Phrasal Verbs Dictionary - Learn English Phrasal Verbs

give up

To stop trying; to quit or abandon an effort.

"Don't give up — you are almost there!"

Inseparable

look after

To take care of someone or something.

"She looks after her younger brother while her parents work."

Inseparable

put off

To postpone or delay something.

"Stop putting off your homework — do it now."

Separable

turn on

To activate or start a device, light, or machine.

"Please turn on the lights — it's getting dark."

Separable

turn off

To deactivate or stop a device, light, or machine.

"Don't forget to turn off the computer before you leave."

Separable

get along

To have a friendly relationship with someone.

"My sister and I get along really well."

Inseparable

bring up

To raise a child; or to mention a topic in conversation.

"She was brought up in a small town. / He brought up an interesting point."

Separable

come across

To find something by chance; or to give a particular impression.

"I came across an old photo album while cleaning. / She comes across as very confident."

Inseparable

find out

To discover or learn information.

"I need to find out what time the meeting starts."

Separable

take over

To assume control or responsibility for something.

"The new manager will take over the department next week."

Separable

set up

To arrange, establish, or organize something.

"They set up a new company last year."

Separable

break down

To stop functioning; or to analyze something in detail.

"My car broke down on the highway. / Let's break down the problem into smaller parts."

Separable

carry out

To perform or complete a task, order, or instruction.

"The scientists carried out several experiments."

Separable

point out

To draw attention to something or someone.

"She pointed out a mistake in the report."

Separable

work out

To exercise; to find a solution; or to develop satisfactorily.

"I work out at the gym three times a week. / We need to work out a solution."

Separable

back up

To support someone; or to move backwards.

"My colleagues backed me up during the meeting."

Separable

blow up

To explode; or to become very angry suddenly.

"The car blew up after the crash. / He blew up when I told him the news."

Separable

break in

To force entry into a building; or to interrupt.

"Thieves broke in while we were on vacation."

Inseparable

catch up

To reach the same point or level as someone else; or to talk after not seeing someone for a while.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up with you later."

Inseparable

call off

To cancel an event or agreement.

"They had to call off the wedding due to the storm."

Separable

calm down

To relax after being angry or excited.

"You need to calm down before driving."

Separable

carry on

To continue doing something.

"Please carry on with your work while I am gone."

Inseparable

check in

To register at a hotel or airport.

"We need to check in at the hotel by 3 PM."

Inseparable

check out

To leave a hotel after paying; or to investigate something.

"We checked out of the hotel. / I'll check out that new restaurant."

Separable

cheer up

To become happier, or to make someone happier.

"I bought her some flowers to cheer her up."

Separable

clean up

To tidy a place completely.

"Let's clean up the kitchen before guests arrive."

Separable

come back

To return to a place.

"When will you come back from London?"

Inseparable

come down with

To become sick with an illness.

"I think I'm coming down with a cold."

Inseparable

count on

To rely on or trust someone or something.

"You can always count on me for help."

Inseparable

cut back

To reduce the amount of something.

"The company has to cut back on spending."

Inseparable

cut off

To interrupt or completely disconnect.

"We got cut off while talking on the phone."

Separable

deal with

To handle or take action to solve a problem.

"I have to deal with a lot of complaints today."

Inseparable

do away with

To abolish, get rid of, or destroy.

"They did away with the old uniform rules."

Inseparable

do over

To do something again from the beginning.

"The essay was terrible, so the teacher made him do it over."

Separable

dress up

To wear formal clothes or a costume.

"We have to dress up for the gala tonight."

Separable

drop by

To visit someone informally without an appointment.

"Feel free to drop by my house anytime."

Inseparable

drop off

To deliver someone or something; or to fall asleep.

"I need to drop off this package at the post office."

Separable

drop out

To quit a class, school, or competition.

"He dropped out of college to start a business."

Inseparable

eat out

To eat at a restaurant instead of at home.

"I'm too tired to cook; let's eat out tonight."

Inseparable

end up

To eventually reach or decide on a place or situation.

"We got lost and ended up in a completely different city."

Inseparable

fall apart

To break into pieces; or to lose emotional control.

"The old chair fell apart when I sat on it."

Inseparable

fall behind

To move slower than others; to not stay on schedule.

"If you don't study, you will fall behind in class."

Inseparable

fall for

To fall in love with someone; or to be tricked by a lie.

"I can't believe you fell for that scam."

Inseparable

fall through

To fail to happen or be completed (usually a plan).

"Our holiday plans fell through because of the strike."

Inseparable

figure out

To solve a problem or understand something.

"It took me hours to figure out the math equation."

Separable

fill in

To complete a form; or to substitute for someone.

"Please fill in your name and address here."

Separable

fill out

To write information on a blank form or document.

"I need you to fill out this application."

Separable

get away

To escape; or to go on a vacation.

"The thief managed to get away before the police arrived."

Inseparable

get away with

To do something wrong without being punished.

"He cheated on the test and got away with it."

Inseparable

get back

To return.

"What time did you get back from the party?"

Inseparable

get by

To manage to survive or live despite difficulties.

"We don't have much money, but we get by."

Inseparable

get in

To enter a place, vehicle, or arrive.

"Get in the car, we're late!"

Inseparable

get off

To leave a vehicle (bus, train, plane); or to leave work.

"We need to get off at the next bus stop."

Inseparable

get out

To leave a place or escape.

"Get out of the house, there's a fire!"

Inseparable

get over

To recover from an illness, loss, or emotional shock.

"It took her months to get over the breakup."

Inseparable

get through

To complete a difficult task; or to make contact by phone.

"I couldn't get through to customer service."

Separable

get up

To arise from bed or a seated position.

"I usually get up at 6 AM."

Separable

give away

To donate something for free; or to reveal a secret.

"He gave away his old clothes to charity. / Don't give away the ending!"

Separable

give back

To return a borrowed item.

"When will you give back the book you borrowed?"

Separable

give in

To reluctantly agree to something or surrender.

"After hours of begging, her parents finally gave in."

Inseparable

go ahead

To proceed or start doing something.

"Go ahead and eat without me; I'm running late."

Inseparable

go back

To return to a place.

"I want to go back to Italy next year."

Inseparable

go down

To decrease, sink, or be recorded in history.

"The price of oil is finally going down."

Inseparable

go off

To explode, ring (alarm), or spoil (food).

"My alarm clock didn't go off this morning."

Inseparable

go on

To continue happening or doing something.

"The show must go on."

Inseparable

go out

To leave home for entertainment; or for a fire/light to stop burning.

"Are we going out for dinner tonight?"

Inseparable

go over

To review, check, or examine something carefully.

"Let's go over the plan one more time."

Separable

grow up

To become an adult or behave maturely.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Inseparable

hand in

To submit homework, an assignment, or a document.

"You must hand in your essay by Friday."

Separable

hand out

To distribute something to a group of people.

"The teacher will hand out the worksheets now."

Separable

hang on

To wait for a short time; or to grip tightly.

"Hang on a second, I'll be right there."

Inseparable

hang out

To spend time relaxing casually.

"We used to hang out at the mall after school."

Inseparable

hang up

To end a phone call.

"He got angry and hung up the phone."

Separable

hold back

To stop yourself from feeling or showing an emotion; or to restrain.

"She tried to hold back her tears."

Separable

hold on

To wait a moment; or to grip firmly.

"Please hold on while I transfer your call."

Inseparable

keep on

To continue doing something.

"Keep on walking until you reach the corner."

Inseparable

keep up

To move at the same speed as someone; or to maintain a standard.

"I had to run to keep up with him."

Separable

leave out

To omit or exclude someone or something.

"Don't leave out any details from the story."

Separable

let down

To disappoint someone by failing to do what you promised.

"I trusted you, and you really let me down."

Separable

look back

To think about the past.

"When I look back on my childhood, I smile."

Inseparable

look down on

To think that you are better or more important than someone else.

"She looks down on people who don't have a college degree."

Inseparable

look for

To try to find something or someone.

"I am looking for my lost keys."

Inseparable

look forward to

To be excited and happy about something that is going to happen.

"I look forward to seeing you next week."

Inseparable

look into

To investigate or examine a situation.

"The police are looking into the robbery."

Inseparable

look out

To be careful or cautious.

"Look out! There's a car coming."

Inseparable

look up

To search for information (in a book or online); or for a situation to improve.

"If you don't know the word, look it up in the dictionary."

Separable

look up to

To respect and admire someone.

"I've always looked up to my older sister."

Inseparable

make fun of

To laugh at or mock someone or something.

"It's not nice to make fun of people's mistakes."

Inseparable

make up

To invent a story/excuse; or to reconcile after an argument.

"He made up an excuse for being late. / They fought but made up later."

Separable

mix up

To confuse two things or people.

"I always mix up the twins because they look identical."

Separable

pass away

To die (a polite way of saying die).

"Her grandfather passed away last night."

Inseparable

pass out

To faint or lose consciousness; or to distribute.

"It was so hot in the room that she passed out."

Separable

pay back

To return money that you owe.

"I will pay you back on Friday."

Separable

pick out

To choose or select.

"She picked out a beautiful dress for the party."

Separable

pick up

To lift something; to collect someone in a vehicle; or to learn easily.

"Can you pick me up from the airport?"

Separable

pull over

To drive a vehicle to the side of the road and stop.

"The police officer told the driver to pull over."

Inseparable

pull through

To survive a dangerous illness or difficult situation.

"The surgery was risky, but he managed to pull through."

Inseparable

put away

To store something in its correct or usual place.

"Please put your toys away before dinner."

Separable

put down

To place an object on a surface; or to insult someone.

"Put down the gun! / He always puts me down in front of others."

Separable

put on

To dress oneself; or to apply makeup/weight.

"Put on your coat; it's freezing outside."

Separable

put out

To extinguish a fire or cigarette; or to inconvenience someone.

"The firefighters put out the massive blaze."

Separable

put up with

To tolerate or endure something annoying or unpleasant.

"I don't know how you put up with his terrible behavior."

Inseparable

run away

To escape or flee from a place or situation.

"The cat got scared and ran away."

Inseparable

run into

To meet someone unexpectedly; or to collide with something.

"I ran into my old teacher at the supermarket."

Inseparable

run out of

To completely use up the supply of something.

"We have run out of milk, so I'll go to the store."

Inseparable

run over

To hit with a vehicle; or to exceed a time limit.

"The meeting ran over by twenty minutes."

Separable

set off

To start a journey; or to trigger an alarm.

"We need to set off early to avoid traffic."

Separable

show off

To behave boastfully to attract attention and admiration.

"He's just driving that expensive car to show off."

Separable

show up

To arrive or appear at a place, often unexpectedly or late.

"He didn't show up until the party was almost over."

Inseparable

shut down

To turn off a computer or machine; or to close a business.

"The factory was shut down due to bankruptcy."

Separable

sit down

To move from a standing position to a seated one.

"Please sit down and make yourself comfortable."

Inseparable

sleep over

To spend the night at someone else's house.

"My daughter is sleeping over at her friend's house tonight."

Inseparable

slow down

To reduce speed.

"You need to slow down; the speed limit is 30."

Separable

sort out

To organize, resolve, or fix a problem.

"We need to sort out these files before the audit."

Separable

stand for

To represent or mean; or to tolerate.

"What does the abbreviation CEO stand for?"

Inseparable

stand out

To be very noticeable or better than others.

"Her bright red hair made her stand out in the crowd."

Inseparable

stand up

To rise to one's feet; or to fail to meet someone for a date.

"He stood me up at the restaurant yesterday."

Separable

stay up

To go to bed later than usual.

"We stayed up all night watching movies."

Inseparable

step down

To resign from a high position or office.

"The CEO decided to step down due to health reasons."

Inseparable

stick to

To continue doing something without changing it or giving up.

"If you stick to your diet, you will see results."

Inseparable

stick up for

To defend or support someone or something.

"Thanks for sticking up for me when the boss yelled."

Inseparable

sum up

To summarize or give a brief conclusion.

"To sum up, the project was a complete failure."

Separable

take after

To look or behave like an older family member.

"He really takes after his grandfather; they both love fishing."

Inseparable

take apart

To dismantle or separate something into its pieces.

"I had to take the engine apart to fix it."

Separable

take away

To remove something; or to buy food to eat elsewhere.

"The teacher took away his phone during class."

Separable

take back

To return something you bought; or to retract a statement.

"I'm going to take this shirt back; it doesn't fit."

Separable

take down

To remove something from a high place; or to write notes.

"Please take down these instructions carefully."

Separable

take off

For a plane to leave the ground; or to become successful quickly.

"The plane will take off in ten minutes. / His business really took off."

Separable

take on

To accept a new responsibility; or to hire someone.

"She took on too many projects and got stressed."

Separable

take out

To remove something; or to invite someone on a date.

"I'm taking her out to dinner tonight."

Separable

take up

To begin a new hobby or activity; or to occupy space/time.

"He decided to take up golf after he retired."

Separable

talk over

To discuss a problem or plan thoroughly.

"We need to talk over our strategy before the meeting."

Separable

tear down

To destroy a building or structure.

"They are going to tear down the old hospital."

Separable

tear up

To rip something into small pieces.

"She tore up the letter angrily."

Separable

think over

To consider something carefully before deciding.

"I need a few days to think over your job offer."

Separable

throw away

To dispose of something you no longer need.

"Don't throw away those boxes; we can reuse them."

Separable

try on

To put on clothing to see if it fits.

"You should try on the shoes before buying them."

Separable

try out

To test something to see how well it works.

"We are going to try out the new software tomorrow."

Separable

turn around

To change direction; or to make a bad situation successful.

"The new CEO managed to turn the failing company around."

Separable

turn down

To refuse an offer; or to decrease volume/heat.

"She turned down the job because the salary was too low."

Separable

turn into

To transform or change into something else.

"The caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly."

Inseparable

turn out

To result or end up in a particular way.

"The weather looked bad, but it turned out to be a nice day."

Inseparable

turn up

To arrive unexpectedly; or to increase volume/heat.

"He turned up at the party without an invitation."

Separable

use up

To consume or use all of something so nothing is left.

"We used up all the flour, so we can't bake the cake."

Separable

wake up

To stop sleeping.

"I usually wake up at 7:00 AM."

Separable

warm up

To prepare your body for exercise; or to make something warmer.

"You should always warm up before lifting weights."

Separable

watch out

To be careful or alert to danger.

"Watch out! The floor is slippery."

Inseparable

wear off

To gradually lose effectiveness or disappear.

"The painkillers will start to wear off in a few hours."

Inseparable

wear out

To use something until it breaks; or to make someone extremely tired.

"He wore out his favorite shoes. / This hard work is wearing me out."

Separable

write down

To record information on paper.

"Please write down your contact details on this form."

Separable

add up

To make logical sense; or to calculate a total.

"Her excuse for being late just doesn't add up."

Inseparable

allow for

To take into consideration when planning.

"We need to allow for traffic when deciding what time to leave."

Inseparable

answer back

To reply rudely or disrespectfully to someone in authority.

"The teenager got in trouble for answering back to his teacher."

Inseparable

ask out

To invite someone on a romantic date.

"He finally gathered the courage to ask her out."

Separable

back away

To retreat or move backwards away from something.

"The hiker slowly backed away from the bear."

Inseparable

back down

To withdraw a claim or yield in a dispute.

"Neither side was willing to back down during the argument."

Inseparable

back out

To fail to keep a promise or agreement.

"He backed out of the business deal at the last minute."

Inseparable

bear with

To be patient with someone or something.

"Please bear with me while I find your file."

Inseparable

black out

To lose consciousness; or to hide light.

"He hit his head and blacked out for a few minutes."

Inseparable

blend in

To look like the things around you so you are not noticed.

"The chameleon alters its color to blend in with the leaves."

Inseparable

boil down to

To summarize the most essential or main point of something.

"The political debate really boils down to one issue: the economy."

Inseparable

boss around

To continuously tell someone what to do in an arrogant way.

"I quit my job because I hated being bossed around all day."

Separable

break away

To detach or escape from a group or person holding you.

"The runner broke away from the pack to win the race."

Inseparable

break off

To abruptly end a relationship, agreement, or conversation.

"They decided to break off their engagement."

Separable

break out

To suddenly begin (war, fire, disease); or to escape from prison.

"A fire broke out in the old factory last night."

Inseparable

break up

To end a romantic relationship; or to disperse a crowd.

"She decided to break up with her boyfriend after three years."

Separable

bring about

To cause something to happen.

"The new technology will bring about major changes in the industry."

Separable

bring down

To cause a government or person to lose power; or to make someone sad.

"The scandal brought down the entire political party."

Separable

bring in

To introduce something new; or to earn money.

"We need to bring in an expert to solve this technical issue."

Separable

bring off

To succeed in doing something difficult.

"It was a difficult plan, but she managed to bring it off."

Separable

bring out

To release a new product; or to highlight a quality.

"The company is bringing out a new smartphone next month."

Separable

brush off

To ignore someone or dismiss something as unimportant.

"He brushed off my concerns and told me not to worry."

Separable

build up

To increase over time; or to accumulate.

"Traffic is starting to build up on the highway."

Separable

bump into

To meet someone by chance.

"I bumped into an old friend at the grocery store."

Inseparable

burn down

To be destroyed by fire (usually a building).

"The historic church burned down in the 19th century."

Separable

burn out

To become physically or mentally exhausted from overwork.

"If you don't take a vacation, you are going to burn out."

Inseparable

burst into

To suddenly start doing something, like crying or laughing.

"When she heard the joke, she burst into laughter."

Inseparable

buy out

To buy someone's share of a business to gain full control.

"The larger corporation decided to buy out its rival."

Separable

buy up

To purchase all available supply of a specific item.

"Investors are buying up all the cheap real estate in the area."

Separable

call back

To return a phone call.

"I am busy right now, can I call you back?"

Separable

call for

To require, demand, or request something.

"This complicated situation calls for extreme patience."

Inseparable

call in

To request professional help or assistance.

"We had to call in a specialist to fix the main server."

Separable

call on

To ask someone to speak or answer a question; or to visit.

"The professor called on me to answer the first question."

Inseparable

care for

To look after someone; or to like something.

"Would you care for a cup of tea?"

Inseparable

carry off

To successfully accomplish something difficult.

"She was incredibly nervous, but she carried off the speech perfectly."

Separable

catch on

To understand something eventually; or to become popular.

"I didn't understand the joke at first, but I eventually caught on."

Inseparable

cater to

To provide what is needed or wanted by someone.

"The luxury resort caters to the needs of wealthy tourists."

Inseparable

change into

To put on different clothes; or to transform.

"I need to change into my gym clothes."

Inseparable

cheat on

To be unfaithful to a romantic partner.

"She filed for divorce after finding out he cheated on her."

Inseparable

check up on

To investigate someone's well-being or behavior.

"I just called to check up on you to see if you were feeling better."

Inseparable

cheer on

To shout encouragement to someone, especially in sports.

"The entire school came to cheer on the basketball team."

Separable

chew out

To verbally scold someone very harshly.

"The drill sergeant chewed out the soldiers for being late."

Separable

chip in

To contribute money or effort toward a common goal.

"If everyone chips in a few dollars, we can buy him a nice gift."

Inseparable

clean out

To empty a place completely in order to tidy it; or to steal everything.

"I spent the weekend cleaning out the garage."

Separable

clear up

To explain a misunderstanding; or for the weather to improve.

"Let me clear up the confusion about the schedule."

Separable

close down

To stop operations permanently (usually a business).

"Many small shops had to close down during the pandemic."

Separable

close in on

To approach or surround someone/something from all sides.

"The police are closing in on the suspect's location."

Inseparable

close off

To block entry to an area.

"The police closed off the street after the accident."

Separable

come about

To happen or occur.

"How did the idea for this new company come about?"

Inseparable

come along

To accompany someone; or to make progress.

"We are going to the movies, do you want to come along?"

Inseparable

come apart

To separate into pieces; to break.

"The cheap toy came apart the first time I used it."

Inseparable

come around

To change one's mind and agree; or to regain consciousness.

"He initially hated the idea, but he eventually came around."

Inseparable

come by

To acquire or get something; or to visit briefly.

"Good jobs are hard to come by these days."

Inseparable

come down

To decrease or fall; or to travel southward.

"The price of gas has finally come down."

Inseparable

come forward

To offer information or help voluntarily.

"The police are asking any witnesses to come forward."

Inseparable

come into

To inherit wealth or property.

"He came into a large fortune when his uncle died."

Inseparable

come off

To succeed; or to become detached.

"The handle came off the door when I pulled it."

Inseparable

come out

To be published, released, or revealed.

"Her new book comes out next Tuesday."

Inseparable

come over

To visit someone's house; or to affect someone suddenly.

"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

Inseparable

come through

To succeed in surviving a difficult situation; or to produce a promised result.

"We relied on him for funding, and he really came through for us."

Inseparable

come up

To be mentioned in conversation; or to arise unexpectedly.

"Something important came up at work, so I have to stay late."

Inseparable

come up with

To invent, create, or think of an idea or plan.

"We need to come up with a better marketing strategy."

Inseparable

con into

To trick someone into doing something they wouldn't normally do.

"He conned me into buying a broken car."

Separable

cross off

To remove an item from a list by drawing a line through it.

"As we finish each task, we can cross it off the list."

Separable

cross out

To draw a line through written text because it is wrong.

"Cross out the wrong answer and write the correct one above it."

Separable

cut down

To reduce the amount of something; or to fell a tree.

"The doctor told him to cut down on sugar."

Separable

cut in

To interrupt someone while they are speaking; or to pull in front of a car suddenly.

"It's rude to cut in when two people are having a conversation."

Inseparable

dash off

To write something quickly; or to leave in a hurry.

"I need to dash off an email to my boss before I leave."

Separable

dawn on

To suddenly realize or understand something.

"It finally dawned on me that she was telling the truth."

Inseparable

decide on

To choose someone or something after thinking carefully.

"We eventually decided on the blue paint for the kitchen."

Inseparable

die down

To gradually decrease in strength, volume, or intensity.

"We waited for the storm to die down before going outside."

Inseparable

dig into

To start eating hungrily; or to investigate deeply.

"The food looks delicious, let's dig into it!"

Inseparable

dig up

To unearth something buried; or to discover hidden information.

"The reporter tried to dig up dirt on the politician's past."

Separable

dip into

To briefly read a book; or to use some of your savings.

"I had to dip into my savings to pay for the car repairs."

Inseparable

dish out

To serve food; or to distribute criticism or punishment freely.

"He can dish out criticism, but he can't take it himself."

Separable

dispense with

To stop using something because it is no longer necessary.

"Let's dispense with the formalities and get straight to business."

Inseparable

dispose of

To throw away, destroy, or get rid of something.

"Please dispose of your trash in the bins provided."

Inseparable

divide up

To split something into portions or shares.

"We need to divide up the responsibilities equally."

Separable

do without

To manage to survive or function without something.

"Since we have no milk, we will just have to do without."

Inseparable

drag on

To last longer than expected or desired.

"The meeting dragged on for three hours."

Inseparable

draw up

To prepare a formal written document or plan.

"The lawyer will draw up a contract for us to sign."

Separable

dream up

To invent or imagine a new idea, especially an unusual one.

"I don't know how she dreams up these brilliant stories."

Separable

dress down

To wear casual clothes; or to strongly reprimand someone.

"On Fridays, we are allowed to dress down at the office."

Separable

drink up

To finish your drink completely.

"Drink up, we have to leave the bar in five minutes."

Separable

drive away

To force someone or something to leave.

"The loud construction noise drove away all the customers."

Separable

drop behind

To fall into a position behind others.

"He twisted his ankle and dropped behind the other runners."

Inseparable

dry up

To lose all moisture; or for a supply to disappear entirely.

"During the drought, the river completely dried up."

Inseparable

eat up

To consume completely; or to enthusiastically accept.

"Eat up your vegetables if you want dessert."

Separable

edge out

To defeat someone by a very narrow margin.

"The champion edged out his rival in the final lap."

Separable

embark on

To start a new project, journey, or significant endeavor.

"She is about to embark on a new career in politics."

Inseparable

end in

To finish with a specific result.

"The football match ended in a tie."

Inseparable

enter into

To formally agree to be part of a contract or commitment.

"The two companies entered into a partnership agreement."

Inseparable

expand on

To add more details or information to a statement.

"Could you please expand on your theory regarding the economy?"

Inseparable

face up to

To accept and deal with an unpleasant fact or reality.

"He has to face up to the fact that he made a mistake."

Inseparable

fall away

To diminish in size or intensity; or to break off.

"As he got older, his childhood fears began to fall away."

Inseparable

fall back

To retreat from a position.

"The soldiers were ordered to fall back to the base."

Inseparable

fall in with

To become part of a group; or to agree with a plan.

"He fell in with the wrong crowd at school and got into trouble."

Inseparable

fall off

To decrease in quality or quantity.

"Sales usually fall off during the winter months."

Inseparable

fall out

To have an argument and stop being friends; or for hair/teeth to drop out.

"The two sisters fell out over a misunderstanding."

Inseparable

feel up to

To have the energy or health required to do something.

"I'm still recovering from the flu, so I don't feel up to going out."

Inseparable

fend off

To defend oneself against an attack or unwanted advance.

"The celebrity had to fend off aggressive reporters at the airport."

Separable

fight back

To defend oneself when attacked or criticized.

"The army regrouped and fought back bravely."

Inseparable

fill up

To become completely full.

"Please fill up the car with gas before we leave."

Separable

find out about

To learn or discover facts about a specific topic or person.

"How did you find out about the secret meeting?"

Inseparable

finish off

To complete the last part of something; or to completely consume.

"Let's finish off this pie before it goes bad."

Separable

fit in

To belong or feel comfortable in a specific group or environment.

"She changed her style just so she could fit in at her new school."

Inseparable

fix up

To repair or renovate something; or to arrange a meeting for someone.

"We plan to fix up the old house and sell it."

Separable

follow up

To take further action on something that was previously started.

"I need to follow up on the email I sent yesterday."

Separable

fool around

To waste time doing silly or unimportant things.

"Stop fooling around and finish your homework."

Inseparable

freak out

To become extremely emotional, panicked, or irrational.

"He freaked out when he saw the spider on his arm."

Separable

freshen up

To wash your face and hands to feel clean and refreshed.

"I just need a minute to freshen up before dinner."

Separable

get across

To successfully communicate an idea or feeling.

"The teacher used diagrams to help get her point across."

Separable

get ahead

To become successful in one's career or life.

"You have to work hard if you want to get ahead in this company."

Inseparable

get along with

To have a harmonious relationship with someone.

"I don't really get along with my new roommate."

Inseparable

get around

To travel to many places; or for news to spread.

"News of their secret wedding quickly got around the office."

Inseparable

get around to

To finally do something that you have intended to do for a while.

"I'll get around to fixing the roof when I have a free weekend."

Inseparable

get at

To imply or suggest something indirectly; or to reach something.

"What exactly are you getting at with that comment?"

Inseparable

get away from

To escape; or to start discussing a different topic.

"We are getting away from the main issue here."

Inseparable

get back at

To take revenge on someone.

"He embarrassed me, so I am going to get back at him."

Inseparable

get back to

To return to a subject or activity; or to reply to someone later.

"I don't know the answer right now, but I will get back to you."

Inseparable

get behind

To support someone or something; or to fail to do something on time.

"We all need to get behind the new manager and support her."

Inseparable

get down

To depress or sadden someone; or to swallow.

"The constant rainy weather really gets me down."

Separable

get down to

To begin doing something seriously.

"We've chatted enough, let's get down to business."

Inseparable

get in on

To participate or become involved in an activity.

"He wanted to get in on the lucrative investment deal."

Inseparable

get it over with

To finish an unpleasant but necessary task quickly.

"I hate going to the dentist, but I just want to get it over with."

Inseparable

get out of

To avoid doing something you are supposed to do.

"He lied to get out of doing his chores."

Inseparable

get together

To meet with people socially.

"Let's get together for lunch next week."

Inseparable

get up to

To do something, especially something bad or mischievous.

"What did the kids get up to while I was gone?"

Inseparable

give off

To emit a smell, light, or heat.

"The chemical reaction gives off a terrible smell."

Separable

give out

To distribute; or to stop working due to exhaustion or age.

"The teacher asked me to give out the exam papers."

Separable

give over

To transfer responsibility or possession to someone else.

"She decided to give over the management of the shop to her son."

Separable

glance over

To look at or read something very quickly.

"I only had time to glance over the report before the meeting."

Separable

go against

To oppose, defy, or disagree with something or someone.

"It goes against my principles to lie to a friend."

Inseparable

go along with

To agree to do something, or accept an idea.

"I didn't really want to go, but I went along with the group's decision."

Inseparable

go around

To circulate or be sufficient for everyone in a group.

"There is a terrible flu virus going around the office."

Inseparable

go by

To pass (referring to time); or to be called a certain name.

"His real name is Richard, but he prefers to go by Dick."

Inseparable

go for

To try to achieve something; or to attack someone.

"If you want the championship, you have to go for it."

Inseparable

go into

To discuss something in detail; or to enter a profession.

"We don't have time to go into the specific details right now."

Inseparable

go over to

To move from one side, place, or political party to another.

"During the debate, several members went over to the opposing party."

Inseparable

go through

To experience a difficult situation; or to search something completely.

"She is going through a very tough divorce."

Inseparable

go through with

To complete an action or plan despite difficulties or hesitation.

"He got nervous, but he finally went through with the surgery."

Inseparable

go under

To sink below water; or for a business to fail and go bankrupt.

"During the recession, many small businesses went under."

Inseparable

go without

To manage or survive lacking something.

"We ran out of sugar, so we will just have to go without."

Inseparable

goof around

To spend time doing silly or playful things instead of working.

"The students were goofing around when the teacher walked in."

Inseparable

grow apart

To slowly become less close or friendly over time.

"We were best friends in high school, but we grew apart in college."

Inseparable

grow back

To grow again after being cut or damaged.

"Don't worry about the bad haircut; it will grow back."

Inseparable

grow into

To become large enough to fit clothing; or to become confident in a role.

"The coat is a bit big, but he will grow into it soon."

Inseparable

grow out of

To become too big for clothing; or to outgrow a habit.

"She used to bite her nails, but she grew out of it."

Inseparable

hand back

To return an object to the person who gave it to you.

"The teacher handed back our graded exams."

Separable

hand down

To pass knowledge, traditions, or items to a younger generation.

"This beautiful watch was handed down from my grandfather."

Separable

hand over

To relinquish control or give something to someone, often reluctantly.

"The thief demanded that the cashier hand over the money."

Separable

hang around

To wait or spend time idly in a place.

"We just hung around the park all afternoon."

Inseparable

hang back

To hesitate to move forward or participate, often out of shyness.

"While the others rushed into the water, she hung back."

Inseparable

hang onto

To hold tightly; or to keep something instead of throwing it away.

"You should hang onto those receipts for your taxes."

Inseparable

happen upon

To find something or meet someone entirely by chance.

"I happened upon a great little café while exploring the city."

Inseparable

have on

To be wearing a piece of clothing.

"She had on a beautiful red dress."

Separable

head off

To leave to go somewhere; or to intercept someone/something to prevent an outcome.

"I need to head off to work now. / We headed him off at the pass."

Separable

hear about

To learn information or news regarding something.

"Did you hear about the massive earthquake in the news?"

Inseparable

hear from

To receive communication (a letter, email, or call) from someone.

"I haven't heard from my sister in two weeks."

Inseparable

heat up

To make something warmer; or for a situation to become intense or angry.

"I'll heat up some soup for lunch. / The political debate is really heating up."

Separable

help out

To assist someone, especially by doing some of their work or giving them money.

"My parents helped me out when I couldn't afford rent."

Separable

hide out

To conceal oneself to escape notice, capture, or danger.

"The escaped criminals are hiding out in a cabin in the woods."

Inseparable

hit on

To flirt with someone or show romantic interest aggressively; or to suddenly discover an idea.

"That guy at the bar kept trying to hit on me. / We hit on a great idea for the app."

Inseparable

hold against

To allow past actions to make you judge someone negatively in the present.

"He made a mistake years ago, but you shouldn't hold it against him."

Separable

hold off

To delay taking action; or to repel an attack.

"We should hold off making a decision until we have more facts."

Separable

hold out

To resist or endure in a difficult situation; or to extend something forward.

"The rebels held out for weeks before surrendering."

Separable

hold up

To delay someone; or to rob a place using a weapon.

"Sorry I'm late, I was held up in traffic. / They held up the bank yesterday."

Separable

hook up

To connect wires or machines; or (slang) to meet or become romantically/sexually involved.

"Can you help me hook up the new printer?"

Separable

hurry up

To do something more quickly.

"Hurry up! The train is leaving in five minutes."

Separable

hush up

To keep something secret or prevent people from knowing the truth.

"The corporation tried to hush up the environmental disaster."

Separable

identify with

To feel you understand and share the feelings of someone else.

"As a shy person, I really identify with the main character in this book."

Inseparable

impose on

To unfairly demand someone's time or help.

"I don't want to impose on you, but could I sleep on your couch tonight?"

Inseparable

improve on

To produce something better than what existed before.

"The new smartphone greatly improves on the older model's battery life."

Inseparable

indulge in

To allow yourself to enjoy something, especially something considered a luxury or slightly bad.

"On the weekend, I like to indulge in a glass of expensive wine."

Inseparable

inquire about

To ask for information regarding someone or something.

"I'm calling to inquire about the job opening."

Inseparable

insist on

To strongly demand that something happens.

"My grandmother insisted on paying for the entire dinner."

Inseparable

interfere with

To prevent a process or activity from continuing smoothly.

"Please don't let your personal problems interfere with your work."

Inseparable

invite in

To ask someone to enter your home or room.

"It's raining outside, I should invite them in."

Separable

iron out

To resolve minor difficulties or problems, especially through negotiation.

"We still need to iron out a few problems with the contract."

Separable

join in

To start participating in an activity that is already happening.

"The children were singing a song, and I decided to join in."

Inseparable

jot down

To write something quickly on a piece of paper.

"Let me just jot down your phone number before I forget."

Separable

jump at

To accept an opportunity eagerly and without hesitation.

"When they offered him the promotion in Paris, he jumped at the chance."

Inseparable

jump in

To interrupt a conversation; or to enter an activity energetically.

"Feel free to jump in if you have any questions during my presentation."

Inseparable

keep away

To not go near someone or something, or prevent someone from doing so.

"Keep away from the edge of the cliff; it's dangerous."

Separable

keep back

To maintain a safe distance; or to withhold information or emotion.

"The police told the crowd to keep back. / She is keeping back a secret."

Separable

keep down

To cause to remain at a low level (volume, prices); or to not vomit food.

"Please keep your voices down, the baby is sleeping."

Separable

keep from

To stop yourself from doing something; or to hide something.

"I couldn't keep from laughing when he tripped."

Separable

keep off

To avoid walking on or touching something.

"The sign clearly says 'Keep off the grass'."

Separable

keep out

To not enter a place, or prevent someone from entering.

"The old abandoned house has a 'Keep Out' sign on the door."

Separable

keep to

To strictly follow an agreement, path, or rule.

"Let's keep to the original plan so we don't get confused."

Inseparable

kick back

To relax and take it easy.

"On Sunday afternoons, I just like to kick back and watch football."

Inseparable

kick out

To force someone to leave a place or organization.

"He was kicked out of the bar for fighting."

Separable

knock down

To demolish a building; or to strike someone to the ground.

"They are going to knock down the old library to build a mall."

Separable

knock out

To strike someone into unconsciousness; or to exhaust someone.

"The boxer knocked out his opponent in the third round."

Separable

knock over

To accidentally hit something and cause it to fall.

"The cat jumped on the table and knocked over my coffee cup."

Separable

lay off

To terminate a worker's employment, usually due to lack of work.

"The factory had to lay off 100 workers during the recession."

Separable

lay out

To arrange things so they can be seen clearly; or to explain a plan.

"The CEO laid out his vision for the company's future."

Separable

lead to

To result in or cause something to happen.

"Eating a terrible diet can lead to major health issues."

Inseparable

leak out

When secret information becomes known to the public.

"Details of the new movie plot leaked out before the premiere."

Inseparable

log out

To exit a computer system or application securely.

"Make sure you log out of your email before leaving the public computer."

Inseparable

log in

To enter a computer system, application, or website by providing credentials.

"You need to log in before you can view your account details."

Inseparable

log on

To connect to a computer network or start using a system.

"He logged on to the server to check the new files."

Inseparable

look around

To explore a place by walking through it and looking at things.

"We arrived early so we could look around the city."

Inseparable

look through

To read or examine something quickly.

"I will look through these documents after lunch."

Inseparable

make for

To move directly toward a place; or to help make something possible.

"As soon as it started raining, we made for the nearest shelter."

Inseparable

make off with

To steal something and hurry away with it.

"The burglars made off with several valuable paintings."

Inseparable

make out

To manage to see, hear, or understand something with difficulty.

"It was so foggy I couldn't make out the street signs."

Separable

make over

To completely change the appearance of someone or something.

"They are going to make over the old garage into a studio."

Separable

mark down

To reduce the price of an item.

"The store marked down all winter coats by 50%."

Separable

mark up

To increase the price of an item for resale.

"Retailers usually mark up products to make a profit."

Separable

move in

To start living in a new house or apartment.

"I just got the keys, so I am going to move in tomorrow."

Inseparable

move out

To permanently leave the house or apartment where you live.

"My roommate is moving out at the end of the month."

Inseparable

move on

To leave a place or situation and continue to the next one.

"After working there for five years, it was time to move on."

Inseparable

move over

To shift your position to make room for someone else.

"Could you move over a bit so I can sit down?"

Inseparable

narrow down

To reduce the number of possibilities or options.

"We need to narrow down the list of candidates to just three."

Separable

note down

To write something so you don't forget it.

"Let me note down your email address."

Separable

opt out

To choose not to participate in something.

"I decided to opt out of the company's pension scheme."

Inseparable

own up

To admit that you have done something wrong.

"He finally owned up to breaking the window."

Inseparable

pan out

To succeed or happen in the way that was planned.

"I hope this new business venture pans out."

Inseparable

pass around

To distribute something to a group of people.

"The teacher passed around a sign-in sheet."

Separable

pass down

To give something to a younger person or generation.

"This recipe has been passed down for generations."

Separable

pass off

To falsely present someone or something as something else.

"He tried to pass off the fake painting as an original."

Separable

pass on

To transmit information; or to die.

"Please pass on my best wishes to your family."

Separable

pass over

To ignore or overlook someone, especially for a promotion.

"She was passed over for the management position again."

Separable

pass up

To decline or fail to take advantage of an opportunity.

"I couldn't pass up the chance to travel to Japan."

Separable

pay off

To yield good results; or to pay a debt completely.

"All those years of studying finally paid off."

Separable

pay up

To pay money that is owed, especially reluctantly.

"If you lose the bet, you have to pay up."

Inseparable

pick at

To eat very small amounts without much appetite.

"She wasn't hungry and just picked at her salad."

Inseparable

pick on

To repeatedly treat someone unfairly or bully them.

"The older boys used to pick on him at school."

Inseparable

pile up

To accumulate or gather into a large amount.

"Work has really started to pile up while I was on vacation."

Inseparable

pin down

To force someone to make a definite decision or statement.

"It's hard to pin him down on an exact date for the meeting."

Separable

pitch in

To join in and help with an activity or contribute money.

"If we all pitch in, we can finish painting the house today."

Inseparable

play down

To try to make something seem less important than it is.

"The company tried to play down the severity of the data leak."

Separable

play up

To emphasize something or make it seem more important.

"The advertisement played up the speed of the new computer."

Separable

plug in

To connect an electrical device to a power source.

"The TV won't turn on because you forgot to plug it in."

Separable

point to

To indicate or suggest something as a reason or cause.

"All the evidence points to him being the thief."

Inseparable

pop in

To visit somewhere briefly and casually.

"I'm just going to pop in the store to buy some milk."

Inseparable

pop out

To leave a place for a very short amount of time.

"She has just popped out for a coffee."

Inseparable

pour in

To arrive in large numbers or great quantities.

"Complaints started pouring in after the controversial broadcast."

Inseparable

press for

To forcefully demand something.

"The workers are pressing for higher wages and better conditions."

Inseparable

print out

To produce a paper copy of a computer document.

"Could you print out the agenda for tomorrow's meeting?"

Separable

pull apart

To separate pieces of something by pulling; or to critique severely.

"The teacher pulled his essay apart, finding dozens of errors."

Separable

pull away

For a vehicle to start moving away from a place.

"The train pulled away from the station just as I arrived."

Inseparable

pull down

To demolish a structure; or to earn an amount of money.

"They pulled down the old factory to build a park."

Separable

pull in

For a vehicle to arrive and stop at a place.

"We watched the bus pull in to the terminal."

Inseparable

pull off

To succeed in doing something very difficult.

"I don't know how she pulled off such a complex event."

Separable

pull out

To withdraw from an agreement; or for a vehicle to move into traffic.

"The investor pulled out of the deal at the last minute."

Inseparable

pull together

To work as a team; or to regain control of your emotions.

"If we all pull together, we can finish this project on time."

Inseparable

pull up

To slow down and stop a vehicle.

"He pulled up in front of the hotel in a red sports car."

Inseparable

push around

To treat someone roughly or give them arrogant orders.

"She won't let anyone push her around anymore."

Separable

push for

To demand or campaign strongly for something.

"The citizens are pushing for better safety regulations."

Inseparable

put across

To communicate your ideas clearly and effectively.

"He struggled to put his point across during the debate."

Separable

put aside

To save something for later; or to ignore differences.

"We need to put aside our differences and work together."

Separable

put back

To return something to its original place; or to delay an event.

"Please put the book back on the shelf when you are done."

Separable

put by

To save money for the future.

"She tries to put by a little money every month."

Separable

put forward

To suggest a plan, idea, or candidate for consideration.

"Several new strategies were put forward at the meeting."

Separable

put in

To invest time or effort; or to officially submit a request.

"He put in a lot of hard work to finish his thesis."

Separable

put together

To assemble or construct something from parts.

"It took him three hours to put together the new desk."

Separable

quiet down

To become less noisy, or to make someone stop making noise.

"The teacher told the class to quiet down."

Separable

read out

To read text aloud so others can hear it.

"She read out the names of the contest winners."

Separable

read up on

To research or read a lot of information about a specific subject.

"I need to read up on the local laws before starting my business."

Inseparable

rely on

To trust or depend on someone or something.

"You can always rely on him to tell the truth."

Inseparable

report back

To return with information that you were sent to find.

"Check the warehouse and report back to me immediately."

Inseparable

ring back

To return a phone call.

"He's in a meeting, but he will ring you back later."

Separable

ring up

To call someone on the phone; or to record a sale on a cash register.

"I'll ring up the doctor and make an appointment."

Separable

rip off

To overcharge or cheat someone.

"I think the mechanic ripped me off; that repair shouldn't cost $500."

Separable

rip up

To tear something (usually paper) into pieces.

"She was so angry she ripped up his letter without reading it."

Separable

rub out

To erase a pencil mark; or (slang) to murder someone.

"You can just rub out the mistake with an eraser."

Separable

rule out

To exclude something as a possibility.

"The police have ruled out robbery as a motive."

Separable

run across

To find or meet someone or something by chance.

"I ran across some fascinating old photographs in the attic."

Inseparable

run after

To chase someone or something.

"The dog loves to run after the mailman."

Inseparable

run against

To compete against someone in an election.

"She is running against the current mayor in the upcoming election."

Inseparable

run along

To go away or leave (often said to children).

"Run along now, I have some important work to do."

Inseparable

run around

To be very busy doing many different things.

"I've been running around all day trying to get ready for the party."

Inseparable

run away with

To elope; or to win a competition easily.

"Our team ran away with the championship this year."

Inseparable

run down

To criticize someone severely; or to lose power (battery).

"Stop running him down in front of his friends. / My phone battery ran down."

Separable

run in

To arrest someone; or to break in a new engine.

"The police ran him in for questioning."

Separable

run off

To quickly print copies; or to flee.

"Could you run off twenty copies of this document?"

Separable

run out

To have nothing left of a supply; or for a contract to expire.

"My passport runs out next month, so I need to renew it."

Inseparable

run through

To practice or rehearse something; or to spend money quickly.

"Let's run through the scene one more time before the show."

Inseparable

run up

To accumulate a large debt or bill.

"He ran up a massive phone bill while traveling abroad."

Separable

rush into

To do something hastily without careful consideration.

"Don't rush into marriage; take your time to get to know him."

Inseparable

save up

To accumulate money for a specific purpose.

"They are saving up to buy a house."

Inseparable

scale back

To reduce the size, amount, or extent of a plan or project.

"Due to budget cuts, we had to scale back our expansion plans."

Separable

scale down

To make something smaller than originally intended.

"The architect scaled down the building design to save money."

Separable

scare away

To frighten someone or something so that they leave.

"The loud noise scared away the birds."

Separable

scare off

To intimidate someone so they do not do something or come near.

"High prices might scare off potential buyers."

Separable

scout out

To search a place to find information or see if it is suitable.

"We sent a team ahead to scout out the location for the event."

Separable

scrape by

To manage to live on very little money.

"When he was in college, he just scraped by on a part-time job."

Inseparable

screw up

To make a major mistake or ruin something completely.

"I really screwed up the interview by arriving late."

Separable

see off

To go to the airport or station to say goodbye to someone leaving.

"We went to the train station to see my sister off."

Separable

see out

To accompany a guest to the door as they leave.

"Thank you for coming, I'll see you out."

Separable

see through

To recognize that something is a lie or deception.

"He lied, but we easily saw through his excuses."

Inseparable

see to

To attend to, take care of, or organize something.

"Don't worry about the reservations; I will see to them."

Inseparable

sell off

To sell things cheaply or rapidly to get rid of them or raise cash.

"The failing company sold off all its assets."

Separable

sell out

To sell all the supply of an item; or to compromise one's principles for money.

"The concert sold out in just ten minutes."

Inseparable

send back

To return something because it is flawed or not what was ordered.

"The steak was cold, so I sent it back to the kitchen."

Separable

send for

To ask someone to come or order something to be delivered.

"His illness got worse, so we had to send for a doctor."

Inseparable

send off

To dispatch something by mail; or to expel a sports player from a game.

"I will send off the application tomorrow. / The referee sent him off for a foul."

Separable

send out

To distribute something to a large number of people.

"We need to send out the wedding invitations this week."

Separable

set about

To start doing something with determination.

"After breakfast, we set about painting the living room."

Inseparable

set apart

To make someone or something distinctly different or superior.

"Her exceptional talent sets her apart from the other musicians."

Separable

set aside

To reserve something for a special purpose; or to ignore differences.

"I set aside some money every month for a vacation."

Separable

set back

To delay progress; or to cost a specific amount of money.

"The bad weather set back the construction by two weeks."

Separable

set down

To write something on paper; or to establish a rule.

"The rules of the club were set down in 1920."

Separable

set forth

To present a proposal or state something clearly.

"He set forth his ideas in a detailed presentation."

Separable

set in

To begin and seem likely to continue for a long time (usually weather or feelings).

"We need to fix the roof before the winter sets in."

Inseparable

set out

To start a journey; or to explain ideas clearly in writing.

"They set out on their trip at dawn. / The contract sets out the terms clearly."

Inseparable

settle down

To become calm; or to establish a stable, routine life.

"After traveling for years, he finally bought a house and settled down."

Inseparable

settle for

To accept something that is less than what you originally wanted.

"I wanted the red car, but I had to settle for the blue one."

Inseparable

settle in

To become comfortable in a new place or job.

"It took her a few weeks to settle in at the new office."

Inseparable

settle up

To pay a debt or bill that you owe someone.

"You buy the tickets, and I will settle up with you later."

Inseparable

shake off

To rid oneself of an illness, feeling, or pursuer.

"I've been trying to shake off this cold for a week."

Separable

shake up

To make significant changes to an organization; or to shock someone.

"The new CEO is going to shake up the management team."

Separable

shoot down

To aggressively reject an idea or proposal.

"I suggested a new strategy, but the boss shot it down immediately."

Separable

shop around

To compare prices and quality at different stores before buying.

"You should shop around before buying a car to get the best deal."

Inseparable

show around

To give someone a tour of a place.

"Welcome to the office! Let me show you around."

Separable

show in

To escort someone into a room or building.

"The receptionist will show you in when the doctor is ready."

Separable

shut in

To lock someone or something inside a room or building.

"I accidentally shut the dog in the garage."

Separable

shut off

To turn off a machine, water, or electricity supply.

"Don't forget to shut off the water main before fixing the pipe."

Separable

shut out

To exclude someone; or to block light or noise.

"He was shut out of the meeting. / The thick curtains shut out the sunlight."

Separable

shut up

To stop talking (impolite); or to securely close a building.

"He told me to shut up. / We need to shut up the shop for the night."

Separable

sign in

To register your arrival at a place or log into a computer.

"All visitors must sign in at the front desk."

Inseparable

sign off

To end a broadcast or letter; or to officially approve something.

"The director has to sign off on the project before we begin."

Inseparable

sign on

To sign a contract to work for an organization or participate in something.

"He signed on with the football team for three more years."

Inseparable

sign out

To record your departure from a place or exit a computer system.

"Don't forget to sign out before you leave the building."

Inseparable

sign up

To commit to participate in an activity or service.

"I decided to sign up for the marathon."

Inseparable

sink in

For information or reality to be fully understood or realized.

"It took a while for the shocking news to truly sink in."

Inseparable

sit back

To relax and take no action, allowing others to do the work.

"You can't just sit back and hope the problem solves itself."

Inseparable

sit by

To observe a bad situation without trying to intervene or help.

"I cannot just sit by while they treat you unfairly."

Inseparable

sit in

To attend a meeting or class as an observer rather than a participant.

"Do you mind if I sit in on your lecture today?"

Inseparable

sit out

To not participate in an activity, game, or dance.

"My ankle hurts, so I'm going to sit out this round."

Separable

sit through

To endure an event that is long or boring until the end.

"We had to sit through a three-hour presentation on tax laws."

Inseparable

sit up

To rise to a sitting position; or to suddenly pay attention.

"The shocking announcement made everyone sit up and listen."

Inseparable

size up

To evaluate or assess a person, situation, or object.

"The two boxers sized each other up before the fight began."

Separable

skim through

To read something quickly to get the main idea without reading every word.

"I only had time to skim through the report before the meeting."

Inseparable

sleep in

To intentionally sleep later into the morning than usual.

"On weekends, I love to sleep in until 10 AM."

Inseparable

sleep off

To sleep until you feel better, especially after drinking alcohol or a minor illness.

"He has a terrible headache; he just needs to sleep it off."

Separable

slip away

To leave a place quietly and secretly; or for time/opportunity to pass.

"The party was boring, so we decided to slip away early."

Inseparable

slip out

To leave quietly; or to accidentally reveal a secret.

"I didn't mean to tell him the surprise; it just slipped out."

Inseparable

slip up

To make a careless mistake.

"If you slip up on this task, it could cost us the client."

Inseparable

smash up

To completely destroy something by hitting it violently.

"The driver smashed up his car when he hit the wall."

Separable

smooth out

To remove wrinkles; or to resolve problems in a process or relationship.

"We had some early disagreements, but we managed to smooth things out."

Separable

sneak in

To enter a place quietly and secretly without being noticed.

"The teenagers tried to sneak in to the concert without paying."

Inseparable

sneak out

To leave a place quietly and secretly.

"He tried to sneak out of the house after midnight."

Inseparable

snuff out

To extinguish a flame; or to put a sudden end to hopes, dreams, or rebellions.

"The strict laws quickly snuffed out any chance of a rebellion."

Separable

sober up

To become less drunk, or to become serious after being silly.

"Drink some coffee and sober up before you try to drive."

Separable

sound out

To carefully question someone to discover their opinions or intentions.

"I'm going to sound out my boss about getting a raise before I officially ask."

Separable

spark off

To trigger or cause a sudden violent reaction, argument, or event.

"The new taxes sparked off massive protests across the country."

Separable

speak out

To publicly and boldly express one's opinion, especially in opposition to something.

"She decided to speak out against the unfair treatment in her office."

Inseparable

speak up

To speak louder; or to express an opinion openly and bravely.

"Please speak up so the people in the back can hear you."

Inseparable

spell out

To explain something very clearly and in detail.

"Do I have to spell out exactly what you need to do?"

Separable

split up

To divide into groups; or to end a romantic relationship.

"The teacher told the students to split up into groups of three."

Separable

spruce up

To clean, decorate, or make something look neat and attractive.

"We need to spruce up the house before the guests arrive."

Separable

spur on

To encourage someone to do something or try harder.

"The cheering crowd spurred the runners on to the finish line."

Separable

square up

To pay a debt; or to prepare to fight.

"I owe you for dinner, let's square up now."

Inseparable

stack up

To accumulate; or to compare against something else.

"How does this new smartphone stack up against the competition?"

Inseparable

stamp out

To completely eliminate or destroy something bad.

"The government is trying to stamp out illegal drug trafficking."

Separable

stand around

To spend time standing in a place doing very little.

"Don't just stand around, help me carry these boxes!"

Inseparable

stand back

To step away from something; or to view a situation objectively.

"Please stand back from the edge of the platform."

Inseparable

stand by

To support someone; or to be ready for action.

"I will always stand by you, no matter what happens."

Inseparable

stand down

To resign from a position; or to relax after a state of readiness.

"The CEO decided to stand down after the scandal."

Inseparable

stand in for

To temporarily do the job of someone else who is absent.

"Could you stand in for me at the meeting tomorrow?"

Inseparable

stand out

To be very noticeable or clearly better than others.

"Her bright yellow coat made her stand out in the crowd."

Inseparable

stand up for

To defend or support a person or a cause.

"You have to stand up for your rights."

Inseparable

stand up to

To refuse to accept unfair treatment from someone in power.

"He finally stood up to the school bully."

Inseparable

stare down

To look at someone intensely until they look away or feel intimidated.

"The boxer tried to stare down his opponent before the fight."

Separable

start off

To begin a journey or a process.

"We should start off early to avoid the heavy traffic."

Separable

start out

To begin life, existence, or a career in a particular way.

"She started out as a secretary and became the CEO."

Inseparable

start over

To begin doing something again from the very beginning.

"I messed up the painting so badly that I have to start over."

Inseparable

stash away

To hide or store something in a secret place.

"He has a lot of money stashed away in a hidden safe."

Separable

stay away

To not go near someone or something.

"The doctor told him to stay away from sugary foods."

Inseparable

stay in

To remain at home instead of going out.

"I'm tired tonight, so I think I'll just stay in."

Inseparable

stay out

To not return home until late at night.

"She stayed out past midnight and got grounded."

Inseparable

stay over

To sleep at someone else's house for the night.

"It's too late to drive; why don't you stay over?"

Inseparable

step aside

To move out of the way; or to resign from a position.

"The old manager stepped aside to let someone younger take over."

Inseparable

step back

To move backwards; or to look at a situation objectively.

"Sometimes you need to step back and look at the big picture."

Inseparable

step forward

To offer to provide information or help.

"No one stepped forward to claim the lost wallet."

Inseparable

step in

To become involved in a difficult situation to help fix it.

"The argument got so bad that the teacher had to step in."

Inseparable

step out

To leave a place for a short time.

"The boss just stepped out for lunch; he'll be back soon."

Inseparable

step up

To increase the amount, speed, or intensity of something; or to take responsibility.

"Security has been stepped up at the airport."

Separable

stick around

To stay in a place for a little longer.

"If you stick around after the show, you might meet the band."

Inseparable

stick by

To remain loyal to someone or a promise.

"Even when he was fired, his friends stuck by him."

Inseparable

stick out

To project or protrude; or to be highly noticeable.

"That bright pink car really sticks out in the parking lot."

Inseparable

stick together

To mutually support each other in a group.

"If we stick together, we can overcome this challenge."

Inseparable

stir up

To cause trouble or strong emotions.

"He loves to stir up controversy with his comments."

Separable

stock up

To buy a large quantity of something for future use.

"We need to stock up on groceries before the winter storm hits."

Inseparable

stop by

To make a short visit to a place.

"I'll stop by your office later to drop off the files."

Inseparable

stop off

To visit a place for a short time during a journey.

"Let's stop off at a diner on our way to the beach."

Inseparable

stop over

To stay somewhere for a short time during a long journey (often a flight).

"We have to stop over in Dubai for a few hours."

Inseparable

store up

To accumulate and save something for future use.

"Squirrels store up nuts for the winter."

Separable

straighten out

To fix a confused situation or resolve a problem.

"We need to straighten out the misunderstanding about the schedule."

Separable

strike back

To retaliate or counterattack.

"After being insulted, she finally struck back."

Inseparable

strike down

To invalidate a law; or to cause someone to die or fall ill suddenly.

"The Supreme Court struck down the unconstitutional law."

Separable

strike out

To fail completely; or to start doing something independently.

"He struck out on his own to start a new business."

Inseparable

strike up

To start a conversation or a friendship with someone.

"I struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to me."

Separable

string along

To deliberately mislead someone over a long period of time.

"He has no intention of marrying her; he is just stringing her along."

Separable

sum up

To provide a summary or state the main points.

"At the end of the lecture, the professor summed up the key theories."

Separable

swear by

To completely trust and strongly recommend something.

"My grandmother swears by this herbal tea for a sore throat."

Inseparable

sweep away

To eliminate completely or destroy forcefully.

"The flood swept away several houses near the river."

Separable

sweep up

To clean dirt or debris from the floor using a broom.

"Please sweep up the broken glass before someone steps on it."

Separable

switch off

To turn a machine or light off; or to stop paying attention.

"The lecture was so boring that I just switched off."

Separable

switch on

To turn a machine or light on.

"It's getting dark, can you switch on the lamp?"

Separable

swoop down on

To suddenly and quickly attack or descend upon something.

"The eagle swooped down on the small rabbit."

Inseparable

tack on

To add something extra, usually at the end and without much planning.

"They tacked on an extra fee at the end of the bill."

Separable

take aback

To completely surprise or shock someone (usually passive).

"I was taken aback by her sudden and harsh criticism."

Separable

take along

To bring someone or something with you when you go somewhere.

"Don't forget to take an umbrella along; it might rain."

Separable

take apart

To dismantle or disassemble something into its separate pieces.

"He had to take the engine apart to figure out what was broken."

Separable

take away

To remove something; or to subtract in mathematics.

"If you take away 5 from 10, you have 5 left."

Separable

take back

To return something; or to retract a statement.

"I shouldn't have said that to you. I take it back."

Separable

take down

To remove something from a wall; or to write notes.

"The police asked me to take down the license plate number."

Separable

take for

To mistakenly believe someone or something is something else.

"Sorry, I took you for your brother; you two look identical."

Separable

take in

To fully understand something; or to provide shelter; or to deceive.

"It was difficult to take in all the information from the lecture."

Separable

take off

To remove clothing; to leave the ground (plane); or to become successful.

"Her new business really took off this year."

Separable

take on

To accept a new responsibility; or to hire someone.

"She decided to take on the difficult leadership role."

Separable

take out

To remove something from inside; or to invite someone on a date.

"I'm going to take her out to a fancy dinner."

Separable

take over

To assume control or management of something.

"A larger corporation is going to take over our company."

Separable

take to

To begin to like someone or something quickly; or to start a habit.

"The children really took to the new puppy immediately."

Inseparable

take up

To begin a new hobby or activity; or to occupy space/time.

"He decided to take up playing the guitar."

Separable

talk back

To reply disrespectfully to an authority figure.

"Don't talk back to your parents when they tell you to do something."

Inseparable

talk down to

To speak to someone in a condescending or patronizing way.

"I hate the way he talks down to the junior staff members."

Inseparable

talk into

To successfully persuade someone to do something.

"She managed to talk him into buying a new car."

Separable

talk out of

To successfully persuade someone NOT to do something.

"I talked him out of quitting his job without a backup plan."

Separable

talk over

To discuss a problem or plan extensively.

"We need to sit down and talk over our financial strategy."

Separable

talk through

To explain something to someone in detail until they understand.

"Can you talk me through the instructions one more time?"

Separable

tangle up

To twist things into a messy knot; or to become involved in a messy situation.

"The cat got tangled up in the ball of yarn."

Separable

tap into

To access and utilize a resource, energy, or market.

"The company wants to tap into the expanding Asian market."

Inseparable

tear apart

To destroy completely; or to criticize relentlessly.

"The hurricane tore apart the small coastal town."

Separable

tear away

To force someone to leave a place or stop doing something they enjoy.

"I couldn't tear myself away from that fascinating book."

Separable

tear down

To completely demolish a building or structure.

"They are going to tear down the old bridge next year."

Separable

tear off

To quickly remove clothes; or to rip a piece from something.

"He tore off a piece of paper to write down the phone number."

Separable

tear up

To rip something into pieces; or to get tears in your eyes.

"She tore up the contract in front of his face."

Separable

tee off

To hit the first golf ball of a hole; or to make someone very angry.

"His rude comments really teed me off."

Separable

tell apart

To be able to recognize the differences between two similar things or people.

"The twins are so identical that I can't tell them apart."

Separable

tell off

To reprimand or scold someone angrily for doing something wrong.

"The boss told him off for being late to work again."

Separable

tell on

To inform an authority figure about someone's bad behavior.

"If you don't share the candy, I'll tell on you to Mom."

Inseparable

test out

To try something in order to find out if it works properly.

"We need to test out the new software before releasing it to the public."

Separable

think ahead

To carefully plan for future possibilities or problems.

"You need to think ahead and save money for your retirement."

Inseparable

think back

To remember or reflect on past events.

"When I think back to my childhood, I realize how lucky I was."

Inseparable

think over

To carefully consider a decision or proposal.

"I'll give you a few days to think over the job offer."

Separable

think through

To consider all the possible consequences and details of an action.

"We didn't think the plan through, and now we have a huge problem."

Separable

think up

To invent or devise a new idea, excuse, or plan.

"He always manages to think up a brilliant excuse for being late."

Separable

throw away

To dispose of something as trash.

"Don't throw away those papers; they are important."

Separable

throw back

To return something by tossing it; or to quickly drink an alcoholic beverage.

"The fisherman decided to throw back the small fish."

Separable

throw in

To add something as a free bonus or extra.

"If you buy the car today, the dealer will throw in a free stereo system."

Separable

throw off

To remove clothes quickly; or to confuse someone or mislead them.

"The complex riddle really threw off the competitors."

Separable

throw out

To discard as trash; or to forcefully expel someone from a place.

"The bouncer had to throw out the aggressive customer."

Separable

throw together

To make or assemble something very quickly and carelessly.

"I didn't have time to cook, so I just threw together a quick salad."

Separable

throw up

To vomit; or to produce a problem or idea.

"The rollercoaster made him throw up his lunch."

Separable

tick off

To make someone angry; or to mark items on a list.

"It really ticks me off when people talk during a movie."

Separable

tide over

To support someone temporarily, usually by giving them money or food until they get more.

"Can you lend me fifty dollars to tide me over until payday?"

Separable

tie down

To secure something with a rope; or to restrict someone's freedom.

"He doesn't want to get married because he doesn't want to be tied down."

Separable

tie up

To secure with string or rope; or to keep someone busy so they can't do anything else.

"I can't meet you for lunch; I'll be tied up in meetings all day."

Separable

tighten up

To make rules stricter or a physical object tighter.

"The airport is tightening up security measures after the incident."

Separable

tip off

To secretly warn someone or give them inside information.

"Someone tipped off the police about the robbery."

Separable

tip over

To accidentally fall over or knock something over.

"The wind was so strong it tipped over the patio chairs."

Separable

tire out

To make someone extremely exhausted.

"Babysitting three toddlers all day completely tired her out."

Separable

tone down

To make something less forceful, offensive, or harsh.

"The director asked him to tone down the violence in his script."

Separable

top off

To fill a container to the very top; or to conclude an event in a memorable way.

"They topped off the delicious meal with a massive slice of cake."

Separable

top up

To add more liquid to a glass or fuel to a tank to make it full again.

"Would you like me to top up your coffee?"

Separable

toss around

To carelessly discuss ideas without making a firm decision.

"We tossed around a few ideas for the marketing campaign."

Separable

toss out

To throw something into the garbage; or to reject an idea.

"The committee immediately tossed out his ridiculous proposal."

Separable

touch down

When an aircraft lands and makes contact with the ground.

"The airplane touched down safely despite the heavy rain."

Inseparable

touch on

To briefly mention a subject during a speech or conversation.

"The professor touched on the causes of the war, but didn't go into detail."

Inseparable

touch up

To make small improvements or repairs to the appearance of something.

"She is going to touch up the paint on the front door."

Separable

toy with

To consider an idea without being serious about it; or to play with an object.

"I'm toying with the idea of moving to Spain for a year."

Inseparable

track down

To find someone or something after a long and thorough search.

"The police managed to track down the stolen vehicle."

Separable

trade in

To give an old item to a seller as partial payment for a new one.

"He decided to trade in his old phone to get a discount on the latest model."

Separable

trade off

To balance two opposing situations or qualities.

"You have to trade off fuel efficiency for higher engine power."

Separable

trail away

For a person's voice to become gradually quieter and then stop entirely.

"Her voice trailed away as she realized nobody was listening to her."

Inseparable

trail off

To gradually decrease in volume or intensity and stop.

"He didn't know how to finish the sentence, so he just trailed off."

Inseparable

trick into

To deceive someone so that they do something they did not intend to do.

"The scammer tricked the elderly woman into giving him her bank details."

Separable

trip up

To make a mistake, or to cause someone to make a mistake.

"The difficult interview question really tripped him up."

Separable

try back

To attempt to contact someone again later.

"The line is busy; I will try back in ten minutes."

Inseparable

try for

To make an attempt to achieve or get something.

"He is going to try for the gold medal at the next Olympics."

Inseparable

try on

To put an item of clothing on to see if it fits and looks good.

"You should try on that jacket before you buy it."

Separable

try out

To test something to see how well it works; or to audition for a team.

"I'm going to try out for the school basketball team."

Separable

tuck away

To put something in a safe, hidden, or secure place.

"She has a lot of money tucked away in a secret bank account."

Separable

tuck in

To put a child to bed and make them comfortable; or to eat enthusiastically.

"It's late, time to tuck the kids in. / Dinner is served, tuck in everyone!"

Separable

tune in

To select a particular radio or television station to watch/listen to.

"Millions of people tuned in to watch the championship game."

Inseparable

tune out

To ignore sound or stop paying attention to someone or something.

"I tend to tune out when politicians start making promises."

Separable

turn against

To stop liking or supporting someone and become hostile to them.

"After the scandal, the public quickly turned against the mayor."

Inseparable

turn around

To change direction so you are facing the opposite way; or to make a bad situation successful.

"The new coach completely turned the losing team around."

Separable

turn away

To refuse someone permission to enter a place.

"The club was full, so the bouncer had to turn away dozens of people."

Separable

turn back

To stop a journey and return to the place you started from.

"The snow was getting too deep, so we had to turn back."

Inseparable

turn down

To refuse a request or offer; or to decrease the volume or heat of a device.

"I asked her to the dance, but she turned me down."

Separable

turn in

To go to bed; or to hand in a document/assignment.

"It's been a long day, I think I'll turn in early."

Separable

turn into

To change and become someone or something else.

"The freezing rain turned into a dangerous blizzard."

Inseparable

turn off

To stop a machine or light; or to cause someone to lose interest or sexual attraction.

"His arrogance is a major turn off for me."

Separable

turn on

To start a machine or light; or to suddenly attack someone.

"The supposedly tame dog suddenly turned on its owner."

Separable

turn out

To happen in a particular way or have a specific result; or to attend an event.

"A massive crowd turned out for the free concert."

Inseparable

turn over

To flip something so the bottom is on top; or to surrender control of something to someone.

"The thief was forced to turn over the stolen goods to the police."

Separable

turn to

To go to someone for help, advice, or comfort.

"Whenever I have a serious problem, I turn to my mother for advice."

Inseparable

turn up

To arrive unexpectedly; to be found after being lost; or to increase volume.

"My lost keys finally turned up under the couch cushions."

Separable

type up

To create a formal typed copy of handwritten notes or a draft.

"Could you type up these meeting notes for the boss?"

Separable

use up

To consume or use the entire amount of something.

"We used up all the flour, so we can't make cookies."

Separable

usher in

To introduce or mark the beginning of a new era, idea, or period.

"The invention of the internet ushered in the information age."

Separable

vacuum up

To clean dirt from a surface using a vacuum cleaner.

"Please vacuum up the crumbs you dropped on the carpet."

Separable

vege out

To relax completely and do nothing, often sitting in front of a screen (slang).

"After a long week at work, I just want to vege out on the sofa."

Inseparable

venture forth

To leave a safe place and set out on a journey or daring exploration.

"Despite the storm, the brave explorers ventured forth into the mountains."

Inseparable

verge on

To be very close to becoming something extreme or unacceptable.

"His aggressive management style is verging on bullying."

Inseparable

vouch for

To guarantee the good character, quality, or reliability of someone or something.

"I can vouch for his honesty; he is a very trustworthy person."

Inseparable

wait around

To stay in a place with nothing to do while waiting for something to happen.

"I waited around for an hour, but he never showed up."

Inseparable

wait behind

To stay in a place after other people have left.

"The teacher asked the student to wait behind after class to discuss his grades."

Inseparable

wait on

To serve food/drinks to customers; or to cater to someone's every need.

"He expects his wife to wait on him hand and foot."

Inseparable

wait out

To wait until an unpleasant event or situation has finished.

"We took shelter in a cafe to wait out the heavy thunderstorm."

Separable

wait up

To delay going to sleep in order to wait for someone to return.

"Don't wait up for me; I will be working very late tonight."

Inseparable

wake up

To stop sleeping, or cause someone to stop sleeping.

"I need to wake up at 5 AM tomorrow for my flight."

Separable

walk away from

To abandon a responsibility, situation, or relationship.

"You can't just walk away from your debts."

Inseparable

walk in on

To enter a room and accidentally interrupt someone doing something private.

"I accidentally walked in on him while he was changing his clothes."

Inseparable

walk off with

To steal something, or take something without permission.

"Someone walked off with my umbrella while I was in the store."

Inseparable

walk out on

To abandon a partner or family member suddenly.

"He walked out on his wife and children without any explanation."

Inseparable

walk over

To treat someone badly and without respect.

"If you don't assert yourself, people will just walk all over you."

Inseparable

wander off

To leave a place aimlessly or get separated from a group.

"The child wandered off in the supermarket and got lost."

Inseparable

want out

To strongly desire to leave an agreement, relationship, or location.

"The partnership is failing, and he wants out before it goes bankrupt."

Inseparable

warm up

To do gentle exercises before a sport; or to make food warmer.

"Always warm up your muscles before lifting heavy weights."

Separable

wash away

To remove or destroy something by the forceful action of water.

"The heavy floods washed away the old wooden bridge."

Separable

wash down

To drink a liquid in order to help swallow solid food.

"He ate the dry biscuit and washed it down with a glass of milk."

Separable

wash out

To cancel an event due to rain; or to fade color from fabric.

"The baseball game was washed out by the massive storm."

Separable

wash up

To clean your hands and face; or to wash the dishes after a meal.

"Dinner is almost ready, go wash up."

Separable

waste away

To gradually become weaker, thinner, and closer to death due to illness.

"Without proper medicine, the patient began to waste away."

Inseparable

watch out

To be careful and alert to a potential danger.

"Watch out! There's a car coming right at us."

Inseparable

watch over

To protect, guard, or supervise someone or something.

"The older sister always watches over her younger siblings."

Inseparable

water down

To dilute a liquid; or to make a statement or plan less forceful and extreme.

"The director watered down the movie script so it would be suitable for kids."

Separable

wave aside

To dismiss someone's remark or concern as unimportant.

"He simply waved aside all my objections to the dangerous plan."

Separable

wave down

To signal a moving vehicle to stop by waving your hand.

"We had to wave down a taxi because it was raining."

Separable

wear away

To gradually erode or remove surface material through friction or use.

"The letters on the ancient tombstone had worn away over the centuries."

Separable

wear down

To exhaust someone until they agree to something; or to reduce something by friction.

"The kids eventually wore me down, and I bought them the toy."

Separable

wear off

To gradually lose effectiveness, intensity, or presence.

"The effects of the anesthesia will wear off in a few hours."

Inseparable

wear out

To use something until it is ruined; or to make someone extremely tired.

"He wore out his favorite pair of running shoes in just two months."

Separable

weed out

To remove people or things that are unwanted or of poor quality from a group.

"The intense training program weeds out the weaker candidates."

Separable

weigh down

To make someone heavy and slow; or to burden someone with worries.

"He is weighed down by a tremendous amount of credit card debt."

Separable

weigh in

To give one's opinion or contribution to a discussion; or to be officially weighed before a match.

"The manager decided to weigh in on the argument to settle it."

Inseparable

weigh up

To carefully consider the pros and cons of a situation before deciding.

"We need to weigh up all our options before investing the money."

Separable

weird out

To make someone feel uncomfortable, strangely uneasy, or creeped out (slang).

"His intense, unblinking stare really weirds me out."

Separable

whip out

To produce something quickly with a sudden, fluid motion.

"The reporter whipped out a notebook and started writing."

Separable

whip up

To quickly prepare a meal; or to excite and rouse emotions in a crowd.

"The politician tried to whip up the crowd's anger against the media."

Separable

whisk away

To rapidly remove someone or something to another place.

"The celebrity was whisked away by security before fans could reach him."

Separable

whittle down

To gradually reduce the size, amount, or number of something.

"We managed to whittle down the guest list from 200 to 50 people."

Separable

wind down

To gradually relax after a stressful activity; or for a machine/business to slowly stop.

"I like to wind down by reading a book before I go to sleep."

Separable

wind up

To eventually arrive in a specific situation; or to intentionally annoy someone.

"If you don't study, you will wind up failing the course."

Separable

wipe away

To remove liquid or dirt using a cloth or your hand.

"She wiped away her tears and tried to smile."

Separable

wipe out

To completely destroy or eradicate something; or to make someone exhausted.

"The earthquake wiped out the entire coastal village."

Separable

wire up

To connect the electrical cables of a device to make it work.

"The technician needs to wire up the new server before we can use it."

Separable

wise up

To finally realize the truth about a bad situation and stop being foolish.

"You need to wise up and see that he's taking advantage of you."

Inseparable

wolf down

To eat food extremely quickly and hungrily.

"He was so hungry he wolfed down the entire pizza in five minutes."

Separable

work around

To find a way to achieve a goal despite an obstacle or problem.

"The software has a bug, but we found a way to work around it."

Separable

work in

To manage to include something or someone in a tight schedule or space.

"The doctor is very busy, but he can work you in at 4 PM."

Separable

work off

To exercise to lose weight/stress; or to work to repay a financial debt.

"I went to the gym to work off the massive dessert I ate."

Separable

work out

To exercise physically; to find a solution to a problem; or to be successful.

"Don't worry, everything will work out fine in the end."

Separable

work over

To violently beat or assault someone; or to thoroughly examine something.

"The gang worked him over for failing to pay his debts."

Separable

work through

To deal with a difficult emotional or logical problem step by step until resolved.

"The therapist is helping him work through his childhood trauma."

Separable

work up

To gradually develop enthusiasm, an appetite, or the courage to do something.

"He couldn't work up the courage to ask her to dance."

Separable

wrap up

To put warm clothes on; or to finish or conclude a meeting/project.

"Let's wrap up this meeting so we can all go home."

Separable

write away

To write a letter requesting something to be sent to you by mail.

"I had to write away to the government for a copy of my birth certificate."

Inseparable

write back

To reply to someone's letter or email.

"She sent him a long email, but he hasn't written back yet."

Inseparable

write down

To record information on paper so it is not forgotten.

"You'd better write down the password before you forget it."

Separable

write in

To send a letter to a TV station or organization to express an opinion.

"Many viewers wrote in to complain about the controversial episode."

Inseparable

write off

To cancel a debt as uncollectible; or to completely ruin a vehicle in a crash.

"The car was completely crushed; the insurance company will write it off."

Separable

write out

To write something in full, complete detail rather than abbreviating.

"Please write out the entire check amount in words, not just numbers."

Separable

write up

To prepare a full, formal written report or article based on notes.

"The scientist went to her office to write up the results of the experiment."

Separable

yield to

To surrender to pressure or temptation; or to allow another vehicle to go first.

"I tried to stay on my diet, but I finally yielded to the temptation of chocolate."

Inseparable

zero in on

To direct all of your attention or focus intensely on one specific target or issue.

"The investigators finally zeroed in on the main suspect in the case."

Inseparable

zip around

To move around very quickly from place to place.

"I've been zipping around town all day running errands."

Inseparable

zip it

A harsh, informal command telling someone to stop talking immediately.

"I am tired of your complaining. Just zip it!"

Separable

zip up

To fasten a piece of clothing using a zipper.

"Zip up your jacket; the wind is freezing today."

Separable

zone in

To focus your attention intensely and completely on something.

"She put on her headphones and zoned in on the complex spreadsheet."

Inseparable

zone out

To lose focus, stop paying attention, and stare blankly into space.

"The lecture was so long and boring that I just zoned out."

Inseparable

zonk out

To fall asleep very quickly because of extreme exhaustion (slang).

"After running the marathon, he just hit the couch and zonked out."

Inseparable

zoom in

To adjust a camera or screen to make an image look larger and closer.

"Can you zoom in on that license plate so we can read the numbers?"

Inseparable

zoom out

To adjust a camera or screen to see a wider area; or to step back and look at the big picture.

"Let's zoom out and consider how this decision affects the whole company."

Inseparable

act up

To misbehave (especially children); or for a machine to malfunction.

"My old computer is acting up again; the screen keeps freezing."

Inseparable

act out

To express negative emotions through bad behavior; or to perform a scene.

"The child acted out because he was feeling ignored by his parents."

Separable

bail out

To rescue someone from financial trouble; or to jump out of a failing aircraft.

"The government had to bail out the failing banks to save the economy."

Separable

bank on

To completely rely or depend on something happening.

"I am banking on the weather being sunny for our outdoor wedding."

Inseparable

barge in

To enter a room suddenly, rudely, and without an invitation.

"You can't just barge in here while we are having a private meeting!"

Inseparable

bash in

To smash, crush, or cave in a surface using physical violence.

"The angry rioters bashed in the windows of the storefront."

Separable

bawl out

To loudly and aggressively scold or reprimand someone.

"The coach bawled out the entire team for their lazy performance."

Separable

bear down on

To move aggressively toward something; or to exert extreme pressure.

"The massive hurricane is bearing down on the coastal cities."

Inseparable

bear out

To confirm that something is true, or to support a claim.

"The newly discovered evidence bears out the detective's theory."

Separable

beat down

To force a seller to lower their price; or for the sun to shine intensely.

"I managed to beat him down to $5,000 for the used car."

Separable

beat up

To violently assault and injure someone physically.

"He got beaten up by a gang of thugs in the alley."

Separable

beef up

To make something stronger, larger, or more effective.

"The city needs to beef up security around the stadium."

Separable

black out

To suddenly faint or lose consciousness; or to censor information.

"He blacked out from the intense heat and dehydration."

Separable

blank out

To suddenly forget everything; or to deliberately ignore a painful memory.

"I blanked out during the test and couldn't remember a single answer."

Separable

blast off

For a rocket or spacecraft to leave the ground.

"The space shuttle is scheduled to blast off at 6:00 AM."

Inseparable

blaze away

To fire a gun continuously and rapidly.

"The soldiers blazed away at the approaching enemy forces."

Inseparable

block in

To park a car so close to another that the other cannot leave.

"I can't leave for work because someone blocked my car in."

Separable

block off

To close a road or area completely so nothing can pass through.

"The police blocked off the entire street after the explosion."

Separable

blow away

To impress someone immensely; or to literally move by strong wind.

"Her incredible vocal performance completely blew the judges away."

Separable

blow over

For a scandal, argument, or storm to fade away and be forgotten.

"It's a huge scandal now, but it will eventually blow over."

Inseparable

blurt out

To say something suddenly, thoughtlessly, or accidentally.

"He blurted out the secret before he realized who was listening."

Separable

board up

To cover windows or doors with wooden boards for protection.

"The store owners boarded up their windows before the hurricane arrived."

Separable

bog down

To slow down progress to a near halt, often due to complex details or mud.

"The peace talks got bogged down in trivial administrative details."

Separable

boil away

To cause a liquid to completely evaporate through continuous boiling.

"I left the pot on the stove too long and all the water boiled away."

Separable

boil over

For hot liquid to spill out of a pot; or for anger to explode uncontrollably.

"His suppressed frustration finally boiled over into a screaming match."

Inseparable

bolster up

To provide strong support, reinforcement, or encouragement.

"The general sent more troops to bolster up the front line."

Separable

bone up on

To study a subject intensely, usually right before needing the knowledge.

"I need to bone up on my French vocabulary before my trip to Paris."

Inseparable

boot up

To turn on a computer and load its operating system.

"It takes my old laptop almost five minutes just to boot up."

Separable

border on

To come extremely close to being a specific quality, often a negative one.

"His extreme confidence borders on sheer arrogance."

Inseparable

bottle up

To suppress or hide one's emotions instead of expressing them.

"You shouldn't bottle up your anger; it's better to talk about it."

Separable

bottom out

To reach the lowest point and stop falling (usually regarding prices or trends).

"The housing market finally seems to have bottomed out."

Inseparable

bounce back

To recover quickly from a setback, illness, or defeat.

"Despite the failure of his first business, he bounced back quickly."

Inseparable

branch out

To start doing something new or different to expand your skills or business.

"The bookstore decided to branch out and start selling coffee as well."

Inseparable

breeze through

To easily complete or pass something without much effort.

"She had studied so hard that she breezed through the final exam."

Inseparable

brick up

To close or block a window or door completely using bricks.

"They decided to brick up the old fireplace to keep the cold air out."

Separable

bring along

To take someone or something with you when you go somewhere.

"I'm going to the park, do you want to bring along your dog?"

Separable

bring around

To persuade someone to agree with you; or to revive someone who is unconscious.

"He didn't want to go, but we eventually brought him around to our way of thinking."

Separable

bring forward

To change the date or time of an event so that it happens earlier.

"The meeting has been brought forward to Tuesday instead of Thursday."

Separable

bring on

To cause something to happen, usually something negative like an illness.

"The extreme stress at work brought on a massive headache."

Separable

brush aside

To ignore a problem, complaint, or objection, treating it as unimportant.

"The manager rudely brushed aside all of our suggestions."

Separable

brush past

To walk quickly past someone, sometimes touching them slightly, while ignoring them.

"He was so angry that he just brushed past me without saying hello."

Separable

bubble over

To become so full of an emotion that you cannot contain it.

"She was bubbling over with excitement when she heard she got the job."

Inseparable

bubble up

For an emotion, feeling, or idea to gradually rise to the surface and become obvious.

"Old resentments began to bubble up during the family argument."

Inseparable

build around

To base something central around a specific person, idea, or theme.

"The coach wants to build the team around the new star player."

Separable

build into

To make something a permanent or integral part of a system or structure.

"We need to build a regular review process into the new project."

Separable

build on

To use past success or knowledge as a base for doing something further.

"We should build on the success of last year's marketing campaign."

Inseparable

bump off

A slang term meaning to murder or kill someone.

"The gangster was bumped off by a rival gang."

Separable

bundle up

To wear many layers of warm clothing.

"It's freezing outside, so make sure you bundle up."

Separable

buoy up

To cause prices to rise; or to make someone feel more cheerful or confident.

"The good news really buoyed up the spirits of the entire team."

Separable

burst out

To suddenly say something loudly; or to suddenly start laughing or crying.

"She burst out crying when she heard the tragic news."

Inseparable

butt in

To rudely interrupt a conversation or an activity.

"Please don't butt in while I am explaining the rules."

Inseparable

butter up

To be excessively nice to someone in order to get a favor from them.

"He tried to butter up the teacher to get a better grade."

Separable

button up

To fasten a piece of clothing using buttons; or to remain completely silent.

"It's cold, so button up your coat."

Separable

buy into

To believe an idea or agree to support a plan.

"I refuse to buy into those ridiculous conspiracy theories."

Inseparable

buzz off

A rude way to tell someone to go away.

"I'm busy right now, so just buzz off!"

Inseparable

call around

To phone several different people or places to get information.

"I'll call around to see if any local mechanics can fix my car today."

Inseparable

call away

To ask someone to leave the place they are at to do something else.

"The doctor was called away to an emergency in the middle of dinner."

Separable

call by

To make a short, informal visit to someone's house.

"I might call by later if I finish work early."

Inseparable

call forth

To cause something to exist or happen; to produce a reaction.

"The leader's speech called forth a lot of anger from the crowd."

Separable

camp out

To sleep outside in a tent; or to wait somewhere for a long time.

"Fans camped out in front of the store to buy the new phone."

Inseparable

cancel out

When two forces or actions have an opposite and equal effect, making the result neutral.

"His bad temper cancels out his good looks."

Separable

cap off

To finish or complete an event in a memorable or final way.

"They capped off the perfect evening with a massive fireworks display."

Separable

carry forward

To make something progress, or to transfer an accounting balance to the next page/year.

"We will carry forward the remaining funds to next year's budget."

Separable

carry over

To transfer something to a later time or different situation.

"My unused vacation days will carry over to next year."

Separable

carve out

To carefully create a reputation, role, or position for yourself.

"She managed to carve out a successful career in a male-dominated industry."

Separable

cash in

To exchange chips, shares, or bonds for physical money.

"When the stock prices peaked, he decided to cash in all his shares."

Separable

cash in on

To take financial advantage of a situation, often unfairly.

"The media tried to cash in on the celebrity's scandalous divorce."

Inseparable

cast about

To search widely and desperately around you for something.

"He was casting about for a good excuse to leave the meeting."

Inseparable

cast aside

To throw something away or reject someone because they are no longer useful.

"Once he became famous, he cast aside his old friends."

Separable

cast off

To release a boat from its moorings; or to discard something.

"The sailors untied the ropes and cast off into the open sea."

Separable

catch out

To trick someone into making a mistake to prove they are lying or wrong.

"The lawyer asked tricky questions to catch the witness out."

Separable

cater for

To provide what is needed or required for a specific group (UK English).

"The school cafeteria must cater for students with peanut allergies."

Inseparable

cave in

For a roof or wall to collapse inward; or to finally yield to pressure.

"The company refused to raise wages at first, but finally caved in."

Inseparable

chalk out

To sketch, outline, or plan something in a general way.

"We need to chalk out a rough plan for the upcoming project."

Separable

chance upon

To find something or meet someone entirely by accident.

"I chanced upon an amazing antique shop while walking through the city."

Inseparable

change over

To transition from one system, method, or position to another.

"The factory is going to change over to solar power next year."

Inseparable

charge up

To put electricity into a battery; or to become intensely emotional.

"Don't forget to charge up your phone before the long flight."

Separable

chase away

To force someone or something to leave by chasing or frightening them.

"The farmer used a loud horn to chase away the crows."

Separable

chase down

To try hard to find someone or something that is difficult to locate.

"I had to chase down the manager to get his signature on this form."

Separable

chase up

To find out what is being done about something that is delayed.

"I need to chase up that invoice; they haven't paid us yet."

Separable

chat up

To talk flirtatiously to someone in order to show romantic interest.

"He spent the entire evening trying to chat her up at the bar."

Separable

cheat out of

To unfairly prevent someone from getting something they deserve through deceit.

"The greedy lawyer cheated the orphans out of their inheritance."

Separable

check by

To make a brief visit to a place.

"I'll check by your office later to see if you need any help."

Inseparable

check off

To make a mark next to items on a list to show they have been completed.

"As we finish packing each item, check it off the master list."

Separable

check over

To examine something carefully to make sure it is correct or safe.

"Please check over your essay for spelling mistakes before submitting it."

Separable

check through

To look through a group of things carefully to find something.

"The security guards will check through your bags at the entrance."

Inseparable

cheer on

To shout loudly to encourage someone in a competition.

"Her parents were in the stands cheering her on during the race."

Separable

chew on

To bite continuously; or to think deeply about a problem or idea.

"That's a very interesting proposal. Let me chew on it for a few days."

Inseparable

chew over

To thoroughly discuss or think about a problem or idea.

"We sat at the cafe for hours, chewing over the implications of the new policy."

Separable

chill out

To relax completely, or to calm down after being angry.

"You've been studying all day, you need to chill out for a while."

Inseparable

chime in

To suddenly join a conversation or express agreement.

"While we were discussing the budget, the intern timidly chimed in with a great idea."

Inseparable

chip away at

To gradually reduce something by constantly attacking or removing small parts.

"The constant bad news started to chip away at her optimism."

Inseparable

choke back

To force yourself not to show an emotion, like crying or anger.

"He had to choke back his tears when he heard the beautiful speech."

Separable

choke off

To stop or restrict the flow of something, such as money or air.

"The new regulations effectively choked off foreign investment."

Separable

choke up

To become unable to speak clearly due to strong emotion.

"He started to choke up when he thanked his parents during the award ceremony."

Inseparable

chop down

To fell a tree or cut something down so it falls to the ground.

"They had to chop down the old oak tree because it was diseased."

Separable

chop off

To remove something by cutting it sharply with a tool.

"The butcher chopped off the fish's head with a cleaver."

Separable

chop up

To cut something into many small pieces.

"Please chop up the onions and add them to the soup."

Separable

chuck away

To throw something into the garbage because you don't need it (informal).

"I think it's time to chuck away these old, broken shoes."

Separable

chuck in

To quit a job or activity abruptly (informal).

"He was so stressed that he decided to chuck in his corporate job and move to the beach."

Separable

chuck out

To dispose of rubbish; or to forcefully eject someone from a place.

"The bouncer chucked out the guys who started the fight."

Separable

churn out

To produce something rapidly in large quantities, often without caring about quality.

"The factory churns out thousands of these cheap plastic toys every day."

Separable

clam up

To suddenly stop talking or refuse to speak, usually because of shyness or fear.

"When the police asked him about the robbery, he immediately clammed up."

Inseparable

clamp down on

To take strict action to stop or limit something illegal or unwanted.

"The city is clamping down on cars driving in the bus lanes."

Inseparable

clean off

To remove dirt or marks from a surface.

"Please clean off the table before you serve dinner."

Separable

clear away

To remove things that are untidy or no longer needed to create free space.

"Let's clear away the dinner plates so we can play a board game."

Separable

clear off

To remove things from a surface; or a rude way to tell someone to go away.

"I told the annoying kids to clear off and stop kicking my fence."

Separable

clear out

To tidy a place by throwing away unwanted things; or to leave a place completely.

"We need to clear out the spare bedroom so the guests can sleep there."

Separable

click through

To click a hyperlink on a webpage to go to another webpage.

"We had 10,000 visitors, but only 5% actually clicked through to the sales page."

Inseparable

climb down

To descend physically; or to admit you were wrong and change your position.

"The government was forced to climb down over the unpopular tax hike."

Inseparable

cling on to

To hold tightly onto someone or something; or to refuse to let go of a belief or hope.

"He is still clinging on to the hope that she will return to him."

Inseparable

clog up

To become completely blocked or filled so that movement is difficult.

"Hair and soap clogged up the drain in the shower."

Separable

close around

To surround someone or something completely.

"The dark fog began to close around the small ship."

Inseparable

close in

To approach closely and surround, often in a threatening way.

"The winter nights are starting to close in early."

Inseparable

close over

To cover something completely and hide it from view.

"The dark water closed over the sinking ship."

Inseparable

cloud over

For the sky to become completely covered with clouds; or a face to look suddenly sad.

"Her face clouded over when she heard the tragic news."

Inseparable

clown around

To act silly, play the fool, or behave in a comical way.

"Stop clowning around and take this rehearsal seriously."

Inseparable

coast along

To do something with very little effort because it is easy or because you are lazy.

"He's just coasting along at his job until he reaches retirement age."

Inseparable

dabble in

To take part in an activity in a casual, superficial, or amateur way.

"I work in finance, but I dabble in amateur photography on the weekends."

Inseparable

dial down

To reduce the intensity, level, or emotion of something.

"You need to dial down your aggressive tone if you want people to listen to you."

Separable

die away

For a sound or feeling to gradually become weaker until it stops.

"The sound of the train slowly died away as it moved into the distance."

Inseparable

die back

For the above-ground part of a plant to die in winter, while the roots survive.

"The perennial flowers will die back in winter but return in spring."

Inseparable

dig in

To start eating hungrily; or to stubbornly refuse to change your mind.

"The food is getting cold, so just dig in! / He dug in and refused to apologize."

Inseparable

dig out

To find something you haven't seen in a long time; or to excavate.

"I managed to dig out my old college notes from the attic."

Separable

dish up

To serve food onto plates for a meal.

"The chef is getting ready to dish up the main course."

Separable

dive in

To start doing something eagerly and energetically without hesitation.

"When the project was announced, the team dived in immediately."

Inseparable

divide off

To separate a section of a room or area using a barrier.

"We used a curtain to divide off a section of the room for sleeping."

Separable

do down

To criticize someone unfairly or make them feel foolish.

"He's always trying to do down his colleagues to make himself look better."

Separable

do in

To completely exhaust someone; or to murder someone.

"That brutal ten-mile hike completely did me in."

Separable

do out of

To cheat someone so that they do not get something they deserve.

"The corrupt partner did him out of his share of the profits."

Separable

double back

To turn around and go back in the direction you came from.

"We went the wrong way and had to double back to find the highway."

Inseparable

double up

To bend over in pain or laughter; or to share a room meant for one.

"His joke was so funny that we all doubled up laughing."

Inseparable

doze off

To fall asleep unintentionally, usually for a short time during the day.

"I was so bored watching the movie that I dozed off."

Inseparable

draft in

To bring people into a place to do a specific, often difficult job.

"Extra police had to be drafted in to control the massive crowd."

Separable

drag away

To force someone to leave a place or stop doing something they want to do.

"I had to drag my kids away from the television to eat dinner."

Separable

drag down

To ruin someone's social status or mood.

"The scandal dragged down the entire reputation of the company."

Separable

drag out

To make something last much longer than is necessary.

"The lawyer tried to drag out the trial to frustrate the opposition."

Separable

draw away

To move physically away; or to gain a lead in a race.

"In the final lap, the champion began to draw away from the rest of the runners."

Inseparable

draw back

To retreat or move backwards physically or emotionally.

"She drew back in horror when she saw the snake on the path."

Inseparable

draw down

To reduce the supply or level of something; or to withdraw military troops.

"The government plans to draw down its troops in the region next year."

Separable

draw in

To attract people; or for daylight to decrease as winter approaches.

"The free concert drew in a massive crowd of students."

Separable

draw off

To remove liquid from a container; or to divert attention.

"The doctor had to draw off some fluid from the patient's swollen knee."

Separable

draw out

To make something last longer; or to encourage someone to talk.

"The interviewer managed to draw out the shy applicant's real opinions."

Separable

dream of

To strongly desire or imagine something happening.

"Ever since she was young, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut."

Inseparable

dredge up

To deliberately recall or mention something unpleasant from the past.

"Why do you always have to dredge up my mistakes from ten years ago?"

Separable

dress down

To scold someone severely; or to wear casual clothes.

"The general dressed down the private for failing to salute."

Separable

drill down into

To examine a problem or data in great depth and detail.

"We need to drill down into the sales figures to see why profit dropped."

Inseparable

drink to

To raise a glass and make a toast to someone or something.

"Let's all raise our glasses and drink to the happy couple!"

Inseparable

drive at

To imply or mean something indirectly.

"I don't understand the point you are trying to drive at."

Inseparable

drive away

To force someone or something to leave.

"The terrible customer service drove away all the regular patrons."

Separable

drive back

To repel an attack or force someone to retreat.

"The defenders successfully drove back the invading army."

Separable

drive off

To leave a place in a vehicle; or to force someone/something to leave.

"He got in his car and drove off without saying goodbye."

Separable

drive out

To completely expel someone or something from a place.

"The large supermarket chains drove out all the small local shops."

Separable

drone on

To talk for a very long time in a boring, monotonous voice.

"The professor droned on for two hours while half the class slept."

Inseparable

drop around

To visit someone informally and briefly at their home.

"I might drop around later this afternoon if I finish my work."

Inseparable

drop away

To become weaker or smaller in amount; or for the ground to slope steeply.

"Public support for the mayor began to drop away after the scandal."

Inseparable

drop back

To move into a position further behind others in a race or competition.

"He was leading the race but dropped back due to a cramp."

Inseparable

drop by

To make a short, informal visit without an appointment.

"Feel free to drop by my office if you have any questions."

Inseparable

drop in on

To visit someone unexpectedly or informally.

"Let's drop in on grandma while we are in her neighborhood."

Inseparable

drown out

For a loud noise to completely overpower and hide another sound.

"The sound of the airplane drowned out the end of his sentence."

Separable

drum into

To forcefully teach someone something through constant repetition.

"The coach tried to drum the defensive strategy into the players' heads."

Separable

drum up

To try to increase interest, support, or sales.

"The company launched a massive ad campaign to drum up new business."

Separable

dry off

To make someone or something dry, usually with a towel after getting wet.

"Get out of the pool and dry off before you catch a cold."

Separable

dry out

To allow water to completely evaporate from something; or to undergo rehab for alcoholism.

"Leave your wet shoes near the heater to dry out."

Separable

duck out of

To avoid doing something you are supposed to do, often by making an excuse.

"He tried to duck out of washing the dishes by claiming he had a headache."

Inseparable

dumb down

To simplify or reduce the intellectual content of something so everyone can understand it.

"The scientist had to dumb down his explanation for the news reporters."

Separable

dust down

To wipe dust off something or someone; or to retrieve something old and prepare to use it.

"He dusted himself down after falling in the dirt."

Separable

dust off

To get something out and prepare to use it again after a long time of not using it.

"It's time to dust off my old resume and start looking for a new job."

Separable

dwell on

To spend too much time thinking or talking about something negative in the past.

"You made a mistake, but you can't dwell on it forever. Move on."

Inseparable

ease off

To become less severe, intense, or strict.

"We should wait for the heavy rain to ease off before we start driving."

Inseparable

ease up

To relax and stop treating someone so strictly.

"You need to ease up on the new guy; he is still learning the ropes."

Inseparable

eat away at

To gradually erode or destroy something; or to cause persistent anxiety.

"The secret guilt has been eating away at his conscience for years."

Inseparable

eat into

To use up a large part of a resource, especially time or money.

"The massive legal fees are eating into our company profits."

Inseparable

egg on

To strongly encourage someone to do something, especially something foolish or reckless.

"He didn't want to jump into the freezing lake, but his friends egged him on."

Separable

empty out

To remove everything from inside a container or room.

"Please empty out your pockets before walking through the metal detector."

Separable

end in

To result in or have a specific final outcome.

"The long, violent conflict finally ended in a peaceful treaty."

Inseparable

enter into

To officially agree to be bound by a contract, agreement, or discussion.

"The two rival nations refused to enter into peace negotiations."

Inseparable

even out

To become level, regular, or balanced after a period of fluctuation.

"The road is very bumpy here, but it evens out after a few miles."

Separable

even up

To make things equal or fair between opposing sides.

"Scoring a goal right before halftime really evened up the game."

Separable

factor in

To include a fact or condition when making a calculation or decision.

"We need to factor in the cost of travel when budgeting for the trip."

Separable

fade away

To slowly disappear, lose color, or lose strength.

"As evening approached, the light began to fade away."

Inseparable

fall about

To laugh uncontrollably (British English).

"We fell about laughing when we heard his ridiculous excuse."

Inseparable

fall back on

To rely on something else when your original plan fails.

"He has his teaching degree to fall back on if his acting career fails."

Inseparable

fall down

To drop to the ground, usually by accident; or to fail.

"The little boy tripped and fell down on the sidewalk."

Inseparable

fall into

To start doing something without intending to; or to be categorized as.

"He fell into a conversation with a stranger on the train."

Inseparable

fall out with

To have a serious argument with someone and stop being friendly.

"She fell out with her sister over the inheritance."

Inseparable

fall over

To lose your balance and fall to the ground.

"The wind was so strong that the old tree fell over."

Inseparable

farm out

To give work or responsibilities to other people to do.

"The company decided to farm out its customer service to a call center."

Separable

fasten on

To give your attention to something, or latch onto an idea.

"The media fastened on the scandal and wouldn't let it go."

Inseparable

fathom out

To understand someone or why they act the way they do after thinking about it.

"I just can't fathom out why she quit such a high-paying job."

Separable

fatten up

To give an animal or person a lot of food so they gain weight.

"The farmer is fattening up the turkeys for Thanksgiving."

Separable

fawn over

To flatter someone or treat them like a celebrity to gain favor.

"The fans were fawning over the actor at the movie premiere."

Inseparable

feed off

To use something (often an emotion) to increase your own strength or energy.

"The lead singer really feeds off the energy of the crowd."

Inseparable

feed on

To eat something as a main diet; or to be nourished by something.

"Vampire bats primarily feed on the blood of livestock."

Inseparable

feel for

To experience sympathy and sorrow for someone's situation.

"I really feel for the families affected by the terrible earthquake."

Inseparable

fend for

To take care of and provide for oneself without help.

"When he moved out at eighteen, he had to fend for himself."

Inseparable

ferret out

To search for and discover something that is hidden.

"The journalist managed to ferret out the truth behind the cover-up."

Separable

fess up

To confess or admit to having done something wrong (informal).

"You might as well fess up now, because we know you took the money."

Inseparable

fiddle around

To waste time doing aimless or trivial things.

"Stop fiddling around and help me clean the house."

Inseparable

fight off

To aggressively defend yourself against an attack or illness.

"Her immune system is strong enough to fight off the virus."

Separable

figure in

To include something in a calculation or plan.

"Did you figure in the cost of shipping when you ordered it?"

Separable

file away

To store a document in the correct place; or to remember something for later.

"I'll file away that piece of advice for the future."

Separable

file for

To formally apply for something legally or officially.

"The failing corporation had no choice but to file for bankruptcy."

Inseparable

fill in for

To temporarily do someone else's job because they are absent.

"I had to fill in for the manager while he was sick."

Inseparable

finish up

To complete the last part of a task.

"I just need to finish up this report, and then I can leave."

Separable

fire away

To give someone permission to start asking questions.

"If you have any questions about the presentation, fire away."

Inseparable

fire off

To write and send a message quickly, often in anger.

"He fired off an angry email to customer service."

Separable

fire up

To start a machine or engine; or to make someone enthusiastic.

"The coach gave a speech to fire up the players before the game."

Separable

firm up

To make arrangements more certain and solid.

"We need to firm up the details of our trip to Europe."

Separable

fish out

To pull something out of a bag, pocket, or water, often after searching.

"She reached into her purse and fished out a piece of candy."

Separable

fit out

To equip a room or person with the necessary equipment.

"The warehouse was fitted out with the latest robotics."

Separable

fix up with

To arrange for someone to have a date or a meeting with someone else.

"My sister tried to fix me up with her friend from college."

Inseparable

fizzle out

To gradually end or fail in a weak or disappointing way.

"The protest started strong but fizzled out when it started raining."

Inseparable

flag down

To signal a vehicle to stop by waving your arm.

"I managed to flag down a taxi just as it started to pour."

Separable

flake out

To fall asleep from exhaustion; or to cancel a commitment unreliably.

"He promised to help me move, but he flaked out at the last minute."

Inseparable

flare up

For violence, a disease, or an argument to suddenly become worse.

"Tensions flared up between the two rival factions overnight."

Inseparable

flash back

To suddenly remember something from the past vividly.

"Hearing that song made me flash back to my high school days."

Inseparable

flatten out

To become flat; or to stop increasing and become stable.

"After a massive spike in sales, the numbers finally flattened out."

Separable

flesh out

To add more details or substance to a plan or story.

"The outline is good, but you need to flesh out the characters more."

Separable

flick through

To look quickly through the pages of a book or magazine.

"While waiting for the dentist, I flicked through an old magazine."

Inseparable

flip out

To become extremely angry, excited, or crazy.

"My parents will flip out if they see this broken window."

Inseparable

flip through

To quickly turn the pages of a book or channel surf on TV.

"He sat on the couch flipping through the channels."

Inseparable

float around

For an idea or rumor to circulate without a clear source.

"There is a rumor floating around that the company is going bankrupt."

Inseparable

flood in

To arrive in overwhelmingly large numbers.

"Donations flooded in after the charity broadcast."

Inseparable

flock to

To go to a place in large crowds.

"Tourists flock to the Eiffel Tower every summer."

Inseparable

flounce out

To leave a place angrily and in a highly dramatic way.

"She was insulted by the comment and flounced out of the room."

Inseparable

flush out

To force someone or an animal out of a hiding place.

"The police used tear gas to flush the suspects out of the building."

Separable

fly at

To suddenly and violently attack someone, physically or verbally.

"He just flew at me when I told him the bad news."

Inseparable

fly into

To suddenly enter a state of extreme emotion (usually a rage).

"He flew into a rage when he saw the dent on his car."

Inseparable

focus on

To give a lot of attention to one particular subject or thing.

"We need to stop arguing and focus on solving the problem."

Inseparable

fob off

To give someone an excuse or a cheap item to get rid of them.

"The salesman tried to fob me off with a defective model."

Separable

fold up

To make something smaller by bending it; or for a business to fail.

"She folded up the map and put it in her backpack."

Separable

follow on

To happen or be done as a natural consequence of something else.

"The second movie follows on directly from the events of the first."

Inseparable

follow up on

To take further action regarding a previous issue or correspondence.

"I need to follow up on the customer complaints we received yesterday."

Inseparable

fool with

To play or tinker with something carelessly or dangerously.

"Don't fool with the electrical wires if you don't know what you're doing."

Inseparable

force out

To make someone leave their job or position against their will.

"The board of directors forced the CEO out after the scandal."

Separable

forge ahead

To make strong, steady progress, despite obstacles.

"Despite the lack of funding, the research team forged ahead."

Inseparable

fork out

To pay a large amount of money, usually reluctantly.

"I had to fork out $500 for those concert tickets."

Separable

form into

To arrange or organize something into a specific shape or group.

"The children formed into a single line before entering the classroom."

Inseparable

foul up

To ruin a plan or make a serious mistake.

"The bad weather really fouled up our travel arrangements."

Separable

freeze over

For a body of water to become completely covered in ice.

"The lake freezes over every January, making it safe for ice skating."

Inseparable

freeze up

To be unable to move or speak due to fear or anxiety.

"When she got on stage, she completely froze up and forgot her lines."

Inseparable

fritter away

To waste time, money, or energy on trivial matters.

"He frittered away his entire inheritance on fancy cars and parties."

Separable

front up

To arrive somewhere, often to face a challenge or make an appearance.

"He finally fronted up to court after missing two dates."

Inseparable

frost over

For a surface to become covered with a layer of frost.

"The car windshield had completely frosted over during the night."

Inseparable

frown on

To disapprove of something strongly.

"The conservative community frowns on public displays of affection."

Inseparable

fry up

To cook food in a pan with oil or fat.

"I'm going to fry up some bacon and eggs for breakfast."

Separable

fuel up

To fill a vehicle with gas, or a person with food/energy.

"We need to fuel up the car before we hit the highway."

Separable

fumble around

To search for something clumsily using your hands, especially in the dark.

"I fumbled around in my bag trying to find my keys."

Inseparable

funnel into

To direct resources, money, or people into a specific place or project.

"The government is funneling millions of dollars into the new tech sector."

Inseparable

fuss over

To pay excessive attention to someone or something, often unnecessarily.

"Grandma always fusses over us whenever we visit."

Inseparable

gad about

To travel around to many different places seeking pleasure and entertainment.

"Instead of working, he spent the weekend gadding about town."

Inseparable

gain on

To get closer to someone or something that you are chasing.

"Keep driving fast! The police car is gaining on us."

Inseparable

gang up on

For a group of people to join together to attack or bully an individual.

"It's not fair when all the older kids gang up on my little brother."

Inseparable

gasp out

To say something with great difficulty while struggling to breathe.

"The runner gasped out a request for water as he crossed the finish line."

Separable

gather up

To collect things together in one place; or to summon courage.

"She gathered up all the scattered papers from the floor."

Separable

gear up

To prepare yourself or equipment for an upcoming activity or event.

"The team is gearing up for the championship match."

Separable

geek out

To act extremely enthusiastic about a niche subject or hobby.

"We totally geeked out over the new sci-fi movie details."

Inseparable

get ahead of

To move in front of someone; or to act before a problem occurs.

"We need to get ahead of this scandal before the press finds out."

Inseparable

get along without

To manage to survive or function without something or someone.

"I can't get along without my morning coffee."

Inseparable

get down from

To descend or physically move off of a high place.

"The firefighter told the cat to get down from the tree."

Inseparable

get off on

To find something extremely exciting or thrilling (often inappropriate).

"He really gets off on telling other people what to do."

Inseparable

get on to

To contact someone; or to finally move to a new topic of discussion.

"Let's get on to the next item on the meeting agenda."

Inseparable

get out from

To free yourself from a burden, rule, or restrictive situation.

"She wanted to get out from under her massive credit card debt."

Inseparable

get rid of

To eliminate, discard, or dispose of something unwanted.

"We need to get rid of this old, broken sofa."

Inseparable

get round to

To do something that you have intended to do for a long time (British English).

"I'll finally get round to painting the fence this weekend."

Inseparable

get through to

To successfully make someone understand something; or to connect by phone.

"I tried to explain the danger, but I just couldn't get through to him."

Inseparable

ginger up

To make something more exciting, lively, or interesting.

"They hired a DJ to ginger up the boring corporate party."

Separable

give into

To finally agree to what someone wants after initially refusing.

"The boss refused at first, but finally gave into our demands."

Inseparable

give way

To collapse under pressure; or to yield to other traffic.

"The old bridge gave way under the weight of the massive truck."

Inseparable

glaze over

For eyes to become dull and lose focus, usually from boredom or tiredness.

"As the lecture went on, her eyes began to glaze over."

Inseparable

glean from

To extract information from various sources slowly and carefully.

"What information were you able to glean from the messy report?"

Inseparable

glide by

To pass smoothly and effortlessly, often referring to time.

"The summer months just glided by, and suddenly it was autumn."

Inseparable

gloss over

To quickly ignore or avoid talking about an unpleasant fact or mistake.

"The politician tried to gloss over the fact that taxes were increasing."

Separable

go about

To begin to do something or tackle a problem in a certain way.

"I don't know how to go about fixing this engine."

Inseparable

go after

To pursue someone or try very hard to get something.

"The police are going after the leaders of the criminal gang."

Inseparable

go ahead with

To proceed with a plan or action.

"We decided to go ahead with the wedding despite the bad weather."

Inseparable

go back on

To break a promise or fail to keep an agreement.

"You can't go back on your word now; you signed the contract."

Inseparable

go down with

To become ill with a specific disease.

"Half the office has gone down with the flu this week."

Inseparable

go in for

To participate in a competition; or to have an interest in a hobby.

"I don't really go in for extreme sports; I prefer golf."

Inseparable

go off with

To run away with someone (romantically); or to steal something.

"Someone went off with my umbrella while I wasn't looking."

Inseparable

go on about

To talk continuously and boringly about a specific subject.

"He goes on about his new car all the time."

Inseparable

gobble up

To eat food very quickly and greedily; or to use up a resource.

"The hungry children gobbled up the entire pizza in two minutes."

Separable

goof off

To waste time or avoid doing any real work.

"If you keep goofing off, you will be fired."

Inseparable

gouge out

To scoop or dig something out roughly, often leaving a hole.

"He gouged out a hole in the wood with his knife."

Separable

grind away

To work hard and continuously at a tedious task.

"She's been grinding away at her thesis for six months."

Inseparable

grind down

To reduce someone's energy or spirit through constant pressure or mistreatment.

"The horrible working conditions eventually ground him down."

Separable

grow on

To become more appealing to someone over time.

"I didn't like this song at first, but it's starting to grow on me."

Inseparable

guard against

To take precautions to prevent something bad from happening.

"You must wash your hands to guard against infection."

Inseparable

guess at

To try to guess or estimate something without enough information.

"I don't know the exact price; I can only guess at it."

Inseparable

gulp down

To drink or swallow something very quickly in large mouthfuls.

"He was so thirsty he gulped down the whole glass of water."

Separable

gum up

To block a machine or system and stop it from working properly.

"The thick oil completely gummed up the engine."

Separable

gun for

To aggressively seek to defeat someone or achieve a goal.

"He is really gunning for that promotion."

Inseparable

gush over

To express extreme admiration or enthusiasm for something.

"The fans were gushing over the singer's performance."

Inseparable

hack into

To gain illegal access to a computer system.

"Someone managed to hack into the bank's main server."

Inseparable

hang behind

To stay in a place after everyone else has left or moved forward.

"He hung behind after the tour to take some extra photos."

Inseparable

harp on

To complain or talk repeatedly about something in an annoying way.

"I made one mistake, and he won't stop harping on it."

Inseparable

hash out

To discuss the details of a problem until an agreement is reached.

"The lawyers stayed late to hash out the details of the settlement."

Separable

hatch out

For a baby bird or animal to emerge from its egg.

"We watched the little chicks hatch out of their shells."

Inseparable

have in

To hire professionals to do work in your home.

"We are having the builders in to fix the kitchen next week."

Separable

have it in for

To hold a persistent grudge against someone and try to cause them trouble.

"That teacher has it in for me; she always gives me extra homework."

Inseparable

have it out with

To have a final, angry discussion to resolve a long-standing argument.

"I'm going to have it out with my roommate about the unpaid bills."

Inseparable

head back

To begin returning to the place you started from.

"It's getting late, we should head back to the hotel."

Inseparable

head for

To move directly toward a place or an inevitable situation.

"The ship is heading for the rocks! / We are heading for disaster."

Inseparable

head up

To be the leader, director, or person in charge of an organization or project.

"She was chosen to head up the new marketing division."

Separable

heal over

For skin to form over a wound as part of the healing process.

"The deep cut on his arm finally began to heal over."

Inseparable

hear out

To listen to someone completely until they have finished speaking.

"I know you're angry, but please just hear me out before you yell."

Separable

help off

To assist someone in taking off a piece of clothing (like a coat).

"Let me help you off with that heavy winter jacket."

Separable

help on

To assist someone in putting on a piece of clothing.

"She helped the toddler on with his boots."

Separable

hem in

To trap or enclose someone so they cannot move or act freely.

"The protesters hemmed in the politician's car so he couldn't leave."

Separable

hide away

To place oneself or an object in a secret, unseen location.

"He has been hiding away in his cabin for months to write his book."

Separable

hinge on

To depend completely on a specific condition or event.

"The entire business plan hinges on getting that bank loan."

Inseparable

hint at

To suggest or imply something indirectly without stating it explicitly.

"The CEO hinted at massive changes coming next quarter."

Inseparable

hit back

To retaliate or attack someone who has attacked or criticized you.

"When the press insulted her, the singer immediately hit back."

Inseparable

hit it off

To immediately like each other and become friendly very quickly.

"We went on a blind date and completely hit it off."

Inseparable

hit upon

To suddenly discover an idea or solution to a problem.

"After hours of brainstorming, they finally hit upon the perfect slogan."

Inseparable

hive off

To separate one part of a company or group from the rest.

"The corporation decided to hive off its unprofitable divisions."

Separable

hold down

To manage to keep a job; or to physically restrain someone.

"He's so irresponsible that he can't hold down a job for more than a month."

Separable

hold forth

To talk continuously and boringly about a subject to an audience.

"The politician held forth on the economy for two solid hours."

Inseparable

hole up

To hide or stay in a safe place for a period of time.

"The bank robbers holed up in a cheap motel to avoid the police."

Inseparable

hollow out

To remove the inside of something, leaving only the outer shell.

"We hollowed out the pumpkin to make a Halloween lantern."

Separable

home in on

To move directly toward a target; or to focus intensely on one detail.

"The missile is designed to home in on enemy heat signatures."

Inseparable

hook into

To connect to a power supply, network, or communication system.

"I need a password to hook into the building's Wi-Fi network."

Inseparable

hop in

To get into a vehicle (informal).

"Hop in! We are going to the mall."

Inseparable

hop out

To get out of a vehicle quickly.

"The driver stopped the car, and we hopped out."

Inseparable

horn in on

To forcefully interrupt a conversation or take part in something without being invited.

"I was talking to the boss when Dave tried to horn in on the conversation."

Inseparable

horse around

To play roughly, energetically, or foolishly.

"The teacher told the students to stop horsing around in the classroom."

Inseparable

hound out

To force someone to leave a place or job by constantly harassing them.

"The press eventually hounded the corrupt official out of office."

Separable

hover around

To wait or linger near a person or place, often nervously or expectantly.

"The waiter kept hovering around our table, wanting us to leave."

Inseparable

huddle up

To move close together in a tight group, often because of cold or fear.

"The lost hikers huddled up together to stay warm through the night."

Inseparable

hunt down

To search relentlessly for someone or something until found.

"The detectives hunted down the fugitive across three countries."

Separable

hurry along

To make someone do something faster or make an event happen quicker.

"We need to hurry this meeting along so we can go to lunch."

Separable

idle away

To waste time doing nothing productive.

"He idled away his entire summer vacation playing video games."

Separable

impinge on

To have a negative effect on something or restrict someone's freedom.

"These strict new laws impinge on our basic civil liberties."

Inseparable

inch forward

To move ahead very slowly and carefully.

"The traffic was so bad that we could only inch forward."

Inseparable

invite out

To ask someone to go to an entertainment venue or restaurant with you.

"My friends invited me out to dinner for my birthday."

Separable

invite over

To ask someone to come visit your house.

"We should invite the new neighbors over for a barbecue."

Separable

issue from

To originate, emerge, or flow out from a specific source.

"A terrible smell was issuing from the old drainage pipe."

Inseparable

jack in

To quit a job or give up an attempt (British slang).

"He was so tired of the stress that he just jacked in his job."

Separable

jack up

To suddenly increase a price heavily; or to lift a car using a jack.

"The gas stations jacked up their prices right before the holiday weekend."

Separable

jam on

To press the brakes of a vehicle suddenly and forcefully.

"When the child ran into the street, the driver jammed on the brakes."

Separable

jaw away

To talk continuously and often pointlessly.

"They sat in the corner jawing away for hours."

Inseparable

jazz up

To make something more exciting, stylish, or colorful.

"You should add some bright cushions to jazz up this dull living room."

Separable

jerk around

To intentionally waste someone's time or cause them trouble through deceit.

"Stop jerking me around and just give me a straight answer."

Separable

juice up

To supply power to a device; or to make something more exciting.

"I need to juice up my phone before we go hiking."

Separable

jumble up

To mix things together in a confused or messy way.

"All the important documents got jumbled up in the drawer."

Separable

keel over

To suddenly fall sideways or collapse, often from fainting or a heart attack.

"The heat was so intense that several soldiers keeled over during the parade."

Inseparable

keep at

To continue doing something difficult until it is finished.

"Learning a new language is hard, but you have to keep at it."

Inseparable

keep away from

To intentionally avoid someone or a specific place.

"Parents told their children to keep away from the abandoned house."

Inseparable

keep in

To not allow someone to go out (often as a punishment).

"The teacher kept him in during recess because he didn't do his homework."

Separable

keep out of

To prevent oneself or someone else from becoming involved in a situation.

"It's their argument; you should just keep out of it."

Inseparable

keep together

To stay in a group and not separate.

"When we enter the crowded market, everyone needs to keep together."

Separable

keep under

To control a situation or suppress a person/group.

"The dictator used military force to keep the population under."

Separable

key in

To enter data into a computer or machine using a keyboard.

"You need to key in your password to unlock the terminal."

Separable

kick about

To discuss an idea casually; or to lie around unused.

"We kicked about a few ideas for the new marketing campaign."

Separable

kick against

To strongly resist, oppose, or protest something.

"Teenagers naturally tend to kick against strict rules."

Inseparable

kick around

To treat someone badly or with disrespect.

"She finally quit her job because she was tired of being kicked around."

Separable

kick in

To forcefully break a door; or for medicine/effects to begin working.

"It takes about thirty minutes for the painkiller to kick in."

Separable

kick off

To start an event or sports match; or to die (slang).

"The festival will kick off with a massive parade."

Separable

kowtow to

To act completely subservient or overly obedient to someone in authority.

"I refuse to kowtow to a boss who doesn't respect me."

Inseparable

lap up

To enthusiastically accept information, praise, or an idea.

"The audience lapped up every word the famous speaker said."

Separable

lash down

To tie something securely using ropes or cords.

"We need to lash down the cargo before the storm hits."

Separable

lash out

To suddenly and violently attack someone physically or verbally.

"When he felt threatened, he just lashed out at everyone around him."

Inseparable

laugh off

To pretend that an insult or a serious situation is a joke to avoid dealing with it.

"He just laughed off the harsh criticism and walked away."

Separable

lay about

To violently attack someone (often physically); or to be very lazy.

"The gang laid about him with sticks."

Separable

lay down

To establish a rule; or to surrender weapons.

"The committee laid down strict new regulations."

Separable

lay in

To accumulate and store a supply of something for future use.

"They laid in enough food to last the entire winter."

Separable

lay into

To violently attack or severely criticize someone.

"The manager laid into the staff for missing their targets."

Inseparable

lay on

To provide or organize food, entertainment, or transport for people.

"The company laid on a massive feast for the retirement party."

Separable

laze around

To relax and do absolutely nothing productive.

"I spent the whole Sunday lazing around on the couch."

Inseparable

lead off

To begin an event or discussion.

"The CEO will lead off the meeting with a summary of our profits."

Separable

lead on

To deceive someone by encouraging false hopes, especially romantically.

"He doesn't actually want a relationship; he's just leading her on."

Separable

lean on

To rely on someone for support; or to threaten/pressure someone.

"We are going to have to lean on the supplier to get a better price."

Inseparable

leap at

To eagerly accept an opportunity or offer without hesitation.

"When they offered her the job, she leapt at the chance."

Inseparable

leave behind

To fail to take someone or something with you; or to outpace someone.

"In our rush to the airport, we left the tickets behind."

Separable

leave off

To stop doing something, or stop at a certain point.

"Let's pick up reading exactly where we left off yesterday."

Separable

let in

To allow someone or something to enter a place.

"Open the window and let some fresh air in."

Separable

let off

To excuse someone from a punishment or duty; or to fire a gun.

"The police officer let him off with just a warning."

Separable

let on

To reveal a secret or show that you know something.

"Don't let on that we know about the surprise party."

Inseparable

Phrasal Verbs

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