Phrasal Verbs: English Vocabulary List

to firmly trust in the goodness or value of something

"She believes in helping others always."

"You need to believe in yourself if you want others to believe in your abilities and potential."

to cause something to happen, especially something undesirable or unpleasant

"Stress can bring on serious illness."

"Eating too much sugar can bring on a headache for some people who are sensitive to it."

to cancel what has been planned

"They call off the wedding ceremony."

"The organizers had to call off the outdoor concert because of the approaching thunderstorm and high winds."

to make oneself neat or clean

"She cleans up herself."

"Please clean up the mess you made in the kitchen before your father gets home from work."

to discover, meet, or find someone or something by accident

"I came across a book."

"While cleaning out the attic, I unexpectedly came across some old family photographs."

to visit a place or someone briefly, often without a prior arrangement

"She drops by her friend's house."

"Please drop by my office anytime this afternoon so we can discuss the details of your new project."

to eat in a restaurant, etc. rather than at one's home

"Let's eat out tonight."

"Instead of cooking at home they decided to eat out at a new Thai restaurant that had just opened downtown."

to eventually reach or find oneself in a particular place, situation, or condition, often unexpectedly or as a result of circumstances

"They end up lost."

"If you keep taking wrong turns, you will inevitably end up in the wrong part of town."

to have a friendly or good relationship with someone or something

"The roommates get along well."

"It is important for roommates to get along well otherwise living together can become very stressful and uncomfortable."

to spend much time in a specific place or with someone particular

"I like to hang out with friends."

"Teenagers often hang out at the shopping mall on weekends because there are many entertainment options available."

to intentionally exclude someone or something

"Do not leave out important details."

"Please do not leave out any important details when you write your report about the incident."

to no longer be alive

"Her grandfather passes away peacefully yesterday."

"The elderly neighbor passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of ninety two last night."

to attend to a specific task or responsibility

"She sees to the children's needs."

"The manager will see to your complaint personally and make sure that the issue is resolved quickly."

to get rid of what is not needed or wanted anymore

"He throws away the empty bottles."

"Do not throw away that old chair because I can repair it and make it look like new again."

to escape from a person who is holding one

"He breaks away from the group."

"The prisoner managed to break away from his guards during the transfer."

to support someone or a team or hope that they will succeed

"Fans root for their favorite team."

"I will be rooting for you during the competition and I know you will do very well."

to suddenly and intensely enter a particular emotional or mental state

"She fly into a rage."

"When he discovered that someone had damaged his car, he flew into a terrible rage and started shouting at everyone nearby."

to secretly store something in a place in order to use it later

"She stashes away money for emergencies."

"The old man had stashed away thousands of dollars in his mattress instead of putting it in a bank account."

to use a particular situation, resources, or opportunity effectively to gain some benefit

"He capitalizes on every business opportunity."

"The company hopes to capitalize on the growing demand for organic food by launching a new product line."

to state that one wants to see or speak to someone specific

"I ask for John."

"Could you please ask for the manager as I have a serious complaint to discuss?"

to admit defeat and retreat from a position or claim when met with resistance or pressure

"He never backs down from a fight."

"Despite the criticism the politician refused to back down from his controversial position on the issue."

to mention a particular subject

"Do not bring up that topic."

"She decided not to bring up the sensitive subject during the meeting to avoid further complications."

to go faster and reach someone or something that is ahead

"He catches up quickly."

"I need to catch up on my reading because I fell behind during my vacation last week."

to feel happy and satisfied

"Her smile cheers up everyone around."

"She tried to cheer up her sad friend by telling him funny jokes and making silly faces."

to be brought up or mentioned in a conversation or discussion

"The topic came up."

"During our conversation about future plans, the idea of starting a business naturally came up."

to fall or break into pieces as a result of being in an extremely bad condition

"The old building falls apart slowly."

"The old book fell apart in my hands because the glue holding the pages together had dried out completely."

to find the answer to a question or problem

"Help me figure out this puzzle."

"It took the detective several weeks to figure out who had committed the crime because there were many false clues."

to temporarily do a person's job while they are away or are unable to do it themselves

"I will fill in."

"My colleague asked if I could fill in for her at the meeting while she was on vacation."

to give something as a gift or donation to someone

"He gives away his old clothes."

"The radio station decided to give away free concert tickets to the first ten callers who phoned in this morning."

to thoroughly review, examine, or check something

"She goes over her notes again."

"Let us go over the presentation one more time to make sure there are no mistakes or typos."

to ask someone to wait briefly or pause for a moment

"Hang on, I am coming."

"Could you please hang on for a moment while I find the document you requested?"

to understand something, often with effort

"She makes out the distant ship."

"I could barely make out the words on the old sign because the paint had faded significantly over the years."

to postpone an appointment or arrangement

"Do not put off your homework."

"Do not put off your homework until the last minute because you may not have enough time to complete it properly before the deadline."

to eliminate an option or idea from consideration due to it appearing impossible to realize

"Doctors rule out the rare disease."

"The doctor cannot rule out the possibility of a serious infection without running more tests on the patient."

to arrive at an event or appointment where one is expected

"He shows up late for work."

"The famous actor did not show up for the interview and the reporters were very disappointed and angry."

to put or organize things in a tidy or systematic way

"She sorts out the tangled wires."

"We need to sort out our financial problems before we can even think about buying a new house."

to decline an invitation, request, or offer

"She turned down the job offer."

"Unfortunately I had to turn down the scholarship because I could not relocate abroad."

to interrupt someone to say something

"He put in a word."

"During the heated debate, the moderator had to put in a word to calm the participants down."

to entirely remove something

"The disease wipes out entire populations."

"The bad investment nearly wiped out all of his life savings and left him with almost nothing."

to stack things on top of each other

"The books pile up."

"After the holidays, dirty dishes began to pile up in the sink, creating a mess."

to make something stop burning or shining

"Firefighters put out the blazing fire."

"The firefighters worked for several hours to put out the large fire that had engulfed the old warehouse."

to leave somewhere having a certain impression or feeling

"She comes away with valuable experience."

"She came away from the meeting feeling very frustrated because nothing had been decided or accomplished."

to retrieve an item from a location where it was left

"I will pick up the package."

"He asked his friend to pick up his dry cleaning on the way home from work."