Phrasal Verbs 801-900
801.
|
soften … up
|
To become or make someone soft or softer.
To make someone less powerful or
effective, especially in a gradual or insidious way so that they will be
vulnerable or more vulnerable.
|
802.
|
sop … up
|
To soak up liquid by using something such
as a cloth, sponge, etc.
|
803.
|
sort … out
sort through
|
To deal with someone who causes
difficulty or annoyance, e.g. We sorted out a misunderstanding over the terms
of an agreement by discussing in great detail.
To deal with something such as a problem,
difficulty, etc., e.g. The staff stayed on late to sort the pile of printed
documents out into individual reports.
To classify or categorize or arrange
things into an order.
|
804.
|
sound off
sound … out
|
To express one’s opinions in a loud or
forceful way.
To seek the opinions of others before
undertaking something.
|
805.
|
soup … up
|
To improve something by making it more
interesting or impressive.
|
806.
|
space … out
|
To feel disorientated or confused, e.g.
He doesn’t seem to concentrate on what he is saying; he’s spaced out because
it doesn’t make sense.
|
807.
|
speak for
speak of
speak out
speak to
speak up
|
To express one’s opinions, thoughts,
feelings, position, beliefs, etc.
To be a clear indication of the existence
of an incident or event, e.g. the large presence of policemen spoke of
trouble.
To publicly protest by expressing one’s
opinions frankly, especially when this could be a risk to oneself.
To talk to someone in order to advise,
inform about something, etc.
To express one’s views publicly or speak
in favour of someone or something.
To ask someone to speak loudly or more
loudly.
|
808.
|
speed by
speed up
|
To pass very quickly, e.g. The months and
years speed by and soon we are not young any more.
To move or work, or make something move
or work faster, e.g. They have to speed up to meet the deadline.
|
809.
|
spell … out
|
To say or write the letters that made up
a word.
To explain something clearly and in
detail.
|
810.
|
spill over
|
(Conflict, etc.) to spread and affect
other places or people.
|
811.
|
spin … off
spin out
spin ... out
|
(A parent company) to turn a subsidiary
into a new and separate company.
(Vehicles) to be out of control, e.g.
fast-moving car spins out of control on the wet road.
To make something such as money, food,
etc. last as long as one possibly can, especially because one has limited
amount of it.
|
812.
|
splash down
splash out on
|
(Spacecraft) to return to Earth by
landing in the sea.
To spend vast sum of money on something,
e.g. They splash out on more decoration of their house.
|
813.
|
split off
split on
split up
|
To separate or break away from someone or
something.
To commit betrayal by informing on
someone.
To end a marriage or a relationship.
To divide into groups, parts, sections,
etc.
|
814.
|
spread out
|
(People) to move apart from each other so
as to occupy a bigger area.
To open out something on a flat surface
such as a table.
|
815.
|
spring from
spring … on
spring up
|
To originate or come from somewhere.
To present or give something such as
information, etc. to someone suddenly or unexpectedly that causes surprise or
shock.
To suddenly appear or start to exist.
|
816.
|
spruce up
|
To make someone or something neater,
tidier or smarter.
|
817.
|
spy … out
|
To seek out secret information on someone
or something.
|
818.
|
square … away
square off
square … off
square up to
square with
|
To finish something in a satisfactory
way.
To assume an aggressive attitude.
To calm or pacify someone.
To face and deal with a difficult
situation or person.
To reconcile two ideas, situations,
facts, etc. to show that they can exist together.
|
819.
|
stack up
|
To measure up or compare.
|
820.
|
stake … out
|
To keep someone or some place under close
observation, especially because of suspected criminal activities.
|
821.
|
stamp … out
|
To forcibly put an end to something.
|
822.
|
stand against
stand alone
stand around
stand by
stand down
stand for
stand in
stand off
stand out
stand out against
stand over
stand to
stand up
stand ... up
stand up for
stand up to
|
To contest against another candidate in
an election.
To be unequalled.
To stand somewhere and not do anything,
e.g. He grumbles that the supervisor has nothing to do but stands around
watching him every minute.
To look on without getting involved.
To stay loyal and support someone, e.g.
will always stand by him.
To maintain the validity of one’s words
or action, e.g. He stands by what he said earlier.
To be ready to do what is required, e.g.
A lifeguard always stands by at the swimming pool.
To leave one’s position or office.
To leave the witness box in court after
giving evidence.
To represent something in the form of
abbreviation, symbol, etc., e.g. I think most people know what UN stands for.
To not tolerate or endure something, e.g.
More and more people the world over will not stand for racism.
To support a particular set of ideas,
values, or principles, e.g. Voters should demand that candidates state what
they stand for so that they (voters) know what they are voting for.
To temporarily take over the work of
someone who is away.
To move or keep away.
To be conspicuous or clearly noticeable.
To be clearly better than someone else.
To be strongly opposed to an idea, plan,
etc.
To watch someone closely to ensure they
work properly.
To move to a position, ready for action.
To be in a standing position, e.g. As
soon as she finished singing, everyone stood up to give her a standing
ovation.
To be able to withstand close scrutiny,
test, etc.
To fail to keep an appointment, etc.,
e.g. I was supposed to go fishing with Jack today, but he stood me up
To speak or act in support or defence of
someone or something.
To defend oneself against or refuse to be
unfairly treated by someone.
|
823.
|
stare … out/down
|
To look at someone at length until they
feel forced to look elsewhere.
|
824.
|
start in
start in on
start off
start on
start on at
start out/up
start over
start up
|
To begin doing something.
To begin to do or deal with something.
To attack someone or something verbally.
To begin in a certain way, e.g. The event
started off in fine weather but midway through it began to rain.
To begin a journey, e.g. We will start
off as soon as they arrive.
To begin doing some of the things, e.g.
We will start on the mowing first before we proceed to the planting.
To start to talk by criticizing someone
and their behaviour, e.g. She started on at him for always returning home
late from work.
To begin a business enterprise or
undertaking.
To restart doing something in order to do
it better.
To begin operation, e.g. I usually start
up the car’s engine to warm it up before driving it.
To begin something, e.g. He started up a
restaurant in the neighbourhood, but closed down after six months.
|
825.
|
starve … into
starve … out
|
To force someone to do something by
denying them food.
To force someone out of a place by
denying them food.
|
826.
|
stave in
stave ... off
|
To break something inwards or be broken
inwards by something.
To avert something bad or dangerous
happening to one.
|
827.
|
stay off
stay on
stay out
stay up
|
To keep away from, e.g. Visitors to the
temple were advised to stay off the grass whenever or wherever they walk.
To continue doing something such as
working, studying, etc. after the usual time or the others have left, e.g. He
decides to stay on in the library while the others leave for home.
To decide to return home late, e.g. On
weekend, Jack stays out late boozing with his mates.
To not get involved in a situation, especially
a bad one, e.g. The neighbour’s wife and mine have been quarrelling for the
past days, I choose to stay out of it.
To go to bed later than normal, e.g. He
is a night owl who enjoys staying up late.
|
828.
|
steam … open/off
steam up
|
To make use of steam to do something such
as opening and removing a stamp from an envelope, etc.
To cover or become covered with steam.
To be or become extremely agitated or
angry.
|
829.
|
stem from
|
To originate in or be caused by
something.
|
830.
|
step down
step forward
step in
step on
step out
step ... up
|
To resign from one’s official position.
To volunteer one’s services.
To get involved in a difficult situation
in order to help.
To act or serve in place of someone.
To place one’s foot on something, e.g. My
big fat auntie accidentally stepped on my toe; it’s terribly painful that
tears roll down my cheeks.
To go out of a room or building, etc.,
usually for a short time, e.g. He steps out for a smoke.
To increase something such as amount,
speed, etc. of something.
|
831.
|
stick around
stick at
stick by
stick ... on
stick out
stick out for
stick to
stick together
stick ... .up
stick up for
stick with
|
To stay for a while longer, e.g. We were
asked to stick around for a while so as to have a drink together, but we’ve
already waited for half an hour.
To continue to do what one is doing with
the same determination.
To continue to support someone.
To blame someone for a mistake or
wrongdoing.
To be particularly noticeable, e.g. His
two oversized ears stick out more than usual.
To extend from a surface, e.g. Be careful
when you handle that plant, it has sharp thorns sticking out.
To extend a part of one outward, e.g.
This dog certainly looks rather tired, with its tongue sticking out dripping
with saliva and body shaking.
To tolerate an unpleasant or difficult
situation, e.g. I found the roller coaster ride more scary than exciting, but
I stuck it out.
To refuse to accept less than what one
wants
To continue to do what one thinks or
believes is proper, e.g. He always considers very carefully before making a
decision, and once a decision is made he sticks to it.
To talk or write relevantly, e.g. A
speaker or writer should stick to the subject in question, and not wander off
to something else.
To cooperate or remain united for mutual
benefit.
To rob someone at gunpoint, e.g. No one
was aware that a couple of men were sticking up a store until police arrived.
To put up something such as a sign,
notice, etc., e.g. Someone stuck a picture of Popeye up on the public toilet
wall.
(Something) to point out from a surface.
To defend oneself or someone else when
others will not.
To stay close to someone physically or
romantically.
To do something as planned despite the
difficulty.
(Something) to remain in one’s memory,
e.g. The nightmare I had has stuck with me since.
|
832.
|
sting … for
|
To overcharge someone for something, e.g.
The mechanic stung him for a big amount for a minor repair to his car.
|
833.
|
stink … out
|
To fill a place with a particularly
unpleasant smell, e.g. The new coat of paint is stinking out the whole
office.
|
834.
|
stir … up
|
To deliberately cause conflict between
people by spreading rumours or gossip, etc.
To cause something to rise, e.g. The strong
wind stirs up a lot of dust.
|
835.
|
stitch up
stitch ... up
|
To apply stitches to cloth or wound in
order to fasten or cure.
To satisfactorily finalize a deal or
agreement.
To handle a situation in such a way as to
disadvantage someone.
|
836.
|
stock up
|
To accumulate a supply of something, e.g.
They stock up on whisky for the forthcoming celebration.
|
837.
|
stoke up
|
To add coal or wood to a fire.
To stir up strong emotions among people
To eat a large amount of food to get the
energy required for sustained activity.
To stock something such as clothing, etc.
for one’s needs.
|
838.
|
stoop to
|
To lower one’s dignity so far as to
commit a morally wrongful act.
|
839.
|
stop back
stop by
stop … down
stop in
stop off
stop out
stop over
stop up
|
To return to a place one has previously
been.
To visit a place or person briefly when
on one’s way to somewhere else.
To reduce the lens aperture in a camera
to allow less light in when one is photographing.
To visit a place or person briefly when
on one’s way to somewhere else.
To make a brief visit to a place,
especially to rest or visit someone, en route to one’s destination, e.g. We
stopped off at our parents’ house for a day on our way to the island.
To stay out later than usual.
To make a short stay somewhere before
resuming one’s journey, e.g. We stopped over at our grandparents’ house for a
drink on our way home.
To stay up late.
|
840.
|
stow away
|
To hide oneself on a ship, aircraft, etc.
in order to travel secretly or without paying.
|
841.
|
straighten … out
straighten up
|
To make something straight, e.g. The
workers are working to straighten out the winding road.
To deal with the causes of a difficult
problem with a view to resolving it, e.g. They meet for discussion to straighten
out the remaining issues.
To help someone overcome their bad
behaviour or personal problems, e.g. We don’t condemn the kids’ behaviour or
punish them, instead we try to understand them and help them to straighten
out.
To decide to change one’s way of behaving
and become a better person.
|
842.
|
stretch out
|
To lie down in order to rest or sleep.
|
843.
|
strike back
strike … down
strike off
strike on/upon
strike out
strike up
|
To retaliate.
To cause someone to fall by hitting them
very hard.
(Disease) to make someone die or
seriously ill.
To stop doctors, lawyers, etc. from
practising their profession by removing their names from the official list of
those who are allowed to practise.
To discover something such as a good
idea, etc.
To remove an item from a list by drawing
a line through it.
To do something new on one’s own such as
living alone, starting a business, etc.
To begin to play a piece of music.
To start a friendship or conversation
with someone.
|
844.
|
string along
string … out
string together
string ... up
|
To deceive someone over a length of time.
To prolong something.
To be anxious or tense over something.
To be joined or spread in a straight
line, e.g. pearls, islands.
To be able to put two things such as
words, sentences, etc. together to make sense to other people, e.g. Can a
drunk string two words together to make sense?
To put someone to death by hanging, e.g.
He was finally strung up for the multiple murders he committed.
|
845.
|
strip away
strip ... of
|
To gradually get rid of something such as
habits, customs, etc.
To deprive someone of something such as
rank, power, property, citizenship, etc.
|
846.
|
struggle on
|
To continue obstinately a course of
action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
|
847.
|
stub … out
|
To snuff out a cigarette butt by pressing
the lighted end against something.
|
848.
|
stumble on/across
|
To find something or meet someone by
chance and unexpectedly.
|
849.
|
stump up
|
To pay a sum of money.
|
850.
|
subject … to
|
To cause or force someone to undergo
something unpleasant or difficult.
|
851.
|
subscribe for
subscribe to
|
To accept to hold shares in a company.
To agree to receive something, especially
a periodical, regularly by paying in advance.
To believe and support an idea, view,
belief, etc.
|
852.
|
suck up
|
To be completely obedient and attentive
to the comfort or wishes of others in order to gain a personal advantage.
|
853.
|
sucker … into
|
To fool or trick someone into doing
something.
|
854.
|
suffer from
|
To be affected by an illness, especially
one that lasts a long time.
To have a problem that hinders success.
|
855.
|
suit … to
|
To make something appropriate for
someone.
|
856.
|
sum up
|
To summarize something briefly such as a
report, speech, etc.
|
857.
|
suss … out
|
To understand or realize the true
character or nature of something.
|
858.
|
swallow … up
|
To take in and cause to disappear, e.g.
rise in earning being swallowed up by increases in food and other prices.
|
859.
|
swarm with
|
To be crowded or overrun with people,
animals, etc., e.g. the beach is swarmed with people.
|
860.
|
swear by
swear … in
swear off
swear to
|
To have great confidence in something,
e.g. He swears by the quality of the new model of a product.
To admit someone to a position or office
by having them take an oath, e.g. the person elected as president having to
take the presidential oath on assuming office.
To promise to refrain or abstain from
doing something.
To make a formal declaration that
something is true.
|
861.
|
sweat out
sweat off
|
To continue doing something difficult
until completion.
To do strenuous physical exercise.
To get rid of something such as bodily
fat, illness, etc. by sweating through doing something such as aerobic
exercises, etc.
|
862.
|
sweep … aside
sweep … away
sweep up
|
To remove someone or something quickly.
To ignore what someone says.
To cause the death of someone and/or
completely destroy something, e.g. floods sweep people and houses away.
To clean a place by using a brush, broom,
etc.
|
863.
|
swing around/round
swing by
|
To turn or make something turn around
quickly.
To make a short visit to a place or
someone for a particular purpose.
|
864.
|
switch off
switch on
switch over
|
To use a switch to turn off something
such as television, etc., e.g. It often happens here that no one switches off
the television when no one is watching it.
To cease paying attention or listening to
someone.
To turn on something such as electric
light, television, machine, etc. by using a switch.
To change from something such as a
system, dress, television station, etc. to another.
|
865.
|
swot up
|
To study intensively and with
perseverance, e.g. Students just have to swot up in order to pass their
examinations.
|
866.
|
tack … on
|
To add something to something else later
when needed.
|
867.
|
tag along
tag … on
|
To accompany someone uninvited.
To add something thought of later to
something else.
|
868.
|
tail away
tail back
tail off
|
To gradually become less and less in
amount, intensity, etc.
(Traffic) to become more and more
congested until it forms a long queue that is very slow in moving or not
moving at all.
To become less, smaller, weaker, etc.
|
869.
|
take aback
take after
take against
take ... apart
take away from
take back
take ... down
take in
take ... in
take off
take ... off
take on
take ... on
take ... out
take over
take to
take up
take up on
|
To be very surprised about something,
e.g. She was really taken aback by what he had just said.
To bear a close resemblance to an older
relative such as a parent, etc.
To begin to develop a feeling of dislike
of someone.
To dismantle something.
To easily defeat an opponent in
something, such as a game, sport, etc.
To reduce the worth or belittle the
quality of something.
To withdraw what one has said or written,
e.g. If it is not true, I’m sorry and I take back what I’ve said.
To return something that is
unsatisfactory back to a shop for exchange or refund, e g. The sales
assistant said I could take it back within a week if there is any problem
with it.
To bring back what one owns, e.g.
Visitors are advised to take back their umbrellas when they leave the
premises.
To jot or write down something spoken.
To include something, e.g. The bill has
not yet taken in the additional charges of transporting it.
To be cheated or deceived by someone,
e.g. Many were taken in by the vendor’s claim that the craft products were
handmade.
To let someone stay in one’s house, e.g.
Our cousin has no place to stay, so we take him in.
To understand and retain something such
as facts, ideas, etc.
(Aircraft, etc.) To leave the ground for
the air.
(Business) to become more and more
successful.
To remove a piece of or all of one’s
clothing.
To make a deduction of an amount.
To be absent from work, e.g. I’ll take
the whole of next week off.
To leave hastily without informing
anyone.
To assume a quality or appearance without
any specific reason, e.g. to take on a very upset, worried, etc. look.
To engage new workers.
To be ready or willing to meet an
opponent in a contest, competition, etc.
To undertake a task or responsibility.
To remove something from a container,
etc., e.g. He took out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and gave it to
the cashier.
To bring someone with one to some place
such as a restaurant, beach, cinema, etc. Every weekend my dad takes me out
to the park or some other place.
To vent one’s feelings on others, e.g. He
takes it out on his children wherever he gets angry.
To kill someone, or destroy something,
e.g. The police sharpshooter took out the hostage-taker with a single shot.
To get an official service, e.g. taking
out an insurance policy.
To take responsibility for something,
usually from someone, e.g. Jack takes over the running of the company while
his father is away.
To bring something from one place to
another, e.g. I help my colleague take some office files over to his house.
To gain control of a place, country,
town, etc., e.g. The invading army took over the city after the defending troops
abandoned it.
To begin to develop a liking for someone,
e.g. He began to take to her after working for six months together.
To acquire a habit, e.g. He took to drink
after his wife left him.
To start a new job or have a new
responsibility, e.g. He took up the supervisory post when the former
supervisor left.
To accept a challenge from someone, e.g.
He took up the challenge of not smoking for a whole week.
To do selected subjects in school, e.g.
She took up history as it is one of her favourite subjects.
To fight using weapons, e.g. Many
villagers took up arms and join the rebel group.
To pursue a course of action, e.g. They
are taking up this matter with the local authority.
To occupy one’s time, attention, etc.,
e.g. Building the kennel may take up two weekends.
To accept an offer, e.g. Jack was
disappointed that Jill refused to take him up on his offer of a dinner.
|
870.
|
talk around
talk back
talk ... down
talk down to
talk ... into
talk ... out
talk … out of
talk ... over
talk ... through
talk to
|
To convince someone to change their
opinion and accept a specific point of view.
To reply defiantly, rudely or
disrespectfully.
To belittle or dismiss the good quality
or worth of something, e.g. The opposition leader was booed in parliament
when he talked down the government’s economic management of
the country.
To speak condescendingly to someone, e.g.
His habit of talking down toothers has alienated them.
To persuade someone to do or not to do
something, e.g. If you had not talkedme into smoking,
I wouldn’t be such a heavy smoker today.
To discuss an issue or problem and how to
tackle it.
To persuade someone not to do certain
things, e.g. They talked her out oftaking her
own life.
To have a thorough discussion about
something before adopting a decision, e.g. They talk it over many
times before deciding to migrate.
To discuss something completely with
regard to every detail in order to gain a better or complete comprehension of
it.
To converse with someone, e.g. He loves
talking to people and can talk at length on any subject.
|
871.
|
tamper with
|
To interfere with something without
authority in order to cause damage to it.
|
872.
|
tangle with
|
To get involved in an argument or fight
with someone.
|
873.
|
tank up
|
To fill the tank of a vehicle with fuel.
|
874.
|
tap … in
|
To press buttons or keys on telephone,
computer, etc, to begin operating it.
|
875.
|
taper off
|
To gradually become less, smaller or
fewer in size, amount, intensity, or degree.
|
876.
|
tart … up
|
To improve something but only on the
surface of it.
To make oneself look attractive by
wearing makeup, jewellery, or through better dressing.
|
877.
|
tax … with
|
To blame someone for or accuse them of a
fault or wrongdoing.
|
878.
|
team up
|
To work jointly with someone on an
activity or project.
|
879.
|
tear … apart
tear at
tear away
tear ... down
tear into
tear off
tear ... up
|
To be violently broken into pieces, e.g.
vultures tearing a carcass apart.
To cause serious conflict between people
within a family, group, organization, etc., e.g. Dispute over family property
is tearing the siblings apart.
To pull violently at someone or
something.
To leave suddenly, quickly and in an
uncontrolled manner, e.g. The car tore away noisily attracting much
attention.
To leave a person or place despite a
strong feeling of wanting to stay.
To pull or knock down something, e.g.
Some of the buildings will be torn down as the area is earmarked for
redevelopment.
To launch a strong verbal attack against
someone.
To attack someone or something fiercely,
e.g. two wolves tearing into each other.
To leave suddenly and quickly, e.g. He
tore off when he realized he was almost late for a meeting.
To pull or rip apart or to pieces, e.g.
He angrily tore up the letter from a company’s lawyer demanding payment from
him.
To damage something, e.g. They tore up
the seats in the stadium when their team lost the match.
|
880.
|
tease … out
|
To extract, obtain or ascertain
information from a large amount of material by painstaking effort.
|
881.
|
tee off
|
To hit the ball off the tee to begin a
game of golf.
|
882.
|
teem with
|
To be full of or swarming with people,
fish, animals, etc.
|
883.
|
tell against
tell ... apart
tell of
tell ... off
tell on
|
To make one unsuccessful in one’s
endeavour to achieve, e.g. He wants to be a basketball player but his height
tells against him.
To be able to identify someone or
something separately despite their close similarity or resemblance, e.g. The
only way to tell twins apart is to call their names, which are the only thing
that makes identical twins different.
To give a detailed account of someone or
something, e.g. The novel tells of a mother’s heroic efforts to save her
family.
To express one’s strong disapproval to someone
of what they have or have not done.
To inform someone in authority of someone
else’s wrongdoing, e.g. He smoked in the school toilet which is forbidden,
and he is furious that someone has told on him.
|
884.
|
thin out
|
To make or become less thick, e.g. As
soon as the warehouse fire was put out, the crowd of onlookers began to thin
out.
|
885.
|
think about
think ahead
think back
thank of
think ... out
think ... over
think ... through
think … up
|
To consider the possibility or advantages
of something, e.g. I have been thinking about migrating for the past ten
years, and I’m still thinking.
To plan for one’s future, e.g. When I
think ahead I decide not to get married.
To think of past events, e.g. She
couldn’t help thinking back to the day she almost lost her life in a road
accident.
To have an opinion of something, e.g.
Many of them think highly of the new President.
To remember things, e.g. Some of them
can’t think of the name of the country’s first President.
To have fond memory of someone, e.g. He
often thinks of her whenever they are not together.
To think of all the relevant things
before making a decision.
To consider carefully all factors before
committing oneself, e.g. He prefers to think it over before he decides to
join them in that commercial venture.
To consider carefully the possible
consequences of getting involved in an activity.
To think of new ideas, plans, etc., e.g.
He has to think up a way to be a famous magician in order to fulfill his ambition.
|
886.
|
thrash out
|
To discuss something thoroughly in order
to reach a decision.
|
887.
|
throttle back
|
To control the flow of fuel or power to
an engine.
|
888.
|
throw … away
throw ... in
throw ... off
throw ... open
throw ... out
throw ... over
throw ... together
throw up
|
To dispose of unwanted or useless things,
e.g. Please threw away the old newspapers including today’s which I haven’t
read.
To waste or fail to seize an opportunity
or advantage, e.g. I threw away an opportunity to befriend her and know her
better when I was too shy to approach her at the party.
To include something extra, such as free
gifts, with things which are being sold without an increase in their prices.
To inject a remark in a conversation without
forethought.
To start to do something with enthusiasm.
To escape from someone or something that
is pursuing one.
To allow people access to a place that is
usually not open to them.
To expel someone from a place such as a
school, organization, etc., e.g. A member of the club was thrown out for
misbehaviour.
To dispose of unwanted things, e.g. The
old newspapers and magazines are piling up and nobody cares to throw them
out.
To terminate a romantic relationship with
someone.
To make something quickly without any
planning.
To cause people to meet and know each
other.
To vomit, e.g. Whenever she is in a
moving bus, she feels like she’s going to throw up.
To give up something such as home, job,
etc. completely, e.g. He threw up everything and sought employment overseas.
|
889.
|
thrust … aside
|
To refuse to consider about something,
e.g. Our petition was thrust aside and we have never heard from the authority
since.
|
890.
|
thumb through
|
To look through something such as a book,
magazine, etc. quickly, e.g. thumbing through a photo album.
|
891.
|
tick away/by
tick … off
tick over
|
(Time) to pass away.
To express one’s disapproval to someone,
e.g. They were ticked off for misbehaviour.
To mark the items on a list to indicate
that they have been dealt with.
(Engine of vehicle) to run slowly without
moving the vehicle.
|
892.
|
tide over
|
To help someone through a difficult
period, especially with financial assistance.
|
893.
|
tidy … away
|
To maintain tidiness by not allowing
things to lie around but returning them to the places where they are kept.
|
894.
|
tie … down
tie in
tie up
|
To restrict someone or something, e.g.
Now tied down with a wife and kids, he finds it hard to socialize.
To be or cause to be in harmony with
something.
To restrict someone’s movement by binding
their arms and legs.
To keep someone so busy that they are
unavailable to do something else, e.g. He is going to be tied up the whole of
next week because of the new project.
To invest in something so that the money
is not immediately available for use, e.g. All his money is tied up in
shares.
|
895.
|
tilt at
|
To attack someone by what one says or
writes.
|
896.
|
tip off
|
To inform, especially the police, by
passing them a piece of information about illegal activities.
|
897.
|
tire … out
|
To make someone very tired.
|
898.
|
tog … up/out
|
To put on clothes for a particular
occasion or activity.
|
899.
|
tone … down
tone … up
|
To reduce the effect of a speech or piece
of writing.
To give greater strength or firmness to
the body or a muscle.
|
900.
|
tool up
|
To be or become armed.
|
|
Phrasal Verbs
|
|
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