Phrasal verbs

This list of phrasal verbs is by no means complete. It is a guide to phrasal verbs that should be familiar to a person making an attempt at an FCE exam. If you want to learn phrasal verbs, you should always try to use them, not just memorize. Make sentences with phrasal verbs, try to find non-phrasal synonyms, try to make lists of phrasal verbs connected with a particular topic (eg. travelling: to set off, to see sb off, to pull in/up, to take off etc.) or use any other exercise that will make you think.

Czasowniki oznaczone są symbolami:
(intransitive) - czasownik nieprzechodni, np. look out (no object!)
(transitive) - czasownik przechodni, np. look after sb/sth

account for	explain satisfactorily. He couldn't account for this expense. There's no accounting for tastes.
allow for	take into account, make extra room /time for sth. Allowing for traffic jams we shall get there just before midnight.
answer (sb) back	answer in an impolite way. Don't answer me back, just answer the question.
ask sb out	invite sb to a meal or entertainment (compare eat out)
back out	withdraw, change a positive decision. He first promised to help me but then backed out.
back sb/sth up	1) support sb morally or verbally 2) make a security copy of a computer file. Poprzeć, robić kopię bezpieczeństwa.
be about to	be on the point of He was about to leave when the phone rang.
be after	chase The police were after the thief.
be down with	be ill with; go down with John is down with the flu.
be for	be in favour of (opp: be against) They are(all) for the proposal to build a leisure centre.
be in for	expect sth, usu bad We are in for bad weather
be off	be absent from school/work John isn't in his office. He's off for two days.
be on	be shown on TV, at the cinema/ theatre etc There's a good film on at the Metro.
be out	1) be unfashionable Long skirts are out this season.2) (of light/fire) have stopped burning. The fire is out - that's why it's cold in here.
be over	have finished The film starts at 8.00 and will be over at 10.00.
be through with	have ended a relationship/ job etc I'm through with Tom; he's so selfish.
be up to	1) be capable of Let's take the train - I don't think I'm up to driving so far. 2) (want) to do sth wrong or mischievous The children must be up to something - they're very quiet.
be up to sb	be sb's duty. It is up to the police to keep order in the town.
break down	1) (of machinery) stop working The car broke down so we missed the ferry. 2) (of a person) lose control of feelings. She broke down when she was told her father was dead. 3) fail (talks/negotiations etc) Negotiations broke down and war was declared. 4) separate (usually a list or numbers) under headings He broke the list down into categories.
break in	enter by force or illegally Burglars broke in and stole my jewellery.
break into	1) enter by force He broke into the villa and stole some money. 2) interrupt He broke into their conversation to ask something.
break off	end a relationship/agreement Sue broke off her engagement to Jim.
break out	1) begin suddenly (war etc) War broke out between the two countries. 2) escape by using force from a prison
break through	advance (in spite of opposition) American scientists broke through analyzing the genetic code. Dokonać przełomu lub przedrzeć się przez coś
break to	tell (usu bad news) to sb in a kind way He had to break the bad news to John
break up	1) stop for holidays (school etc) Schools break up on the 23rd for Christmas. 2) end a relationship Jane and Steve don't go out any more; they broke up .
bring about	cause to happen The internet brought about a great change in communications.
bring around/round	1) make sb change their opinion 2) (also bring to) to cause to regain consciousness The nurse managed to bring around the unconscious driver. ocucić
bring back	cause to recall This melody brings back the old good days.
bring down	cause to fall The tax increase brought down our government (at last).
bring forward	move sth to an earlier date or time The exam date was brought forward by a week.
bring in	1) introduce 2) create profit/money The sales brought in £200 in cash.
bring on	cause, usu sth unpleasant His laziness brought on his getting sacked at last.
bring out	put on the market The new shampoo will be brought out next March.
bring up	1) raise a child She was brought up by her grandmother as her parents were abroad. 2) mention/introduce a subject Who will bring upthis subject during our meeting?
call for	1) need, require Our present difficulties call for a strategy re-thinking.2) visit a place to collect sb or sth. Wpaść po kogoś/coś.
call in	1) visit briefly She called in last Monday to see our new house. 2) ask sb to perform some service. Wezwać kogoś, np. lekarza.
call off	cancel The match was called off due to bad weather.
call on sb	visit formally Our representative will call on your company next Tuesday.
call out	officially order to come to sb's help All fire-fighters were called out to save the burning building.
call up	1) (BrE) order to join the army Thousands of young men were called up during World War I 2) (AmE) to phone sb
be carried away	be very excited Don't get carried away by your own success.
carry off	handle a difficult situation successfully She carried her speech off well.
carry on (with)	continue with Carry on with your work whiie I am out.
carry out	perform an experiment, duty etc. They carried out some tests to see the effects of the new drug. Wykonać, przeprowadzić.
carry through	complete successfully We managed to carry our researchthrough despite the difficulties.
come across	find/meet by chance Guess what! I came across Mary in the street this morning. Natknąć się (por. bump/run into - natknąć się, wpaść na kogoś)
come by	obtain (both in good and bad sense) He came by a lot of bad wounds when he tried to tease the dog.
come down to	be passed on to sb by inheritance This house came down to her after her rich aunt died.
come down with	become ill; go down with I'm sure I'm coming down with the flu.
come into	inherit He came into £ 150,000 after his rich aunt died.
come off	succeed Despite all his planning the deal didn't come off.
come out	1) (of flowers) begin to blossom Roses come out in summer. 2) be published When does her new book come out? 3) (of stains) be able to be removed This wine stain will come out if you let it soak in warm water.
come round	1) visit casually Come round whenever you are in our city. 2) regain consciousness The patient came round nearly immediately after the operation.
come to	amount to a total The bill came to £14.
come up	1) be mentioned This problem came up during our meeting. 2) arise; occur Such an opportunity comes up once in a lifetime.
come up to	1) approach A strange man came up to me and asked me for money. 2) equal; be up to (expectations) Children often are irritable because they can't come up to their parents' expectations.
come up with	find (an answer, solution etc) Our secretary often comes up with the best way to solve simple problems.
cut across	take a shorter way Cut across this field if you're in a hurry, but do mind the bull!
cut back (on)	reduce (expenses, production) (compare cut down on ) We must cut back on eating out; we just can't afford it.
cut down (on)	reduce (especially efforts or food) You must cut down on eating if you want to lose weight.
cut in	1) move suddenly in front of another car A car cut in and forced us to slow down. 2) interrupt Would you mind not cutting in until I've finished speaking?
cut into	interrupt The children kept cutting into our conversation.
cut off	1) disconnect Our electricity was cut off as we didn't pay the bill on time. 2) isolate (usu places) The flood cut off the village for a week.
cut out	omit Your article is fine provided you cut out the third paragraph. be cut out for/to be = be suited for (a profession) I don't think I'm cut out for teaching/to be a teacher - I haven't got enough patience.
cut up	cut into small pieces Cut up the meat for Johnny - otherwise he won't be able to eat it.
do away with	abolish Most countries have done away with capital punishment.
do down	speak badly of sb Nobody likes him because he is always doing people down.
do in	kill He threatened to do her in if she didn't cooperate
do up	fasten; tie Do up your jacket; it's cold.
do with	want I could do with a cup of tea.
do without	live or continue without having sth/sb There's no Coke left - we'll have to do without.
draw back	1) be unwilling to fulfil a promise; pull back Although he had promised to help us, he drew back at the last minute. 2) move away On seeing the snake she drew back in terror.
draw in	(of a bus/train) arrive at a station; pull in The train drew in and the passengers began to get off.
draw out	1) encourage sb to be less shy He's very shy; someone should draw him out. 2) take money out of a bank account He drew out some money to pay his rent.
draw up	1) (of a vehicle) stop The limo drew up outside the mansion and the millionaire got out. 2) write out (will, list, contract etc) My grandfather had a solicitor draw up his will last year
eat out	1) have a meal outside one's home 2) idiomatic: eat one's heart out (for sth) - to be very unhappy because of unfulfilled desires. Nie dawać sobie spokoju z powodu czegoś.
fall apart	come to pieces My car is so old that it's literally falling apart.
fall back on	turn to sb/sth for help when other plans have failed We need some extra money to fall back on if I lose my job!
fall behind	fail to keep up with The company cancelled my credit card when I fell behind with my payments.
fall for	1) fall in love with sb George fell for Mary at first sight. 2) be deceived Everybody fell for the conman's lies.
fall in	collapse I'm afraid the roof will fall in if an earthquake hits the area. fall in with = agree with All members of the committee fell in with his suggestion to build a new hospital.
fall into	1) be divided into (categories) Man, together with monkeys and cats falls into the category of mammals. 2) begin; enter a state I fell into conversation with an interesting man on the train.
fall on	1) attack The raider fell on the policeman. 2) eat hungrily The children fell on the cake and ate all of it.
fall out (with)	quarrel When thieves fall out, honest men get their own (meaning: get back their property)
fall through	fail to be completed Our plans fell through due to lack of money.
get across	successfully communicate ideas The teacher got his message across by using diagrams and photographs.
get along	continue despite difficulties She is getting along fine despite all her problems.
get along with	be on friendly terms; get on with My parentsget along with each other despite many everyday squabbles .
get at	mean I don't know what you're getting at , speak clearer.
get away with	escape punishment for awrongful, illegal act He got away with a fine of only £5.
get back	recover possession of She managed to get back the ring she had lost two months before.
get down	1) swallow with difficulty I can't get this steak down. It's very tough. 2) depress This rainy weather gets me down.
get down to	start doing sth seriously It's time you got down to looking for a better job.
get on	1) enter (bus, train etc) Get on the bus before it starts. 2) make progress He's getting on well at school.
get on with	be on (good) terms with She gets on well with her friend Lucy
get out	(of news) become known How did the news of his promotion get out?
get over	recover from He's trying hard to get over the death of his wife.
get round	1) persuade; bring round We eventually got him round to our point of view. 2) find some clever solution to a difficulty. Obejść jakąś trudność, przepis itp.
get round to	= find time to do sth I haven't got round to writing that letter yet.
get through	1) finish (a piece of work) I've got to get through this chapter before I go out. 2) go on living through difficult times How can old people get through the cold winters?
get through to	reach by phone Did you get through to your dentist or will you call him later?
get up	rise from bed What time did you get up today?
give away	1) reveal Promise not to give away my secret. 2) give sth free of charge She gave away most of her clothes to the poor.
give back	return You must always give back the books before the end of the term.
give in	surrender; yield He finally gave in and admitted he was wrong. (compare give up, which can be transitive and means you actually surrender to your enemy and not just stop fighting/arguing) Ustąpić, zrezygnować z dalszej walki
give off	emit (smells, heat, fumes etc) The radiators give off lots of heat.
give out	1) come to an end Their supplies gave out halfway through the climb. 2) distribute They were giving out free samples of the new shampoo at the supermarket.
give up	1) abandon an attempt/habit He gave up smoking last year and hasn't smoked since. 2) surrender The thieves gave themselves up to the police. Poddać się komuś, dać za wygraną
go after	pursue The policeman went after the thief and caught him.
go ahead	be allowed to happen Although several members were absent, the board meeting went ahead as planned.
go away	stop; cease If you take an aspirin, your headache will go away.
go back on	break a promise/agreement Although he had promised to help us, he went back on his word.
go by	base one's ideas on, take as true You shouldn't go by what he says - he always exaggerates.
go down with	become ill John has gone down with flu.
go for	1) attack A big Alsatian went for my little dog. 2) apply for (a job) Why don't you go for this job? You may get it.
go in for	take part in (a competition) She went in for the baking competition and won first prize.
go off	1) explode (bomb) The bomb went off, killing 10 people. 2) ring (alarm) When the alarm went off she woke up and got out of bed. 3) (of food) spoil The milk has gone off; it smells terrible.
go on	1) continue; carry on. Go on, finish what you were saying. 2) happen A large crowd gathered to see what was going on.
go out	stop burning Put some coaI on the fire before it goes out.
go over	1) examine details; go through The police went over/through the evidence many times trying to come up with something. 2) repeat Go over the details again please. I wasn't following you.
go round	1) be enough for everyone to have a share There's enough food to go round. 2) (news/disease) spread; circulate; get round The news went round very quickly.
go through	1) experience She went through a painful time when her mother died. 2) (of a deal/arrangement) be completed with success Has the sale of your flat gone through yet? 3) discuss in detail They went through his suggestions again before making a decision.
go up	rise (price) The price of meat went up again yesterday.
go with	match This jumper really goes with your skirt.
go without	endure the lack of sth; do without Since they had run out of lemonade, they had to go without.
hold back	1) control (tears, laughter) She tried to hold back her tears and not cry in front of her mum. 2) hesitate Don't hold back; take the opportunity while it's there.
hold in	restrain He held his anger in and didn't shout at the boy.
hold off	keep at a distance The police held off the crowd until the troops arrived.
hold on	wait (esp on the phone) Please hold on; Mr Mathews is on the other line.
hold out	1) last The food supplies won't hold out until Monday so we'll have to find some food before then. 2) persist The miners held out for 18 months before they called off the strike.
hold to	follow exactly; keep to (a promise etc) Whatever you say, I'll hold to my opinion.
hold up	1) delay Sorry we're late; we were held up in traffic. 2) use violence in order to rob The robbers held up the train and stole £22,000.
keep after	continue to pursue The police kept after the escaped prisoners until they caught them.
keep away (from)	stay away She had to be kept away from school as she had measles.
keep back	conceal How did she manage to keep back her true feelings?
keep down	cause to remain at a lower level The government is trying to keep prices down.
keep in	make sb stay indoors (as punishment) The teacher kept us in for misbehaving in class.
keep off	stay away from; avoid Keep off thegrass!
keep on	continue despite difficulties Although he failed his test, he kept on studying and retook it in May.
keep out	exclude sb/sth He locked the gate to keep out unwanted visitors.
keep up (with)	stay at the same level as sb/sth Despite being ill he kept up with his work and passed the exam.
keep up with	continue to be informed He reads a newspaper every day to keep up with the news.
let down	1) (of clothes) lengthen (opp: take up) I need to let down my skirt; it's too short. 2) disappoint He let me down by lying to me.
let in(to)	allow sb to enter a place They let us into the room after we showed them our invitation card.
let sb in for sth	(informal) to cause to have or experience something undesirable By helping you I let myself in for being asked a lot of stupid questions from everybody.
let off	not to punish The policeman let him off without arresting him.
let on	reveal a secret He let on that she had stolen the money.
let out	1) release He was let out of prison after 10 years. 2) (of clothes) make larger (opp: take in) I have to have my trousers let out; I've gained several kilos.
let up	become less strong The boats won't sail until the strong winds let up.
look after	take care of My mother looks after my son when I'm working.
look back (on)	consider the past My grandfather looks back on his army days with pleasure.
look down on	despise (opp: look up to) She looks down on John because he isn't rich.
look forward to	anticipate with pleasure I'm reaIIy looking forward to my brother's wedding.
look in on sb	pay a short visit to I'll look in on my mother on my way home.
look into	investigate The police are looking into the case of the smuggled diamonds.
look on	observe He was just looking on while the other two were playing. przyglądać się
look out	be careful Look out! There's a car coming.
look out for	be alert in order to see/find sb/ sth When you're cleaning the flat, please look out for my silver earring. I lost it somewhere.
look over	examine carefully; go through The judge looked over the evidence before passing judgement.
look round	inspect a place He looked round many houses before he settled on this one.
look through	look at quickly Look through these books and see if you want any of them.
look up	look for sth in an appropriate book/list If you don't know a word you can always look it up in the dictionary.
be made for	suit exactly Buy this dress - it's simply made for you.
make for	go towards She made for the door quickly when she heard the knocking
make out	1) distinguish The fog is so thick that I can't make out if there are any cars ahead. 2) write out; fill in Please make the cheque out to Norman Brothers Ltd.
make over	give possession of sth to sb else Before their uncle died he made over his whole estate to them.
make up	1) invent That is not true; she made the whole thing up. 2) put cosmetics on She made herself up before she went out. 3) reconcile Thank goodness they've made up after their quarrel.
make up for	compensate If you don't learn now, you'll have to make up for the lost time during the vacation. nadrobić coś
make up one's mind	decide I can't make up my mind whether to learn English or Arabic.
pass away	die I'm sorry to tell you your aunt passed away last night.
pass off as	pretend to be sth/sb else successfully The countess passed herself off as a poor girl in order to deceive the prince.
pass out	lose consciousness A drug addictpassed out in the city square and the police had to bring him into the hospital.
pay back	1) return money owed I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I get paid. 2) take revenge on sb I promise I'll pay you back one day for what you did to my family.
pay down	pay part of the price for sth and the rest over a period of time We paid £100 down and the balance over a period of 6 months.
pay for	receive punishment All criminals should pay for their crimes.
pay off	pay sb to leave employment They paid off all their senior management in an attempt to restructure the company.
pay up	pay (a debt) in full As I hadn't paid my monthly instalments the company requested me to pay up the balance.
pull down	demolish They pulled down the old building as it was dangerous.
pull in	(of trains) arrive (opp: pull out) The train from Ciechocinek is due to pull in at 2.30 pm. Wjechać na peron (of cars) to turn towards the side of the road an perhaps to stop Zjechać na bok
pull oneself together	bring one's feelings under control The headmaster was really angry but he pulled himself together and went on speaking.
pull through	succeed despite difficulties If all employees work harder, the company will definitely pull through.
pull up	stop The jockey pulled the horse up as it had an injured leg.
put aside/by	save He puts aside £70 a month to buy a new motor bike.
put across	communicate successfully; get across/over The lecturer managed to put his ideas across to the audience.
put away	1) store Put the precious collectibles away in this safe. 2) put sb into prison/mental hospital The murderer was put away for 10 years.
put down	1) write down; take down Make sure you take down everything said at the meeting. 2) suppress forcibly The police try to put down rioting at football matches.3) (euphemism) to kill an animal mercifully uśpić zwierzę
put down to	attribute to She puts her recent success down to hard work and dedication.
put forward	propose He put forward a new plan to help decrease unemployment.
put off	postpone The meeting was put off due to the president's illness.
put on	1) dress oneself in Put on your best dress and let's go dancing. 2) increase (in weight) He has put on weight since he stopped smoking. 3) cause to take place (show/performance) They are putting on "My Fair Lady" on Broadway next month
put out	extinguish (fire etc) The firefighters put out the fire quickly. 2) cause trouble / hope l'm not putting you out by asking you to do this.
be put out	be annoyed She was put out by his bad behaviour.
put through	connect by phone Can you put me through to Mr Jones, please?
put up	1) raise into position; build They've put up a statue in the square. 2) offer hospitality When you are in town, I'll put you up in my flat. 3) show in a public place The WWF has put up posters all round the city (opposite take down)
put up with	tolerate I won't put up with such rude behaviour any longer.
run across/into	meet/find by chance She ran across an old friend white on holiday.
run after	chase The dog ran after the cat
run away with	steal The thieves ran away with £15,000,000 from the bank.
run down	1) knock down (with a vehicle); run over The old man was run down/over by a bus. 2) speak badly of sb (do sb down)You shouldn't run down your sister; you've got no reason to criticise her.
run in	bring a new car engine into full use (by driving it slowly for a set period) I can't go any faster; I'm running the car in. docierać samochód
run out of	no longer have a supply We've run out of coffee. Could you buy some when you go out?
run through	1) use up lf's unbelievable; he has run through all his money already. 2) rehearse, check or revise quickly Let's run through the last scene once more.
run up	accumulate He ran up a huge debt on his credit card which he couldn't pay off.
run up against	encounter (difficulties/opposition) He ran up against difficulties when he tried to enter the country without a visa.
see about	deal with; see to I'll see about the food if you get the table ready.
see off	accompany a traveller to his/her plane, train etc When she left for Berlin her parents saw her off at the station. odwieźć, odprowadzić kogoś, kto wyjeżdża
see out	accompany sb to the door/exit of a house/building Don't bother to see me out, I can find my own way. odprowadzić do drzwi
see over	inspect a place; look round Can I see over the flat before I make my decision?
see through	not be deceived The general made his troops wait in ambush, but the enemy saw through his plans.
set about	begin to do He set about fixing the door while she cleaned the house.
set aside	1) save for a special purpose She sets aside £20 a week to buy a car. 2) stop sth for some time; set by She had to set the report aside until she had dealt with the correspondence.
set back	1) move the hands of a clock/watch to show an earlier time We usually set the clocks back one hour at the beginning of autumn. 2) hinder The fire has set our plans back.
set in	(of weather) start and seem likely to continue The summer sets in, days are hot and long.
set off/out	start a journey We'll set off/out for the airport at 6 am.
set on	(cause to) attack He threatened to set the dogs on us if we didn't leave.
set sb up	cause sb to receive blame Although he knew someone had set him up, he couldn't prove it.
set to	begin working hard Get the duster and set to; there's lots of work to do before our visitors arrive.
set up	1) start a business He left his job to set up his own business. 2) establish (a record etc) He set up a new record in triple jump.
stand by	1) support sb, esp in difficulties When the night falls, stand by me, darling! 2) be ready for action The army was standing by in case war broke out.
stand for	1) represent Do you know what this letter A stands for? 2) tolerate; put up with We won't stand for his rude behaviour any longer.
stand in for	replace sb temporarily Since John is ill I'll stand in for him tonight at work.
stand out	be noticeable She really stands out wearing that pink suit.
stand up	1) rise to one's feet Stand up and come over here. 2) fail to meet We were supposed to meet at 11.00 but he stood me up.
stand up for	support You ought to stand up for your friends when people criticise them,
stand up to	resist The building has been reinforced to stand up to earthquakes.
take after	resemble She takes after her mother. She looks and acts just like her.
take away	remove May / take away the dirty dishes now?
take back	apologise He took back his remarks about her cooking because she was obviously upset.
take for	identify wrongly Sorry, I took you for your brother. I always mix you up.
take in	1) give accommodation Seaside villagers often take in tourists as paying guests. 2) make clothes narrower (opp: let out) I'm much thinner now, I should really take my clothes in. 3) fully understand Have you taken in the instructions?
take off	1) remove clothes (opp: put on) Let's take off our jackets and go for a swim. 2) (of planes) leave the ground (opp: come down) The plane took off and we saw the capital from the air. 3) imitate, especially for amusement Don'ttake off your teachers!. 4) (of time) take time as a holiday I must take a day off to go and collect all my insurance documents.
take on	1) undertake work/responsibility. Wziąć jakiś obowiązek na siebie 2) employ The factory is taking on new workers right now. 3) to attack sb, start a quarrel with sb. Postawić się komuś, zmierzyć się z kimś
take out	1) remove The dentist took out my bad tooth. 2) clean (mark, dirt) Use this spray to take out the stain.
take over	gain control of sth One day or another Bill Gates will take over the whole computer world.
take to	1) begin a habit I don't know why she's taken to biting her nails. 2) like She has really taken to her nephew and always buys him expensive presents.
take up	1) begin a hobby, sport, job When he retired, he took up sailing as a hobby. 2) fill (time, space) This sofa takes up most of the living room.
be taken aback	be strongly surprised We were taken aback by the nasty smell coming from the house.
be taken in	be deceived She was taken in by the conman and bought a fake insurance policy.
turn away	refuse admittance They tried to enter the pub but they were turned away at the door.
turn down	1) refuse an offer He proposed to her but she turned him down. 2) reduce loudness (opp: turn up) Could you turn down the radio a little? I can't hear him on the phone.
turn in	1) go to bed It's late and I'm tired. I'd better turn in. 2) give to the police They turned the thief in to the police.
turn off	switch off (opp: turn on) Turn off the iron before you leave.
turn out	1) produce Our factory turns out 100 cars a day. 2) prove to be He turned out to be the one who had stolen the money.
turn over	turn to a new page; change the TV channel Now children, turn over to the next page.
turn to	1) go to sb for help/advice When I'm in trouble I always turn to my brother. 2) begin (a way of life or doing sth) Why did he turn to drinking in the first place?
turn up	1) arrive or appear (unexpectedly) (zjawić się) If somebody doesn't turn up for a date, it means he stood you up. (wystawił do wiatru) 2) (of an opportunity) arise When a better job turned up she seized the chance and applied for it.
wear away	(of wood/stone) reduce gradually We couldn't make out the names on the gravestone because the letters had been completely worn away.
wear down	reduce opposition gradually A few weeks in solitary confinement will wear down the prisoner's resistance.
wear off	stop gradually Your nervousness will wear off when the exams are over.
wear out	1) exhaust I've worked so hard today, I'm worn out. 2) use until no longer serviceable We'll have to replace this plug - it is completely worn out. zużyć się
work on	have an effect on We have to check this new drug to see how it works on animals.
work out	1) find a solution to a problem by reasoning or calculation I'm sure we can work out our problems if we talk about them. 2) develop successfully I hope things will work out well for you in your new job.
work up	develop I've been walking all day so I've worked up a really good appetite.