Phrasal verbs I: separable

ACQUAINT WITH, to make someone aware of or familiar with someone or something You should acquaint yourself with cultures from around the world. ADD ON, to increase or enhance something by joining or uniting something to it We've decided to add on another bedroom to the house. ASK IN, to request someone to come in At the end of the date, I asked Mary in. ASK OUT, to request someone to go on a date with you I asked Mary out again. She refused. BACK UP: a) to make copies of computer files just in case something happens to the original files Please be sure to back up your files before you go home each day. b) to help or support I will back my friends up no matter what they do. c) to go in reverse When Steve passed the beautiful girl hitchhiking on the freeway, he immediately stopped the car, backed up, and offered her a ride. BAIL OUT, to rescue someone from a difficult situation Maxs uncle bailed him out of the financial problems he was having. BALL UP, to roll or form something into a round shape When max does his laundry, instead of folding everything nicely when its done, he just balls everything up and throws it in a bag. BASH IN, to damage something by hitting it violently Vandals bashed in the windows of my new Lamborghini. BEAT UP, to hurt someone by hitting and/or kicking them repeatedly The bully beat the other kids up for their lunch money. BLOW OFF, to remove with powerful force The bomb blew the roof off the house. BLOW UP a)to explode or to destroy something with an explosion Mary was arrested for blowing up Max's car with a homemade bomb. b) to inflate Al's job was to sell the balloons. Jim's job was to blow them up. BOSS AROUND, to tell someone what to do repeatedly Mary likes to boss people around.

BREAK IN, to work or repeatedly use sth so that it becomes comfortable or easily usable Max's shoes hurt him as he had not yet broke them in. BREAK UP, to cause to disperse or scatter What time did the cops break the party up last night? BREAK UP (WITH), to end a relationship Have Tom and Mary broken up yet? I'm thinking about asking Mary out on a date. The Beatles broke up a long time ago. Some people say that Yoko broke the band up. I'm going to break up with Mary. She bores me. BRING AROUND a) to guide someone or convey something I will bring the new intern around the office when she gets here. b) to persuade, to cause to some on to do something through persuasion Marys passionate speech brought Max around to donating to her organization. BRING DOWN, to cause to fall Michael Moore is hoping to bring the Bush administration down. BRING FORTH, to produce or give rise to The eager new intern brought forth many new ideas on how to run the company. BRING IN a) to arrest someone; to bring someone to the police station (usually for questioning) The police brought Max in for robbing the bank. b) to reach a verdict The judge declared a mistrial because the jury could not bring in a verdict. c) to earn money Jill hates her new job, but shes bringing in a lot of money. BRING ON, to cause to appear Bring on the birthday cake! BRING UP a) to raise or rear Mowgli was a boy brought up by wolves. b) to mention When talking to Mary, Max never brings up her criminal record. BURN DOWN, to destroy by fire Please, don't smoke in bed for you may burn the house down. CALL OFF, to cancel Mary decided to call off her wedding with max. CALL UP, to telephone Mary called the priest up to tell him the wedding was off. CALM DOWN, to stop being emotionally distressed Max was so upset that nothing could calm him down.

CHECK IN, to register (usually at a hotel, airport, or hospital) The terrorist sweated nervously as he checked his baggage in. CHEER ON, to support or encourage with shouts of praise The crowd at the marathon cheered the runners on. CHEER UP, to make someone become happier or less miserable We tried very hard to cheer Mary up, but nothing we did worked. CLEAN UP, to clean completely When living with others it is important to clean up after yourself. COLOR IN, to fill with color (usually an outline) Max happily colored in the pictures in his textbook. COPY DOWN, to record in writing Max told Mary about the idea. She copied it down and sold it to the highest bidder. CRANK UP, to increase the power or volume Every time that song comes on the radio, I crank it up. CROSS OUT, to draw a line through something I didnt have an eraser, so I had to cross out my mistakes instead. DIG UP, to look for and find hidden things or information Mary was paid thousands of dollars to dig up some dirt on that promising politician. DISH OUT, to allocate, dispense, or distribute food from a container After dinner, Max dished out some delicious fruit salad for desert. DRAW UP, to prepare Lee Harvey was happy to have the Soviets draw up the assassination plans. DREAM UP, to think of (something new) The CIA and the KGB were always dreaming up new ways of keeping tabs on each other. DRESS UP, to put on formal or very nice clothing Mary likes to dress her son up to go to church. DRINK UP, to finish a drink Bobby drank his juice up and went to bed. DROP OFF, to unload or deliver (on the way to somewhere else) If youre going to the store, could you drop me off at Marys house on the way? DROWN OUT, to make a sound inaudible with a louder sound Max uses his iPod to drown out all of the peoples voices around him. EAT UP, to finish a meal You must eat up all of your vegetables before you can have cake.

EMPTY OUT, to remove everything from a container making it empty Max emptied the refrigerator out. EVEN OUT, to make something measure the same as something else Max has trouble evening out his sideburns since one ear is lower than the other. FIGHT OFF, to keep something or someone away Bill had trouble fighting all of the young ladies off. FILL IN, to complete where needed Please fill in the blanks. FILL UP, to fill completely You can borrow my car, but please fill up the tank before you return it. FIND OUT, to learn or discover Mary was mad when she found out that she was adopted. FREE UP, to make something available (it was previously unavailable) Getting fired from my job freed up my schedule quite a bit. Now I can go to the beach anytime I want. GET ACROSS, to communicate clearly or convincingly No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the message across to her that I cared. GET BACK, to have something returned When Mary called her engagement with Max off, Max tried to get the ring back. GET DOWN a) to depress, exhaust or discourage Talking about politics really gets me down. b) to put in writing Did you get everything I said down? GET OFF, to give great pleasure Burning ants gets Max off. GET OUT, cause to escape or leave Please get that cat out of here. GET UP, to cause to rise Mary got Max up early this morning so that he could make her breakfast. GIVE BACK, to return something Mary did not want to give Max the wedding ring back. GIVE UP, to stop, quit, or abandon Max gave up smoking ten years ago. HAND IN, to turn in or give work you have done Max was embarrassed about handing in his homework late.

HAND OUT, to distribute Lee Harvey often handed out leaflets on the street corner. HANG UP, to place something on something (usually a hook or hanger) so that it doesn't touch the ground; to terminate a phone call Max gets irritated with Mary for not hanging up her clothes after she does the laundry. HIKE UP a) to pull up or raise (usually clothing) When he crossed the flooded street, Max hiked up his pants, so they wouldn't get wet. b) to suddenly raise in amount Every summer oil companies hike up gas prices. Once Boxmart has destroyed all of its competition in a certain area, they hike up their prices. HOLD BACK, to restrain When I saw Max's new haircut, I had a hard time holding back my laughter. HOLD DOWN, to keep a job Mary has never been able to hold down a job. HUNT DOWN, to pursue to find or capture someone or something Max hunted the waitress down, so that he could order dinner. HUSH UP, to make someone become quiet The teacher hushed up the kids. JOT DOWN, to copy down or make a note of Max jotted down a few notes as the professor spoke. KEEP AWAY, to not allow to come near Max was so popular with the girls that he couldn't keep them away. KEEP DOWN, to control; subdue; repress You can have a party, but please keep the noise down as much as possible. KEEP UP a) to maintain in good condition; to persist; persevere in Excellent work! Keep it up. b) to prevent from going to sleep The neighbor's barking dog kept me up all night. KICK OUT, to force to leave The bouncers kicked Max out of the bar for starting a fight. LAY OFF, to dismiss from a job General Motors usually lays workers off just before Christmas so that the CEO can get a large bonus. LEAVE OUT, to not include A margarita is not a margarita if you leave the tequila out.

LET DOWN, to disappoint The team let the coach down. LIFT UP, to elevate something Max could not lift Mary up because she was too heavy. LINE UP, to put in a row Max likes to line up his dominos and then knock them down. LOCK IN, to lock the door so that someone can't leave Mary was afraid that Max might flee, so she locked him in. LOCK OUT, to lock the door so that someone can't enter Jane locked Jack out of the bathroom because she wanted some privacy. LOOK OVER, to inspect or examine (swiftly) I looked over the contract this morning and everything seems fine. LOOK UP, to find information in a book, or book like source Mary decided to look up her ex-boyfriend's phone number LOP OFF, to cut something off (a limb or branch of a tree) The carpenter accidentally lopped off two of his fingers when he was cutting some wood. MAKE UP, to invent (a story) Bill is good at making up stories to get himself out of trouble. MARK DOWN a) to reduce prices K-mart often marks its prices down. b) to write or make a note on something Max marked the phone number down so that he wouldnt forget it. MESS UP, to make disorganized or messy Please do not mess up the house. We are having guests over tonight. PASS OUT, to distribute The teacher passed the assignment out. PAY BACK a) to reciprocate a bad deed Al paid George back by punching him in the nose. b) to give money back that you borrowed Max is avoiding Mary because he doesn't have the money to pay her back. PAY OFF, to pay all of the money you owe Someday I hope to pay off my student loans. PENCIL IN, to schedule someone or something tentatively I will pencil our meeting in for tomorrow at two o'clock.

PERK UP, to cause to be more cheerful or lively Tom brought some flowers to Mary in the hospital. He was hoping to perk her up with them. Unfortunately, she is allergic to flowers. PICK OUT, to choose When shopping for watermelon, I like to pick out the biggest. PLAY DOWN, to make something seem less important Max played down his car accident so that his mother wouldn't get worried. PRINT OUT, to print something from a computer I need to buy some more paper for my printer so that I can print out my report for history class. PULL DOWN, to pull something so that it comes down When Max drinks too much, he sometimes pulls his pants down in public. PUT ACROSS, to communicate; convey effectively During the meeting, management put across the message that our concerns were insignificant. PUT AWAY a) to discard; renounce Let's put away our worries, and live for the moment. b) to consume I watched Max put away several hamburgers in just a few minutes. c) to confine; incarcerate; imprison The government put Sherman away for a year for having the wrong information on his website. PUT BACK, to place something where it was previously When you finish the milk, please don't put the empty container back in the fridge. PUT DOWN a) to insult or make disparaging remarks about someone I feel sorry for Max. Every time he and Mary get together with their friends Mary puts him down in front of everybody. b) to kill a sick or injured animal (usually out of mercy) The vet said it was necessary to put down the race horse because of its broken leg. PUT OFF, to postpone Many students put off doing their homework until it is almost too late. PUT ON a) to dress oneself with; to wear; to don Mary put her best dress on. b) to produce; perform The theater group put on a great show. c) to fool; mislead for amusement You're putting me on!

PUT OUT a) to extinguish The firefighters put the fire out. b) to publish; issue The government put out a news brief to misinform the public. c) to exert, extend The workers put out considerable effort to get the job done on time. d) to expel Please put the cat out. PUT THROUGH a) to implement; bring to a successful conclusion The committee was unable to put through any reforms on campaign financing. b) to make a telephone connection for Operator, put me through to the president! PUT UP a) to raise; erect; build The construction workers put the buildings up in just a few days. b) to accommodate; provide food a shelter to The government put the refugees up in temporary housing. QUIET DOWN, to be less noisy Class, please quiet down. I'm trying to think. RACK UP, to accumulate in number (score) Youd better watch where you park. Youre really racking up the parking tickets. READ OFF, to read aloud items from a list or display The coach read off the names of the players cut from the team. READ OVER, to read something thoroughly Before you sign the contract, please read it over. RENT OUT, to grant temporary use or occupancy in exchange for payment Max rents one of the rooms in house out to make a little extra money. RIP OFF, to steal something Max ripped twenty dollars off from that old lady. RIP UP, to tear something into pieces The teacher ripped Max's test up because he caught Max cheating. RUN OVER, to hit with a vehicle Bill ran over a cat on his way to work. SAVE UP, to collect money for future use Max is saving up for a brand new car. SCREW UP, to make a mistake or do something wrong Max screwed up his relationship with Mary.

SELL OUT a) to compromise one's values for personal gain Catherine sold out. I guess power and money mean more to her than what she said were her personal values. b) to sell everything in the store We can't go to the concert. The tickets have been sold out SEND BACK, to return something I sent the soup back to the kitchen because there was a fly in it. SET UP, to start, organize, or configure Max asked Mary to set up his computer. SETTLE DOWN, to get someone to become calm Settle John down. The neighbors are trying to sleep. SHAVE OFF, to remove hair by shaving Michael Jordan first shaved off all of his hair when he was in his twenties. SHOOT DOWN, to make something hit the ground by shooting it Yugoslavia shot down one US warplane. SHOUT OUT, to speak very loudly; to announce Max shouted the directions to his house out. SHOW OFF, to try to impress by doing or showing When Bill did that trick with the cigar, he was just showing off. SHRUG OFF, to dismiss something as unimportant The president shrugged off his extremely low poll numbers. SORT OUT a) to arrange or separate by type, class, category, etc. Max sorted his socks out. b) to resolve problems or difficulties Max tried to sort out the misunderstanding he had with Mary. SPLIT UP, to divide The bank robbers split the money up equally. TAKE APART, to dismantle or disassemble Max took the engine of his car apart, but couldn't put it back together. TAKE BACK a) to return Max took the defective radio back to the store where he bought it. b) to retrieve something you gave or said I take it back. Mark isn't nearly as dumb as I said.

TAKE DOWN a) to lower Max took his pants down so that the nurse could give him an injection. b) to dismantle; disassemble; take apart Max took down his tent and went home. c) to lower one's self-esteem Mary's constant criticism has taken Max down considerably. TAKE IN a) to reduce in size; make smaller Max lost a lot of weight and had to have all of his pants taken in. b) to give shelter to; to receive as a guest, or lodger The Smiths took Barney in while he was in town. c) to see for enjoyment We took in the sights in the morning and took in a movie later in the evening. TAKE OFF, to remove from something I'm going to take my jacket off. It's hot in here. Take your hand off my knee. I'm not that kind of girl. TAKE ON a) undertake; assume; acquire Max took on a lot of new responsibilities. b) to contend against an opponent I think I can take on Mike Tyson. TAKE OUT a) to take someone on a date Max took Mary out to a fancy restaurant. b) to extract; remove Max takes out the trash every night. TAKE OVER, to gain control of Someday I will take over the world. TAKE UP a) to pursue; turn one's interest to Max decided to take up golfing. b) to consume or fill time or space Homework takes up all of my time. TALK INTO, to persuade to do something Max talked Mary into going to Mexico with him. TALK OUT OF, to persuade not to do something Bill talked his wife out of divorcing him. TANGLE UP, to twist and mix together into a confused mass Max accidentally tangled the electrical cords up. TEAR OFF, to remove something by tearing Chastain made headlines when she tore off her jersey after scoring the winning goal.

THAW OUT, to cause sth to change from a frozen state to a non-frozen state by warming it The warm sun thawed out the icy sidewalk. THINK OVER, to give something a lot of thought Before you make a big decision, you should think it over. THROW AWAY, to discard as trash Lee threw away the parking ticket soon after he received it. THROW OUT, to discard Mary threw out all of her old clothes. THROW UP, to vomit Mary ate so many cookies that she threw up. TIDY UP, to clean; put in order; make neat Max had better tidy up his office before the boss comes back from vacation. TIP OFF, to inform Max tipped off the police about the imminent terrorist attack. TRADE IN, to exchange sth (usually used) for payment or partial payment for sth else. Max traded his old jalopy in as a down payment on a new BMW. TRY ON, to put clothes on to see if it fits Be sure to try athletic shoes on before you buy them. TRY OUT, to test to see if something is suitable I'm going to try out some new recipes for dinner this week. TURN AWAY a) to reject; refuse; dismiss The church turned away the people with no money to pay. b) to repel; deflect His sheer arrogance turned away many potential friends. TURN BACK, to drive away; to halt the advance of The soldiers tried with all of their might to turn back the invading forces. TURN DOWN a) to decrease Please turn the radio down. It's too loud. b) to reject Bill asked 100 girls to go out on a date with him. All but one turned him down. TURN IN, to submit or give work done for someone Max turns in his homework almost always on time. TURN OFF, to disgust Selfish people really turn me off.

TURN OFF, to switch a machine or electrical device to the off position Please turn off the lights when you leave the room. TURN ON a) to switch on ; to cause to operate or flow Max was bored so he turned the TV on. b) to excite pleasurably Mathematics turns me on. TURN OUT, to switch off Please turn out the lights. TURN OVER, to invert; rotate Once the pancake is done on one side, please turn it over to cook the other side. TURN UP, to increase Please turn the radio up. I can hardly hear it. USE UP, to use all of Max used up all of the ink printing his pictures. WATER DOWN, to make weaker Don't go to that bar. The bartender waters down all of the drinks. WEAR DOWN, to cause to be worn or weak Your constant nagging is wearing me down. WEAR OFF, to no longer affect someone Oh no, call the doctor. The drugs are wearing off. WIPE OFF, to clean a surface by dragging a towel or sponge across it After dinner, please wipe off the table and wash the dishes. WRITE DOWN, to record in writing In that class, you should write down everything that the professor says. It's likely to be on the test. ZIP UP, to close with a zipper Everyone was staring because Max forgot to zip up his pants.