A

access ache

act address

aim alert

answer arrest

attack auction

B

back bail balance balloon ban bandage bank

bare bargain battle beam bear beat bend

benefit blame blast bleach block bloom blow

board bomb bother bounce bow box bread

break breed broadcast brush bump burn buy

C

cake call camp care catch cause challenge change

chant charge cheat check cheer chip claim clip

cloud clue coach color comb comfort contrast control

cook coop copy cost count cover crack crash

crate credit crush cure curl curve cut cycle

D

dam damage dance deal decay decrease

delay delight demand design dial die

dislike display dive divorce dock double

doubt drain draw dream dress drill

drink drive duck dump dust dye

E

echo email end

escape esteem

estimate exchange

excuse exhibit

experience eye

F

face fall favor fax fear feel

fight file fill film finish fish

fix flap flash float flood floss

flow flower fly fold fool force

form frame freeze frown function

G

garden gaze gel

glue grate grease

grill grimace grin

grip guarantee guard

guess guide

H

hammer hand handle harm

harness hate head heap

heat help hide highlight hike

hit hold hop hope hose

hug humor hunt hurry

I

ice impact

inch increase

influence insult

interest iron

itch

J

jail

jam

joke

judge

jump

K

keep kick

kiss knit

knock knot

L

label land last

laugh lead leap level

license lie lift light

limit link load loan

lock look love

M

mail make man

march mark match mate

matter mean measure milk

mind mine miss mistake

moor move mug

N

nail name

need nest

notch note

notice number

O

object

offer

oil

order

P

pack pad paddle paint park part pass paste pause

pat pay pedal peel pelt permit phone photograph

pick pine place plan plane plant play plow

plug point poke pop post practice praise present

process produce promise protest pull pump punch push

Q

question

quilt

quiz

R

race rain raise rant

rate reach reason record reign

rent repair reply report request

rhyme ring riot risk rock

roll row ruin rule run

S

sail sand saw scare scratch screw search season sense shampoo shape share shelter shock

shop show sign signal silence sin sip skate sketch ski slice slide slip

smell smile smirk smoke snack snow sound span spot spray sprout squash stain

stamp stand star start state steer step sting stop store storm stress strip

stroke struggle study stuff stunt suit supply support surf surprise swap swing swivel

T

tack talk taste tear tease telephone test

thunder thought tick tie time tip

tire toast touch tour tow trace track

trade train transport trap travel treat trick

trim trust tug turn twist type

U

upstage

use

V

vacuum

value

visit

voice

vote

W

walk waltz wake watch

water wave wear whip

whisper whistle wick wink

wire wish work

worry wrap wreck

Y

yawn

yield

Z

zone

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Note that there may be other meanings for the verbs listed here.

Rip off (charge too much - colloquial)
You paid £50? They really ripped you off!
Run down (criticise)
She's always running down her husband.
(lose power, allow to decline)
/ think the batteries are running down.
Run into (meet)
Guess who I ran into at the supermarket!
Run to (have enough money)
I don't think we can run to a holiday abroad this year.
Run over (check - also run through)
Let's run over the plan once more.
Run up (a bill - let a bill get longer without paying)
I ran up a huge telephone bill at the hotel.
Run up against (encounter - usually a problem)
We've run up against a slight problem.
See someone off (go to station, airport, etc to say goodbye to someone)
/ went to the station to see them off.
See through (realise the truth about)
I saw through his intentions at once.
Send up (make fun of by imitating)
Jean is always sending up the French teacher.
Set about (start working)
We must set about re-organising the office.
Set in (establish itself - especially weather)
/ think this rain has set in for the day.
Set out (give in detail in writing)
This document sets out all the Union demands.
(arrange)
I've set out the refreshments in the hall.
(start an action)
Sue set out to write a biography but it became a novel.
Set up (establish)
An inquiry into the accident has been set up.

Set (up) on (attack)
We were set upon by a gang of hooligans.
Sink in (realise slowly - colloquial, intransitive)
Slowly the realisation that I had won began to sink in.
Slip up (make a mistake - colloquial)
Someone slipped up and my application was lost.
Sort out (find a solution - colloquial)
Don't worry, Mary will sort out your problems.
Stand by (keep to an agreement)
The company agreed to stand by its original commitment.
Stand for (represent - initials)
E.g. stands for exempli gratia, it's Latin.
(tolerate)
/ will not stand for this kind of behaviour in my house!
Stand in for (take the place of)
Carol has kindly agreed to stand in for Graham at the monthly meeting.
Stand up to (resist, bear stress)
The engine won't stand up to the strain.
Step down (resign - colloquial)
The Chairman has stepped down after criticism from shareholders.
Step up (increase)
Production at the Leeds plant has been stepped up.
Stick up for (defend - especially yourself, your rights - colloquial)
You must learn to stick up for yourself.
Take in (deceive)
Don't be taken in by her apparent shyness.
Take (it) out on (make someone else suffer because of one's own sufferings)
/ know you are unhappy, but don't take it out on me!
Take off (imitate - colloquial)
Dave takes off the Prime Minister really well.
Take on (acquire a new characteristic)
My grandmother has taken on a new lease of life since her operation.
(do something extra)
She has taken on too much with a full-time job as well.
Take out (insurance - sign an insurance agreement)
Ann has taken out life insurance.
Take over (gain control of)
The army tried to take over the country.
Take to someone (develop a liking for)
You'll soon take to your new boss, I'm sure.
Take up (time - occupy time)
The meeting took up a whole morning.
Talk out of or into (dissuade from, persuade into)
Paul talked me into going skiing, against my better judgement.

Tell off (scold - colloquial)
Our teacher told us off for being late.
Tie in with (be in agreement with)
I'm afraid your party doesn't quite tie in with our arrangements.
Track down (trace the whereabouts of)
The police tracked down the killer and arrested him.
Try out (test - a machine)
Let's try out the new washing machine.
Turn down (reject an offer)
Another company offered me a job but I turned them down.
Turn out (happen to be in the end)
He turned out to be an old friend of Helen's.
(come to a meeting or to form a crowd)
Thousands of fans turned out to welcome the team.
Turn up (be discovered by chance)
Don't worry about that missing book, it's bound to turn up sooner or later.
(arrive - often unexpectedly)
Not many people turned up for the lesson.
Wear off (lose effect - especially a drug)
These painkillers wear off after about two hours.
Work out (calculate - also work out at for specific amounts)
The hotel bill worked out at over £500.

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Note that there may be other meanings for the verbs listed here.

Give away (betray)
His false identity papers gave him away.
Give off (send off a smell - liquid or gas)
The cheese had begun to give off a strange smell.
Give out (be exhausted)
When our money gave out we had to borrow some.
Give over (abandon, devote)
The rest of the time was given over to playing cards.
(stop - colloquial)
Why don't you give over! You're getting on my nerves.
Give up (surrender)
The escaped prisoner gave herself up.
(believed to be dead or lost)
After ten days the ship was given up for lost.
Go back on (break a promise)
The management has gone back on its promise.
Go in for (make a habit of)
/ don't go in for that kind of thing.
(enter competition)
Are you thinking of going in for the race?
Go off (become bad - food)
This milk has gone off.
Go on (happen - usually negative)
Something funny is going on.
Go round (be enough)
There weren't enough life-jackets to go round.
Go through with (complete a promise or plan - usually unwillingly)
When it came to actually stealing the money, Nora couldn't go through with it.
Grow on (become more liked - colloquial)
This new record is growing on me.
Hang onto (keep - colloquial)
/ think we should hang onto the car until next year.
Have it in for (be deliberately unkind to someone - also as have got)
My teacher has (got) it in for me.

Have it out with (express feelings so as to settle a problem)
/ put up with the problem for a while but in the end I had it out with her.
Have someone on (deceive - colloquial)
/ don't believe you. You're having me on.
Hit it off (get on well with - colloquial)
Mark and Sarah really hit it off at the party.
Hit upon/on (discover by chance - often an idea)
They hit upon the solution quite by chance.
Hold out (offer - especially with hope)
We don't hold out much hope that the price will fall.
Hold up (delay)
Sorry I'm late, I was held up in the traffic.
(use as an example - i.e. a model of good behaviour)
Jack was always held up as an example to me.
Hold with (agree with - an idea)
I don't hold with the idea of using force.
Keep up (continue)
Well done! Keep up the good work!
Lay down (state a rule - especially lay down the law)
The company has laid down strict procedures for this kind of situation.
Let down (disappoint, break a promise)
Sony to let you down, but I can't give you a lift today.
Let in on (allow to be part of a secret)
We haven't let Tina in on the plans yet.
Let off (excuse from punishment)
As Dave was young, the judge let him off with a fine.
Let on (inform about a secret - colloquial)
We're planning a surprise for Helen, but don't let on.
Live down (suffer a loss of reputation)
If City lose, they'll never live it down.
Live up to (reach an expected standard)
The play quite lived up to my expectations.
Look into (investigate)
The police have promised to look into the problem.
Look on (consider)
We look on this town as our real home.
Look someone up (visit when in the area)
If you're passing through Athens, look me up.
Make for (result in)
The power steering makes for easier parking.
Make off with (run away with)
The thief made off with a valuable necklace.
Make out (pretend)
Tim made out that he hadn't seen the No Smoking sign.
(manage to see or understand)
/ couldn't quite make out what the notice said.

Make someone out (understand someone's behaviour)
Janet is really odd. I can't make her out.
Make up (invent)
/ think you made up the whole story!
Make up for (compensate for)
Our success makes up for all the hard times.
Miss out (fail to include)
You have missed out a word here.
(lose a chance - colloquial)
Five people got promoted, but I missed out again.
Own up (confess - colloquial)
None of the children would own up to breaking the window.
Pack in (stop an activity - colloquial)
John has packed in his job.
Pay back (take revenge - colloquial)
She paid him back for all his insults.
Pick up (improve - colloquial)
The weather seems to be picking up.
Pin someone down (force to give a clear statement)
/ asked Jim to name a suitable day, but I couldn't pin him down.
Play up (behave or work badly)
The car is playing up again. It won't start.
Point out (draw attention to a fact)
I pointed out that 1 would be on holiday anyway.
Pull off (manage to succeed)
It was a tricky plan, but we pulled it off.
Push on (continue with some effort - colloquial)
Let's push on and try to reach the coast by tonight.
Put across (communicate ideas)
Harry is clever but he can't put his ideas across.
Put down to (explain the cause of)
Diane's poor performance was put down to nerves.
Put in for (apply for a job)
Sue has put in for a teaching job.
Put oneself out (take trouble - to help someone)
Please don't put yourself out making a meal. A sandwich will do.
Put off (discourage, upset)
The crowd put the gymnast off, and he fell.
Put up (offer accommodation)
We can put you up for a few days.
Put up with (tolerate, bear)
/ can't put up with all this noise!

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