B2 English Phrasal Verbs

To pursue something further to get a result.

“We’ll follow up on your enquiry within a week.”

Synonyms: pursue, chase up

To purchase a controlling share of a company.

“They bought out their main competitor last year.”

Synonyms: take over, acquire

To begin a formal agreement.

“The two firms entered into a long-term contract.”

Synonyms: embark on, undertake

To reach an agreement after hard discussion.

“After hours of talks they hammered out a deal.”

Synonyms: negotiate, thrash out

To get something accepted despite opposition.

“Management pushed through the controversial merger.”

Synonyms: force through

To withdraw from an agreement.

“He backed out of the deal at the last minute.”

Synonyms: pull out of

To complete something successfully.

“They carried the ambitious plan through to the end.”

Synonyms: see through, complete

To stop a business from operating.

“The local branch closed down in the recession.”

Synonyms: shut down, wind up

To increase the size of an operation.

“They scaled up production to meet demand.”

Synonyms: expand, ramp up

To introduce a product or service gradually.

“The firm rolled out the new app across Europe.”

Synonyms: launch, release

To begin a career or activity.

“She started out as a junior reporter.”

Synonyms: set out, begin

To make progress in a determined way.

“The company forged ahead despite the doubts.”

Synonyms: press on, advance

To gain money, fame or property.

“She came into a small fortune when she turned thirty.”

Synonyms: inherit, acquire

To deal well with a difficult situation.

“She rose above the constant criticism.”

Synonyms: transcend, overcome

To get an advantage from a situation.

“They cashed in on the sudden demand for masks.”

Synonyms: capitalise on, exploit

To become involved in a new area or market.

“It is hard to break into the film industry.”

Synonyms: enter, penetrate

To increase very quickly.

“House prices shot up over the summer.”

Synonyms: soar, rocket

To produce large amounts quickly.

“The studio churns out blockbusters every year.”

Synonyms: mass-produce, crank out

To be clearly better or more noticeable.

“Her thesis really stands out from the rest.”

Synonyms: shine, excel

To move into a leading position.

“Our team pulled ahead in the final minutes.”

Synonyms: take the lead

To become very angry or to explode.

“The whole argument blew up over nothing.”

Synonyms: erupt, lose it

To break into pieces or completely fail.

“Their carefully laid plans soon fell apart.”

Synonyms: collapse, disintegrate

To stop working or functioning.

“The old car broke down on the motorway.”

Synonyms: fail, pack up

To collapse under pressure or weight.

“The old wooden bridge gave way under the lorry.”

Synonyms: cave in, collapse

To fail or go bankrupt.

“Hundreds of small firms went under that year.”

Synonyms: fold, sink

To collapse inwards or suddenly give up.

“The tunnel roof caved in after the explosion.”

Synonyms: collapse, yield

To form a queue or accumulate.

“Traffic backed up for miles after the crash.”

Synonyms: pile up, build up

To be, in essence, a particular thing.

“It all boils down to a lack of money.”

Synonyms: amount to, come down to

To suddenly become worse or more intense.

“Old tensions flared up between the two groups.”

Synonyms: erupt, intensify

To appear or happen unexpectedly.

“Unexpected problems kept cropping up.”

Synonyms: arise, come up

To persuade someone to do something.

“She talked me into joining the choir.”

Synonyms: persuade, convince

To persuade someone not to do something.

“He talked me out of quitting my job.”

Synonyms: dissuade

To gain someone’s support or approval.

“Her honesty soon won over the doubters.”

Synonyms: persuade, convert

To explain something clearly and in order.

“He laid out his argument point by point.”

Synonyms: set out, present

To confirm that something is true.

“The new figures bear out her theory.”

Synonyms: confirm, support

To suggest that something is true.

“All the evidence points to human error.”

Synonyms: indicate, suggest

To reject an idea or argument firmly.

“They shot down my proposal without discussion.”

Synonyms: reject, dismiss

To make something seem less important.

“The minister played down the seriousness of the leak.”

Synonyms: downplay, minimise

To avoid discussing something fully.

“She glossed over the weak points in her plan.”

Synonyms: skate over, brush over

To try hard to get support or interest.

“They drummed up support for the campaign.”

Synonyms: rally, generate

To rise, as tears in the eyes.

“Tears welled up in her eyes at the news.”

Synonyms: brim, fill

To become too emotional to speak.

“He choked up halfway through the speech.”

Synonyms: get choked

To burst out as anger or excitement.

“His frustration finally boiled over.”

Synonyms: erupt, explode

To suddenly lose control with emotion.

“She flipped out when she saw the mess.”

Synonyms: freak out, lose it

To gradually become calm after anger.

“It took him an hour to simmer down.”

Synonyms: cool down, calm down

To become tense and stiff.

“I always tense up before a big exam.”

Synonyms: stiffen, tighten

To become unable to act or speak.

“He froze up completely during the interview.”

Synonyms: seize up, panic

To suddenly stop talking.

“She clams up whenever she feels nervous.”

Synonyms: shut down, go quiet

To stop yourself showing a feeling.

“He could barely hold back his tears.”

Synonyms: restrain, suppress

To be replaced by another feeling.

“Her relief soon gave way to anger.”

Synonyms: yield to, turn to

To begin to like someone or something.

“I warmed to her the moment we met.”

Synonyms: take to, grow fond of

To have an argument and stop being friends.

“She fell out with her closest colleague.”

Synonyms: quarrel with

To flatter someone to gain favour.

“He’s always sucking up to the manager.”

Synonyms: flatter, grovel to

To speak to someone as if they were stupid.

“I hate the way he talks down to people.”

Synonyms: patronise

To choose one person for special attention.

“She was singled out for special praise.”

Synonyms: pick out, select

To not include someone or something.

“They left him out of the team again.”

Synonyms: exclude, omit

To flatter someone so they help you.

“He buttered up the boss before asking for leave.”

Synonyms: sweet-talk, flatter

To gradually become less close.

“The old friends slowly drifted apart.”

Synonyms: grow apart

To join with someone to work together.

“We teamed up with a rival firm on the project.”

Synonyms: join forces, partner

To become friendly with a group.

“He fell in with a bad crowd at university.”

Synonyms: take up with

To think or talk too long about something.

“Try not to dwell on your past mistakes.”

Synonyms: brood on, linger on

To think carefully about something.

“She reflected on the choices she had made.”

Synonyms: ponder, contemplate

To consider an idea without commitment.

“I toyed with the idea of moving abroad.”

Synonyms: flirt with, play with

To suddenly think of an idea.

“She hit upon a brilliant solution in the shower.”

Synonyms: stumble on, chance on

To think hard in order to understand.

“He puzzled over the strange message for hours.”

Synonyms: ponder, wrestle with

To remember something from the past.

“Think back to your very first day at school.”

Synonyms: recall, look back

To gradually become clear to someone.

“It slowly dawned on me that I was lost.”

Synonyms: occur to, register

To stop paying attention to surroundings.

“I zoned out completely during the lecture.”

Synonyms: switch off, drift

To stop concentrating or worrying.

“I find it hard to switch off after work.”

Synonyms: tune out, unwind

To be fully understood or realised.

“The terrible news took a while to sink in.”

Synonyms: register, take hold

To make people forget about a mistake.

“He never quite lived down that embarrassing speech.”

Synonyms: outlive, escape

To take responsibility for something.

“One day they will answer for their actions.”

Synonyms: account for

To avoid being punished for something.

“Somehow he got away with handing it in late.”

Synonyms: escape blame for

To regard someone as inferior.

“She has never looked down on anyone.”

Synonyms: disdain, scorn

To make something seem more important.

“He played up his small role in the success.”

Synonyms: exaggerate, overstate

To hide a mistake or crime.

“The company tried to cover up the safety failures.”

Synonyms: conceal, hush up

To defend someone or something.

“You must learn to stand up for yourself.”

Synonyms: defend, champion

To reply rudely to someone in authority.

“The pupil was punished for talking back to the teacher.”

Synonyms: answer back

To bring under control.

“He struggled to rein in his temper.”

Synonyms: restrain, curb

To succeed in something with ease.

“She sailed through her final exams.”

Synonyms: breeze through

To rely on something happening.

“Don’t bank on getting a bonus this year.”

Synonyms: count on, depend on

To exchange something for money.

“She cashed in her shares before the crash.”

Synonyms: redeem, sell

To invest a lot of money in something.

“They ploughed millions into the new factory.”

Synonyms: pour into, sink into

To accept that money or a debt is lost.

“The bank wrote off the unpayable debt.”

Synonyms: cancel, discount

To earn a large amount of money.

“The blockbuster raked in millions worldwide.”

Synonyms: pull in, net

To pay a lot of money, often unwillingly.

“I shelled out a fortune on the repairs.”

Synonyms: fork out, splash out

To save something secretly for later.

“She had squirrelled away a tidy sum.”

Synonyms: stash, hoard

To use something to its absolute limit.

“He maxed out three credit cards on holiday.”

Synonyms: exhaust

To rescue someone from financial trouble.

“The government bailed out the failing bank.”

Synonyms: rescue, prop up

To help someone through a difficult period.

“This loan should tide us over until payday.”

Synonyms: see through, carry

To mark the start of a new period.

“The election ushered in a wave of reform.”

Synonyms: herald, introduce

To cause something to happen.

“The decision gave rise to fierce protests.”

Synonyms: produce, trigger

To develop gradually into something.

“The small blog evolved into a global brand.”

Synonyms: turn into, grow into

To stop using something gradually.

“They are phasing out petrol cars by 2035.”

Synonyms: withdraw, retire

To introduce something gradually.

“The new rules will be phased in over a year.”

Synonyms: bring in, roll out

To get rid of or abolish something.

“They did away with the outdated entrance fee.”

Synonyms: abolish, scrap

To divide and go in a new direction.

“The main path branches off near the river.”

Synonyms: diverge, split off

To gradually decrease or weaken.

“Sales tailed off sharply after Christmas.”

Synonyms: dwindle, peter out

To stop rising or falling and stay steady.

“Prices finally levelled off this spring.”

Synonyms: stabilise, plateau

To cause something to start suddenly.

“A single spark set off the chain reaction.”

Synonyms: trigger, spark

To face a difficult situation bravely.

“He finally squared up to his responsibilities.”

Synonyms: face up to, confront

To suddenly attack or criticise someone.

“She rounded on her critics at the meeting.”

Synonyms: turn on, lash at

To deal more strictly with something.

“Police are cracking down on speeding drivers.”

Synonyms: get tough on

To act firmly to stop something.

“The city clamped down on illegal parking.”

Synonyms: stamp out, suppress

To criticise someone or something strongly.

“The author hit out at her harshest reviewers.”

Synonyms: attack, denounce

To attack someone suddenly.

“He was set upon by three masked men.”

Synonyms: attack, assail

To rebel against authority.

“The people rose up against the dictator.”

Synonyms: revolt, rebel

To accept and deal with a difficulty.

“You must face up to the consequences.”

Synonyms: confront, own

To refuse to change your position.

“Both sides dug in and refused to compromise.”

Synonyms: stand firm, hold firm

To resist or survive in a tough situation.

“The defenders held out against the siege.”

Synonyms: hold firm, last

To become conscious again.

“She slowly came round after fainting.”

Synonyms: come to, revive

To survive a serious illness or crisis.

“The doctors were sure he would pull through.”

Synonyms: recover, survive

To get rid of an illness or feeling.

“I just can’t shake off this nasty cough.”

Synonyms: get over, throw off

To cause pain or trouble again.

“My old knee injury is acting up again.”

Synonyms: play up, flare up

To become very thin and weak.

“He wasted away during the long illness.”

Synonyms: wither, decline

To recover quickly after a setback.

“She bounced back within days of the surgery.”

Synonyms: rebound, recover

To become ill with a particular disease.

“Half the class went down with the flu.”

Synonyms: catch, come down with

To become less severe.

“The pain in my back eased off by evening.”

Synonyms: let up, subside

To resist an illness or attacker.

“Vitamin C may help you fight off a cold.”

Synonyms: ward off, resist

To stop moving and become stiff.

“My back seized up halfway through the run.”

Synonyms: stiffen, lock up

To become involved to help in a situation.

“The manager stepped in to settle the dispute.”

Synonyms: intervene, help out

To do someone’s job temporarily.

“She stood in for the chairman at the meeting.”

Synonyms: fill in, cover

To agree formally to do something.

“I signed up for the management course.”

Synonyms: enrol, register

To record that you are leaving work.

“We usually clock off at five thirty.”

Synonyms: finish, knock off

To stop work for the day.

“Let’s knock off early on Friday.”

Synonyms: finish up, call it a day

To telephone your workplace.

“He called in sick for the third time this month.”

Synonyms: phone in

To give work to others to do.

“They farmed out the design work to a studio.”

Synonyms: outsource, delegate

To overwhelm someone with work.

“I’m completely snowed under this week.”

Synonyms: swamp, overwhelm

To persuade someone to help.

“She roped me in to help with the accounts.”

Synonyms: enlist, draft in

To deal with or take care of something.

“I’ll see to the booking first thing tomorrow.”

Synonyms: attend to, handle

To mention something briefly.

“The report only touches on the wider issues.”

Synonyms: mention, allude to

To give more detail about something.

“Could you expand on that last point?”

Synonyms: elaborate on

To keep talking about the same thing.

“He keeps harping on about the good old days.”

Synonyms: go on about, dwell on

To interrupt a conversation.

“She cut in before I could finish my sentence.”

Synonyms: butt in, interrupt

To add a comment to a conversation.

“Several people chimed in with their views.”

Synonyms: join in, interject

To express ideas so they are understood.

“He put his argument across with great clarity.”

Synonyms: get across, convey

To talk for a long time about little.

“He rattled on for an hour about his holiday.”

Synonyms: ramble, prattle

To gradually become quieter and stop.

“Her voice trailed off into silence.”

Synonyms: fade out, peter out

To stop someone being heard by shouting.

“Protesters shouted down the visiting minister.”

Synonyms: drown out, silence

To express strong opinions loudly.

“He loves to sound off about modern politics.”

Synonyms: hold forth, rant

To establish a rule or principle firmly.

“The committee laid down strict new guidelines.”

Synonyms: set down, establish

To begin an important project.

“The team embarked on an ambitious new project.”

Synonyms: set out on, launch into

To continue with a plan despite difficulty.

“They pressed ahead with the reforms anyway.”

Synonyms: push on with

To continue with something until it is finished.

“She was determined to see the project through.”

Synonyms: complete, finish

To use something when other plans fail.

“If the deal collapses, we can fall back on savings.”

Synonyms: resort to, turn to

To include something when making a decision.

“You must factor in the cost of delivery.”

Synonyms: take into account

To focus all attention on something.

“Investigators zeroed in on a single suspect.”

Synonyms: home in on, focus on

To make a plan more definite.

“Let’s firm up the arrangements this week.”

Synonyms: finalise, nail down

To add more detail to something.

“We need to flesh out the rough proposal.”

Synonyms: expand, develop

To discuss thoroughly to reach a decision.

“The committee thrashed out a compromise.”

Synonyms: hammer out, resolve

To be in charge of an organisation or event.

“She presides over the largest charity in the region.”

Synonyms: chair, oversee

To govern or control a place or people.

“The dynasty ruled over the empire for centuries.”

Synonyms: govern, reign over

To be under someone’s authority.

“As director, she answers only to the board.”

Synonyms: report to

To give in to pressure or authority.

“The council finally bowed to public pressure.”

Synonyms: yield to, submit to

To put an end to something completely.

“The new law aims to stamp out corruption.”

Synonyms: eradicate, wipe out

To prevent a group from gaining power.

“The regime kept the people down for decades.”

Synonyms: suppress, hold back

To make rules or control stricter.

“They tightened up security after the breach.”

Synonyms: toughen, strengthen

To give up a position for someone else.

“The chairman stepped aside for a younger leader.”

Synonyms: stand down, make way

To force your way into something for gain.

“New firms muscled in on the lucrative market.”

Synonyms: barge in on

To impose strict control over a place.

“Authorities locked down the city after the alert.”

Synonyms: seal off, secure

To prevent something from becoming public.

“They tried to hush up the embarrassing scandal.”

Synonyms: cover up, suppress

To reveal something by accident.

“She accidentally let slip the surprise.”

Synonyms: blurt out, give away

To admit the truth about something.

“He finally came clean about the missing money.”

Synonyms: confess, own up

To trick or expose someone in a mistake.

“The tricky question caught several candidates out.”

Synonyms: trip up, expose

To invent a story or excuse.

“He made up a feeble excuse for being late.”

Synonyms: fabricate, invent

To secretly warn or inform someone.

“An insider tipped off the journalists.”

Synonyms: alert, inform

To hide someone’s wrongdoing.

“She covered for her colleague’s mistake.”

Synonyms: protect, shield

To make a mistake, or cause one.

“He tripped up when asked about the dates.”

Synonyms: slip up, stumble

To avoid a duty using clever excuses.

“He always wriggles out of doing the washing-up.”

Synonyms: get out of, dodge

To discover hidden information.

“Reporters dug up details of the secret deal.”

Synonyms: unearth, uncover

To finish or complete something.

“Let’s wrap up the meeting and go home.”

Synonyms: finish off, conclude

To gradually come to an end.

“The initial excitement soon petered out.”

Synonyms: fizzle out, die out

To cause a particular outcome.

“The error resulted in serious delays.”

Synonyms: lead to, bring about

To cause or bring about something.

“Too much stress can lead to poor health.”

Synonyms: result in, cause

To finally be in a place or situation.

“We took a wrong turn and ended up lost.”

Synonyms: wind up, land up

To happen as a result of something earlier.

“This study follows on from our earlier work.”

Synonyms: stem from, arise from

To be caused by something.

“Most of the errors stem from poor planning.”

Synonyms: arise from, originate in

To have something as the deciding factor.

“In the end, it all comes down to trust.”

Synonyms: boil down to, hinge on

To begin to affect another area.

“The dispute spilled over into open conflict.”

Synonyms: extend into

To accept an unpleasant situation.

“We will simply have to live with the decision.”

Synonyms: put up with, tolerate