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Useful A-Z Phrasal Verbs with meanings and examples

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Useful A-Z Phrasal Verbs with meanings and examples

Phrasal
Verb

Meaning

Example

Translation

A

abide by respect or obey. (the law, a decision, a rule) If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.

الالتزام

account for explain, give a reason I hope you can account for the money you spent!

بَرَّرَ,

add up make sense, seem reasonable Her story just doesn’t add up.

تضيف ما يصل

advise against recommend not doing something The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads.

ننصح بعدم

agree with have the same opinion as somebody else. I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.

نتفق مع

aim at point something in the direction of
a target
The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker.

تهدف

allow for take into consideration,
include in a calculation
You’d better leave early to allow for traffic jams.

سماح

answer back reply rudely Don’t answer back your mother!

إِجَابَة, رَدّ impolite

appeal to 1) plead or make an earnest request
2) be attractive or interesting
1) The organizers appealed to the crowd to stay calm.
2) A trekking holiday doesn’t appeal to me.

نناشد

apply for make a formal request for something
(job, permit, loan etc.)
He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper.

التقدم بطلب للحصول

avail (oneself) of take advantage of something (an opportunity) When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of
the opportunity andbuy some shares.

أفاد و استغل

B

back away move backwards, in fear or dislike When he saw the dog, he backed away.

تراجع

back down withdraw, concede defeat Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building.

نْسَحَبَ

back up 1) give support or encouragement
2) make a copy of (file, program, etc.)
1) If I tell the boss we’ve got too much work, will you back me up?
2) It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location.

النسخ الاحتياطي

bail out 1) pay money to secure someone’s release
2) rescue from financial difficulties
1) When he was arrested, his family refused to bail him out.
2) The government bailed out the bank.

إنقاذ

bank on base your hopes on someone/something Don’t forget the date. I’m banking on your help.

على عتماد ا ال

beef up improve, make more substantial He beefed up his presentation with diagrams and statistics.

تدعيم

black out faint, lose consciousness When he fell off the horse he blacked out.

أُغْمِيَ عليه

block off Separate using a barrier. The area was blocked off during the demonstration.

اغلاق

blow up 1) explode;
2) be destroyed by an explosion
1) The terrorists said the bomb would blow up at 9 o’clock.
2) The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it.

نسف

boil down to be summarized as The problem boils down to a lack of money.

يختصر

boot up start a computer by loading an
operating system or program.
Just give my a few minutes to boot up the computer.

اقلاع الحاسوب

break away escape from captivity A few horses broke away from the paddock.

اِنْفَلَتَ, هَرَبَ

break down 1) go out of order, cease to function
2) lose control of one’s emotions
1) John’s car broke down so he had to take the bus.
2) The parents broke down when they heard the bad news.

تَعَطَّلَ

break into enter by force Burglars broke into the house around midnight.

اقتحام

break out start suddenly Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.

تندلع

break out of escape from a place by force Three prisoners broke out of jail.

فرار

break up come to an end (marriage, relationship) After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London.

فض

bring up raise (a child) She stopped working in order to bring up her children.

رَبَّى, نَشَّأَ

brush up on improve, refresh one’s knowledge of something Mary had to brush up on her Spanish before going to South America.

صَقَلَ, جَدَّدَ

bump into = come across meet by accident or unexpectedly Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.

يلتقي به مصادفة, صَادَفَ

burn out 1) stop (something) working
2) become exhausted from over-working
1) The fuse has burnt out.
2) Tom will burn himself out if he doesn’t slow down.

انطفأ

مَنْهُوك

butt in (on sth) interrupt impolitely It’s rude to butt in on a conversation like that!

يقاطع كلام

C

call back return a phone call I’ll call you back as soon as possible.

رَدَّ الاتصال

call off cancel The meeting was called off because of the strike.

الغاء

call on /upon sb formally invite or request Inow call upon the President to address the assembly.

دَعَا رسْمِيّا الى

calm down become more relaxed, less angry or upset He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down.

أهدأ

carry on continue He carried on gardening in spite of the rain.

ظَلَّ, إِسْتَمَرَّ,

carry out 1) do something as specified
(a plan, an order, a threat)
2) perform or conduct (test, experiment)
1) The plan was carried out to perfection.
2) Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug.

نَفَّذَ, أَجْرَى, قَامَ بـ

carry over postpone until later As regards holidays, can you carry over any days from one year to the next?

أَجَّلَ, مَاطَلَ

check in register at a hotel or airport For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight.

دَخَلَ إلى فُنْدُق

check out 1) pay one’s bill and leave (a hotel)
2) investigate
1) Is Mr. Blair still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning.
2) I don’t know if the address is still valid. I’ll check it out.

راجع

خَرَجَ مِنْ, فُنْدُق

clam up refuse to speak When the teacher arrived she clammed up.

كَتُوم صَمُوت

clamp down on act strictly to prevent something The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places.

قَمَعَ, كَبَتَ, كَتَمَ

close down stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema). When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs.

إغلاق

come across 1) find by chance
2) appear, seem, make an impression
1) Julie came across some photographs of her grandparents in the attic.
2) The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview.

يلتقي به مصادفة, صَادَفَ

come forward present oneself The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.

يتقدم

come up against be faced with or opposed by The project came up against a lot of criticism.

نصطدم

conk out 1) stop working
2) stop or fall asleep (from exhaustion)
1) The car conked out on the motorway.
2) He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV.

يتعطل عن العمل, أُغْمِيَ عليه

count on rely or depend on (for help) I’m counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre.

الاعتماد على

cross out remove by drawing a line through In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word.

شطب

cut down on reduce in number or size The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.

خفض

cut out 1) remove using scissors
2) stop doing something
1) She cut out a picture in a magazine.
2) I’m going to cut out eating between meals.

قطع

D

deal with handle, take care of (problem, situation) The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers.

التعامل مع

die down calm down, become less strong When the applause died down, she started to sing.

هدأ

do without manage without The shops are closed so we’ll have to do without sugar.

الاستغناء

drag on last longer than expected We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on!

تطول

draw up write (contract, agreement, document) An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties.

, خَطَّطَ, رَسَمَ

dress up 1) wear elegant clothes
2) disguise oneself
1) Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country?
2) Children love to dress up at Halloween.

اللباس

drop in visit, usually on the way somewhere I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school.

يزور زيارة قصيرة

drop off 1) deliver someone or something
2) fall asleep
1) I’ll drop you off at the bus stop if you like.
2) Granddad often drops off in front of the TV.

إِنْزَال

غلبه النعاس

drop out leave school without finishing She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term.

‏ترك (الدراسة) قبل الحصول على الشهادة

E

ease off reduce, become less severe or slow down
(pain, traffic, work)
After Christmas the workload generally eases off.

خفف

end in finish in a certain way; result in Their marriage ended in divorce.

إِنْتَهَىب

end up Fi nally reach a state, place or action If he continues his misconduct he’ll end up in prison.

في نهاية المطاف

even out 1) eliminate differences of opinion.
2) become level or regular
1) After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences.
2) The road was evened out to make it safer.

مُتَسَاوٍ, مُتَعَادِل

F

fall through fail; doesn’t happen Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm.

فَشِلَ

figure out understand, find the answer I’m trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves.

معرفة

fill out complete (a form/an application) Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.

ملء

find out discover or obtain information I’m going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts.

عَثَرَ على .معرفة

focus on concentrate on something The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product.

التركيز على

figure out understand; find a solution We’ll have to figure out a way to deliver the goods faster.

إِكْتَشَفَ, فَهِمَ, إِسْتَنْتَجَ,

G

get along (with) be on good terms; work well with I get along (well) with my mother-in-law.

ينسجم مع

get at imply What exactly are you trying to get at?

قَصَدَ, لَمَّحَ إلى

get away escape The robbers got away in a black car.

الابتعاد

get by manage to cope or to survive It’s difficult to get by on a low salary.

يبقى حياً

get in enter How did the burglar get in?

ENTER

get into (+noun) enter How did the burglar get into the house?

دخول (اسم)

get off 1) leave (bus, train, plane)
2) remove
1) You should get off the bus at Trafalgar Square.
2) She can’t get the stain off her sweater.

النزول

get on board (bus, train, plane) You can pay when you get on the bus.

يركب (السيارة)

get on with (something) continue to do; make progress Be quiet and get on with your homework.
get on (well) with (somebody) have a good relationship with I get on very well with my colleagues.

الحصول على (جيد) مع (شخص ما)

get out leave How did he get out?

الخروج

get out of (+noun) leave How did he get out of the house?

الخروج من (اسم)

get out of avoid doing something Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework.

الخروج من

get over recover from (illness, disappointment) My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it.

تَغَلَّبَ على

get rid of eliminate It’s difficult to get rid of old habits.

تخلص من

get together meet each other Let’s get together for lunch on day.

معا

get up rise, leave bed I usually get up at 7 o’clock.

نَهَضَ, إِنْتَهَضَ

give up stop doing something Sarah gave up smoking 5 years ago.

التخلي عن

go through experience Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident.

تمر

grow up spend one’s childhood; develop; become an adult He grew up in a small village in the mountains.

يكبر

H

hand in submit (report, homework) All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month.

يسلم باليد

hand out distribute Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration.

وَزَّعَ, أَعْطَى

hang out spend time in a particular place,
or with a group of friends
Where does he hang out these days?
Who does he hang out with?

صحابه مع يخرج

ل التجو أ ل

hang up end a phone conversation ”Don’t hang up. I haven’t finished yet.”

يقفل سماعة التلفون

hit at aim a blow at He hit at the wasp with the newspaper.

, ضَرَبَ, صَادَمَ

hit back retaliate; reply to an attack When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back.

, ضَرَبَ, صَادَمَ بالرد

hit on/upon find unexpectedly or by inspiration She hit upon an idea for her new collection.

وَجَدَ فَجْأَةً فِكْرَة

hold on -wait
-grip tightly
– ‘Hold on please. I’ll put you through to Mr. Brown.”
– She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge.

اصمدوا

hurry up be quick, act speedily Hurry up! We’ll miss the bus.

بعجلة

I

iron out resolve by discussion, eliminate differences The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron out difficulties.

تسوية

J

join in participate She was too shy to join in the game.

التسجيل في

join up -engage in, become a member of
– meet and unite with
– John was in the Army and Tom joined up as soon as he left school.
– The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel.

ينضم

jot down take quick notes I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV.

ندون

K

keep on continue doing something It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise.

تبقي على

keep up with stay at the same level as someone or
something
Bill walks so fast it’s difficult to keep up with him.

مواكبة. جَارَى, سَايَرَ

kick off begin, start The football match kicked off at 3 o’clock.

انطلاق

L

leave out omit, not mention The child’s name was left out of the report.

ترك

let down disappoint You promised to come to the party, so don’t let me down!

خذل

look after take care of A babysitter looks after the children when they go out.

الاعتناء

look ahead think of the future It’s time to forget the past and look ahead.

نتطلع إلى الأمام

look down on consider as inferior He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful.

استهتر اِزْدَرَى, إِحْتَقَرَ

look on be a spectator at an event Billy didn’t take part in the fight. He just looked on.

تَفَرِّج شَهِدَ

look for try to find something Jane went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes.

ابحث عن

look forward to await or anticipate with pleasure I look forward to seeing you soon.

نتطلع إلى

look up to admire He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him.

شعر بالإعجاب

M

make fun of laugh at/ make jokes about The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her.

يسخر من

make up invent (excuse, story) Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work.

إِخْتَلَقَ ذَرِيعَة, عُذْر, مُبَرِّر

mix up mistake one thing or person for another I don’t know my neighbours’ names yet. I keep mixing them up.

خلط

move in arrive in a new home or office You’ve bought a new house? When are you moving in?.

رْتَحَلَ

move out leave your home/office for another one. My neighbour is leaving. He’s moving out next Saturday.

الخروج

N

nod off fall asleep My grandfather often nods off in front of the television.

نَامَ, رَقَدَ

note down write something I’ll call the station and note down the departure times.

يدون

O

opt out leave a system or decide not to participate I enjoy tennis but I’m so busy I had to opt out of the tournament.

الانسحاب

own up admit or confess something The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window.

ُاعترف, اُقِرّ

P

pass away die The old lady passed away peacefully.

رَحَلَ تُوُفِّيَ

pass out faint She passed out when she heard the bad news.

فقد صوابه

pay back reimburse I’ll lend you 20€ provided you pay me back before the end of the week.

تسديد

put off postpone, arrange a later date The meeting was put off because of the strike.

أَجَّلَ, مَاطَلَ

put on PUT STH ON:put on sth I always put on my coat,

إِرْتَدَى, لَبِسَ

put out extinguish It took a long time to put out the fire.

اخماد

put up accommodate, give somebody a bed We can put you up if you’d like to come for a week-end.

آوَى ,,مُبَيَّت,

pick up collect somebody I’ll pick you up at the station when you arrive.

التقط

point out indicate/direct attention to something She pointed out the mistake.

أَشَارَ إلى

R

rely on count on, depend on, trust Don’t worry. You can rely on me. I can keep a secret.

الاعتماد على

rule out eliminate The police ruled out political motives.

استبعاد

run away escape from a place or suddenly leave He ran away from home at the age of fourteen.

هرب

run into meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into) Sophie ran into Maria at the shopping centre.

لاقَى

run out of have no more of something. What a nuisance! We’ve run out of coffee.

نفدت

S

set off start a journey; Early Saturday morning we set off for the ski slopes .

أَثَارَ, بَدَأَ, اِبْتَدَأَ

set up start a business She set up her own company 10 years ago.

أَقَامَ; شَرَعَ في

shop around compare prices It’s always wise to shop around before buying anything.

يتسوق

show off brag or want to be admired There’s David showing off in his new sports car!

تباهي

show up appear/arrive We expected David to come but he didn’t show up.

ظهر

shut up
(impolite)
be silent, stop talking Oh shut up, you idiot!

اسكت

sit down take a seat Please come in and sit down.

الجلوس

stand up rise from a sitting position The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived.

الوقوف

stick up for defend It’s important to stick up for one’s principles.

حَمَى, دَافَعَ عن, حَافِظ

T

take after resemble, in appearance or character Jamie really takes after his dad.

تَشَابُه

take care of look after I’ll take care of your plants while you’re away.

رعاية

take off leave the ground The plane took off at 6 a.m.

أَقْلَعَ

take on hire or engage staff Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff.

أَدْخَلَ

take out remove; extract She took out a pen to note the address.

أخرج

tell off reprimand/criticize severely The teacher told her off for not doing her homework.

وَبَّخَ .عَتَبَ على

think over consider I’ll have to think over the proposal before I decide.

تَعَمَّقَ في,

try on wear something to see if it suits or fits I’m not sure about the size. Can I try it on?

حَاوَلَ جَرَّبَ

turn down refuse I couldn’t turn down an offer like that!

رفض

U

use up finish a product (so that there’s none left) The kids have used up all the toothpaste.

أَنْفَدَ, إِسْتَهْلَكَ

V

vouch for express confidence in, or guarantee something You can give the keys to Andy. I can vouch for him.

يدعو للشهادة ثِقَة,

W

watch out be careful Watch out! There’s a car coming.

احترس/ في حذر

wear out 1) become unusable
2) become very tired
1) Julie wore out her shoes visiting the city.
2) At the end of the day Julie was worn out.

تَآكَلَ

تَعِب,

work out 1) do physical exercise
2) find a solution or calculate something
1) I work out twice a week at the gym club.
2) It’s expensive but I haven’t worked out the exact cost yet.

تَمَرَّنَ

حَلَّ (المشكلة)

wipe off clean (board, table). The teacher asked Lee to wipe off the board.

محا

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