old t-shirt. It’s so ragged. |
| get together |
To meet each other |
Let’s get together for your birthday on Saturday. |
| get up |
To rise, leave bed |
Will you please get up? You’ve got a class in 20 minutes. |
| give in |
- To cease opposition; yield
- To To hand in; submit
|
- We will never give in to the terrorists’ demands.
- I’ll give in my paper tomorrow.
|
| give up |
To stop doing something |
Morris gave up drinking 10 years ago. |
| go through |
To experience |
Andy went through a lot of pain after his mother died. |
| grow up |
To spend one’s childhood; develop; become an adult |
He’s like Peter Pan. He never really grew up at all. |
| hand in |
To submit (report, homework) |
Please hand in your papers before Friday. |
| hand out |
To distribute |
Susan volunteered at the shelter where she handed out warm clothes. |
| hang out |
To spend time in a particular place or with a group of friends |
Which pub does the team hang out at after the game? |
| hang up |
To end a phone conversation |
If you hang up now, I’ll never speak to you again. |
| hold on |
- To wait
- To grip tightly
|
- Please hold on and a representative will answer your call.
- She was so scared on the rollercoaster ride that she held on for dear life.
|
| hurry up |
To be quick, act speedily |
Hurry up and finish your lunch or we’ll miss the train. |
| iron out |
To resolve by discussion, eliminate differences |
The two countries met at the conference to iron out their differences. |
| join in |
To participate |
Yes David, you can join in the discussion any time you like. |
| join up |
- To engage in, become a member of
- To meet and unite with
|
- There was a war on, so some kids were only sixteen when they joined up.
- Let’s separate now and join up later at the restaurant.
|
| keep on |
To continue doing something |
If you keep on making that noise I will get annoyed. |
| keep up with |
To stay at the same level as someone or something |
I read the paper every day to keep up with the news. |
| kick off |
To begin, start |
The rugby match kicked off at 3 o’clock. |
| leave out |
To omit, not mention |
Please check your form again and make sure nothing is left out. |
| let down |
To disappoint |
I feel so let down because they promised me a puppy but all I got was a doll. |
| look after |
To take care of |
Andy can you look after your sister until I get back? |
| look down on |
To consider as inferior |
She’s such a snob. She always looks down on anyone who is poor. |
| look on |
To be a spectator at an event |
If you don’t want to take part in the game you can look on for now. |
| look for |
To try to find something |
Harry went to the shop to look for a new computer. |
| look forward to |
To await or anticipate with pleasure |
I’m looking forward to my birthday. It’s in two days time. |
| look up to |
To admire |
I always looked up to my father. He was a great man. |
| make fun of |
To laugh at/ make jokes about |
It’s not nice to make fun of people in wheelchairs. |
| make up |
To invent (excuse, story) |
That’s a good excuse. Did you make up it up yourself? |
| mix up |
To mistake one thing or person for another |
She had so many cats that she kept mixing up their names. |
| move in |
To arrive in a new home or office |
Did you hear? Our new neighbors are moving in this afternoon. |
| move out |
To leave your home/office for another one. |
When are you moving out? We need your office for the new guy. |
| nod off |
To fall asleep |
You were so tired after the game that you nodded off on the couch. |
| own up |
To admit or confess something |
Come on. Own up. We know you did it! |
| pass away |
To die |
Your grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. |
| pass out |
To faint |
He didn’t drink enough water so he passed out at the end of the race. |
| pay back |
To reimburse |
I’ll pay you back as soon as I get the loan. |
| put off |
To postpone, arrange a later date |
Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today. |
| put on |
To turn on, switch on |
It’s very dark in here. Please put on the light on. |
| put out |
To extinguish |
The fire fighters were able to put out fire in ten minutes. |
| put up |
To accommodate, give somebody a bed |
I can put you up until the weekend but then I’m going away. |
| pick up |
To collect somebody |
I’ll pick you up at around 7:00 to take you to the airport. |
| point out |
To indicate/direct attention to something |
As I already pointed out, there was a mistake in your calculation. |
| rely on |
To count on, depend on, trust |
You can rely on me. I always arrive on time. |
| rule out |
To eliminate |
Since he had a sound alibi, the police ruled him out as a suspect. |
| run away |
To escape from a place or suddenly leave |
He ran away from home and joined the circus. |
| run into |
To meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into) |
I’m so glad I ran into you. I need to ask you something. |
| run out of |
To have no more of something. |
We’ve run out of milk. I’ll just pop next door to borrow some. |
| set off |
To start a journey; |
Let’s set off early to miss the rush hour traffic. |
| set up |
To start a business |
They set up their own company when they were still in high school. |
| shop around |
To compare prices |
Don’t buy that. Let’s shop around and see if we can find something cheaper. |
| show off |
To brag or want to be admired |
He’s such a show off. He has to tell everybody about his new computer. |
| show up |
To appear/arrive |
I don’t think she’ll show up tonight. Her daughter is sick. |
| shut up (impolite) |
To be silent, stop talking |
Shut up, you’re spoiling the movie! |
| sit down |
To take a seat |
I think you should sit down. It’s bad news. |
| stand up |
To rise from a sitting position |
The whole stadium stood up for the national anthem. |
| stick up for |
To defend |
My big brother always stuck up for me when I got into a fight. |
| take after |
To resemble, in appearance or character |
Angie really takes after her grandmother. |
| take care of |
To look after |
Please take care of my cat when I’m away. |
| take off |
To leave the ground |
The plane will take off as soon as the fog lifts. |
| take on |
To hire or engage staff |
I hear they’re taking on extra staff for this event. |
| take out |
To remove; extract |
Please take out your mobile phones and turn them off. |
| tell off |
To reprimand/criticize severely |
The coach told her off for not trying hard enough. |
| think over |
To consider |
Take your time and think it over before you decide. |
| try on |
To wear something to see if it suits or fits |
Go ahead, try it on and see if it fits? |
| turn down |
To refuse |
I asked her out but she turned me down flat. |
| use up |
To finish a product (so that there’s none left) |
Your parents used up all the coffee! |
| watch out |
To be careful |
Watch out! There’s a dog in the road. |
| wear out |
- To become unusable
- To become very tired
|
- Julie wore out her shoes running the marathons.
- Julie was worn out after all that running.
|
| work out |
- To do physical exercise
- To find a solution or calculate something
|
- You should work out twice a week at the gym.
- Can you work this out? I’m no good at math.
|
| wipe off |
To clean (board, table). |
I’ll wash up if you wipe off the table. |