| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
| Abide by | Accept or follow a decision or rule. | We have to ABIDE BY what the court says. |
| Account for | To explain. | They had to ACCOUNT FOR all the money that had gone missing. |
| Ache for | Want something or someone a lot. | My partner's been away for a fortnight- I am ACHING FOR her. |
| Act on | To take action because of something like information received. | The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang red-handed. |
| Act on | Affect. | The medicine only ACTS ON infected tissue. |
| Act out | Perform something with actions and gestures.. | They ACTED OUT the story on stage. |
| Act out | Express an emotion in your behaviour. | Their anger is ACTED OUT in their antisocial behaviour. |
| Act up | Behave badly or strangely. | My computer's ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus. |
| Act upon | To take action because of something like information received. | The police were ACTING UPON a tip-off. |
| Act upon | Affect. | The enzyme ACTS UPON certain proteins. |
| Add on | Include in a calculation. | You have to ADD the VAT ON to the price they give. |
| Add up | To make a mathematical total. | We ADDED UP the bill to check it was correct. |
| Add up | Be a satisfactory explanantion for something. | She explained why the work wasn't ready, but her story doesn't ADD UP. |
| Add up to | Have a certain result. | Trains delays are getting worse and with the high fares, it all ADDS UP TO misery for the commuters. |
| Add up to | Come to a certain amount or figure. | The total costs ADD UP TO several million euros. |
| Agree with | Affect- usually used in the negative to show that something has had a negative effect, especially is it makes you feel bad. | I feel terrible- that food didn't AGREE WITH my stomach. |
| Aim at | To target. | The magazine is AIMED AT teenagers. |
| Aim at | Intend to achieve. | They're AIMING AT reducing costs by ten percent. |
| Allow for | Include something in a plan or calculation. | You should ALLOW FOR delays when planning a journey. |
| Allow of | Make possible, permit. | The rules don't ALLOW OF any exceptions. |
| Angle for | Try to get something indirectly, by hinting or suggesting. | He's been ANGLING FOR an invitation, but I don't want him to come. |
| Answer back | To reply rudely to someone in authority. | Her mother was shocked when she started ANSWERING her BACK and refusing to help. |
| Answer for | Be held responsible for a problem. | The government should be made to ANSWER FOR their failure to sort out the problem. |
| Answer for | Speak on behalf of someone or from knowing them. | I can ANSWER FOR my partner because I know her position on this issue. |
| Argue down | Beat someone in a debate, discussion or argument. | The teacher tried to ARGUE the girl DOWN, but she couldn't. |
| Argue down | Persuade someone to drop the price of something they're selling. | She ARGUED him DOWN ten percent. |
| Argue down | Try to persuade people not to accept a proposition, motion, etc. | They tried to ARGUE DOWN the proposal. |
| Argue out | Argue about a problem to find a solution. | If we can't ARGUE our differences OUT, we'll have to take them to court. |
| Ask about | Ask how someone is doing, especially professionally and in terms of health. | He ASKED ABOUT my father. |
| Ask after | Enquire about someone's health, how life is going. | Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER you, so I told her you were fine. |
| Ask around | Ask a number of people for information of help. | I have no idea, but I'll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help. |
| Ask around | Invite someone. | We ASKED them AROUND for dinner. |
| Ask for | To provoke a negative reaction. | You're ASKING FOR trouble. |
| Ask for | Request to have or be given. | I ASKED FOR the menu. |
| Ask in | To invite somebody into your house. | 'Jon's at the door.' 'ASK him IN.' |
| Ask out | To invite someone for a date. | He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy. |
| Ask over | Invite. | They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday. |
| Ask round | Invite someone. | We ASKED John ROUND for diner. |
| Auction off | Sell something in an auction. | They AUCTIONED OFF their property as they were heavily in debt. |
| Back away | Retreat or go backwards. | The crowd BACKED AWAY when the man pulled a knife. |
| Back down | Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument. | She refused to BACK DOWN and was fired. |
| Back into | Enter a parking area in reverse gear. | He prefers to BACK his car INTO the garage. |
| Back off | Retreat. | The police told the protesters to BACK OFF. |
| Back out | Fail to keep an arrangement or promise. | He BACKED OUT two days before the holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister |
| Back out of | Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement. | She BACKED OUT OF the agreement at the last minute. |
| Back out of | Exit a parking area in reverse gear. | She BACKED the Rolls OUT OF its parking space. |
| Back up | Make a copy of computer data. | You should always BACK UP important files and documents so that you won't lose all your work if something goes wrong with the hardware. |
| Back up | Support. | The rest of the staff BACKED her UP when she complained about working conditions. |
| Back up | Drive a vehicle backwards. | Tom BACKED UP without looking and ran over his laptop. |
| Bag out | Criticise. | Don't bag out BAG OUT Australian English. |
| Bail out | Save, rescue. | The government had to BAIL OUT the airline because it was losing so much money. |
| Bail out | Remove water from something that is flooded. | The boat was leaking so they had to BAIL it OUT. |
| Bail out | Jump out of a plane because it is going to crash. | The pilot BAILED OUT when he saw that the engines had failed. |
| Bail out of | Pay a bond to release someone from jail. | I must BAIL my drunken brother OUT OF jail. |
| Bail out on | Stop supporting someone when they are in trouble. | Everybody BAILED OUT ON him when the scandal broke. |
| Bail up | Talk to someone and delay them. | I was late because he BAILED me UP on the phone and wouldn't shut up. |
| Bail up | Rob someone at gunpoint. | He was BAILED UP by a couple of muggers as he came out of the bank. |
| Ball up | Confuse or make things complicated. | The new project has BALLED me UP- I have no idea what to do. |
| Ball up | Roll or form into a round shape. | He BALLED UP his napkin when he had finished eating. |
| Balls up | Spoil, ruin. | He BALLSED the presentation UP. |
| Bang about | Move in a place making a lot of noise. | He's BANGING ABOUT in the kitchen. |
| Bang around | Move in a place making a lot of noise. | I can hear him BANGING ABOUT upstairs. |
| Bang on | Talk at great length. | He BANGED ON for half an hour but no one was listening. |
| Bang on about | Keep talking about something. | He's always BANGING ON ABOUT football. |
| Bang out | Play a musical instrument loudly. | She BANGED the tune OUT on the piano. |
| Bang up | Put someone in prison. | The judge BANGED him UP for eight years. |
| Bang up | Damage badly. | He BANGED his car UP last night. |
| Bank on | Count or rely on. | I'm BANKING ON your help; I can't do it alone. |
| Bargain down | Persuade someone to drop the price of something they're selling. | I BARGAINED her DOWN to half what she originally wanted. |
| Bargain for | Expect something to happen (usually negative). | I hadn't BARGAINED FOR so many people coming. |
| Bargain on | Expect something to happen (usually negative). | I hadn't BARGAINED ON him coming. |
| Barge in | Enter a place and interrupt. | He keeps BARGING IN and asking stupid questions when I'm trying to work. |
| Barge into | Enter a place and interrupt people rudely. | They BARGED INTO my office without knocking and started talking even though I was on the phone. |
| Bash about | Mistreat physically. | If you BASH your monitor ABOUT like that, it won't last long. |
| Bash in | Break, damage or injure by hitting. | The burglars BASHED the door IN to enter the house. |
| Bash out | Write something quickly without much preparation. | I BASHED the essay OUT the night before I had to hand it in. |
| Bash up | Break, damage or hurt by hitting. | They BASHED him UP in the fight in the pub last week and he had to go to hospital. |
| Bawl out | Scold, shout at someone. | She BAWLED me OUT for coming home drunk. |
| Bawl out | Scold. | She BAWLED Raj OUT for getting there late. |
| Bawl out | Sing or shout unpleasantly loudly. | He BAWLED OUT our names at the top of his voice. |
| Be after | Try to find or get. | The police ARE AFTER him because of the theft. |
| Be along | Arrive. | The next bus should BE ALONG in the next quarter of an hour or so. |
| Be away | Be elsewhere; on holiday, etc.. | She's AWAY on business for three weeks. |
| Be cut out for | Be suitable, have the necessary qualities. | She's not CUT OUT FOR this kind of work. |
| Be cut up | Be upset. | She was very CUT UP about coming second as she thought she deserved to win. |
| Be down | Be depressed. | He's BEEN DOWN since his partner left him. |
| Be down | Be reduced or less. | The firm's profits ARE DOWN by ten percent this quarter. |
| Be down on | Have negative feelings toward someone. | After the argument, James is DOWN ON his boss. |
| Be down with | Be ill. | Gul is DOWN WITH some bug and is off work today. |
| Be fed up | Be bored, upset or sick of something. | I AM FED UP of his complaints. |
| Be in | Be at home or at work. | They ARE never IN; I always get their answerphone. |
| Be in | Be submitted, arrive. | The application form must BE IN by 3pm on Friday. |
| Be in on | Be involved in. | Susan was the only one who WASN'T IN ON the plan. |
| Be not on | Be unacceptable. | The way he's behaving IS just NOT ON. |
| Be off | Be bad (of food). | This yoghurt must BE OFF; it smells foul. |
| Be off | Depart, leave. | I'm OFF home; it's five o'clock. |
| Be on | Be functioning (of machines). | The computer IS ON. |
| Be on | Take place. | The show IS ON for the next three months. |
| Be on | Take medication or drugs, especially when they affect the person badly. | He IS ON anti-depressants and has become very difficult to please. |
| Be on | Be at the top of one’s game, performing very well. | He IS really ON right now- three goals in five minutes! |
| Be on about | Mean, try to say. | I couldn't understand what he WAS ON ABOUT- it made no sense. |
| Be onto | Pursue, be aware of someone's true nature. | He's being very careful because he thinks the police ARE ONTO him. |
| Be out | Be absent from a place. | She IS OUT on a visit for the day. |
| Be out of | Have no more left. | We're OUT OF coffee so I'll have to go and get some. |
| Be out to | Attempt. | She IS OUT TO get him sacked because she hates him. |
| Be snowed under | Have too much work. | We're completely SNOWED UNDER at work because it's the end of the tax year. |
| Be taken aback | Be shocked or surprised. | I WAS TAKEN ABACK when I saw him because he's lost all his hair. |
| Be taken with | Like something. | I WAS very TAKEN WITH the performance- it was superb. |
| Be up | Be out of bed. | She's not UP yet. |
| Be up | Have increased or risen. | The company's profits ARE UP by fifteen percent. |
| Be up | When the time for something finishes or expires. | Time's UP, please finish your drinks and leave. |
| Be up for | Be enthusiastic about an upcoming event. | ARE you UP FOR the climb of Mt. Blanc? |
| Be up to | Be good enough. | He's not UP TO the job; get someone else. |
| Be up to | Doing something naughty or wrong. | What are those kids UP TO? |
| Bear down on | Move towards. | She spotted him on the other side of the room and BORE DOWN ON him. |
| Bear on | Influence, affect. | The judge's character may well BEAR ON the final decision. |
| Bear out | Confirm that something is correct. | Statistics BEAR OUT the government's positions on the issue. |
| Bear up | Resist pressure. | How are you BEARING UP under the strain? |
| Bear up under | Cope with something difficult or stressful. | He's BEARING UP UNDER the pressure. |
| Bear with | Be patient. | Please BEAR WITH me a moment while I finish this email. |
| Beat down | Strong sunshine. | The sun WAS really BEATING DOWN and we couldn't stay outdoors. |
| Beat down | Get someone to lower the price of something. | I managed to BEAT him DOWN to fifty Euros. |
| Beat out | Narrowly win in competition. | The marathon runner barely BEAT OUT his rival at the tape. |
| Beat up | Attack violently. | The mugger BEAT him UP and stole his wallet. |
| Beaver away | Work hard. | She's BEAVERING AWAY before her exams. |
| Beaver away at | Work hard doing something. | I have to BEAVER AWAY AT it or else I will fail the course. |
| Bed down | Sleep somewhere less comfortable than normal. | We had to BED DOWN on the floor for the night. |
| Bed down | Become established or successful over time. | The new government has found it hard to BED DOWN and become accepted. |
| Bed out | Move a plant outside. | I BEDDED the plants OUT when the weather warmed up. |
| Beef up | Make something stronger or more solid. | The company BEEFED UP their case when they saw that the public wouldn't accept their first explanation of the accident. |
| Belong to | Be a member. | He BELONGS TO a secret society. |
| Belong to | Be connected to a time, place, belief, thing, etc. | Their ideas BELONG TO the nineteenth century and seem old-fashioned now. |
| Belong with | Be in the correct or appropriate location with other items. | Does this disc BELONG WITH those on the shelf? |
| Belt out | Sing something loudly. | They BELTED OUT the national anthems before the game. |
| Belt up | Be quiet. | She told the students to BELT UP because they were making so much noise. |
| Belt up | Fasten your seatbelt. | I told the kids to BELT UP before I started the car. |
| Bend down | Lower the top half of your body. | I BENT DOWN to pick it up off the floor. |
| Bend over | Lower the top part of your body. | I BENT OVER to do my shoes up. |
| Bend over backwards | Do a lot to try to help or please someone. | I BENT OVER BACKWARDS for them and they didn't even thank me. |
| Big up | Exaggerate the importance. | He BIGS himself UP all the time. |
| Big up | Increase the size of muscles by exercise. | They work out a lot to BIG themselves UP. |
| Bitch up | Spoil or ruin something. | I BITCHED UP the interview. |
| Black out | Fall unconscious. | He BLACKED OUT and collapsed on the floor. |
| Black out | Lose light. | Everything BLACKED OUT when the power supply failed. |
| Blank out | Censor text so that words cannot be read. | The email addresses were BLANKED OUT in the documents shown to the court. |
| Blank out | Have a temporary memory failure. | I was so nervous in the interview that I just BLANKED OUT and couldn't answer their questions properly. |
| Blare out | A loud sound or music. | The music was BLARING OUT and I couldn't get to sleep. |
| Blast off | Leave the ground- spaceship or rocket. | The space shuttle BLASTED OFF on schedule yesterday. |
| Blaze away | Fire a gun repeatedly. | The shooters BLAZED AWAY at the pheasants. |
| Bleed out | Cause sufficient blood loss to result in death. | They BLED OUT their calves. |
| Bliss out | Be extremely relaxed and happy. | I BLISSED OUT on the beach all week. |
| Block in | Park a car and obstruct another car. | I couldn't drive here this morning because someone had BLOCKED me IN. |
| Block in | Shade or fill in. | He BLOCKED IN the events in his calendar. |
| Block off | Obstruct an exit to prevent people from leaving. | The police BLOCKED OFF the road after the murder. |
| Block out | Stop light from entering or leaving. | The trees BLOCK the sun OUT most of the day. |
| Block out | Try not think about or feel something because it is upsetting or painful. | It was so unpleasant that I try to BLOCK it OUT- otherwise, I'd just be angry all the time. |
| Block up | Fill a space so that nothing can pass. | The pipe's BLOCKED UP and no water gets through. |
| Blow away | Kill. | He grabbed a gun and BLEW the police officer AWAY. |
| Blow away | Beat rivals or competitors by a large margin. | Their new product has BLOWN all the others AWAY. |
| Blow away | Impress greatly. | Her first novel BLEW me AWAY. |
| Blow away | When the wind moves something from a place. | The flag BLEW AWAY in the storm; we'll have to buy a new one. |
| Blow down | When the wind forces something to fall. | A tree was BLOWN DOWN in the storm. |
| Blow in | Arrive, sometimes suddenly or unexpectedly. | He BLEW IN from Toronto early this morning. |
| Blow off | Not keep an appointment. | We were going to meet last night, but she BLEW me OFF at the last minute. |
| Blow off | Ignore, not do something. | I BLEW the homework OFF and did badly. |
| Blow off | Expel gas from the anus. | He BLEW OFF in front of everybody. |
| Blow out | Extinguish candles, matches, etc.. | She BLEW the candles OUT on her birthday cake. |
| Blow out | Defeat decisively. | The Broncos BLEW OUT the Raiders 55-0. |
| Blow over | When a scandal gets forgotten. | The scandal BLEW OVER within a fortnight when the press found someone else to attack. |
| Blow up | Explode. | The bomb BLEW UP without any warning. |
| Blow up | Inflate. | The pressure was low, so I BLEW the tyre UP. |
| Blow up | Enlarge (e.g., photograph).. | BLOW UP that photo so we can see his face. |
| Blow up | The beginning of a storm. | A storm BLEW UP while we were out walking. |
| Blow up | Lose your temper, become angry. | They BLEW UP when they heard what I had done wrong. |
| Blurt out | Say something quickly without thinking, especially if you shouldn't. | I was really angry when he BLURTED OUT the secret. |
| Board out | Arrange for pets to stay somewhere while you're away. | We BOARD our dog OUT with friends when we go abroad. |
| Board up | Cover windows or doors with wood, metal, etc.. | They BOARDED UP all the windows to stop people getting into the empty houses. |
| Bog down | Slow make progress. | Yasini got BOGGED DOWN in his research and didn't finish the project in time. |
| Bog in | Eat enthusiastically. | We were starving and BOGGED IN when the food was served. |
| Bog into | Eat something enthusiastically. | They BOGGED INTO the lunch. |
| Bog off! | Get lost. | He lost his temper and told her to BOG OFF. |
| Boil down | Simplify, reduce to the essentials. | The report's so long, I BOILED it DOWN into a two-page summary. |
| Boil down to | Amount to. | It all BOILS DOWN TO money at the end of the day. |
| Boil over | When a hot liquid spills out of a container. | I left the milk on the cooker and it BOILED OVER. |
| Boil over | When people lose their tempers and things get nasty. | The tension had been building up and it BOILED OVER in the meeting. |
| Boil up | Feel a negative emotion strongly. | The anger BOILED UP in me when I saw what they had done. |
| Boil up | Cook or heat something to boiling point. | I BOILED UP some water for a cup of coffee. |
| Bolster up | Give support, reinforce, strengthen. | We were all scared but she BOLSTERED UP our courage. |
| Bone up | Study hard for a reason. | I will have to BONE UP to get a good result. |
| Bone up on | Study hard for a goal or reason. | I need to BONE UP ON my French grammar for the test. |
| Book in | Make a reservation in advance. | I'll BOOK us IN at the Intercontinental. |
| Book in | Check in at a hotel. | WE took a taxi from the airport to the hotel and BOOKED IN. |
| Book into | Make a reservation in advance. | I've BOOKED us INTO a hotel in the centre of town for three nights. |
| Book into | Check in at a hotel. | We BOOKED INTO the first hotel we could find. |
| Book out | Leave a place in a hurry. | I don't like the look of the people arriving- let's BOOK OUT. |
| Book up | Reserve. | The flight's fully BOOKED UP; I'll have to go the following day. |
| Boot up | Start a computer. | He BOOTED UP the computer and started work. |
| Border on | Be located next to a place. | Portugal BORDERS ON Spain. |
| Border on | Be very nearly something. | What he did was BORDERING ON betrayal. |
| Boss about | Use excessive authority to control people. | She BOSSES everyone ABOUT. |
| Boss around | Use excessive authority to control people. | He BOSSES everyone AROUND. |
| Botch up | Ruin or spoil something. | I BOTCHED UP the whole project and it had to be cancelled. |
| Bottle away | Store up. | He kept his feelings BOTTLED AWAY. |
| Bottle out | Lack courage to do something. | She was going to tell her boss exactly what she thought, but BOTTLED OUT in the end. |
| Bottle up | Not express your feelings. | She BOTTLED UP her feelings even though she was furious with them and kept quiet. |
| Bottom out | Pass the lowest point and start rising. | The recession BOTTOMED OUT and the economy is recovering well. |
| Bounce into | Force someone. | They have BOUNCED the government INTO calling an early election. |
| Bounce back | Recover. | The economy is BOUNCING BACK from the recession. |
| Bounce off | Test ideas. | They BOUNCED ideas OFF each other in a brainstorming session. |
| Bowl out | Hit someone's wicket in cricket with the ball. | He BOWLED the player OUT first ball. |
| Bowl over | Surprise someone greatly. | I was BOWLED OVER by the news. |
| Bowl over | Knock someone to the ground. | He was BOWLED OVER by the crowd rushing out. |
| Box in | Prevent something from moving, especially vehicles. | I was BOXED IN by the bus and couldn't change lane. |
| Box up | Pack things in boxes to move them. | At the end of term, I BOXED my books UP and sent them home. |
| Brace up | Feel more confident or optimistic about something. | You should BRACE UP and stop worrying. |
| Branch out | Move into a different area of business, etc.. | The supermarkets have BRANCHED OUT into banking. |
| Break away | Leave an organisation, usually to form a new one. | The SDP BROKE AWAY from the Labour Party. |
| Break down | End negotiations unsuccessfully. | The talks between management and the unions BROKE DOWN acrimoniously. |
| Break down | Start crying. | He BROKE DOWN in tears. |
| Break down | Stop working. | My car's BROKEN DOWN, so I came by taxi. |
| Break down | Remove a barrier or obstacle. | He had to BREAK DOWN their opposition to his ideas. |
| Break in | Go into a building to steal something. | The burglars BROKE IN and stole the TV and video. |
| Break in | Interrupt something. | I'm sorry to BREAK IN on your conversation, but there's a problem. |
| Break in | Train a horse to be ridden. | It took ages to BREAK the horse IN. |
| Break in | Carefully use new products until they are fully functional.. | I must watch my speed until I BREAK IN my new Volvo. |
| Break off | Break a piece from something. | She BROKE OFF a square of chocolate and gave it to her dog. |
| Break off | End a relationship. | She BROKE OFF their engagement when she found out that he'd been unfaithful. |
| Break out | Start (war, conflict). | They're worried that war will BREAK OUT. |
| Break out in | Sweat heavily, develop skin sores or irritation.. | The measles caused me to BREAK OUT IN a rash. |
| Break out of | Escape. | Three dangerous Category A prisoners BROKE OUT OF Wandsworth Prison last night. |
| Break through | Pass a barrier or obstacle. | The crowd BROKE THROUGH the police barriers and attacked the hunters. |
| Break up | Break into many pieces. | The plate BROKE UP when he dropped it on the floor. |
| Break up | Close an educational institution for the holidays. | Schools BREAK UP at the end of June for the summer holidays. |
| Break up | Finish a relationship. | They had been going out for a couple of years before they BROKE UP. |
| Break up | Become inaudible over the telephone because of interference. | You're BREAKING UP; I'll call you back in a minute and see if we get a better connection. |
| Breeze along | Move easily and quickly. | The film BREEZES ALONG for the first hour, then becomes rather dull and slow. |
| Breeze in | Enter a place quickly. | He BREEZED IN and started shouting at us. |
| Breeze into | Enter a place quickly. | He BREEZED INTO the room and switched the TV on. |
| Breeze through | Pass easily, succeed. | She BREEZED THROUGH her exams. |
| Brick in | Close or fill a space with bricks. | We BRICKED IN the side window. |
| Brick up | Close or fill a space with bricks. | We BRICKED the back entrance UP. |
| Brighten up | Improve (weather). | The day started cloudy but BRIGHTENED UP in the afternoon. |
| Brighten up | Become happier. | He BRIGHTENED UP when he heard the news. |
| Brighten up | Make something more attractive or pleasant. | We tried to BRIGHTEN the place UP by painting it. |
| Bring about | Make something happen. | The changes to the law were BROUGHT ABOUT by the government because so many people were ignoring the old one. |
| Bring along | Bring someone or something to certain place. | You can BRING your friends ALONG if you like. |
| Bring along | Help someone improve. | Her coach has BROUGHT her ALONG a lot in the last six months. |
| Bring around | Persuade or convince someone. | It took me ages to BRING him AROUND to my point of view. |
| Bring around | Bring something with you when you visit. | He BROUGHT some books AROUND when he came last night. |
| Bring around | Get someone talking about something. | He didn't want to discuss the details, but I managed to BRING him AROUND and he told me everything. |
| Bring back | Cause someone to remember. | Visiting my old school BROUGHT BACK memories of when I was a pupil there. |
| Bring back | Return. | He took the calculator home yesterday and hasn't BROUGHT it BACK yet. |
| Bring down | Make a government fall. | The vote of no-confidence BROUGHT the government DOWN. |
| Bring down | Make something cheaper. | The improvements in technology have BROUGHT the prices of computers DOWN considerably in recent months. |
| Bring forth | Produce something, make it known or visible. | The prosecution BROUGHT FORTH a lot of evidence against him. |
| Bring forth | Produce. | She BROUGHT FORTH a surprising result. |
| Bring forth | Make something happen. | The report has BROUGHT FORTH a lot of criticism of the policy. |
| Bring forth | Remove something from where it is kept or hidden. | She BROUGHT FORTH the diary and showed it to us. |
| Bring forward | Make something happen earlier than originally planned. | The meeting has been BROUGHT FORWARD to this Friday instead of next week because some people couldn't make it then. |
| Bring in | Earn. | The job BRINGS IN two thousand dollars a month. |
| Bring off | Succeed with something difficult. | No one thought she'd manage to do it, but she BROUGHT it OFF in the end. |
| Bring on | Cause something to happen or speed up the process. | Getting wet in the rain yesterday BROUGHT ON my cold. |
| Bring on | Make something appear. | BRING ON the dancers! |
| Bring out | Release or publish. | The band are BRINGING OUT a new CD in the autumn. |
| Bring out | Elicit a response. | Suzie BRINGS OUT the best in him. |
| Bring out in | Cause a health problem or reaction. | It was the lobster that BROUGHT me OUT in this rash all over my body. |
| Bring round | Make someone wake up from unconsciousness or an anaesthetic. | The doctors BROUGHT him ROUND a few hours after the operation. |
| Bring up | Mention. | They didn't BRING the subject UP at the meeting. |
| Bring up | Raise a child. | My parents BROUGHT me UP strictly. |
| Bring up | Be officially charged with a crime. | He was BROUGHT UP on charges of public intoxication. |
| Bring Up | Mention. | They didn't BRING the subject UP at the meeting. |
| Bring Up | Raise a child. | My parents BROUGHT me UP strictly. |
| Bring Up | Be officially charged with a crime. | He was BROUGHT UP on charges of public intoxication. |
| Brush off | Ignore, pay little attention. | The minister BRUSHED OFF the criticism. |
| Brush up | Improve a skill quickly. | She took a two-week course to BRUSH UP her Spanish before she went travelling around South and Central America. |
| Bubble over | Become very excited. | She BUBBLED OVER with joy when she heard her exam results. |
| Buck up | Hurry (either transitive or reflexive). | 'BUCK UP - the taxi's waiting.' |
| Buck up | Smarten up, improve. | You had better BUCK your ideas UP, or you'll fail the course. |
| Bucket down | Rain heavily. | Take an umbrella; it's BUCKETING DOWN. |
| Buckle down | Start working hard, apply yourself. | We had to BUCKLE DOWN and study for the exam. |
| Buckle under | Accept something under pressure, against your will. | They didn't like the ideas, but had to BUCKLE UNDER or face the sack. |
| Buckle up | Fasten a seatbelt. | We were told to BUCKLE UP before take-off. |
| Budge up | Move to make space for someone. | We had to BUDGE UP to let the fourth person in the back of the car. |
| Buff up | Clear, clean or make something shine. | The silver candlestick looked lovely after I BUFFED it UP. |
| Buff up | Improve. | After the scandal, the politician tried to BUFF UP his public image. |
| Buff up on | Improve your knowledge quickly. | I BUFFED UP ON my grammar before the test. |
| Bug off! | Go away. | I told her to bug off because she was annoying me. |
| Bug out | Open your eyes wide in surprise. | He BUGGED OUT when she turned up. |
| Bug out | Leave somewhere in a hurry. | They BUGGED OUT when the police arrived. |
| Build up | Develop a company. | She BUILT the business UP from nothing into a market leader in less than a decade. |
| Build up | Increase. | Tension has been BUILDING UP ever since the government passed the unpopular law. |
| Bulk out | Make something bigger or thicker. | I BULKED the essay OUT with a few quotes to reach the number of word required. |
| Bulk up | Gain weight, develop bigger muscles. | He's BULKED UP a lot since he got those steroids. |
| Bump into | Meet by chance. | I BUMPED INTO Helen on the underground the other day. |
| Bump off | Kill. | The drug dealer was BUMPED OFF by a rival gang. |
| Bump up | Increase. | They BUMP UP the prices in the high season. |
| Bundle off | Send someone somewhere. | He BUNDLED the kids OFF to bed. |
| Bundle out | Expel. | The barman BUNDLED the drunk OUT because he was annoying the other customers. |
| Bundle up | Put on warm clothing. | We BUNDLED UP before going out as it was snowing. |
| Bundle up | Wrap or tie things together. | I BUNDLED UP my newspapers and dropped them in the recycling bin. |
| Bunk off | Not go to school when you should. | I used to BUNK OFF school and go into town. |
| Buoy up | Make someone feel more positive. | After so much criticism, the positive review BUOYED him UP. |
| Buoy up | Keep afloat. | The lifejacket BUOYED me UP till the boat arrived. |
| Burn down | Burn completely. | They had to completely rebuild the museum after the old one BURNED DOWN. |
| Burn off | Remove by burning or similar process. | I BURN OFF a lot of calories in the gym. |
| Burn out | Lose enthusiasm and energy to continue in a demanding job. | Jennie BURNT OUT after ten years working as a futures broker and went to live in the country. |
| Burn up | Destroy completely by fire. | All his possessions were BURNED UP in the fire. |
| Burn up | Drive at high speed. | The bank robbers BURNED UP the roads but were soon captured. |
| Burn up | To be or cause to be highly annoyed. | His undeserved win in the election really BURNS me UP. |
| Burst into | Catch fire very quickly. | The car BURST INTO flames and the driver died as he didn't have time to get out. |
| Burst into | Laugh, cry or clap loudly. | She BURST INTO laughter when she heard the joke. |
| Bust up | End a relationship, usually angrily or after arguing. | They BUST UP after a row last night. |
| Butt in | Interrupt. | I hope you don't mind me BUTTING IN on your conversation, but I couldn't help hearing what you said... |
| Butt out | Not be involved in other people's business. | This is none of your business, so just BUTT OUT! |
| Butter up | Praise or flatter someone excessively. | I tried BUTTERING my tutor UP but she still wouldn\'t let me hand it in late. |
| Buy in | Force a CD or record into the charts by buying lots of copies. | Joe Meek's last hit, 'Singin' the Blues', was probably BOUGHT IN at number 40, but failed to go any higher. |
| Buy into | Accept an idea. | I never BOUGHT INTO the idea of a federalist Euopean Union. |
| Buy off | Pay someone to stop them causing trouble. | He BOUGHT the newspaper OFF by placing a lot of adverts. |
| Buy out | Buy somebody's share in a company. | His business partners BOUGHT him OUT to get rid of him. |
| Buy up | Buy all of something. | We BOUGHT UP all the shop had before the price went up. |
| Buzz around | Move quickly around a place. | Reporters were BUZZING AROUND the scene of the accident. |
| Buzz off | Leave somewhere. | I'm BUZZING OFF now- I have to meet some people. |
| Buzz off! | Go away (imperative). | He told them to BUZZ OFF because they were annoying him. |
