52 Phrasal Verbs
Understanding phrasal verbs is key to mastering legal English.. In this article, we look at some of the most important phrasal verbs and provide definitions and clear examples to help you with your learning.
Phrasal Verbs
abide by
To follow a decision, a law or a rule
If you want to stay here, you simply have to abide by the rules.
account for
To explain why you took a particular decision
I hope you can account for the missing money.
act upon
To take action
She acted upon her instincts and challenged the man.
advise against
To recommend not doing something
I advise against pleading guilty in this case.
agree with
To have the same opinion as another person.
I agree with you. You shouldn’t go there tomorrow.
allow for
To take into consideration
We need to allow for unexpected costs along the way.
appeal to
To plead or make a request.
He appealed to the court to change its decision.
apply for
To make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan etc.)
Jamie has just applied an online Legal English course with Legal English UK.
back away
To move backwards, in fear or dislike
When he saw the bear, he backed away slowly whilst trying to keep eye contact.
back down
To withdraw or admit defeat
The prosecution backed down when they realised that their witness was unlikely to turn up.
back up
To make a copy of something (file, program, etc.)
You should back up all your computer files in a secure location.
back up
To support somebody.
I’m going to be very strict with him. I hope you’ll back me up on this?
bank on
To base your hopes on something / someone
I’m banking on the witness to really help us out.
black out
To faint, lose consciousness
Jenna fell in the parking lot and blacked out for at least a minute.
block off
To separate using a barrier.
The police blocked off the street after the explosion.
blow up
To explode
The bomb blew a building up in the downtown area but luckily nobody was inside.
boil down to
To be summarised as
It all boils down to who has more power within the organisation.
boot up
To start a computer by loading an operating system or program
You need to boot up your computer before you begin your work.
break away
To separate from a crowd
One of the wolves broke away from the pack.
break down
To go out of order, cease to function
The washing machine broke down so we had to call in the repair technician.
break down
To lose control of one’s emotions
John broke down when he heard the news.
break into
To enter by force
Somebody broke into my car last night and took the radio.
break out
To start suddenly
Rioting broke out after the government raised taxes again.
break out of
To escape from a place by force
Several prisoners broke out of the city prison last night.
break up
To come to an end (marriage, relationship)
She broke up with Joe after dating him for five years.
bring up
To raise (a child)
Sara is bringing up her children by herself.
brush up on
To improve, refresh one’s knowledge of something
I must brush up on my Legal French before going to Paris next month.
bump into
To meet by chance or unexpectedly
I bumped into Adam at the bank. He says “hello”.
burn out
become exhausted from over-working
She needs to work fewer hours. Otherwise she will burn out.
call back
To return a phone call
Could you please call back in ten minutes?
call off
To cancel
The game was called off because of bad weather.
calm down
To become more relaxed, less angry or upset
It took Kylie several hours to calm down after she saw the accident.
carry on
To continue
The soldiers carried on walking in order to get to their post before dark.
carry out
To do something as specified (a plan, an order, a threat)
His orders were carried out to the letter.
check in
To register at a hotel or airport
They said I must check in at least three hours before my flight.
check out
To pay one’s bill and leave (a hotel)
Donna checked out of the hotel this morning.
clam up
To refuse to speak
When the police started asking questions, the suspect clammed up.
clamp down on
To act strictly to prevent something
The local authorities have decided to clamp down on illegal parking in handicapped parking places.
come across
To find by chance
I was cleaning up and came across some old photos of you.
come forward
To present oneself
Has the owner of the winning lotto ticket come forward yet?
count on
To rely or depend on (for help)
You can count on me to keep your secret.
cut down on
To reduce in number or size
I’ve decided to cut down on the amount of sweets I eat.
cut out
To stop doing something
You need to cut out all red meat from your diet.
deal with
To handle, take care of (problem, situation)
Catherine is not good at dealing with stress.
die down
To calm down, become less strong
After the storm died down, we went outside to see the damage it had caused.
do without
To manage without
She didn’t get a salary this month, so she’ll have to do without extra treats.
drag on
To last longer than expected
The suspect’s trial dragged on longer than we had expected!
draw up
To write (contract, agreement, document)
They drew up a contract and had me sign it.
dress up
wear elegant clothes
Their wedding gave us a chance to dress up and get out of the house.
drop in
To visit, usually on the way somewhere
Why don’t you drop in to see us on your way home?
drop off
To deliver someone or something
I’ll drop off the papers later today.
drop out
To leave school without finishing
Zack dropped out of college and joined the army.
ease off
To reduce, become less severe or slow down (pain, traffic, work)
Traffic usually eases off about 7pm
end in
To finish in a certain way; result in
Her marriage ended in divorce.
end up
To finally reach a state, place or action
If you don’t improve your work habits, you’ll end up being fired.
fall through
To fail; doesn’t happen
His plans to trek through South America fell through when he got sick.
figure out
To understand, find the answer
He’s trying to figure out how to earn enough money to go on the trip to Spain.
fill out
To complete (a form/an application)
Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
find out
To discover or obtain information
I’m going to to find out who’s responsible for the power cut.
focus on
To concentrate on something
Tom had difficulty focusing on work the day before his holiday started.
get along (with)
To be on good terms; work well with
It’s important to get along with your team supervisor.
get at
To imply
What are you getting at? Do you think I’m to blame?
get away
To escape
I think we should get away for the weekend.
get by
To manage to cope or to survive
Students without jobs have a hard time getting by.
get in
To enter
When did you get in last night?
get into (+noun)
To enter
How did you get into your car without the keys?
get off
To remove
I can’t get the ink stain off my shirt.
get on
To board (bus, train, plane)
I’m trying to get on the flight to Brussels.
get on with (something)
To continue to do; make progress
After they split up, she had a hard time getting on with her life.
get on (well) with (somebody)
To have a good relationship with
He doesn't get on very well with the other members of the committee.
get out
To leave
He had a hard time getting out of Newark because of the snow.
get out of
To avoid doing something
Edna’s trying to get out of working the night shift.
get over
To recover from (illness, disappointment)
Has she gotten over the flu?
get over
To recover from (illness, disappointment)
Mary had the chickenpox last week but she got over it.
get rid of
To eliminate
Please get rid of that old t-shirt. It’s so ragged.
get together
To meet each other
Let’s get together for your birthday on Saturday.
get up
To rise, leave bed
Will you please get up? You’ve got a class in 20 minutes.
give in
To To hand in; submit
I’ll give in my paper tomorrow.
give up
To stop doing something
Morris gave up drinking 10 years ago.
go through
grow up
To spend one’s childhood; develop; become an adult
He’s like Peter Pan. He never really grew up at all.
hand in
To submit (report, homework)
Please hand in your papers before Friday.
hand out
To distribute
Susan volunteered at the shelter where she handed out warm clothes.
hang out
To spend time in a particular place or with a group of friends
Which pub does the team hang out at after the game?
hang up
To end a phone conversation
If you hang up now, I’ll never speak to you again.
hold on
To wait
Please hold on and a representative will answer your call.
hurry up
To be quick, act speedily
Hurry up and finish your lunch or we’ll miss the train.
iron out
To resolve by discussion, eliminate differences
The two countries met at the conference to iron out their differences.
join in
To participate
Yes David, you can join in the discussion any time you like.
join up
To engage in, become a member of
There was a war on, so some kids were only sixteen when they joined up.
keep on
To continue doing something
If you keep on making that noise I will get annoyed.
keep up with
To stay at the same level as someone or something
I read the paper every day to keep up with the news.
kick off
To begin, start
The rugby match kicked off at 3 o’clock.
leave out
To omit, not mention
Please check your form again and make sure nothing is left out.
let down
To disappoint
I feel so let down because they promised me a puppy but all I got was a doll.
look after
To take care of
Andy can you look after your sister until I get back?
look down on
To consider as inferior
She’s such a snob. She always looks down on anyone who is poor.
look on
To be a spectator at an event
If you don’t want to take part in the game you can look on for now.
look for
To try to find something
Harry went to the shop to look for a new computer.
look forward to
To await or anticipate with pleasure
I’m looking forward to my birthday. It’s in two days time.
look up to
To admire
I always looked up to my father. He was a great man.
make fun of
To laugh at/ make jokes about
It’s not nice to make fun of people in wheelchairs.
make up
To invent (excuse, story)
That’s a good excuse. Did you make up it up yourself?
mix up
To mistake one thing or person for another
She had so many cats that she kept mixing up their names.
move in
To arrive in a new home or office
Did you hear? Our new neighbours are moving in this afternoon.
move out
To leave your home/office for another one.
When are you moving out? We need your office for the new guy.
nod off
To fall asleep
You were so tired after the game that you nodded off on the couch.
own up
To admit or confess something
Come on. Own up. We know you did it!
pass away
To die
Your grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep last night.
pass out
To faint
He didn’t drink enough water so he passed out at the end of the race.
pay back
To reimburse
I’ll pay you back as soon as I get the loan.
put off
To postpone, arrange a later date
Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.
put on
To turn on, switch on
It’s very dark in here. Please put on the light on.
put out
To extinguish
The fire fighters were able to put out fire in ten minutes.
put up
To accommodate, give somebody a bed
I can put you up until the weekend but then I’m going away.
pick up
To collect somebody
I’ll pick you up at around 7:00 to take you to the airport.
point out
To indicate/direct attention to something
As I already pointed out, there was a mistake in your calculation.
rely on
To count on, depend on, trust somebody
You can rely on me. I always arrive on time.
rule out
To eliminate
Since he had a sound alibi, the police ruled him out as a suspect.
run away
To escape from a place or suddenly leave
He ran away from home and joined the circus.
run into
To meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into)
I’m so glad I ran into you. I need to ask you something.
run out of
To have no more of something.
It looks like we've run out of milk. I’ll just pop to the shop to buy some.
set off
To start a journey.
Let’s set off early to miss the rush hour traffic.
set up
To start a business
They set up their own company when they were still in high school.
shop around
To compare prices
Don’t buy that. Let’s shop around and see if we can find something cheaper.
show off
To brag or want to be admired
He’s such a show off. He has to tell everybody about his new computer.
show up
To appear/arrive
I don’t think she’ll show up tonight. Her daughter is sick.
shut up (impolite)
To be silent, stop talking
Shut up, you’re spoiling the movie!
sit down
To take a seat
I think you should sit down. It’s bad news.
stand up
To rise from a sitting position
The whole stadium stood up for the national anthem.
stick up for
To defend
My big brother always stuck up for me when I got into a fight.
take after
To resemble, in appearance or character
Angie really takes after her grandmother.
take care of
To look after
Please take care of my cat when I’m away.
take off
To leave the ground
The plane will take off as soon as the fog lifts.
take on
To hire or engage staff
I hear they’re taking on extra staff for this event.
take out
To remove; extract
Please take out your mobile phones and turn them off.
tell off
To reprimand/criticize severely
The coach told her off for not trying hard enough.
think over
To consider
Take your time and think it over before you decide.
try on
To wear something to see if it suits or fits
Go ahead, try it on and see if it fits?
turn down
To refuse
I asked her out but she turned me down flat.
use up
To finish a product (so that there’s none left)
Your parents have used up all the coffee!
watch out
To be careful
Watch out! There’s a dog in the road.
wear out
To become unusable
Julie wore out her shoes running the marathons.
work out
To do physical exercise
You should work out twice a week at the gym.
wipe off
To clean (board, table).I’ll wash up if you wipe off the table.
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