Phrasal Verbs: Definitions & Examples PDF

𝓐 **Abide by + SOMETHING: Accept or Obey a decision, the law, a rule. (more legal contexts / court rulings)** *If you want to stay at this school, you must **abide by** the rules.* **Adhere to+ SOMETHING: Stick to a particular set of instructions or standards and act accordance with. (More strong...

𝓐 **Abide by + SOMETHING: Accept or Obey a decision, the law, a rule. (more legal contexts / court rulings)** *If you want to stay at this school, you must **abide by** the rules.* **Adhere to+ SOMETHING: Stick to a particular set of instructions or standards and act accordance with. (More strong)** *All contestants must **adhere to** the rules.* She **adhered to** her principles throughout her life. They failed to **adhere to** the terms of the agreement. *Designers must **adhere to** ethical sourcing practices to ensure sustainability.* *Fashion brands are expected to **adhere to** industry standards regarding quality and safety.* **Account for + Something: Give a reason or an explanation.** *I hope you can **account for** all the money you spent!* *"Can you **account for** all these absences?* *"The recession **accounts for** the slow retail business* **Ache for + Someone/ Something: Want something or someone very much.** *He was so lonely he **ached for **the sound of a human voice.* **Act on + Something: To do something as a reaction to a particular thing such as an instruction, advice, a feeling or some information.** **Act on + Something: Affect/** **have and exert influence or effect** **Act upon + Something: To do something as a reaction to a particular thing such as an instruction, advice, a feeling or some information.** **Act upon + Something: Affect/** **have and exert influence or effect** *The police decided to **act on** the anonymous call they received* *The [[board]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/board) of [[directors]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/director) will **[[act]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/act) on** the [[findings]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/finding) in the [[report]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/report)..* *Rising temperatures **act upon** fragile ecosystems, causing shifts in biodiversity and habitat loss.* *Governments must **act upon** scientific findings on global warming by enforcing stricter environmental regulations.* **Act out + Something Perform something with actions and gestures.** They **acted out** a short play based on the novel. *\"The children **acted out **the scene in the classroom.\"* The students were asked to **act out** a historical event for the class. **Act out + Something Express an emotion in your behavior** *He **acted out** his frustration by shouting.* *He **acted out** his anger by slamming the door.* **Act up (INTRANSITIVE) Behave badly.** *The children started **acting up** during the long ceremony.* *If you **act up** in class, you will be sent to the principal\'s office.* *The teacher got angry because John began to **act up** and was distracting the class.* **Act up (INTRANSITIVE) Malfunctioning or not working correctly (Electronic devices/machine):** *My computer has been **acting up** lately; I think it might have a virus.* *The television has been acting up recently. I should telephone the technician.* **Act up (INTRANSITIVE) A part of the body becoming problematic or troublesome, often after a period of being symptom-free.** *My knee is **acting up** again* *Her shoulder was **acting up**, causing her a lot of pain* **Add up (INTRANSITIVE) : make sense.** *They have been going out for over five years now. It **adds up** that they will eventually get married.* *His explanation doesn\'t **add up**; there are inconsistencies.* **Add up to + SOMETHING: Have a certain result/ outcome.** *The small gestures of kindness and understanding from both partners **add up to** a strong and lasting relationship.* *The constant exposure to celebrity styles and online fashion influencers **adds up to** a strong desire among teenagers to emulate these looks.* **Aim at + SOMEONE: Direct something toward a specific target** *The new marketing campaign is **aimed at** young adults.* *This book is **aimed at** readers interested in historical fiction.* **Aim at + VERB ING (INTRANSITIVE) : Intend or plan to achieve something** *The company is **aiming at** increasing its market share by 10% this year.* *The new policy **aims at** reducing carbon emissions by 20% over the next five years.* *The marketing campaign is **aimed at** increasing brand awareness among young adults.* **Allow for + SOMETHING: Considering or planning for something in advance.** *When planning the event, we **allowed for** unexpected delays.* *The budget **allows for** additional expenses if needed.* **Allow of + SOMETHING: a rule, situation, or set of facts makes something possible or acceptable.** *The new technology **allows of** faster communication.* *The policy **allows of** exceptions in certain circumstances.* **Angle for + SOMETHING: Try to get something indirectly, by hinting or suggesting.** *She was **angling for** a promotion by volunteering for challenging projects.* *He\'s been **angling for** an invitation to the exclusive event.* *From the way he\'s speaking I suspect Tom is **angling for** a free ticket.* **Answer back TO + SOMEONE: Reply rudely/ disrespectful manner to someone ( in authority) when you are expected to remain silent.\ ***I\'m your teacher. Don\'t **answer back** !* *She **answered back** to her teacher, which led to a detention.* *It\'s inappropriate to **answer back** when your parents give you instructions.* *The student **answered back** to the teacher\'s instructions, leading to a warning* *Don\'t you [[dare]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dare) **[[answer]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/answer) me back**, [[young]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/young) [[lady]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/lady)!* **Answer for + SOMETHING: Be held responsible for a problem that you did, especially in the context of wrongdoing or accountability.** *Normally parents have to **answer for** their children\'s behaviour* *The manager will have to **answer for** the project\'s failure.* **Answer for + SOMEONE: Speak on behalf of someone or from knowing them to cover that problem.** *I agree to your proposal, but I can\'t **answer for** my associate.* I can **answer for** my colleague\'s dedication to the project. **Argue down+ SOMEONE/ Argue+ Someone+Down: Defeat someone in a debate, discussion or argument.** *Sally could always **argue him down** if she had to.*  *She tries to **argue down** everyone she meets.* *His wife **argued him down** from his trip to Vegas* **Argue + SOMETHING/OBJ+ down: Negotiate with someone to reduce the price of an item or service.** *At a flea market, you can always try to **argue the prices down.*** *A: He\'s asking \$20 for it. B: \"Try to **argue him down** to \$10.* *It was going to cost me a fortune to get the car fixed, but, because I\'ve been a loyal * *customer for so long, I was able to **argue my mechanic down.*** *I **argued him down** to twenty dollars.* **Argue out + SOMETHING: Discuss a problem thoroughly to reach a solution or agreement.** *The team **argued out** the details of the project before starting.* *We need to **argue out** our differences to find a compromise.* **Ask about + SOMETHING: Request information about something in general.** *She **asked about** the upcoming conference schedule.* *During the interview, he **asked about** the company\'s growth plans.* **Ask after + SOMEONE/SOMETHING ABOUT SOMEONE: Ask information about someone\'s life, health (well-being), especially when speaking to someone who has seen them recently.** *She **asked after** my health during our conversation.* *He greeted us warmly and **asked after** our families.* *My mother worries about you. She\'s always **asking after **you.*\ *I met your friend Susan. She **asked after** you.* **Ask around TO (PURPOSE) / FOR SOMETHING (ex-recommendations): try to find out information about something by asking a lot of different people.** *She **asked around to** find out who was responsible for the mistake.* *Before making a decision, it\'s wise to **ask around** and get different opinions.* *I\'ll **ask around **and see if anyone has seen your cat.* **Ask for + SOMETHING: Provoke a negative reaction by doing wrongdoing.** *You\'re **asking for** trouble.* *You keep misbehaving, you\'ll **be asking for** punishment. You\'re really asking for it!* **ASK+SOMEONE+IN: Invite somebody into your house/ to come inside (Entrance of your door house)** *We **asked them into** the house. We stopped our friends in the hallway and **asked them in*** *She rang the doorbell, and I **asked her in**.* *After the meeting, he invited me to **ask in** for a cup of coffee.*\ *I couldn\'t leave her standing outside in the cold so I **asked** her **in.*** **Ask +SOMEONE+ out+ TO SOMETHING: Invite someone for a date.** *He **asked her out to** dinner, but she had other plans. * *She decided to **ask him out** for a movie.*\ *John has **asked** Mary **out **several times*\ *Trevor\'s main problem is that he is so shy. I don\'t think he would ever ask a girl out.* **Ask + SOMEONE+ over: Invite in a friendly manner to someone to your house, a place.** *If you aren\'t doing anything tonight, why don\'t you **ask Rebecca over**.* *I **asked her over** so we could talk about what was on her mind.* *I\'ve **asked my mother over** for lunch.* **Auction off + SOMETHING : Sell something in an auction.** *They decided to **auction off** their old furniture before moving.* *The charity event will **auction off** donated items to raise funds.* **Advise against+VERB ING/ Advise+ SOMEONE+ AGAINST + VERB ING: Recommend that someone should not do something.** *The doctor **advised him against** carrying heavy loads.* *I would **advise against quitting** your job if you are not actively pursuing another * *opportunity.* *My mechanic **advised against driving** the car until the transmission was repaired.* *As a doctor, I always **advise my patients against smoking**.* **agree on+ SOMETHING: Indicate that two or more parties have reached a consensus or shared understanding/ the same opinion about a particular topic or issue.** *The parents both **agree on** the way to raise their children.* *The committee **agreed on** the new policy changes.* *We need to **agree on** a date for the meeting.* **Allude to +SOMETHING: Mention or make reference to a topic in an indirect way, without discussing it openly.** *I don\'t understand. What problem is she **alluding to**?* *During the meeting, she **alluded to** the upcoming changes in policy.* *The author **alluded to** historical events in her novel.* **Appeal to+ SOMEONE: something is appealing or attractive to a person.** *The idea of camping in the woods doesn\'t **appeal to** me at all.* *The small apartments will **appeal to** single people more than families.* *The new smartphone design **appeals to** tech enthusiasts.* **Appeal to+ SOMEONE+ TO (PURPOSE): Formal request for help or support, often in a formal manner.** *The organizers **appealed to** the crowd to stay calm.* *The police have issued an **appeal to** the public to stay away from the area over the weekend.* *The organization **appealed to** the community for donations to support the cause.* **Arrive at + SOMETHING: Reach (an agreement, a decision, a conclusion) after careful consideration or discussion.** *It is hoped that they will **arrive at** an agreement at the end of the meeting.* *After hours of debate, the committee **arrived at** a consensus.* *Through extensive research, the scientists **arrived at** a groundbreaking discovery.* **Attest to + SOMETHING: Affirm or confirm the truth, authenticity, or validity of something.** *The number of visitors **attest to** the popularity of the website.* *I can **attest to** her honesty; she has always been truthful.* *The documents **attest to** the company\'s financial stability.* **Avail (oneself) of** + SOMETHING: Make use of something (an opportunity, offer or available resources) *When the sales begin you should **avail yourself of **the opportunity and buy that coat.* *Guests are encouraged to **avail themselves of** the full range of hotel facilities.* *Over a thousand learners have already **availed the opportunity** to study at our college.* *To **avail this [[offer]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/offer)**, [[please]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/please) [[click]](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/click) here.* *Voters should **avail themselves of** all the tools available to get information about the candidates*