B1 English Phrasal Verbs

To think of an idea, plan or solution.

“She came up with a clever solution to the problem.”

Synonyms: devise, think of

To mention or introduce a topic.

“He brought up an interesting idea in the meeting.”

Synonyms: raise, broach

To agree with an idea or person.

“I’m happy to go along with your suggestion.”

Synonyms: agree to, accept

To keep to an opinion, plan or rule.

“Let’s stick to the original idea for now.”

Synonyms: keep to, stay with

To decide that something is not possible.

“We can’t rule out that option just yet.”

Synonyms: exclude, dismiss

To consider something carefully.

“Let me think it over and reply tomorrow.”

Synonyms: ponder, reflect on

To consider the good and bad points.

“She weighed up the pros and cons carefully.”

Synonyms: assess, evaluate

To represent or be a symbol of something.

“The initials stand for the company’s name.”

Synonyms: represent, mean

To state the main points briefly.

“Let me sum up the key points so far.”

Synonyms: summarise, recap

To suggest an idea or plan.

“He put forward a bold new theory.”

Synonyms: propose, submit

To make an idea understood.

“She got her point across very clearly.”

Synonyms: convey, communicate

To state your opinion publicly.

“He bravely spoke out against the decision.”

Synonyms: speak up, protest

To interrupt rudely.

“Please don’t butt in while I’m talking.”

Synonyms: interrupt, cut in

To continue speaking or doing something.

“Go on — I’m listening to every word.”

Synonyms: continue, carry on

To stop speaking suddenly.

“She broke off in the middle of her sentence.”

Synonyms: halt, pause

To discuss something thoroughly.

“Let’s talk over the details before deciding.”

Synonyms: discuss, debate

To make a quality more noticeable.

“A good teacher brings out the best in students.”

Synonyms: highlight, draw out

To give a message to someone else.

“Please pass on my thanks to the whole team.”

Synonyms: relay, forward

To explain something confusing.

“Let me clear up the misunderstanding right now.”

Synonyms: clarify, sort out

To reply to someone later.

“I’ll get back to you with an answer tomorrow.”

Synonyms: respond to

To gradually reach a higher level.

“She worked up to a senior role over ten years.”

Synonyms: build up to

To do someone’s job while they are away.

“I’ll fill in for you while you are on holiday.”

Synonyms: cover for, stand in for

To dismiss workers because of low demand.

“The factory laid off fifty workers last month.”

Synonyms: make redundant

To leave an important position.

“The director stepped down after the scandal.”

Synonyms: resign, stand down

To be promoted to a higher position.

“He moved up to manager within two years.”

Synonyms: advance, rise

To continue doing something.

“Please carry on with the report while I’m out.”

Synonyms: continue, proceed

To start working hard and seriously.

“It’s time to knuckle down and finish the project.”

Synonyms: get down to it

To prepare a document or plan.

“The lawyers drew up a detailed contract.”

Synonyms: prepare, draft

To start doing something new.

“The company branched out into online sales.”

Synonyms: diversify, expand

To gradually reduce activity.

“The business is winding down before the holidays.”

Synonyms: slow down, ease off

To withdraw money from a bank.

“I took out two hundred pounds from the cash machine.”

Synonyms: withdraw

To save money for the future.

“She puts aside a little money every month.”

Synonyms: save, set aside

To have a particular amount to survive on.

“They live on a small monthly pension.”

Synonyms: survive on, get by on

To manage with the money you have.

“We just about get by on one salary.”

Synonyms: cope, manage

To pay for something unwillingly.

“I had to fork out for expensive car repairs.”

Synonyms: shell out, cough up

To finish paying back a debt.

“We finally paid off the last of the loan.”

Synonyms: clear, settle

To use part of an amount of money.

“I had to dip into my savings this month.”

Synonyms: draw on

To seem reasonable or make sense.

“The figures in this report just don’t add up.”

Synonyms: make sense, tally

To return goods to a shop.

“I took back the faulty kettle for a refund.”

Synonyms: return

To give some money towards something.

“Everyone chipped in for the leaving present.”

Synonyms: contribute, pitch in

To have a friendly relationship.

“They get along like old friends.”

Synonyms: get on, click

To end a romantic relationship.

“They broke up after two years together.”

Synonyms: split up

To stop being a couple.

“My parents split up when I was young.”

Synonyms: separate, part

To fall in love with someone.

“She fell for him the moment they met.”

Synonyms: be smitten with

To look or behave like an older relative.

“He really takes after his father.”

Synonyms: resemble

To speak angrily to someone who did wrong.

“The teacher told off the noisy pupils.”

Synonyms: scold, reprimand

To support someone in a difficult time.

“She stood by him through all his troubles.”

Synonyms: support, back

To accept something annoying without complaint.

“I can’t put up with the noise any longer.”

Synonyms: tolerate, endure

To disappoint someone.

“Don’t let your friends down at the last minute.”

Synonyms: fail, disappoint

To rely on someone for help.

“You can always count on me for support.”

Synonyms: rely on, depend on

To plan something in careful detail.

“We planned out the whole trip in advance.”

Synonyms: lay out, organise

To plan the details of something.

“She mapped out her career step by step.”

Synonyms: chart, sketch out

To decide on something after thought.

“We finally settled on a date for the party.”

Synonyms: choose, agree on

To choose not to take part.

“He opted out of the company pension scheme.”

Synonyms: withdraw, pull out

To move an event to an earlier time.

“They brought forward the meeting to Monday.”

Synonyms: advance, move up

To consider all the details and results.

“Think it through carefully before you decide.”

Synonyms: consider, reason out

To arrange or organise something.

“I’ll fix up a meeting for next week.”

Synonyms: arrange, set up

To delay doing something.

“Let’s hold off until we have more information.”

Synonyms: delay, put off

To arrange something that may change.

“I’ll pencil you in for Friday afternoon.”

Synonyms: tentatively book

To finish what you have started.

“She always follows through on her promises.”

Synonyms: complete, see through

To examine things in order to organise them.

“I sorted through all the complaints one by one.”

Synonyms: go through

To understand or solve something.

“I can’t figure out what caused the error.”

Synonyms: work out, grasp

To remove small problems or difficulties.

“We ironed out the last few problems together.”

Synonyms: resolve, smooth out

To make a problem seem less serious.

“She smoothed over the dispute with a few kind words.”

Synonyms: ease, patch up

To find a way to avoid a difficulty.

“We found a clever way to get round the rule.”

Synonyms: get around, bypass

To find something by chance.

“I came across a useful trick while reading.”

Synonyms: stumble on, find

To correct a mistake or problem.

“We must put this mistake right at once.”

Synonyms: fix, correct

To prevent something from happening.

“Quick thinking headed off a serious crisis.”

Synonyms: avert, forestall

To admit that you did something wrong.

“He finally owned up to breaking the window.”

Synonyms: confess, admit

To repair something quickly or roughly.

“They patched up the old roof before winter.”

Synonyms: mend, fix up

To become something different.

“The small town turned into a busy city.”

Synonyms: become, develop into

To make something happen.

“The new law brought about major changes.”

Synonyms: cause, trigger

To become quieter or less strong.

“The storm slowly died down overnight.”

Synonyms: subside, ease

To increase gradually over time.

“Pressure built up steadily over the year.”

Synonyms: accumulate, grow

To gradually disappear.

“The effect of the medicine soon wore off.”

Synonyms: fade, diminish

To become popular or fashionable.

“The new app caught on very quickly.”

Synonyms: take off, spread

To improve after a difficult period.

“Business is finally picking up again.”

Synonyms: improve, recover

To slowly disappear or grow weaker.

“The sound of the music faded away.”

Synonyms: vanish, dwindle

To progress to something new.

“After the loss, it was time to move on.”

Synonyms: advance, progress

To suddenly become successful.

“Her acting career really took off last year.”

Synonyms: flourish, boom

To continue at the same level or pace.

“Keep up the good work and you’ll pass easily.”

Synonyms: maintain, sustain

To continue with determination.

“We pressed on despite the heavy rain.”

Synonyms: push on, persevere

To keep trying at something difficult.

“Stick at it and your English will improve.”

Synonyms: persevere with

To succeed in something difficult.

“Against the odds, she pulled off a great win.”

Synonyms: achieve, manage

To aim for a goal over time.

“He is working towards a degree in physics.”

Synonyms: aim for, strive for

To keep going in a difficult situation.

“Hold on — we are nearly at the finish line.”

Synonyms: hang on, persist

To be as good as expected.

“The film really lived up to the hype.”

Synonyms: match, satisfy

To be good enough for a standard.

“Does the new model measure up to the old one?”

Synonyms: match up, compare

To succeed or win in the end.

“In the end, hard work always wins out.”

Synonyms: prevail, triumph

To finish something in a pleasant way.

“We rounded off the day with a lovely meal.”

Synonyms: complete, finish

To resist someone who treats you badly.

“She bravely stood up to the office bully.”

Synonyms: confront, resist

To stop arguing and admit you are wrong.

“Neither side was willing to back down.”

Synonyms: yield, concede

To finally agree after resisting.

“Don’t give in to that kind of pressure.”

Synonyms: surrender, submit

To respond to an attack or criticism.

“The team hit back with two quick goals.”

Synonyms: retaliate, counter

To resist or struggle against something.

“They fought back bravely against the takeover.”

Synonyms: resist, defend

To join together against someone.

“The other children ganged up on him.”

Synonyms: turn on

To treat one person unfairly or unkindly.

“Stop picking on your little brother.”

Synonyms: bully, target

To compete or fight against someone.

“The small club took on the champions and won.”

Synonyms: challenge, oppose

To attack or criticise someone strongly.

“The manager laid into the players at half-time.”

Synonyms: attack, scold

To stop supporting and oppose someone.

“The crowd quickly turned against the speaker.”

Synonyms: rebel against

To learn about something by reading.

“I read up on the subject before the exam.”

Synonyms: study, research

To improve a skill you have forgotten.

“I must brush up on my Spanish before the trip.”

Synonyms: revise, refresh

To understand and remember information.

“There was simply too much to take in at once.”

Synonyms: absorb, grasp

To examine or study step by step.

“We went through the exercise together in class.”

Synonyms: review, work through

To write something so you remember it.

“Note down the new words in your notebook.”

Synonyms: jot down, record

To try something to see if it works.

“Let’s test out the new study method this week.”

Synonyms: try out, trial

To think about something for a long time.

“She mulled over the difficult question all night.”

Synonyms: ponder, consider

To study hard, especially for an exam.

“He swotted up the night before the test.”

Synonyms: cram, revise

To explain something clearly and in detail.

“The teacher spelt out exactly what to do.”

Synonyms: clarify, make plain

To understand or become interested in an idea.

“The students quickly latched onto the new concept.”

Synonyms: grasp, seize on

To do something, often something naughty.

“What have those children got up to now?”

Synonyms: be up to

To behave badly or cause trouble.

“The toddler acted up all through dinner.”

Synonyms: misbehave, play up

To arrive, especially late or unexpectedly.

“He showed up an hour late without apologising.”

Synonyms: turn up, appear

To reveal a secret.

“Don’t let on that you already know.”

Synonyms: give away, reveal

To accidentally reveal something.

“His nervous smile gave away his secret.”

Synonyms: betray, expose

To behave in a silly way and waste time.

“Stop messing around and finish your work.”

Synonyms: fool about, lark about

To get used to a new place or job.

“It took her a month to settle in at the new school.”

Synonyms: adjust, adapt

To be accepted by a group.

“The new boy found it hard to fit in.”

Synonyms: belong, blend in

To be very noticeable.

“Her bright coat made her stick out in the crowd.”

Synonyms: stand out

To look the same as everyone else.

“The spies tried hard to blend in with the locals.”

Synonyms: fit in, merge

To happen again, as a regular event.

“The festival comes round every summer.”

Synonyms: come around, recur

To take place in a particular way.

“The wedding went off without a hitch.”

Synonyms: proceed, happen

To begin, especially a match or event.

“The big match kicks off at three o’clock.”

Synonyms: start, commence

To end up in a particular place or state.

“We wound up at a little café by the river.”

Synonyms: end up, land up

To continue past the planned time.

“The meeting ran over by half an hour.”

Synonyms: overrun, run late

To move an event to a later time.

“They put back the product launch by a month.”

Synonyms: postpone, delay

To get closer in time.

“As the deadline drew near, we worked faster.”

Synonyms: approach, loom

To make progress or develop.

“How is the new project coming along?”

Synonyms: progress, advance

To begin and seem likely to continue.

“The cold weather has really set in now.”

Synonyms: take hold, establish

To gather people or things together.

“The teacher rounded up the children for the trip.”

Synonyms: gather, assemble

To stop eating or doing something.

“She cut out sugar to feel healthier.”

Synonyms: give up, quit

To eat at home rather than out.

“We decided to eat in and watch a film.”

Synonyms: dine in

To wear casual clothes.

“On Fridays we dress down at the office.”

Synonyms: dress casually

To become a member of an organisation.

“He joined up with the local running club.”

Synonyms: enlist, sign up

To start a habit or develop a liking.

“She has taken to jogging every morning.”

Synonyms: get into, warm to

To manage despite not having something.

“We can easily do without a second car.”

Synonyms: manage without

To buy a large supply of something.

“We stocked up on food before the storm.”

Synonyms: stockpile, lay in

To get rid of something you don’t want.

“I threw out a whole bag of old clothes.”

Synonyms: discard, dump

To accept something less than ideal.

“Don’t settle for second best in life.”

Synonyms: make do with

To return something or help the community.

“They love to give back to their local community.”

Synonyms: return, repay