letSpeak Up!: Intermediate-level phrasal verb

Intermediate-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. Account for – explain or give a reason

She couldn’t account for the missing documents.
The bad weather accounts for the flight delay.
He needs to account for his mistakes.

2. Act on – take action based on advice or information

The manager acted on the complaints immediately.
She acted on her doctor’s advice.
The police acted on a tip from an informant.

3. Add up – make sense or result in a total

His story doesn’t add up; I think he’s lying.
The expenses add up to more than expected.
Something about this situation doesn’t add up.

4. Back out – withdraw from a commitment

She backed out of the agreement at the last minute.
He promised to help but backed out later.
They backed out after realizing the risks.

5. Bring about – cause something to happen

The new law brought about major changes.
Her speech brought about a lot of discussions.
Technology has brought about many advancements.

6. Bring up – mention a topic or raise a child

She brought up an important issue in the meeting.
He was brought up in a small town.
Let’s not bring up the past.

7. Brush up on – refresh knowledge or skills

I need to brush up on my Spanish before my trip.
She brushed up on her math skills for the exam.
He brushed up on his presentation before the meeting.

8. Call off – cancel something

They called off the wedding.
The event was called off due to bad weather.
The coach called off practice today.

9. Carry out – perform or complete a task

The scientist carried out an experiment.
She carried out her duties efficiently.
The soldiers carried out their mission successfully.

10. Catch up with – reach the same level as

She worked hard to catch up with her classmates.
I need to catch up with my emails.
After a long break, it’s difficult to catch up with work.

11. Come across – find something unexpectedly

I came across an old photo in my drawer.
She came across as very confident in the interview.
While reading, I came across an interesting fact.

12. Come down with – become sick

He came down with the flu.
She came down with a cold after the trip.
I think I’m coming down with something.

13. Come up with – think of an idea or solution

She came up with a great marketing strategy.
He came up with an excuse for being late.
They came up with a brilliant invention.

14. Cut back on – reduce the amount of something

I need to cut back on caffeine.
He cut back on unnecessary expenses.
She decided to cut back on junk food.

15. Cut off – stop or disconnect

The power was cut off during the storm.
She cut off all contact with her ex.
His phone was cut off due to non-payment.

16. Do away with – eliminate or remove

The company did away with old policies.
They want to do away with plastic bags.
Many schools have done away with uniforms.

17. Drop by – visit briefly

I’ll drop by your office later.
She dropped by to say hello.
He dropped by the store for some milk.

18. End up – finally be in a particular situation

She ended up getting the job.
He ended up in a different career than expected.
We ended up staying longer than planned.

19. Figure out – understand or solve something

She figured out the math problem.
I need to figure out how to fix this.
He figured out what was wrong with the machine.

20. Get along with – have a good relationship

She gets along with everyone at work.
He doesn’t get along with his neighbor.
They get along with each other really well.

21. Get over – recover from an illness or emotional pain

She took weeks to get over her cold.
It took him a long time to get over the breakup.
You’ll get over this challenge with time.

22. Get rid of – remove or dispose of something

She wants to get rid of old clothes.
He finally got rid of his bad habit.
They need to get rid of the broken furniture.

23. Give in – surrender or accept defeat

After arguing for hours, he finally gave in.
She refused to give in to pressure.
He never gives in to temptation.

24. Give up on – stop believing in or trying

She never gave up on her dreams.
They gave up on the project due to lack of funds.
He gave up on learning guitar after a few weeks.

25. Go after – pursue or chase something

She is going after her dream job.
The police went after the suspect.
You should go after what makes you happy.

26. Go against – oppose or resist

His decision goes against company rules.
She didn’t want to go against her parents’ wishes.
The new policy goes against our values.

27. Go along with – agree or follow a plan

She decided to go along with the idea.
He doesn’t always go along with his boss.
They went along with the new schedule.

28. Go over – review or examine carefully

Let’s go over the report before submitting it.
He went over his notes before the test.
She went over the contract in detail.

29. Grow out of – become too old or big for something

She grew out of her childhood hobbies.
He grew out of his fear of public speaking.
They grew out of their old clothes quickly.

30. Hand in – submit something

She handed in her resignation letter.
He handed in his assignment late.
Students must hand in their projects by Friday.

31. Hand out – distribute something

The teacher handed out the test papers.
She handed out flyers for the event.
He handed out free samples at the store.

32. Hold back – restrain or prevent

She held back her tears during the speech.
The fear of failure held him back.
He held back from speaking his mind.

33. Keep up with – stay at the same level

She works hard to keep up with her studies.
He can’t keep up with the fast pace.
They kept up with the latest trends.

34. Lay off – dismiss from a job

The company laid off many employees.
She was laid off due to budget cuts.
They had to lay off workers after the crisis.

35. Look down on – think someone is inferior

She looks down on people who are different.
He hates being looked down on by others.
They shouldn’t look down on less experienced colleagues.

36. Look forward to – anticipate with excitement

She looks forward to her vacation.
He looks forward to meeting new people.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.

37. Look out for – watch for danger or take care of someone

Always look out for traffic before crossing.
She looks out for her younger siblings.
He looked out for signs of trouble.

38. Look up to – admire or respect someone

She looks up to her older sister.
He looked up to his mentor for advice.
Many people look up to successful entrepreneurs.

39. Make up for – compensate for something

She made up for her mistake by working harder.
He made up for the lost time by studying more.
They made up for the delay with extra effort.

40. Move on – accept change and continue

She needs to move on from the past.
He moved on after the breakup.
They decided to move on to a new project.

41. Pass up – decline an opportunity

She passed up a great job offer.
He passed up the chance to travel abroad.
Don’t pass up this opportunity!

42. Pay off – succeed after effort

Her hard work paid off in the end.
The investment paid off greatly.
Studying regularly will pay off in exams.

43. Pull off – succeed despite difficulties

She pulled off an amazing performance.
He pulled off a last-minute win.
They pulled off the event successfully.

44. Put off – postpone something

She put off her dentist appointment.
He put off doing his homework.
They put off the trip until next year.

45. Put up with – tolerate something unpleasant

She puts up with her noisy neighbors.
He won’t put up with bad behavior.
I can’t put up with this mess anymore!

46. Run into – meet someone unexpectedly

She ran into an old friend at the mall.
He ran into trouble with his project.
They ran into some delays in their plans.

47. Run out of – use all of something

She ran out of money before payday.
He ran out of patience quickly.
We ran out of time during the test.

48. Show off – boast or display something

She showed off her new dress.
He showed off his basketball skills.
They showed off their latest invention.

49. Take over – gain control or responsibility

She took over the family business.
He took over as team leader.
The company took over a competitor.

50. Turn down – reject an offer or request

She turned down the job offer.
He turned down the invitation.
They turned down the proposal.