Phrasal verbs
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bow out
After many years of service, she decided to bow out of her position as team leader.
go about
She decided to go about organizing the event differently this year.
He goes about his work with great enthusiasm.
They need to go about finding a solution to the problem.
go over to
Let's go over to the park and play some games.
hold on to
It's important to hold on to your dreams, even when things get tough.
She decided to hold on to the memories of her childhood.
Make sure to hold on to the railing when you go down the stairs.
mainspring
The mainspring of the clock was broken, so it wouldn't keep time.
Education is the mainspring of a successful society.
talk down to
She felt hurt when her teacher talked down to her in front of the class.
wriggle out
He tried to wriggle out of doing his chores by pretending to be sick.
zero in on
The detective decided to zero in on the main suspect in the case.
plod
She had to plod through the thick mud to reach the other side of the field.
pick up on
She picked up on the fact that he was upset without him saying anything.
act on
She decided to act on the advice her teacher gave her.
act out
When he was upset, he would act out instead of talking about his feelings.
act up
My computer is acting up again; I need to restart it
When he gets tired, he tends to act up in class
add on
I decided to add on a new feature to my phone.
border on
Her enthusiasm for the project borders on obsession.
deal in
They deal in electronics and gadgets.
settle on
After much discussion, we finally settled on a restaurant for dinner.
dispense with
We can dispense with the formalities and get straight to the point.
frown on
The teacher frowns on students who do not complete their homework.
get at
I think he was trying to get at my mistakes during the meeting.
It took me a while to get at the meaning of the poem.
Can you get at the top shelf without a ladder?
launch into
When he heard the news, he launched into a detailed explanation of what happened.
reason with
I tried to reason with my friend about why we should study for the test together.
reckon on
She reckons on getting a promotion this year.
rise above
She decided to rise above the criticism and focus on her goals.
settle for
She wanted to go to a fancy restaurant, but they had to settle for fast food instead.
mop up
The team worked late to mop up the remaining tasks before the deadline.
mow down
The car lost control and mowed down several fences before stopping.
If you guys muck up, I will mow you down.
muck up
I really mucked up my presentation; I forgot half of what I wanted to say.
opt out
Many people choose to opt out of email newsletters to reduce spam.
muster up
She had to muster up the courage to speak in front of the class.
pucker
He puckered his lips to blow a kiss goodbye.
put something before something
She decided to put her health before her social life.
puff out
The balloon began to puff out as I filled it with air.
timepiece
The antique shop had a beautiful timepiece that was over a hundred years old.
well-oiled
The car runs like a well-oiled machine after the recent tune-up.
hold against
Even though she apologized, I still hold it against her for being late to the meeting.
drum into
The coach tried to drum into the players the importance of teamwork.
set on
The dog was set on the intruder when he entered the yard.
thrust upon
The responsibilities of the project were thrust upon her at the last minute.
decline in demand
The company reported a decline in demand for its new smartphone model.
record
The long hot summer has led to a record harvest this year.
Inflation has reached record levels.
We finished the work in record time (= faster than had ever been done before).
They have announced record profits for last year..
meet a target
The sales team worked hard to meet their target for the month.
fierce competition
The smartphone market has fierce competition among many brands.
go into production
The new toy will go into production next month.
stimulate
They are trying to stimulate economic growth through new policies.
generate
Her latest film has generated a lot of interest.
A first day at school always generates excitement.
The new development will generate 1,500 new jobs.
Selling food will increase the club's ability to generate income
unique selling point
The unique selling point of this smartphone is its long-lasting battery life.
pay dividends
Studying hard for the exam will pay dividends in your final grade.
make sound business sense
Investing in renewable energy makes sound business sense for the future.
satisfy demands
The company worked hard to satisfy demands for faster delivery.
target market
The company conducted research to identify its target market for the new toy.
emergency meeting
We need to have an emergency meeting to address the safety concerns raised by the team.
hike
The price of the tickets will hike if we wait too long to buy them.
This hike in prices will affect the bottom line.
profit margin
The company's profit margin increased after they reduced their production costs.
WE are operating on a skeleton staff and a narrow profit margin, damn life.
balance the books
She balances the books every week to make sure everything is correct.
receivers
The company went bankrupt and was put into the hands of the receivers.
show a rise
The latest report shows a rise in sales this quarter.
see a rise
The company saw a rise in sales during the holiday season.
experience a decline
The company experienced a decline in sales last year.
slight increase
There was a slight increase in temperature during the afternoon.
substantial decrease
The company reported a substantial decrease in profits this quarter.
keen interest
She, a keen participant in many things, has a keen interest in science and often conducts her own experiments with Mr.S.H
hooked on
She is hooked on playing video games every evening.
touch on
During the meeting, we touched on the new project ideas.
wade through
She spent the whole weekend wading through the paperwork for her new job.
watch over
The teacher will watch over the students during the field trip.
listen in on
The detective tried to listen in on the suspects to gather more information.
make of
What do you make of the new movie?
measure up
She worked hard to measure up to her teacher's expectations.
muddle along
Even though the project was confusing, we decided to just muddle along and see what happens.
niggle
There was a niggle in my mind about whether I had locked the door.
galling
It was galling to see someone else get the promotion I worked so hard for.
step forward
After the meeting, she decided to step forward and share her ideas.
within an inch of your life
The storm was so fierce that we felt we were living within an inch of our lives.
not in a month of sundays
He thinks he can beat me at chess, but not in a month of Sundays!
pace off
He paced off the distance between the two trees.
pad out
She decided to pad out her essay with more examples to make it more convincing.
about right
She guessed the answer was about right, but not quite.
as easy as ABC
Learning to ride a bicycle is as easy as ABC once you get the hang of it.
with one accord
During the meeting, the committee members spoke with one accord about the new project.
The community came together with one accord to support the local charity event.
of no account
Their opinions were of no account in the final decision.
take against
She took against him after he made a rude comment.
bundle up
Don't forget to bundle up before you go outside; it's freezing!
in a bid
The company launched a new marketing campaign in a bid to increase sales.
stave off
The team worked hard to stave off defeat in the final minutes of the game.
weigh down
His worries about the exam started to weigh down on him.
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