Common Phrasal Verbs meanings with examples : English Language
Some Verbs, followed by Prepositions or Adverbs acquire a new meaning as:
They could not bear up (tolerate) with her temper.
We set off (started) for Calcutta early morning.
Such verbs are called Phrasal Verbs. Some important phrasal verbs are given below:
ACT
1. Act against (act contrary to): Some men act against their own interest.
2. Act for (act in place of): She acted for the Principal for a fortnight.
3. Act upon (obey): I shall act upon your advice.
4. Act up to (act according to): He acted up to his promise.
BEAR
1. Bear down (overthrow or crush by force): They were able to bear down all opposition.
2. Bear away (win): She bore away the first prize.
3. Bear up (not to despair): It is not easy to bear up when one is beset with difficulties on all sides.
4. Bear out (support or confirm): If the evidence bears out the charge, he will be sent to prison.
5. Bear with (tolerate): They could not bear with her violent temper.
BREAK
1. Break down (fail, collapse): She broke down in the middle of her speech.
2. Break into (enter by force): The thieves broke into the house.
3. Break off (stop suddenly): He broke off in the middle of his speech.
4. Break out (appear suddenly): An epidemic has broken out in the area.
5. Break with (quarrel with): She gave him no cause to break with her.
BRING
1. Bring about (cause): Their folly must bring about their ruin.
2. Bring down (lower): Small income brings down the standard of living.
3. Bring forth (produce): A good tree brings forth good fruit.
4. Bring in (earn, yield as the result of sale): Her writings bring in but a small income.
5. Bring on (cause): Dirt often brings on disease.
6. Bring out (publish): The publishers will soon bring out a new edition of this book.
7. Bring one round (persuade): It will be difficult for me to bring my husband round to my way of thinking.
8. Bring up (rear and train): He was brought up by his aunt.
CALL
1. Call for (demand): His teacher called for an explanation for his conduct.
2. Call in (summon, send for): Call in an ambulance immediately. 3. Call on (pay a brief visit): She called on me yesterday.
4. Call off (cancel): The strike was called off.
5. Call up (recollect): The old woman could not call up past events.
CARRY
1. Carry away (bear off): The bird carried away a gold ring.
2. Carry off (kill): Malaria carried off half the population of this town.
3. Carry on (continue, manage): She carried on her father's business.
4. Carry out (execute): They carried out the General's orders.
5. Carry through (sustain): Courage will carry a man through many difficulties.
COME
1. Come about (happen): How did these things come about?
2. Come by (get): How did they come by this book?
3. Come off (take place): There was a talk about a takeover, but it never came off.
4. Come out (transpired): At last the truth has come out.
5. Come to (amount to): Our total expenses come to a large sum.
6. Come up (mooted or raised for discussion): The question came up before the commission last week.
7. Come round (be persuaded): Amit refused the job at first, but he soon came round when he heard how much money we were offering him.
DO
1. Do away with (abolish): We cannot easily do away with our customs.
2. Done for (ruined): He is done for.
3. Do one out (cheat): I think, it was Bunty who did me out of the promotion.
4. Do something up (renovate something): Mrs. John is having the old house done up.
FALL
1. Fall back upon (have recourse to): She has nothing to fall back upon in her old age.
2. Fall flat (fail to produce any effect): My advice fell flat on her.
3. Fall in (stand in a line): The cadets were ordered to fall in.
4. Fall off (desert): Sales tend to fall off after Christmas.
5. Fall out (quarrel): Do not fall out with your friends.
6. Fall through (fail): The scheme fell through for want of funds.
GO
1. Go after (pursue): The tiger went after the wounded deer.
2. Go beyond (exceed): Do not go beyond the limits prescribed by the firm.
3. Go by (judge from): You should not go by external appearances.
4. Go on (continue): I went on working till late at night.
5. Go through (suffer): We have gone through many hardships in life. 6. Go up (ascend): Two children went up in a balloon.
GET
1. Get at (obtain): Their object in this inquiry is to get at the facts.
2. Get back (recover): They were able to get back all their money with a fine.
3. Get down (descend): He has climbed up the top of the mountain, but how will he get down?
5. Get on (advance, make progress): How is your son getting on at school?
6. Get on with (live agreeably with): It is hard to get on with a miser.
7. Get over (overcome): I have now got over all my difficulties.
8. Get through (pass): He will get through the examination.
KEEP
1. Keep back (conceal): He kept back nothing from me.
2. Keep up (maintain): They must keep up their self-respect.
3. Keep to (being true to one's words): She seldom keeps to her promise.
4. Keep on (continue): Keep on until you reach the traffic lights and then turn left.
5. Keep away (remain absent): He kept away from school for a week.
LOOK
1. Look after (take care of): His aunt looks after him.
2. Look forward to (expect with pleasure): The old woman is looking forward to the visit of her children.
3. Look down upon (despise): He looks down upon his poor relatives.
4. Look to (rely on): Some people look to legislation to hasten the progress of reforms.
5. Look into (investigate): We will look into the matter.
6. Look on (regard): I look on them as my superiors.
7. Look up (search for): Look up the word in the dictionary.
8. Looking up (improving): Things are looking up.
9. Look up to (admire): They look up to their teacher for his wisdom.
Make
1. Make away with (steal): The servant made away with ten thousand rupees.
2. Make for (help to promote): A little more care would certainly make for a better working climate.
3. Make out (discern, understsand): Can you make out the meaning of the passage?
4. Make over (transfer): He has made over all his property to his nephew.
5. Make something up (invent something): Don't believe him. He made that story up.
7. Make up for something (compensate or make good): We expect the government to make up for our losses.
8. Make up one's mind (determine): He made up his mind to study hard.
PUT
1. Put by (save): Put by something for your children's future.
2. Put forth (exert): Put forth all your strength.
3. Put off (postpone): Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
4. Put someone off (evade): They tried to put me off with false promises.
5. Put on (wear): Put on your sweater, please.
6. Put out (extinguish): Pust out the fire.
7. -Put up (show): The winner put up a good fight in the boxing ring.
-Put up (lodge): Where did they put you up for the night?
8. Put up with (tolerate): We can no longer put up with his insolence.
RUN
1. Run down (become weak): The battery has run down; it needs recharging.
2. Run into (collide with): My car ran into a truck..
3. Run over (to be crushed beneath): The old man was run over by a bus.
4. Run off with (make off with): My servant ran off with a gold necklace.
5. Run out (expire): The agreement has already run out. 6. Run short of (exhaust): They ran short of money this month.
7. Run through (glance over): I shall have to run through the text before the examination.
SET
1. Set aside (reject): The Supreme Court set aside the decree of the lower court.
2. Set about (begin): She immediately set about organizing the department.
3. Set apart (reserve): This seat is set apart for the handicapped.
4. Set someone down (snub someone): I was obliged to set her down.
5. Set forth (explain, make known): In his speech on economic reforms, he set forth his views at length.
6. Set in (begin): Winter, in Delhi, sets in about December.
7. Set off (start): He set off for Delhi early this morning.
8. Set up (start a business): He has set up as a contractor.
9. Set oneself up (establish oneself): We have enough capital to set us up in trade.
TAKE
1. Taken aback (surprised): I was taken aback when I heard of his failure.
2. Take after (resemble): He takes after his father in many ways.
3. Take down (write down): Take down these notes.
4. Take someone for (think one to be): I took her for a nurse.
5. Take in (deceive): They are too clever to be taken in by you.
6. Take off (remove): Kindly take off your shoes when you reach the gate.
7. Take to (become addicted): She has taken to drugs.
8. Take up (occupy): It would take up too much time to tell them the whole story.
9. Take up (begin to pursue): He has taken up journalism as a hobby.
TURN
1. Turn against (become hostile to): His family has turned against
him.
2. Turn someone off (dismiss someone): If he is lazy, why don't they turn him off?
3. Turn out (produce, manufacture): The factory turns out 40,000 metres of cloth a day.
4. Turn out (prove): She turned out to be more intelligent than her brother.
5. Turn up (happen): Who can say what will turn up next in this experiment?
6. Turn up (arrive): They had promised to come but they never turned up.
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