letSpeak Up!: Expert-level phrasal verb

Expert-level phrasal verb

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb + preposition or verb + adverb that creates a meaning different from the original verb.

1. Bank on – depend on or rely on

We’re banking on you to lead the project successfully.
You can’t always bank on good weather for outdoor events.
She banked on getting a raise, but it didn’t happen.

2. Boil down to – be the main reason or essential part

The argument boils down to a misunderstanding.
Success boils down to hard work and persistence.
The issue boils down to a lack of communication.

3. Bottle up – suppress emotions

He tends to bottle up his feelings instead of expressing them.
Don’t bottle up your frustration; talk about it.
She bottled up her anger for years before confronting him.

4. Bow out – withdraw from a position or responsibility

He decided to bow out of the competition due to an injury.
She bowed out of the project for personal reasons.
The veteran actor bowed out after a long and successful career.

5. Bring to light – reveal or uncover something

The investigation brought to light several financial irregularities.
Her book brought to light forgotten historical events.
The whistleblower brought to light the company’s unethical practices.

6. Cash in on – take advantage of an opportunity

The company cashed in on the growing demand for electric cars.
He cashed in on his social media fame to start a business.
Many investors cashed in on the stock market boom.

7. Chalk up to – attribute something to a particular reason

His failure was chalked up to lack of preparation.
She chalked up her success to years of hard work.
They chalked up the delay to technical issues.

8. Clamp down on – take strict action to stop something

The government is clamping down on illegal activities.
The school decided to clamp down on cheating.
Authorities are clamping down on tax evasion.

9. Come down to – be the most important factor

Winning the game comes down to strategy and teamwork.
In the end, it comes down to who is more prepared.
The decision comes down to budget constraints.

10. Double down on – increase effort or commitment

The company doubled down on its investment in technology.
Instead of quitting, he doubled down on his training.
She doubled down on her studies before the final exam.

11. Drag out – prolong something unnecessarily

The meeting was dragged out for hours.
They dragged out the negotiations to get a better deal.
Let’s not drag out this argument any longer.

12. Draw the line – set a clear limit

We need to draw the line between work and personal life.
He drew the line at working overtime without pay.
She drew the line when they asked for personal information.

13. Drive home – emphasize a point strongly

The speaker drove home the importance of education.
She drove home her argument with solid evidence.
The commercial drives home the message of safety.

14. Ease off – reduce pressure or intensity

The boss eased off on deadlines after complaints.
The pain eased off after taking medicine.
They decided to ease off on strict policies.

15. Fizzle out – gradually lose strength or interest

Their relationship fizzled out after a few months.
The protest fizzled out due to lack of support.
The company’s expansion plans fizzled out over time.

16. Get bogged down – become stuck or overwhelmed

He got bogged down in paperwork.
Let’s not get bogged down with minor details.
The project got bogged down due to bureaucracy.

17. Hammer out – negotiate and reach an agreement

They spent hours hammering out a deal.
The two sides hammered out a compromise.
We need to hammer out the details before signing the contract.

18. Hold out for – wait for something better

She held out for a higher salary.
They held out for better terms in the contract.
He refused the first offer, holding out for a better one.

19. Kick in – start to take effect

The medicine kicked in after 30 minutes.
The new policy kicked in at the beginning of the year.
His adrenaline kicked in when he saw the danger.

20. Let off the hook – release someone from blame or responsibility

The judge let him off the hook with a warning.
She was let off the hook despite her mistake.
Don’t let him off the hook so easily.

21. Play down – make something seem less important

The company played down the impact of the crisis.
He tried to play down his role in the incident.
She played down her success to remain humble.

22. Read into – interpret something in a particular way

Don’t read too much into his words.
She read into his silence as a sign of agreement.
People often read into things that aren’t there.

23. Root out – eliminate or find and remove

The government is working to root out corruption.
They need to root out outdated policies.
Investigators are trying to root out the source of the leak.

24. Step up – increase effort or take responsibility

He stepped up to lead the project.
The company stepped up its efforts to reduce waste.
She stepped up and took charge in a crisis.

25. Wind down – gradually relax or slow down

After a busy week, I need to wind down.
The company is winding down operations in that region.
He likes to wind down with a good book before bed.

26. Zero in on – focus on something with great attention

The detective zeroed in on the suspect’s alibi.
She zeroed in on the key points of the presentation.
The company zeroed in on its target market.

27. Weigh in on – give an opinion or contribute to a discussion

Experts weighed in on the debate about climate change.
She weighed in on the new policy with strong criticism.
The judge weighed in on the legal dispute with a final decision.

28. Toy with – consider an idea lightly or playfully

He’s toying with the idea of starting a business.
She toyed with different career options before choosing law.
I’ve been toying with the idea of traveling solo.

29. Trade off – sacrifice one thing for another

The project required a trade-off between speed and quality.
He traded off his social life to focus on work.
There’s always a trade-off between cost and efficiency.

30. Strike out – fail at something or begin independently

He struck out in his attempt to start a restaurant.
She struck out on her own after years of working for a company.
His business plan struck out due to poor funding.

31. Sink in – be fully understood or realized

It took a while for the news to sink in.
His mistake finally sank in after seeing the results.
The reality of the situation sank in too late.

32. Scrape by – barely manage to survive or succeed

He scraped by on minimum wage for years.
She scraped by in the exam with the lowest passing score.
They barely scraped by after losing their jobs.

33. Ride out – endure or survive a difficult situation

The company managed to ride out the financial crisis.
We had to ride out the storm before continuing our journey.
He rode out the controversy without losing his reputation.

34. Phase out – gradually remove or stop using something

The government is phasing out old currency notes.
They decided to phase out plastic packaging.
Manual labor jobs are being phased out due to automation.

35. Opt out of – choose not to participate in something

He opted out of the company’s pension plan.
She opted out of the optional seminar.
Some users opted out of data tracking for privacy reasons.

36. Mull over – think deeply about something

She mulled over the job offer before deciding.
I need time to mull over this proposal.
He mulled over his choices for hours.

37. Map out – plan something in detail

We need to map out our strategy for the next quarter.
She mapped out her career goals carefully.
The project was mapped out before execution.

38. Level with – be honest with someone

You need to level with your boss about the mistakes.
She finally leveled with her friend about the truth.
He leveled with the audience about his struggles.

39. Lay into – criticize or attack harshly

The coach laid into the team for poor performance.
She laid into him for being late again.
The critics laid into the movie for its weak storyline.

40. Iron out – resolve small problems or disagreements

They need to iron out the final details before launching.
We had to iron out some misunderstandings in our contract.
The committee met to iron out the remaining issues.

41. Hold over – extend the duration of something

The show was so popular that they held it over for another month.
The meeting was held over due to time constraints.
The policy was held over for further discussion.

42. Gloss over – ignore or make light of something important

The report glossed over the company’s financial problems.
She glossed over his mistakes in the presentation.
Politicians often gloss over inconvenient facts.

43. Fall back on – use as a backup plan

If the plan fails, we have savings to fall back on.
She always falls back on her experience in tough situations.
The company fell back on its emergency funds.

44. Drum up – generate support or business

The team worked hard to drum up excitement for the event.
They are trying to drum up new clients through promotions.
He struggled to drum up interest in his book.

45. Dawn on – suddenly realize something

It dawned on me that I had forgotten my keys.
The truth dawned on her after reading the letter.
It finally dawned on him that he was in love.

46. Come up short – fail to reach a goal

Despite his efforts, he came up short in the competition.
The project came up short of expectations.
We came up short on funds for the trip.

47. Catch on to – begin to understand something

He finally caught on to the joke.
She caught on to the new software quickly.
It took him a while to catch on to their plan.

48. Branch out – expand into new areas

The company is branching out into new markets.
She decided to branch out from writing into filmmaking.
He wants to branch out and try new career paths.

49. Blow over – pass without causing harm

The scandal eventually blew over.
The argument will blow over soon.
The storm blew over without much damage.

50. Bail out – rescue from financial or other trouble

The government bailed out the failing bank.
He bailed out his friend who was struggling with rent.
She bailed out of the project at the last minute.