C | call back | return a phone call | I'll call you back as soon as possible. |
| call off | cancel | The meeting was called off because of the strike. |
| call on/upon sby | formally invite or request | I now call upon the President to address the assembly. |
| calm down | become more relaxed, less angry or upset | He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down. |
| carry on | continue | He carried on gardening in spite of the rain. |
| carry out | 1) do something as specified
(a plan, an order, a threat)
2) perform or conduct (test, experiment) | 1) The plan was carried out to perfection.
2) Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug. |
| carry over | postpone until later | As regards holidays, can you carry over any days from one year
to the next? |
| check in | register at a hotel or airport | For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight. |
| check out | 1) pay one's bill and leave (a hotel)
2) investigate | 1) Is Mr. Blair still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning.
2) I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out. |
| clam up | refuse to speak | When the teacher arrived she clammed up. |
| clamp down on | act strictly to prevent something | The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places. |
| close down | stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema). | When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs. |
| come across | 1) find by chance
2) appear, seem, make an impression | 1) Julie came across some photographs of her grandparents in the attic.
2) The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview. |
| come forward | present oneself | The police have asked any witnesses to come forward. |
| come up against | be faced with or opposed by | The project came up against a lot of criticism. |
| conk out | 1) stop working
2) stop or fall asleep (from exhaustion) | 1) The car conked out on the motorway.
2) He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV. |
| count on | rely or depend on (for help) | I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre. |
| cross out | remove by drawing a line through | In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word. |
| cut down on | reduce in number or size | The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes. |
| cut out | 1) remove using scissors
2) stop doing something | 1) She cut out a picture in a magazine.
2) I'm going to cut out eating between meals. |
| | | |
D | deal with | handle, take care of (problem, situation) | The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers. |
| die down | calm down, become less strong | When the applause died down, she started to sing. |
| do without | manage without | The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar. |
| drag on | last longer than expected | We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on! |
| draw up | write (contract, agreement, document) | An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties. |
| dress up | 1) wear elegant clothes
2) disguise oneself | 1) Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country?
2) Children love to dress up at Halloween. |
| drop in | visit, usually on the way somewhere | I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school. |
| drop off | 1) deliver someone or something
2) fall asleep | 1) I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like.
2) Granddad often drops off in front of the TV. |
| drop out | leave school without finishing | She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term. |
|
E | ease off | reduce, become less severe or slow down
(pain, traffic, work) | After Christmas the workload generally eases off. |
| end in | finish in a certain way; result in | Their marriage ended in divorce. |
| end up | finally reach a state, place or action | If he continues his misconduct he'll end up in prison. |
| even out | 1) eliminate differences of opinion.
2) become level or regular | 1) After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences.
2) The road was evened out to make it safer. |
| | | |
F | fall through | fail; doesn't happen | Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm. |
| figure out | understand, find the answer | I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves. |
| fill out | complete (a form/an application) | Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible. |
| find out | discover or obtain information | I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts. |
| focus on | concentrate on something | The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product. |
| figure out | understand; find a solution | We'll have to figure out a way to deliver the goods faster. |
| | | |
G | get along (with) | be on good terms; work well with | I get along (well) with my mother-in-law. |
| get at | imply | What exactly are you trying to get at? |
| get away | escape | The robbers got away in a black car. |
| get by | manage to cope or to survive | It's difficult to get by on a low salary. |
| get in | enter | How did the burglar get in? |
| get into (+noun) | enter | How did the burglar get into the house? |
| get off | 1) leave (bus, train, plane)
2) remove | 1) You should get off the bus at Trafalgar Square.
2) She can't get the stain off her sweater. |
| get on | board (bus, train, plane) | You can pay when you get on the bus. |
| get on with (something) | continue to do; make progress | Be quiet and get on with your homework. |
| get on (well) with (somebody) | have a good relationship with | I get on very well with my colleagues. |
| get out | leave | How did he get out? |
| get out of(+noun) | leave | How did he get out of the house? |
| get out of | avoid doing something | Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework. |
| get over | recover from (illness, disappointment) | My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it. |
| get rid of | eliminate | It's difficult to get rid of old habits. |
| get together | meet each other | Let's get together for lunch on day. |
| get up | rise, leave bed | I usually get up at 7 o'clock. |
| give up | stop doing something | Sarah gave up smoking 5 years ago. |
| go through | experience | Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident. |
| grow up | spend one's childhood; develop; become an adult | He grew up in a small village in the mountains. |
|
H | hand in | submit (report, homework) | All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month. |
| hand out | distribute | Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration. |
| hang out | spend time in a particular place,
or with a group of friends | Where does he hang out these days?
Who does he hang out with? |
| hang up | end a phone conversation | "Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet." |
| hit at | aim a blow at | He hit at the wasp with the newspaper. |
| hit back | retaliate; reply to an attack | When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back. |
| hit on/upon | find unexpectedly or by inspiration | She hit upon an idea for her new collection. |
| hold on | -wait
-grip tightly | - 'Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown."
- She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge. |
| hurry up | be quick, act speedily | Hurry up! We'll miss the bus. |
| | | |
I | iron out | resolve by discussion, eliminate differences | The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron out difficulties. |
| | | |
J | join in | participate | She was too shy to join in the game. |
| join up | -engage in, become a member of
- meet and unite with | - John was in the Army and Tom joined up as soon as he left school.
- The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel. |
| jot down | take quick notes | I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV. |
K | keep on | continue doing something | It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise. |
| keep up with | stay at the same level as someone or
something | Bill walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him. |
| kick off | begin, start | The football match kicked off at 3 o'clock. |
| | | |
L | leave out | omit, not mention | The child's name was left out of the report. |
| let down | disappoint | You promised to come to the party, so don't let me down! |
| look after | take care of | A babysitter looks after the children when they go out. |
| look ahead | think of the future | It's time to forget the past and look ahead. |
| look down on | consider as inferior | He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful. |
| look on | be a spectator at an event | Billy didn't take part in the fight. He just looked on. |
| look for | try to find something | Jane went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes. |
| look forward to | await or anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to seeing you soon. |
| look up to | admire | He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him. |
| | | |
M | make fun of | laugh at/ make jokes about | The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her. |
| make up | invent (excuse, story) | Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work. |
| mix up | mistake one thing or person for another | I don't know my neighbours' names yet. I keep mixing them up. |
| move in | arrive in a new home or office | You've bought a new house? When are you moving in?. |
| move out | leave your home/office for another one. | My neighbour is leaving. He's moving out next Saturday. |
|
N | nod off | fall asleep | My grandfather often nods off in front of the television. |
| note down | write something | I'll call the station and note down the departure times. |
| | | |
O | opt out | leave a system or decide not to participate | I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament. |
| own up | admit or confess something | The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window. |
| | | |
P | pass away | die | The old lady passed away peacefully. |
| pass out | faint | She passed out when she heard the bad news. |
| pay back | reimburse | I'll lend you 20€ provided you pay me back before the end of the week. |
| put off | postpone, arrange a later date | The meeting was put off because of the strike. |
| put on | turn on, switch on | Could you put on the light please? |
| put out | extinguish | It took a long time to put out the fire. |
| put up | accommodate, give somebody a bed | We can put you up if you'd like to come for a week-end. |
| pick up | collect somebody | I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive. |
| point out | indicate/direct attention to something | She pointed out the mistake. |
| | | |
R | rely on | count on, depend on, trust | Don't worry. You can rely on me. I can keep a secret. |
| rule out | eliminate | The police ruled out political motives. |
| run away | escape from a place or suddenly leave | He ran away from home at the age of fourteen. |
| run into | meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into) | Sophie ran into Maria at the shopping centre. |
| run out of | have no more of something. | What a nuisance! We've run out of coffee. |
| | | |
S | set off | start a journey; | Early Saturday morning we set off for the ski slopes . |
| set up | start a business | She set up her own company 10 years ago. |
| shop around | compare prices | It's always wise to shop around before buying anything. |
| show off | brag or want to be admired | There's David showing off in his new sports car! |
| show up | appear/arrive | We expected David to come but he didn't show up. |
| shut up
(impolite) | be silent, stop talking | Oh shut up, you idiot! |
| sit down | take a seat | Please come in and sit down. |
| stand up | rise from a sitting position | The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived. |
| stick up for | defend | It's important to stick up for one's principles. |
|
T | take after | resemble, in appearance or character | Jamie really takes after his dad. |
| take care of | look after | I'll take care of your plants while you're away. |
| take off | leave the ground | The plane took off at 6 a.m. |
| take on | hire or engage staff | Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff. |
| take out | remove; extract | She took out a pen to note the address. |
| tell off | reprimand/criticize severely | The teacher told her off for not doing her homework. |
| think over | consider | I'll have to think over the proposal before I decide. |
| try on | wear something to see if it suits or fits | I'm not sure about the size. Can I try it on? |
| turn down | refuse | I couldn't turn down an offer like that! |
| | | |
U | use up | finish a product (so that there's none left) | The kids have used up all the toothpaste. |
| | | |
V | vouch for | express confidence in, or guarantee something | You can give the keys to Andy. I can vouch for him. |
| | | |
W | watch out | be careful | Watch out! There's a car coming. |
| wear out | 1) become unusable
2) become very tired | 1) Julie wore out her shoes visiting the city.
2) At the end of the day Julie was worn out. |
| work out | 1) do physical exercise
2) find a solution or calculate something | 1) I work out twice a week at the gym club.
2) It's expensive but I haven't worked out the exact cost yet. |
| wipe off | clean (board, table). | The teacher asked Lee to wipe off the board. |
