tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374818500462913292024-10-24T22:09:29.193-07:00A Daily Updated Dictionary of English Phrasal VerbsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-76263882932762164372008-02-23T06:03:00.000-08:002008-02-09T06:11:12.252-08:00<h2>shop around (for something) </h2><p>Definition: to search (for something) until one finds the best value for money </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>You'd better shop around (for the best deal). </i></p><p>Usage note: informal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-58081935343459076882008-02-22T05:22:00.000-08:002008-02-09T05:54:54.552-08:00<h2>come down with something </h2><p>Definition: to become ill with something </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>My brother has come down with flu.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-56950275616195505892008-02-21T05:17:00.000-08:002008-02-09T05:21:52.707-08:00<h2>detract from something </h2><p>Definition: to reduce or diminish something </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>Bad reviews of the movie detracted from my eagerness to see it. </i></p><p>Usage note: formal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-85952872646801803682008-02-20T05:11:00.000-08:002008-02-09T05:17:25.033-08:00<h2>head for something </h2><p>Definition: to be on the way to something </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>You're heading for disaster now.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-64565577416263348962008-02-19T05:04:00.000-08:002008-02-09T05:09:10.639-08:00<h2>measure up (to somebody/something) </h2><p>Definition: to reach the required standard (when compared with somebody/something) </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>To be honest, your essay doesn't measure up (to what I expected).</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-61287534010953785662008-02-18T05:10:00.000-08:002008-02-09T05:11:02.338-08:00<h2>habituate somebody/oneself to something </h2><p>Definition: to make somebody/oneself used to something </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>You are expected to habituate yourself to the cold climate. </i></p><p>Usage note: formal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-45613746979468413022008-02-17T04:53:00.000-08:002008-02-09T05:01:06.371-08:00<h2>insist on/upon (doing) something </h2><p>Definition: to demand something, not accepting alternatives </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>The customer insisted on seeing the manager.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-22277639063323294752008-02-16T04:47:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:53:09.694-08:00<h2>look down on somebody/something </h2><p>Definition: to regard somebody/something as being inferior </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>Her father looks down on the working class. </i></p><p>Usage note: opposite of <i><a href="http://a-phrasal-verb-a-day.blogspot.com/2008/01/look-up-to.html">look up to</a></i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-12686281746747535002008-02-15T04:43:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:46:54.338-08:00<h2>peter out </h2><p>Definition: to decrease gradually </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>The movement petered out in the 1970s.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-22455745594222513762008-02-14T04:34:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:43:05.283-08:00<h2>trade something off (against something) </h2><p>Definition: to exchange something (for something) </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>Is it really necessary to trade your reputation off against the money? </i></p><p>Usage note: <i>trade-off </i>(noun)</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-72341185679542809842008-02-13T04:24:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:34:14.257-08:00<h2>whittle something away </h2><p>Definition: to reduce something gradually </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>My earnings have been whittled away by increased expenses.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-70806834618191349852008-02-12T04:19:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:24:01.828-08:00<h2>dwell on/upon something </h2><p>Definition: to think, speak or write a lot about something </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>It's better not to dwell on your disadvantages.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-61304139264697117262008-02-11T04:17:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:19:46.782-08:00<h2>eat out </h2><p>Definition: to eat at a restaurant rather than at home </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>Let's eat out tonight.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-12053619625897479272008-02-10T04:11:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:17:00.519-08:00<h2>fetch up </h2><p>Definition: to arrive in a place, often by chance </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>It was strange that they all fetched up in the same place. </i></p><p>Usage note: British English, informal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-24355389473151614952008-02-09T04:01:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:11:23.048-08:00<h2>edit something out (of something) </h2><p>Definition: to remove something (from something) during editing </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Examples: <i>Whole paragraphs were edited out of the script. ○ They edited several scenes out.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-77759134141444553342008-02-08T00:55:00.000-08:002008-02-08T01:09:59.664-08:00<h2>bring somebody/something through (something) </h2><p>Definition: to help somebody/something to survive (something) </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Examples: <i>The doctors were able to bring the injured driver through. ○ We must make a concerted effort to bring the firm through this crisis.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-11439345772092473312008-02-07T08:49:00.000-08:002008-02-07T11:39:21.051-08:00<h2>piece something together </h2><p>Definitions: 1. to join parts to form a whole/to form a whole by joining parts 2. to join pieces of information to compose a story/to compose a story by joining pieces of information </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Examples: 1. <i>These bits of paper have to be pieced together to make a picture/A picture has to be pieced together from these bits of paper. </i>2. <i>The police are still trying to piece together the clues/piece together a full account of what really happened.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-40485447727528059862008-02-06T03:44:00.000-08:002008-02-06T04:18:47.663-08:00<h2>rake something/it in </h2><p>Definition: to earn something/a lot of money </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Examples: <i>If things go on like this, we'll rake in more than we did last month. ○ As a successful businessman, he's really raking it in. </i></p><p>Usage note: informal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-82662966154312387402008-02-05T10:12:00.000-08:002008-02-05T10:50:28.276-08:00<h2>whistle for something </h2><p>Definition: to hope for something with no chance of getting it </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>You can whistle for your money now - the firm's gone bankrupt. </i></p><p>Usage note: informal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-35191961791121999352008-02-04T08:07:00.000-08:002008-02-04T08:18:11.294-08:00<h2>lose out (to somebody/something) </h2><p>Definition: to be defeated (by somebody/something) </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>In this era of fierce competition, many small businesses are losing out (to multinationals). </i></p><p>Usage note: informal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-20029560031868283442008-02-03T10:29:00.000-08:002008-02-03T10:52:39.052-08:00<h2>put (something) about </h2><p>Definition: (of a ship) to (cause a ship to) change direction </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>The captain put the ship about as soon as he saw the approaching ferry. </i></p><p>Usage note: nautical phrasal verb </p><h2>put something about </h2><p>Definition: (of news) to circulate something </p><p>Example: <i>I've got no idea who put it/the story about that the union was going to be dissolved.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-57514073536017340532008-02-02T08:53:00.000-08:002008-02-02T09:05:13.650-08:00<h2>get down to (doing) something </h2><p>Definition: to begin (to do) something seriously </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Examples: <i>It's time to get down to business. ○ I must get down to writing this report. </i></p><p>Usage note: informal phrasal verb</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-65685897522089384372008-02-01T07:26:00.000-08:002008-02-01T07:32:41.705-08:00<h2>figure somebody/something out </h2><p>Definition: to understand somebody/something </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Examples: <i>He's a difficult man to figure out. ○ I can't figure out why he behaved in that way. </i></p><h2>figure something out </h2><p>Definition: to calculate something </p><p>Example: <i>Let's figure out how much we'll have to pay.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-33170667883966879632008-01-31T10:39:00.000-08:002008-01-31T10:57:16.950-08:00<h2>gamble (something) on something </h2><p>Definition: to bet (something) on something </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Examples: <i>Many people gamble on the horses. ○ He gambled all his money on the London side. </i></p><h2>gamble on (doing) something </h2><p>Definition: to act in the hope of something happening </p><p>Examples: <i>The president gambled on (winning) public support. ○ Don't gamble on the weather being fine.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537481850046291329.post-18381415893050646492008-01-30T06:26:00.000-08:002008-01-30T06:30:53.650-08:00<h2>look up to somebody </h2><p>Definition: to respect somebody </p><span class="fullpost"><p>Example: <i>He is one of the politicians most looked up to in this country.</i></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0