Phrasal Verbs with examples

Act upon

Affect. The enzyme ACTS UPON certain proteins..

Act on

Affect. The medicine only ACTS ON infected tissue..

Back down

Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument. She refused to BACK DOWN and was fired..

Bawl out

Sing or shout unpleasantly loudly. He BAWLED OUT our names at the top of his voice..

Allow for

Include something in a plan or calculation. You should ALLOW FOR delays when planning a journey..

Act on

To take action because of something like information received. The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang red-handed..

Act upon

To take action because of something like information received. The police were ACTING UPON a tip-off..

Aim at

To target. The magazine is AIMED AT teenagers..

Be after

Try to find or get. The police ARE AFTER him because of the theft..

Angle for

Try to get something indirectly, by hinting or suggesting. He's been ANGLING FOR an invitation, but I don't want him to come..

Argue down

Try to persuade people not to accept a proposition, motion, etc. They tried to ARGUE DOWN the proposal..

Ache for

Want something or someone a lot. My partner's been away for a fortnight- I am ACHING FOR her..

Back up

Make a copy of computer data. You should always BACK UP important files and documents so that you won't lose all your work if something goes wrong with the hardware..

Allow of

Make possible, permit. The rules don't ALLOW OF any exceptions..

Bash about

Mistreat physically. If you BASH your monitor ABOUT like that, it won't last long..

Abide by

Accept or follow a decision or rule. We have to ABIDE BY what the court says..

Agree with

Affect- usually used in the negative to show that something has had a negative effect, especially is it makes you feel bad. I feel terrible- that food didn't AGREE WITH my stomach..

Argue out

Argue about a problem to find a solution. If we can't ARGUE our differences OUT, we'll have to take them to court..

Be along

Arrive. The next bus should BE ALONG in the next quarter of an hour or so..

Back up

Drive a vehicle backwards. Tom BACKED UP without looking and ran over his laptop..

Ask after

Enquire about someone's health, how life is going. Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER you, so I told her you were fine..

Back into

Enter a parking area in reverse gear. He prefers to BACK his car INTO the garage..

Barge into

Enter a place and interrupt people rudely. They BARGED INTO my office without knocking and started talking even though I was on the phone..

Barge in

Enter a place and interrupt. He keeps BARGING IN and asking stupid questions when I'm trying to work..

Be down on

Have negative feelings toward someone. After the argument, James is DOWN ON his boss..

Add on

Include in a calculation. You have to ADD the VAT ON to the price they give..

Bawl out

Scold, shout at someone. She BAWLED me OUT for coming home drunk..

Account for

To explain. They had to ACCOUNT FOR all the money that had gone missing..

Ask around

Ask a number of people for information of help. I have no idea, but I'll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help..

Ask about

Ask how someone is doing, especially professionally and in terms of health. He ASKED ABOUT my father..

Add up

Be a satisfactory explanantion for something. She explained why the work wasn't ready, but her story doesn't ADD UP..

Be in

Be at home or at work. They ARE never IN; I always get their answerphone..

Be on

Be at the top of one�s game, performing very well. He IS really ON right now- three goals in five minutes!.

Be off

Be bad (of food). This yoghurt must BE OFF; it smells foul..

Be fed up

Be bored, upset or sick of something. I AM FED UP of his complaints..

Be down

Be depressed. He's BEEN DOWN since his partner left him..

Be away

Be elsewhere; on holiday, etc.. She's AWAY on business for three weeks..

Be on

Be functioning (of machines). The computer IS ON..

Answer for

Be held responsible for a problem. The government should be made to ANSWER FOR their failure to sort out the problem..

Be down with

Be ill. Gul is DOWN WITH some bug and is off work today..

Be in on

Be involved in. Susan was the only one who WASN'T IN ON the plan..

Be down

Be reduced or less. The firm's profits ARE DOWN by ten percent this quarter..

Be in

Be submitted, arrive. The application form must BE IN by 3pm on Friday..

Be cut out for

Be suitable, have the necessary qualities. She's not CUT OUT FOR this kind of work..

Be not on

Be unacceptable. The way he's behaving IS just NOT ON..

Be cut up

Be upset. She was very CUT UP about coming second as she thought she deserved to win..

Argue down

Beat someone in a debate, discussion or argument. The teacher tried to ARGUE the girl DOWN, but she couldn't..

Act up

Behave badly or strangely. My computer's ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus..

Bash up

Break, damage or hurt by hitting. They BASHED him UP in the fight in the pub last week and he had to go to hospital..

Bash in

Break, damage or injure by hitting. The burglars BASHED the door IN to enter the house..

Add up to

Come to a certain amount or figure. The total costs ADD UP TO several million euros..

Ball up

Confuse or make things complicated. The new project has BALLED me UP- I have no idea what to do..

Bank on

Count or rely on. I'm BANKING ON your help; I can't do it alone..

Bag out

Criticise. Don't bag out BAG OUT Australian English..

Bang up

Damage badly. He BANGED his car UP last night..

Be off

Depart, leave. I'm OFF home; it's five o'clock..

Back out of

Exit a parking area in reverse gear. She BACKED the Rolls OUT OF its parking space..

Bargain for

Expect something to happen (usually negative). I hadn't BARGAINED FOR so many people coming..

Bargain on

Expect something to happen (usually negative). I hadn't BARGAINED ON him coming..

Act out

Express an emotion in your behaviour. Their anger is ACTED OUT in their antisocial behaviour..

Back out of

Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement. She BACKED OUT OF the agreement at the last minute..

Back out

Fail to keep an arrangement or promise. He BACKED OUT two days before the holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister.

Add up to

Have a certain result. Trains delays are getting worse and with the high fares, it all ADDS UP TO misery for the commuters..

Aim at

Intend to achieve. They're AIMING AT reducing costs by ten percent..

Ask round

Invite someone. We ASKED John ROUND for diner..

Ask around

Invite someone. We ASKED them AROUND for dinner..

Ask over

Invite. They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday..

Bail out

Jump out of a plane because it is going to crash. The pilot BAILED OUT when he saw that the engines had failed..

Bang on about

Keep talking about something. He's always BANGING ON ABOUT football..

Bail out

Save, rescue. The government had to BAIL OUT the airline because it was losing so much money..

Bang about

Move in a place making a lot of noise. He's BANGING ABOUT in the kitchen..

Bang around

Move in a place making a lot of noise. I can hear him BANGING ABOUT upstairs..

Bail out of

Pay a bond to release someone from jail. I must BAIL my drunken brother OUT OF jail..

Act out

Perform something with actions and gestures.. They ACTED OUT the story on stage..

Bargain down

Persuade someone to drop the price of something they're selling. I BARGAINED her DOWN to half what she originally wanted..

Argue down

Persuade someone to drop the price of something they're selling. She ARGUED him DOWN ten percent..

Bang out

Play a musical instrument loudly. She BANGED the tune OUT on the piano..

Bang up

Put someone in prison. The judge BANGED him UP for eight years..

Bail out

Remove water from something that is flooded. The boat was leaking so they had to BAIL it OUT..

Ask for

Request to have or be given. I ASKED FOR the menu..

Back away

Retreat or go backwards. The crowd BACKED AWAY when the man pulled a knife..

Back off

Retreat. The police told the protesters to BACK OFF..

Bail up

Rob someone at gunpoint. He was BAILED UP by a couple of muggers as he came out of the bank..

Ball up

Roll or form into a round shape. He BALLED UP his napkin when he had finished eating..

Bawl out

Scold. She BAWLED Raj OUT for getting there late..

Auction off

Sell something in an auction. They AUCTIONED OFF their property as they were heavily in debt..

Answer for

Speak on behalf of someone or from knowing them. I can ANSWER FOR my partner because I know her position on this issue..

Balls up

Spoil, ruin. He BALLSED the presentation UP..

Bail out on

Stop supporting someone when they are in trouble. Everybody BAILED OUT ON him when the scandal broke..

Back up

Support. The rest of the staff BACKED her UP when she complained about working conditions..

Be on

Take medication or dr*gs, especially when they affect the person badly. He IS ON anti-depressants and has become very difficult to please..

Be on

Take place. The show IS ON for the next three months..

Bang on

Talk at great length. He BANGED ON for half an hour but no one was listening..

Bail up

Talk to someone and delay them. I was late because he BAILED me UP on the phone and wouldn't shut up..

Ask in

To invite somebody into your house. 'Jon's at the door.' 'ASK him IN.'.

Ask out

To invite someone for a date. He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy..

Add up

To make a mathematical total. We ADDED UP the bill to check it was correct..

Ask for

To provoke a negative reaction. You're ASKING FOR trouble..

Answer back

To reply rudely to someone in authority. Her mother was shocked when she started ANSWERING her BACK and refusing to help..

Bash out

Write something quickly without much preparation. I BASHED the essay OUT the night before I had to hand it in..