Example Sentence: One day he caught her out when he found some letters she’d written.
Catch up on (sth) Meaning: to deal with a special activity to complete it.
Example Sentence: You have to catch up on your reading.
Catch (sb) up on (sth) Meaning: to give sb the latest news or information about sth
Example Sentence: Can someone catch us up on the latest news?
Catch on Meaning: to become popular
Example Sentence: This game will catch on among young people.
Catch up (sb) Meaning: to reach sb by walking faster
Example Sentence: Shailesh caught up with you later.
Catch up in (sth) Meaning: to be involved in sth unwillingly
Example Sentence: They weren’t part of the conflict; they were just caught up in it.
Clear away Meaning: to take away sth to clear a place Example Sentence: You should clear away all your toys before bedtime.
Clear out (of) Meaning: to leave a place
Example Sentence: Alka will clear out of the house in two weeks.
Clear sb off Meaning: to make sb go away from a place Example Sentence: The police will use dogs to clear the protesters off the road.
Clear up Meaning: to solve or explain
Example Sentence: I think the trouble will clear up in a couple of days.
Check off Meaning: to mark with a tick Example Sentence: Let’s check off the names of the people to be invited.
Knock off Meaning: to stop working at the end of the day
Example Sentence: What time will they knock off?
Knock back Meaning: to quickly drink sth Example Sentence: We have knocked back two double rums.
Knock up Meaning: to build or assemble sth quickly Example Sentence: Shailesh knocked up a bed out of some old pieces of wood?
Carry over Meaning: Continue past a certain point
Example Sentence: The meeting carried over into lunch time.
Carry out Meaning: Perform a task Example Sentence: I would like to carry out the plan.
Carry on with Meaning: Continue Example Sentence: I want you to carry on with the work while I am out of country.
Get on Meaning: Enter a train, bus, plane etc… to climb on board
Example Sentence: I think they get on the wrong train.
Drop off Meaning: Take somebody to a place
Example Sentence: Where do you want me to drop you off?
Check in Meaning: Confirm you are taking a flight Example Sentence: I usually check in online.
Touch down Meaning: Land (planes)
Example Sentence: Our flight touched down before night.
Hold up Meaning: Delay when travelling Example Sentence: I’m sorry, I am late but I was help up at work.
Set off Meaning: Start a journey Example Sentence: They set off for London just after five.
Stop over Meaning: Stay at a place for a night on the way to somewhere else Example Sentence: They stopped over in Singapore on their way to Australia.
Get away Meaning: Take a vacation, especially because you need a rest
Example Sentence: I would love to get away and go to the beach next month.
Hang around Meaning: to move or to do sth slowly Example Sentence: Don’t hang around, you have a train to catch!
Hang on Meaning: to wait for a short time
Example Sentence: Hang on a minute; I’m just coming.
Hang out Meaning: to spend a lot of time in a place Example Sentence: We will spend the whole day hanging out by the pool.
Hang over Meaning: to hover over
Example Sentence: The clouds of war will hang over the east.
Keep from Meaning: refrain, control yourself
Example Sentence: I couldn’t keep from playing football.
Keep in Meaning: not allow someone out. Example Sentence: Children were kept in after school.
Keep off Meaning: to not touch something Example Sentence: Shailesh kept off the subject of his divorce.
Keep away Meaning: to avoid someone or something Example Sentence: You must keep away medicines from children.
Make after Meaning: to chase or follow Example Sentence: The policeman made after the thief.
Make up Meaning: to make peace
Example Sentence: Please come back. I want to make up.
Make out Meaning: to succeed in business Example Sentence: How are you making out in your new job?
Make up for Meaning: to recover, make sth better Example Sentence: Nothing can make up for the loss of a child.
Make into Meaning: to change sth into sth else
Example Sentence: We had made the living room into an office.
Read back Meaning: to read something again Example Sentence: Please read back the text of the message.
Read up on sth Meaning: to read a lot about in order to learn about it Example Sentence: I read up on the history of the World War II.
Read over Meaning: look for mistakes or check details
Example Sentence: I asked her to read over my essay.
Read through Meaning: to read quickly beginning to the end
Example Sentence: Always read through your work when you’ve finished.
Look ahead Meaning: to think about future
Example Sentence: The past is past. Let us look ahead.
Look back Meaning: to think about past Example Sentence: When I look back I can see where we went wrong.
Look after Meaning: to take care of sb/sth Example Sentence: He is not competent to look after young children.
Look round Meaning: to visit a place and look at the things in it Example Sentence: I will spend all day looking round the city.
Look on Meaning: to watch sth happen without taking part in it Example Sentence: Look on the bright side –no one was badly hurt.
Look forward to Meaning: something that is going to happen Example Sentence: Shailesh had worked hard and was looking forward to his retirement.
Look in Meaning: to pay a short visit Example Sentence: You’ll look in and say hello when you have time.
Take over Meaning: to get control of sth Example Sentence: He can take over the business when I’m away.
Take away Meaning: to remove sth/sb from Example Sentence: Take away the glasses and the tray.
Take in Meaning: to allow sb to stay in your home Example Sentence: My house is full; I can’t take in any more guests.
Take against Meaning: to start to dislike
Example Sentence: Why have you suddenly taken against her?
Take down Meaning: to remove sth from a high position Example Sentence: Take down this book and read slowly.
Cut back Meaning: to reduce Example Sentence: The Government will cut back on defence spending.
Cut in Meaning: to interrupt Example Sentence: When you cut in on our conversation, we were talking.
Cut into Meaning: to shortening into parts or to make sth smaller Example Sentence: Knives easily cut into the cake.
Cut across Meaning: to make a shorter route Example Sentence: If I cut across the field, it’ll save time.
Cut through Meaning: to go through by cutting Example Sentence: We cut through the solid rock to build the tunnel .
Cut up Meaning: to cut into pieces Example Sentence: My mother cut up the onions and put them in the pot.
Cut out Meaning: to stop working Example Sentence: There are two engines. One of them cut out yesterday.
Let in Meaning: to allow sth/sb to enter
Example Sentence: Alka opened the window to let in some fresh air.
Let into Meaning: to put into the surface of sth
Example Sentence: A skylight had been let into the roof.
Let in on Meaning: to allow sb to know sth Example Sentence: I‘m going to let him in on a little secret.
Let off Meaning: to allow sb to leave
Example Sentence: They‘ll let you off if you apologize.
Let through Meaning: to allow to pass
Example Sentence: Shailesh was let through to the front of the queue.
Let up Meaning: to stop or to diminish
Example Sentence: When the rain lets up, you can go to outside.
Run across Meaning: to meet or to find unexpectedly Example Sentence: I ran across some old friends at the party.
Run away Meaning: to leave a place or sb Example Sentence: The prisoners ran away from the prison.
Put up with Meaning: to tolerate Example Sentence: I can’t put up with it any longer.
Put away Meaning: to clean up, to tidy
Example Sentence: Put away any valuable or breakable objects.
Put across Meaning: to explain sth clearly
Example Sentence: He was trying to put across a serious point.
Put out Meaning: to stop burning Example Sentence: It took two hours to put out the fire
Put down Meaning: to write
Example Sentence: Put down your name in capitals.
Put on Meaning: to wear
Example Sentence: She put on a new pair of nylon socks.
Run into Meaning: to experience sth unexpectedly Example Sentence: I’ve run into a difficulty with the project.
Run against Meaning: to oppose towards sb or sth Example Sentence: Luck was really running against you yesterday!
Run around Meaning: to be very busy doing lots of things Example Sentence: The child ran around all day in the garden
Run over Meaning: to look at quickly
Example Sentence: We‘ll just run over the main points again.
Run on Meaning: to continue without interruption Example Sentence: The discussion ran on for hours.
Run down Meaning: to decline in number or size Example Sentence: The battery has run down; it needs recharging.
Set about Meaning: to begin doing something
Example Sentence: Tina set about studying.
Set forth Meaning: to start a journey Example Sentence: They set forth on their travels in early June.
Set off Meaning: to initiate sth working
Example Sentence: Someone set off a fire extinguisher.
Set up Meaning: to place or to build sth Example Sentence: The travelers set up a camp on the river bank.
Set to Meaning: to make sb feel sad
Example Sentence: When my work gets me down, I want to resign.
Set aside Meaning: to keep sth available for a purpose Example Sentence: We set aside some money for repairs.
Set in Meaning: to take root, start and continue Example Sentence: The rainy season has set in.
Set on/upon sb Meaning: to attack sb
Example Sentence: He was set on by a vicious dog.
Set down Meaning: to write Example Sentence: The rules for service have been set down.
Set back Meaning: to delay sth or sb
Example Sentence: The government will set back the reforms.
Get along Meaning: to have a friendly relationship
Example Sentence: It’s impossible to get along with her.
Get out Meaning: to become known Example Sentence: I don’t want it to get out that I’m leaving.
Get across Meaning: to make sb understand
Example Sentence: Your meaning didn’t really get across.
Get away Meaning: to escape from sb/sth Example Sentence: Alka will get away from work as soon as she can.
Get (sb) down Meaning: to make sb feel sad Example Sentence: When my work gets me down, I want to resign.
Get through Meaning: to be connected by phone Example Sentence: I tried to call her but couldn’t get through.
Get around Meaning: to visit lots of places Example Sentence: It is quite easy to get around London.
Get over Meaning: to overcome Example Sentence: How would you get over that problem?
Get ahead Meaning: to be success Example Sentence: Shailesh wants to get ahead in his career.
