Oxford Phrasal Verbs Dictionary for learners of English

1

The New Oxford Picture Dictionary Oxford University Press Year: 1988 Language: english File: DJVU, 12.26 MB

2

Oxford English for Careers: Tourism 2: Student's Book Oxford University Press Robin Walker, Keith Harding Year: 2007 Language: english File: PDF, 10.63 MB

P

English
RrF

British English

C

countable noun
et cetera (= and so on)
noun

etc.

n

51

sing
sth
l!

'a l
~ebody
singular
something
uncountable noun

See also p x for an explanat~onof the abbreviations used in the grammar
patterns.

shows common su bjeds of the phrasal verb
shows common objects of the phrasal verb
shows a verb with a similar meaning
shows a verb with the opposite meaning
introduces a note on grammar or usage
shows the grammar patterns of the phrasal verb
idiom(s) section of the entry
derivative section of the entry
means 'look at'
replaces the key verb in a menu box
A

Oxford
Phrasal Verbs
Dictionary
for learners of English

taboo (see Labels below)

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UNIVERSITY PRESS

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Short forms and symbols used in

inside front cover

the dictionary

Labels used in the dictionary

iv

Key to the dictionary entries

v

Guide to using the dictionary

vi

Dictionary A-Z

1 348

STUDY PAGES

between pages 182-3

with an associated company in Berlin
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Owford Universiry Press in the UK and in wnain other countries

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Q Oxford Unlvel~ityPress ZOO?
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fips on learning phrasal verbs

$2-4

lPhrascll verb or single ward?

S5

Are you a naturul born student?

S 6-7

sport

S 8-9

Computers

Envimmenta! problems

S10
S11

This dictionary includes -me words which have or arc asserted to h a w proprietary
status as trademarks ox o t h t m i ~ Their
,
inclusion does not imply that they have
acquired for legal purposer a non-proprietary or general srgnlflante nor any other
judgement concernrngtheir legal status. In cases where the editorial staff have
some ev~dencethat a word has proprietary status this ir indicated in the entry for
that word but no judgement concerning the legal status, of such words is made or
implied thereby

Phrasul verbs in newspapers

51 2

Ahmsal verbs in business

S13

Phrasal verbs in inbmal language
Using ~hrasalverbs in writing

514-15
316-17

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Using phrasal verbs in the passive

518-1 9

New phrasal verbs
The most common phrasal verbs

520-21
$22-25

bst yourself

S26

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Acknowledgements
Advirory Board: Dr Keith Brown; Dr Alan Cruse; Ms Moira Runtie;
Pmf. Gabriele Stein; Dr Norman Whitnry; Prof Henry Widdowron
Phonetics editor: MlchaeF k h b y
Guide to the Particles: Graham Workman

Guide ta the particles

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Key to the study pages

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I Pronunciation

inside back cover

describes verb, expressions, spellings and pronunciations used in
American English and not in 8ritish English, for example k t onsb,
blimp outlup, duke it out.
approving
verbs show that you feel approval or admiration.
BrE
dtxribes verbs, expressions, spellings and pronunciations that are
mainly used in British English and not in American English, for
example beaver away (at sth), doss down, put (the clock) h c k .
disapproving verbs show that you feel disapprowl or contempt, for example
dumb sth down, flash sth about.
a figurative example is one in which language is used in a Ronfigurative
literal or metaphorical way, as in His anger b l a d up (=suddenly
became very strong) unmntrollobly.
formal
verbs are usually only used in serious or official language and
would not be appropriate in normal everyday conversation.
Examples are abide by sth, embark on/trpon sth, viefor sth.
humorous
expressions are intended to be funny, for example toddle off and
W e t e rounded up some g d speakers for the conference.
informal
verb5 are used between friends or in a relaxed or unofficial
situation. They are not appropriate lor formal situations. Examples
are bang on about sth, kick back, tuck into 5th.
less formal
synonyms are verbs that have a similar meaning to the main
phrasal verb, but are used in less official situations or are more
common in normal everyday conversation.
less frequent verbs or grammar patterns are not used as often as the main
phrasal verb or the other grammar patterns given.
literary
verbs are used mainly in literature and imaginativewriting.
Examples are yearn forsb/sth, eke out 5th.
mow formal
verbs have a similar meaning to the main phrasal verb, but are
usually used in more serious or official situations, or in a less
casual way.
old-fashioned verbs are passing out of current use, for example, buck up, god
aboutloround,run along.
rare
verbs or grammar patterns are not commonly used.
slang
is very informal language, mainly used in speaking and sometimes
restricted to a particular group of people, for example people of the
same age or those who have similar interests or do the same job.
Examples are want in, wont into sth, juice 5th up.
spoken
verbs are used mainly in informal conversations, for example Teak
up! chuck 5th out.
tabm
verbs and expressions are likely to be thought by many people to
be obscene or shocking and you should avoid using them.
written
verbs are used mainly in written language, for example abound
inlwith sih, spring from 5th.
AmE

Information in the dictionary is given In entries, arranged En the alphabetical order
of the key words and then in the alphabetical order of the particles.

Main parts of an entry

-,

L-+.

-

4

7

,.

.

:'eyTT-1.-

-

PJ*

1

*

>

~

-

n

V

v

I

>

-

blow mlau: A m E blouf (blew /blu:lblor
r

and irregular forms.

Iblwn;AmE blcunl)
I

<

I Phrasal verb, The main

,blow a'way: ,Iblow sth 1t'way to be moved or
carried away 1~y the force I$ the wind 1or by sws
breath: to m a.e in thls way: It luas so windy the
~tm r l y bIecuuway'od.sudden b m ze blew his
-.
., ,
neurswpr awuw. o sne mew awav cne oust on the
lid.

forms of the verb + particle

(

..

I\ ,,,&.

Definition. The meanings of

the verb.

1

&

)

Ucamples (in italic type). --

e

i

v + nlpmn+ adv ru v+aak+n

-.-.

y I (iqforrm12) to impress sb a lot;
.... <L*.
to surprise or Dlease SD. r saw
raw uruy last ymr
and it jwt bl
Ir 2 (A&, informad,
Mitchell bCw o m y the
sport) to dele:
other runnprs

.

w sb a'-

.-

8

Grammar patterns to show

6 v+nlpron*a

how the verb is used.

.-

Further information in an entry

- --.--

Special symbols show
synonyms and opposites.

<".

.,*

-.,<,-

TN7,-

m-

-

*-*.q,.v,

A*.

,

.

Information on prepositions
frequently used with the
verb.

fmm the resz of the g m p . IEEj sNek out 2
(adfrom sbtsth) to be much better or more

a r t a n t than other people or things: This

sblsih) t o o p p m or rehse to accept sththat you
belleve is wrong Parents often stand o8ut ogoinst
give
rroublasome behnviour for some tune, then
.
.ira. EZ) stick out L r sth; hold out agalnsvror
st:h

8

bv+a&

n3

Idiom related to the verb.

,-'

thrai, y v u

Derivative adjective related

-'

d
.

be very

*..,
vur

I* >w*u

b out'standing udj

1

to the verb.
Information on grammar
and usge.

o
stand out like a sore thumb t~

nt>ticeable in an urfpleas:mt way: Drvssed like
" *- ,h.....h
* m e u wr * r r 6 u r r . u
:;LA

1 excellent: an

OLrtslanding

very obviof earth's

outslQndm~
feclfllres.. 3 {of payment, wvrk, problems. etc.) not yet paid, done, solved, etc: w r e w v
outstanding &bbs o I don't haw any ur
outstanding.
b ouCstandingly udu 1 used to empkasue the
good qual~tyof sth: 01LtSlalLdingiy CYUI@USUCcessfuf 2 exawnely well: Owen has p h y d out.
st aridingly thi

1 What is in the dictionary?
3n th~sdictionary we ~ncludeseveral different types of verbs that are used with
adverbs or prepositions, (often called 'particles').
a d
Io
imacit
wrb + partide combinations. Sometimes when you meet combinations
of verb and particle, it is impossible to guess the meaning in the context from the
meaning of the verb and the meaning of the particle. Examples of these arefall
t h e (meaning 'nothappen')and put up with m w l d y (meaning'accept
mmebdy who is annoying without complaining*).There is often a single-word verb
with the same meaning. For example, instead of 'The meeting was put off until the
n m day', we could say 'The meeting was postpond until the n a t dday: Single-word
verbs, howewr. may be more formal than the phrasal verb, or used in slightly
different contexts.
b Verbs which are always followed by a particular partide. Examplw of these are
rely on, crop up, abide by. These cannot be used wfthout the partide.

c Verbs that are followed by a particle in a particular meaning. These verbs can
be used on their own without a particle. but haw a different meaning when they
are used with one. Brush 5th up is an example of a verb like this. Brush sth can
be used on its own meaning 'clean, polish or moke 5th smooth'. Brush 5th up
means 'study or practise 5th tog& bock the skifl or know!dge that you hod in the
post': You should brush up your French bqfore you go to tofaflce. Other examples
are d / W ofj,gmw/grow up, walkhulk out.
Many very common verbs fall into this group. Look, for example, can be used
with several different particles, and it has a special meaningwith each one that is
different from look on its own. rook up the word in yourdictionary. o I'm really
lmkingfomnrd to the trip. o h k cut! There? a car coming.
Some more formal verbs also fall into this group. For example you can 'jbrmish a
room', that is, put furniture in it, but if you 'frrmishmmcbody with so#~tAing' you
are giving them some useful infomation.

d Verbs with a partide, where the particle adds to, but does not change, the
basic meaning of the verb. The particle often adds something to the meaning,
such as completeness. For example, you a n say '/'//finishmy work and then I'llgo
out' or '!'//finishofJ my wd-and then I'N go out.Wnish 08emphasizes that you are
completing your work. Another wimple is wuke/wkeup. You e n either ray
'Iw k e ot 6.30' or 'Iw k e up at 6.30.'Woke up is much more common than w k . ,
which is used more in formal or written English. Other examples are spreud/sprmd
wt,fadelfodemay, ,slonelslmreaway.You will find more information about the
meaning of the particles in the Guide to the Partides at the back of the dictionary.
e Verbs plus particles whew each has their normal meaning. Phaw bock
(meaning 'telephonesb again') is an example of a verb like this. The meaning of
phone back can be worked out from the meaning of phone and back. Verbs of
this type have been included in the dictionary where the corn bination of w r b
vi

and particle are very common, or where there is wmething unusual or interesting
about the verb. For example, phone bock can mean two slightly different thingr
('telephonesomebody who has called you: or 'telephone sb for a second time J;
pin 5th ~p means 'fasten something to a wall with pins: but there is also a noun
pin-up, meaning 'a picture of an ottr~ctiveperson designed to be put up on a wall
for people to look at ', or 'the person who appeon in o picture like tho t'.
bllthese types of verbs can cause problemsfor learners, and so they have been
included in this dictionary.

2 Particles
These are the particles used with phrasal verbs in this dictionary, The "shows you
which are the most common. You will find more information about those particles
in the Guide to Particles at the back of the dictionary.

-

Ip*l

abmrk
dong
back
forward

- *about... <,"-

---v>

w#*~.v-~--,

w,----

~=-~.-v-v-37+
+~,"~*

above

across

among

aparl

* around

before
from

behind
*in

*out
of
--.-.

under

m
F
3
7
"

ahar

between
into
onsl
,upon

agdnrt
side

'

"with

----

r----l#wmL

ahead

*at

ahetlwF
* OW1
for

own

*6or

A

'0 'R

on!

~rouah *t D
without

t 0 fl

3 Long verbs
Some verbs, such as mme, go,put and take are used with many different particles.
In these cases you will find literal meaning of the verb plus particle included for
completeness. These rneaningr can also help you understand the idiomatic uses of the
verb plus particle. For example, at run around, you will find the literal meaning 'run in
difJereentdirections' (It's a lovely pork fo run around in) as well as the idiomatic meaning
'move vwy quickly from place to place, being very busy' (I've been running around all
day trying to organize the meeting.).
At the keginning of many of these verbs you will find a menu box with a list of all the
particles that can be used with the verb, in the order they appear in the dictionary.
These verbs are:
-<

.----

break

orlng

1

roll

t c)me

rut

do

fnll

go
moke

hanu

Ihold

klsap

knorlk

lie

move

Ipas

pllay

kit k
pulII

sat

sn

510RO

.

I

..

....

Slay

-a!.

.I.

STlCK

push

P"'

&*I.lWMW

llll.

uuln

give

live
run

look

throw

4m.m

send
lu~m,

It is also possible to add many different particles to verbs of movement to create
hulti-word' verbs with literal meanings. For example, we can use the verb w l k in
these sentences: We walked down the rwd. o He walked up to me and ask& me for
a light o We sang as we walked along. o Walk amss the r o d , don't run. These are
draightfonvard combinations of verb and particles.

4 finding the verb you want
lke phrasal verbs are arranged in the diaionary under their key verbs (for example.
giw,move, sit)and then in alphabetical order of the particles. Within each panicle you
will first find the verb + particle, with no object. Then there are meanings of the verb
that mn be used both without an object and with an object After that, there are
meaning of the verb used only with an object. first verbs with people as objects (sb),
then verbs that a n have people or things (sblsth) and then verbs with only thin@as
objects (sth).Verbs with itself, yourserf, etc. come at the end of those, and verbs that are
only used in passive forms will be last. For example:

TvGzF=-.give sb up
give sth up
give yourself up

7i'zlx=-----

p-+y--G-

9"

break sb/sth in

%

w-,*--

be used with
an -ingform of a verb that follows
it. this is giwn at the beginning:
Ifthe verb can

-

""--'v-

-"*Fa""'"

"""-W""

"" -."'"','

7"'-

,msh 'fnh ah; ,rush 'Into dolnn &,.rush
st3 'Into doin~gsth to do or decide s t yI quickly
WIithout thinki ng about ~t I:arehlly; to make sb
, .
..
daI this: Don't go rushing znro anyto81la. 0 YOU

This tells you that all these sentences are possible: Don't rush into anything. o
Don't rush into leaving your course. o Don't rush me in& making a decision.
b More information about the grammar of phrasal verbs is given In the section on
Grammar Patterns (page x)

put 5th ou
put yourst
be put oui

break sth in
brwk into sth

out) or as a transitive verb with the adverb + preposition out of, followed by a noun
or pronoun (Ideep out of my way).

2 Common subjects and objects
At the end of many i f the verbs, or
ad-;ki--?+;
at the end of a n u m b e d meaning,
wiu; etc. breaks out, it starts sudden~ly:They
wcluId have go l married in 1939 tT wur, had not
you will f~ndsame common subjects
brnken out. o Plfire brokeof4ton aferry) a t e d a y
or objects. These show you the type
EEl war, flre, fighting, mw, vlolence 2 ( a h
of contexts that the verb is often
used in, so that you can use it correctly yourself.
For example, at breok out, you will see:

;h;;-;~;s;h

1 The phrasal verb
The arrangement of the verbs in the dictionary will tell you whether they o n be used
without an object, (INTWNZITIVE), with an object (TRANSITIVE)
-.-."--,----Tw*.--*or both with and without an object. "IbkBk
,Znr
if a vehicle, etc, breaks down, it
Lmk at the beginning of the entry
stops working because of a fault: he washing
machine has broken down aguin. o We (= our mi-)
for h k down:
bmke down t w k on the m y home. 2 if talks,

This shows you that in this meaning break down is an intransitive wrb, used
without an object: My car bmke down on the way to work this morning.
Thew arehllo forms of the verb
-"-'
' "
-'-----"m
bum 'down; ,bum sth 'down if a building
at bum down:
burns down, or sb burns it down, it is destroved

-

-

-

by fire: The p a l m burnt down in the heinel&th
century. o She thracstened to burn the hehorn down.

This shows you that you can use bum down as a transitive and an intransitive
verb in this meaning. The definition "
,,k;T;;;Ake';b
,upl,;ke';;6u-F,c
also shows you how to use it.
1 to stop sleeping: to make sb slop sleeping: Horn
many timesdws Ihe b a b woke reup in the nrght70
Look at the b i n n i n g of the entry
I uslsually wake up early in the s u m r o You look
for wrrk up.
as if you've only just ken uplo Can you m k e
me up at 8?o He was woken up by the sound of

This tells you that you can use it as an intransitive verb (What time did yorr wake up
this morning?),and as a transitive verb with an object (I'll wake you up at 6.30.)or
-"
'-c7- --- - *,out
-- -.Up with yourself (I
must haw shouted
,keep 'I
o u t ,keep
th to not enter a
so loudly while I was dreaming that
place; to remain outside: There m a sign scrying
'Keep <aut?. o Please keep out gf the o
r
c
e 4whtle
1 woke wrf
up.)
I'm woskim.
At keep out, you will see:
v v + a d v + v*adv+prep

,;

A

This tells you that in this meaning you can use the verb on its own (Danger! Keep

...

Vlll

R1

Sentences such as Fighting has broken out on the border, Fire hoke out in a
warehouse. o A furious mw bmke out over the ownership of the painting are
therefore very common and acceptable in English.

You can use these subjects and objects to help yau use the verbs in the right context.

3 Synonyms and opposites.

--

,----When?there are helpful synonyms -w.---.,
,pull 'In; ,pull'Into sth 1 If a win or a bus pulls
or opposites, these are given in
in, It arrives somewhere and stops: The express
alphabetical order, synonyms and
p~ lled in on lir ne. o The morch pulIed in,to boy 27.
opposites that are phrasal verbs
2 (RrKj if a vehicIe or a IWiver pulls in, they
mtwe to the skle of the mad and stop: 1Dull in in
firsi and then single-wordverbs.
ml of the. bu
.o He puEk
- szneewm.
..
. d intu Ihe pc~ r k i n gIot
These will help you understand
D M~urn~o
g
draw in, draw inta sth
the verb and add to your
m purr out, pull out or sth
vocabulary. Information is alx,
given about the formality of the
synonym or opposite and whether it is British or American. As the contexts that the
synonyms are used in may not always be exactly the same as the original phmsal
verb, it is worth looking them up in this dictionaty or another dictionary to be sure
that you understand them and how they are used. For example, while knock down
can be used instead of break down in the examples given there, breok down cannot
always be used instead of knock down.
---.-J--------.---r-..+

f,

J They hod to get the police to breakkllock the door down. J If you don't open up,
I'm going to knockhmk the door down. J These old houm are going to be hocked
down. I( These old houses are going lo be broken down.

---

4 Notes
Not6 are given inN o places.
Before
a definition you will find information
a bout the tenses or a particular use
of a phrasal verb:

Notes are also given after the
examples where there is a particular

* m Y * r .

W <--r--"z-

~

~

w - y . l l ~ -

I-------

k'l0ng t5 sb (not used in theprogressiue6ast?s)
the property of sb:to be owned bv sb: The
k l o n g i to my cousin. 0 That land belongs

r

~

~

~

X

Y

X

Y

-

-

~

-

.

,

r

t

-

r

r

-

r

-

,blaze a'way 1{at sW&) if m s or people Maze
away, the guns fire continuously: Thegum k p t
u
u r r y, away as the enemy 2 if a fire blazes
.I--.-"
away, it burns brightly
laze is used with the sanle meanings.
-8

point of grammar or use to draw
your attention to. This b often
something about the passive, or
+ v + a bv
where the verb without the particle
can alx, be used with a similar meaning.

5 Grammar patterns of phrasal verbs
To help you uw the verbs correctly, a simple system of grammar patterns is given
after each one. Thew shew you how the verb combines with an adverb, a
preposition, a noun or a pronoun, an infinitive, etc. and the order in which these
words o n occur. The short forms used are these:
?

-A

U " 1

"'y,3-.rrrrrr.-~,-

ad

.I

X

rerb
nitive (withot
erb form end
a. doinnl
.-= not

I

7 .

-,

.*

,Fur

...mrr-

-

f-

.",.n*.-nlu

.-a>.-.

-9-

-.

7-

mrr-

,-*-1

lmn = nourI or pronoun
P = preposition
n = pronoun
nf

= .infin
...,....
= verb

...

Frequent patterns
The following are the most common types of verb patterns used in the dictionary.

veadv

Intransitiveverbs, for example:
break down
My cur broke down this morning.
hang around
There was o group of kids hanging omund
sit down

v + PWP

outside.
Come in and sit down.

These are verbs followed by a preposition. For example:
rely on sblrth
You con rely on me.
call k r sb
I'll call for you at 8.
come across sth
I came across an interning book in the

library
v + adv + prep Some verbs are followed by an adverb and a preposition:
put up with sblsth How do p u put up with him?
settle down to sth Come on children, m l e down to work now.
keep out of sth
Keep out of the kitchen until I've finished
cooking.
These lad two groups are sometimes called INSEPARABLEverbs as
the object always follows the particle.

v+nlpron+adv
v+adv+n
v+pron+adv
These three patterns are all used with transitive verbs. In order to be able to use
these verbs cormly, you need to know where to put the object. The patterns show
you this. The most frequent patterns come first at each verb
v+nlpmneadv
v+adv+n
Verbs that can be u w l with these patterns, where the object can go either W e e n
the verb and the particle or after the particle, are sometimes called SEPARABLE
verbs. They are shown in the dictionary as, for example, tear sth up:
She tore it up.
She tore the IeCter up.
She tow up the lette~.
When the object is a long phrase, it usually comes after the particle: She to^ up a//
the letters he had sent her.
When the object is a pronoun, it must come between the verb and the particle.
v + adv + R v + pron + adv
With some phrasal verbs the object can only come between the verb and the
particle when it is a pronoun. A noun must follow the particle. They are given in the
dictionary as, for example, fight back sth: fight itlthem back
fight back sth
I tried to fight back my tears.
fight itJthem back I had an urge to scream but managed to fight it back
v + nlpran + adv
There are a few phrasal verbs in which the two park of the verb must be separated
by the object. An example is mess sb aboutlaround:
T h y changed the flight time and d 011 the pussengrs around.

r + nlpron e prep
An example of a verb that is used in this pattern is drill sth into sb
drilr sth into sb The teacher driiied grammar into us right from the start

R~II-IVB.
A few phrasal verbs are only used in the passive. for example: klge2 carried away.
The verb patterns will show you how to use these verbs. belget carried away will
have the pattern beiget + v + adv. betget stuck with sth will have a pattern
be/@ + verb + prep.
Other phrasal verbs that are used with objects can also be used in the passive for
example: The dm1 has been called ofl. Where this is common you will find an
example of the passive and a note. Verbs with the pattern v + prep are not usually
used in the passive. If they are, you will find a note about this (see rely on sblsth).

Orher pcrttems
You can easily work out how to use verbs with different patterns. For example, if you
look at take sb up on sth, you will see the pattern v + nipron + adv + prep. This
shows you that the verb is used in sentences like this:
I i i like to _ t o k e ~ u p ~ - o n ~your
- ~offerof o M f o r the night
v + pron + adv + prep

At set out, you will see the pattermv + adv + to inf. This dexribes sentences such

as: He s?t out to become a millionai~by the time he was thirty.
Boom out sth has two patterns:
r+adv + n
She boomed out instructions.
v + adv + speech A voice boomed out, 'Nobody move!'

6 Building your vocabulary
Idioms
Many phrasal verbs have idioms
related to them. You will find these
immediately after the grammar
patterns. The idioms in the
in some way to the meaning of the
phrasalverbwhereyoufindthem,
For example:

.

*--.
,bite alth 'offtocu sth off by biting ft She bit off

,l,WF..,

.

*-->

- ,+.-,rm.

rry*,.

-,-.*lrl-.m

t
a piec .e of c h m h ,te. o Hisfinger had k e n bitten
' a dug

g$
033

adv+n + v+r
..
tflbte/snap ~ D ' Smean om (lwormag

to snout
at sb or speak to them angrily, often for no good
reason: Ionly asked him when the work w l d bt
*n
Ean
( i ~ r n a to
~ trv
n to do
toomucho~sththatistoohiffic~tfory~~:~his
time he's bitten flmore than he mn chew. -,, .,-

hwahve nouns and C p d i S a s .
Nouns and adjectives that are related in meaning to a particular phrasal verb are
given after the grammar patterns or any idioms. Sometimes the derivative has
more than one meaning, each one relating to different uses of the phrawl verb.
You will find the meaning at the appropriate entry, with a link to show you where
..-.
to find the =me dmvative with a
---.
,mix sb 'up: b yad ,mixedI 'up to matke sb
different meaning.
unable to think r:leady or urtderstand w'hat is
For example, you will find one
h a w:ning: Now y uu'w mixed rn up completely!
Im really c, o n.f m !.o H e g ~mil !xedup and cawht
meaning of the adjective mixed-up
Ine wmwrmzn,
a t the verb it is related to,
F ,rnlxed-'up adj ( i n f o m l ) confused because of
mix sb up; be/get mixed up and
social or emot~onalproblems: she's a vew mixedup krd.
another meaning at mix dh up
-3x e R ~ M ~ ~ E D -at
W mi up Cwm STH)
(with *h),
a link from one to
. > L MIX
"
. . ,,
.the other.
-r

---------.-----

_

abidela-!

-3

..-.

-47%

>-.

Study pages
There IS a 25-page section of study pages in the middle otthis dictionary, You can
use these on your own or in class with a teacher. They will help you to learn phrasal
verbs and give you practice in using them.

Guide to the particles
At the end of the dictionary is a guide to the most common particles used in the
verbs in this dictionary and their main meanings. This will help you understand
verbs better and be able to guess the meaning of new ones that you meet.

a'blde by ath 0to aocept d m a law an
agreement. a decisio~etc. d obeg themilt
Members nu& abide by the rules 4f theclub
rules, daclslm, the law
)S*ll) comply (wlth nth)

e V+PWP

abound{anbarndl

Accoantforsthcanbewedinthepassim:
T h w i ~ i s a a * l * w f O rby rwmeses

gzzi

lor mwIjMto

say that it is impossible to know why sb likes
sbfsththat yw do not like at .tall:humomw)'She
seems to like you.' 'Well - Ihere's m acwurtting

lor iwte!'

accustom ieaknstmn/

a'bouml in#Hh sth (urrittkn)to have a lot of ee,custom a$ryoumw
sth; to contain a lot of sth: The rim them
,murself
to doing dh (forno to make
abound hiwithfish.
stdyourself familiar w ~ t hsth; to k a m e used to
ev+prep
sth: It shouldn't lake iom lo m W m w u r sluo It hmk o while for
d ~ n lo
b working in
sCCedslak'stdl
bermto accuslom themseltres 0 thedark
Qv n
I
m+ prep
ac'cede to sth ( r o m l ) to agree to or allow sth
that sb has asked for, often after you have
onmwedlt forawhile: T h e n o w m m a n t ~ achete~kl
~
pii~icp-ure ta review the a
'ache
for sbto have a atrong desire for
ESTl request, denwan&, prerrm
-A-etosthcanbeus*inthem~:
~bl~~wtodosth:f~achfnglbr~.
E 3 lone k r sbfsth
H a v e ~ l l o u rrequests k e n u.xeded to?

0V+PEP

account ~ a k u n t ~

Qv+pre~

acquaint i

~ m t l

ac'ooud for sbrsth 1 to lmow where s ~ s t h
~s ac'qualnt sblpurssff wlth sth 0to
or what has happened te them,esmially after
make sbly~umIffamfl* with or aware af sth:
He&~d&mlakehissonaIongand~uaint him
an acc~dentor a natural disaster. All the people
w'th lhe bELSiness'
who were wrking In the buiMing hnue nola km
V+"'pmn*prep
m u n l e d Ibr o Them are three files that I mnl
m u n t fir
Account for7sbisth is often act /=kt/
used in the passive in this meaning. 2 (oldfushiontd)to destmy sth or kill sb: Olrr guns 'act rw sth to perform a partlcuLar mle or fun*
m u n t e d jorfiveenemyplanes.
tim: W l l j l M
~ OLS
~ imWpm&for us?otorge
fines act as a detmmztfomolorisdp.
Q V+PWP
Dagent,m u l t a n t . I n t e r m e d h w ,
ac'cuunt for sth Ito expbln how m why 5th
deterrent EFW serve ss sth
happened: to he the explanationfar 8th: How da
QV+P~P
you accountfir t
h
e
m t h l the box has d b p
peamd? o Poor hygiene m y h
ue amomled for 'act for ab(also,&on w h d d s b . p t o n sb".
the mwm in apes of the dissrrre.
the fact
be'hatfj i F sb a& for you or acts on behalf of
you, they deal with your *airs for you, for
that...2 to beaparticularpart of sth; to beaparexample by representingyou in a court of law, or
ticular amount: Car crime nmrunied for 28% of
all m p o W o
m o Wages m u n t for Iess
by doing your duty when you are not able to: Do
you huwea solicrlor actingforyoufo The P r i m
thun half of the brrdgel. E3 a b r amount,
~ ~ a
tuas actrng on hhar of the Qwem o The Prince
(particular) pmportlon, (so many) per cent
FE9 make up sth, represent sth 3 to keep a
zwrsuctingon I h e Q w n ' s behuQ
BEd cllent
rccord of how the money in your care will be
spent or hasten spent Everypenny of thefunds
V+P~~P
i~amountedfot: 4 to mns~derparticularfacb or 'act on sth (ah'& upon sth mrefimn I to
circumstances when you are maklng a decision
do sth as a m u l t of advice, information, instruc
about sth, especially when you are calculating
tions, etc. that you haverecelvd Thepolicethe cast OF sth: The mst of thefilm and the p m
anlng on iqformutionfromu m e m k of thepubassing wereail m u n t e dfor m Ihemlculntwn of
Iic, o I mjusi ucting on instructions.o IF my
the cusi 4f the service. lEB take sth Into
advicehod been rmerItrpon, this umuld-haw
ncwunt
hagpznd
&lee, lnlonnablon, Imtmctlons

'

e

....-.......-.....*,.,,,.-, ,,*. -,m,. * -, ,...-.......-......-....-......amount
.,,.....,,,......,.

,

W Act onhipon atham be u& in thepassive
in this meaning.2 to have an effect an sth: The
drugactson themntml nemus system. EtilAct
can be used on its own with this meanlng: The
-drugocls guickl~

'e

V + P ~ P

,act on be'hatf of sb; ,adon sb's be'half =

background added to the afmosptm. o (Brb
Thehousehnshenaddedtoouertheyeum. o The
fd
at the holal is of a wry high stundard Add

ta this t h qzmlity
~
cf the hem and the h e m
and it Sclmr why this issuch apopuhr hoteI.
E i d problems, number, knowledge, anJoymant
-Add
to sth canbeused in the passive.
Qv+pre~

ACT FOR $ A

,act 8th 'out 1 to perfom a story or events that ,add to'gether, ,add sth torgether to come
have happened or might h a m , as if yw are

together to plpduce 8th; to join two or mom
things, numbers, etc. together to produce sth:
The games, the dancing and the good f&d all
added together lo make a mmombIe l e n . o
Whenall the d
mfactors err addad togethm I
tun understand her & ~ l o n . o Add the fuw numbers together and dlvtde by three.

performing a play: The &her read a story and
thechildm acled it out. o Sheucfedoutherfunlasies of w p stardom i n f h n t of her bedroom mirror o rnguratiw)The lulwlenationwmfollowing
the dmma being acled out on the football field.
Ell dory, fanksy 2 to act a part in real life: I
IF33 factors, numbers, costs
found myse&fCIFIing out the role of good, brnve
+v+adv
v+adv*n + v+n/p-cm+edv
patient 3 (technical) to express your thoughts
and feelings in your behaviow, offen without ,edd'up(iqr3rmr)1to seem reasonable:to&
h n g aware of it
s e w : to have all the different parts agreeing
@v+sdv+n + v+nlpmn+adu
w ~ t each
h other Therearethings In herstoty that
just don't add up o Now that I know where she
,act 'up (itbfornsllll 1 to make sb annoyed by
rwls lust night, it's all Rm'nning lo adrd up.W
behavlng badk trying to get attention, etc: The
Add up with this meaning is used especially In
kidshawbeen&ingupaI1dqK2Ifamachmeor
negative sentences.2 to increase gradually to
part of the bady acts up, it does not work prop
make a large number or amount: Saw a small
erly: Thecar'satctingngpagtzin.o M y ankle bmamount a h month; it'll m n add up. 3 Sf two or
ingup I= is painful and causingpmb1ems)i
more numbers add up, they come to the total
LEEl play up
that they should or that you would expect: These
EEXEIAct up Is & e n d In the progresshe
fim just don't add up.
tenses.
gv+adv

Qv+&

,add 'up( m p ~ b l l yBrE), ,addsth 'up to calculate the total of two or more numbers ot
amounts. lneuer muM& up o She's WIY@
add
at adding up in her hacad. o Sheadded t h e h u m s
,add sth 'In to include sth with 9th edw to put sth
u p i n a t h e .o I ~ b u s e a c ~ k u E a t o r t o a d d
into sth e h or between two things:Sond me i
h
up the bill.
newfigzres when the &itional
haw h n
EEd numbam,fVgm, -om, Eort
a&W in,o Pve&
zn tm e x b u p a ~ p h s .
Qv+adv + w*adu+n 4 v+nlprm+a6v
Add can also be used with this meaning:
,add 'up to eth 1 if two or more numbers or AgI'YP addeda mupleof exlrapnragmphs.
ures add up to sth, theymake a totalof 9th when
Qv+edv+n + v+nlpmn+adv
they are added together: Can you anange the
,add'on;,add'on to sthIAmF)to buildanwrtw
numbersingmlrps2hladdup10IO?oThecostof
room or rooms on to a house or ather building:
all the heeguipmmrtyou needfor a baby ad& up ma
Tkydecidad toaddon mthr than mow.
mnsideruhie sum. 2 (irllormal) to show sth; ta
Q v + & + v+sdv+prep
have a particular meaning or result:Hts e v W
,addsth 'on:,addsth 'onto nth to include 5th
didn't redly add up to very much (= gave us very
or attachsthextra: Headdedaon lothebi1I.
little information). o Ail in all, it adds up to a
W Add (to sth) can also be used with this
pretdycbaspemle sifuation.
meaning He addedfZ Lo the bill.
IF3 amount t o 5th
'act upon sth =ACT ON STH

Qv+nlpmn*adv + v*adv+n r
v + nlpron +adv prep
b W b n n a thing that is added to m included
with sth else: The calalogw adverlIsed addans

*

such as extra memory and soflwure, o a d d ~ n
prad~I~Wunits
'add to sth to increasethe size,amount, number,
etc. of sth: Taking the chiklren with w muld
only a& to ow problems, o Musk pIoyhg rn the

Qv+adu+prep

address/aniirm/
ad'dress purself to nth (@mat)to think
about a problem or a situation and decide how
you are going to deal with it: We must a d d m
ourselues to lheprobllem of t m p o l l u t i o n .
er+pmn+vrep

alight / a w l
adhere /adWr)/
sd'hem to sth (formu0to act in the way that a a'Hght MVupon s h t h
particular law, rule or set of instructions says
that you should;tofollw or supportaparlicular
opin~onor set of Mi& Thw Rnve adhemi
strictb to the W m qf the t?m&.
0 He found Ihe
dlet u e r y d m l l loudhereto. o Howmonywpie
aalrnlly adhere ta thrs vtew?
E Z i prlnclplau, rules, guldellm IBB ksep to
ath (lessforma0
Adhere to ath can be used In the passive:
All sofew repurremen&rntut beadhered lo.

0 V+PWP

admit /aaw(a-)
ad'mH
sth (formaI)to show that sth such as
an explanation or an answer Is possible: to allow
sth to happen: The situation admits of only one
erplenniion.
!BE explanation, a
ZEE3 m I k w of sth

Q v + prep

agree/arm:/
a'grw wMh sb to make you feel happy or
healthy: You Imk mt! Marriage obviously
a g m wilh you. o M w h m m s don't agree with
me (= they make me feel iwsick).
-Agree
wlth 5b is often used In negative
sentences.

Q V+PP

a ' g m wlth ath; a ' g w wfth dolng sth to
approve of sth, m i a l l y a policy or a belief: I
don't o g m with w p r l a l p u n i s h w l
,opn dlsagree with sth, dlsegrea wlth dolng
sth

Q V+PBP
'aim at sth:'afmat doing sth to try to achieve
sth: to have sth as your alm: She3 drniRg at a
sportsscholarship, o W e n d m o h a t i ? x m i r r g

ta notimsblsth
suddenly;to h d or think of 5th by chance: My
crlighbsd on an old bwt o He$nul[y d g h t d
on a solution.
B IFgM d u p o n W.th
0 v + prep

align /aklam/
a'lign yoursePF with sbrsth to publicly sup
wrt a W m n , a group of people or a set of opinIons: Thesenalwal&ned hImw,!f with the critics
of the pro^^?& &rim.
*~+PM+P~~P

allow /a%u/
sl'low for sth to include sth when you are calm+
latlng sth or planning sth:Addan atm ten min-

ulps toyour journqrllmemalIo~~for
IhamcBic. o
I'ue h w h t a lrrrgesike toallowfor #hefactt?mii!
mqv shrrnk in the m h
the ~ s t b i l l t y , t h e
f.etllmt..., d
m
W Allow far sth can be u s d in the passive:
This had not k e n a l l o dfor in the budget.
& v + P ~

toshowthat 8th such 88 an
explanation or ananswer is&wssible; to makesth
possible:ThefuctsaZbwof only onewIerurtIon
5admit of nth

al'low of sth

*

v + prep

to sbrsth -0

to mention sWsth
in a few words: He hated his
mother's way of a1IUdimg W Jmn but never mtually saying her mm.
Alrude to sblsth can be used in the p s
sive: Do you know lhe-n
w h IWSalld8d to
in the reporl?

al'lude

indirectly o r

'e V+P'BP

amount/amunt/
~ A k m t o d o s t h I s a h ~ w i t h t h a'mount
e~
to sth (no! UlCBd in the p m m d w
meaning:~ Z d o y o u a i m
foachkw?
lenses) F to add up to sth; to m u l t in a find total
v + prep
of 6th: The msl of the trfpawu10ted ta well wer
'aim stk at sb!dh ifyouaimsthatap&imlar
Xml o The money l p y in taxand i w m m o m
person or group, you do or say sth that you
lriburlons arnunls m about 40% of my s a b q
intend to have an &ect on them: The rrduertlsing
P D comstosth2tobeequQltoorthe~~meas
mmpniqn isaimdprimarilyal youngpeople. o 1
sth: Whnl they drd ornunred lo a brerrch of conwas maaiming my remclrk~utyou
t m . o It doesn't matter w M b Ipay or my bus
rernurks, cdtlclsm, campalgn
b a d pays - it amounts' lo the snme thing in the
Aim sth a t sb 1s often used in the passive.
and o I#all amounts to a fot of hard work. EE)
Q v + nlpmn + prep
soma ta Sfh 3 if you say that sblsth doesn't
amount to much, you mean that helshelit is not
be 'alrned at 8th; b 'aimed; at ddng d h to
wry important: He'Il n e w amount to anything. o
have sth as an alm or purpose: !i'he newscheme b
The fn~iormntlon
wehove d m ' t a m o u n t 0much.
e i m a! reducing u?wrnp~ment.
wtts.

e

+ be+v+prep

EE3 addup tosth

@ v + prep

a s ' d a t e yourself wkh d s t h 0to
say that you agree with sb or with their ideas:
It uras unrwzsonable io expm ihe D e m ~ l v l slo
~ f n t k&m s e i w with spending curs and m
inc-.
r a p P , d l ~ ~ U ~ 4 w d l
ev+pmn+vrep

attend /antend/

b ~ I v e ofs all the hotet's semiw. o I'd like to
ouailmys?Vof thtsopporduni& to hankyouall.
EEi f~lllWes,opportunity

averager m l
,average 'outto mult in a fair or equal amount
over a p e r i d of time or after mal m s i o n s :
Sometimes I do tfw d i n g and sometimes my
jlallotmate W .It averages out over a month (=
results in us each dobg the same amount of
cooking).

attend to sbmth (formal)to deal wlth w take
responwbilityfor 8th: to give practical help and
care to sb who needs it Ihnw some urgent business to allend $ao (BrO Are you being attended
ev+adv
to?
,werage 8th 'out (al rth) to calculate the averbll~hOSs.
d~
curto-,
age of sth: yuu amage it our, there's am? mr
ER) l o o k a f t n r s b l o o k ~ r ~ I h : ~ s s t mstolen
~ euery .three minutes. o The tax oWhoritim
(~f0~maO
awmged out his profir at fl0m a year overfive
+v+prep
yean.
@v+adv+n + v+n/pron+adv
attribute/ambju*/
,average '
atal sth to have a particular
Ntrlbu!e sth to sb to consider, perhaw
amount as the mrage overa period of time: The
wrongly, that 5th has been written, painted,
lime sheswmkpmctising thplnno auerages out
spoken or created by a particular person: This
at about an hour a day
painting is wualIy allributed to Goyn.
@v+adv+prep
)SYH) a

d b e sth b sb

Q u + nlpron +prep
m m k 9j
e (awoke
~ /a'wwk:krnE
a'woukl,awoken /a'waokan;AmEa'wwkm/)
at'tdbuts sth to sblsth to consider that 5th is
caused by a particular person or thing Hi3 owawake to d h V 0 r n I )to h
e aware of sth
cess can be largely attributed ta hard wrk. Q She
and its p s s i b l e results;to realhe or understand
sad she u m not going ta attribute blame or a k
sth- They finally aluoke ta thefulI &ent of the
revengefor whol had happroblem. o I suddenly a&
lo thefaa that Ihad
EBD ascrih 5th to sblsth:put
d m to ah
t h m w infront of me,
( ~ S S ~ 0O F ~
@ v + nlpron + prep

*

* S W O ~ A W A K E NTO STH. AWAREN 80 TO STH

ev+prep

auction/ k u n , BE
'oh-/
awaken/aawe~kan/
,auction sth 'OW to sell sth at an audon, espe- a'weken to m,a'waken sb to 5th e r n 0
cially sth that sb no longer needs or wants:The
to become aware of slh, or to make sb becorns
how and all ILP mnlmfs will be auctioned fl
aware of sth, and its possible results: People a m
nm week.
gmdunlly aluakening lo their rights. o The p u b
@v+adv+n 4 r+nlpmn+adv
lit has h awakened 60 the full horror of the
situnlion.
+See U

a'vall yoursmtf of h W m l )to make use of
8th. to take advantage of sth, usually to improve

your situation: Guests are mmurqged to auail

.........................................................................................................

Qv+pmn+m

b AWAKE TO 8TH
4 v+nlpmn+prep

&v+prep

......-.........................-

.....................-..............

.

DEB p u f t m t + p u l l w t d ~ , p u l l o u t . o t d ~
back M I
.
nth;wlthdraw (from sth)(nmomfimO
,back a'way; ,back aWay from sblsth to
+v+adv
v+adv+pmp
move backwards away h m sbtsth frightening
or unpleasant: He stepped forward and sha ,back 'up;,back rblsth 'uptomovebackwards
a short distance,especially in a vehicle; to make
h c k d a w j in alarm o The child bucked a t w y
sbhth move backwards a short distance: You mn
from the dog neruousljr
baek up another i w m
e
m or so. o J&f backed
rotmat (fmm sW&) (momfOt+fd
the van up and d m off qujdF1~4 m m t i v e )
+se@olsonncKa m 2
The w m n was backed upagainst the ~ 0 1 1 .
+v+adv + v+adv+pmp
)svrr) w,
mwme 5th (moreJormn
,back a'way from sth; ,back a'way from
@ v +adv + v + nlpron + adr v+ adv * n
doing sth to avoid doing sth unpleasant or
dficult; to show that you no longer supprt an ,back 'up;,back sth 'upif ~ c b n c k e n p o r l s
hacked up, ~tcannot move and forms a long line:
action or an idea: We will laot back oluay@~om
Two l a m were c M by the mW, musing
tough m w s m . o The unbn hm h n s k d uway
cars lo bacR upfor mtles o The W j i c ts bricked
from mlling astrike.
up to ihe m c lights.
+v*adv+p~ep
W B a c k 6th up is nearly dways used in the
,back 'down (o-m
sth)totaltebackachimor
passive.
a demand that you have made, or sth that you
6 v t a d v + r+nlpmn+adv r v+adv+n
have said, usually becaw sb forces you to: Neilher of them will h c k down on this issue. e His ,back sbMh 'up 1 to say or show that what sb
says is true:
I tell my plr&
I rws with you,
critlm weref o r 4 60 k k down.
wilFyou Back m u p ? o Hisversion of events knot
EE9 cllrnb down ( w w 8th); glw In (to
bock& up by theavidmlce~
ESJ m m e n t , elalrn
3 s C ~ U ~ O B A COFF
K (FROM STHIPROM DOING STH),
2 to support or help sb/sth: Me2 mmplalnad that
BACK OFF STH
her hushand never backed her up In the control of
Qv+adv
the chiidnn, o W i n g her up (= playing music
,back 'ott I (Informan to stop
or
to support her) ~ lthesband 'Midnigh!Express'.
annoying sb: Back off Md Ier me make my own
IEQ support sWsth
decisiom. o Thepmshawugmdfobackflalard
r + nlpron+ adv v+ adv + n ~~~~)
lenw the muple alone. 2 to move away h m
t 'backupn [C]fl](AmE,W ) ( - f i y
&as
sWsth frightening or unpleasant: As t h hmd
an &ectiue) music that supports the main
teacher apprmched the children btPdrad ofl
singer or player In popular music or jazz: a
retreat (fromswath) see also BACK AWAY, BACK
backup 5ing.w for Steuia! Wonder o She once sag
AWAY FROM SBlSTH
b w k u p f i r Madonna.

~~

+

gv+adv

+=U~UBACK-UP

~ ~ B A C K S TUe
H

,back 'off (from sttdrom ddng h l , ,beck 'off ,back sth 'up 1 ( m m ~ ~ t I n g ) t o m a k e a w ~ o f a
sth (especially Am9 to decide not to continue to
file, a program, etc. that can be wed if the orido sth orsupport an idea, in orderloavoid a dmginal one IS lost or damaged: We back up all the
cult or unpleasant situation: The government
fiIeseuerynight.
fl1e2 toaddsthextratosth,
b n c M ofT in the face of strong opposition. o He
especial& as a support: The lecturps will be
refused to Lmk o f f r o m his wrlrer sfniemmt.o
backed up by pmcttml work. o They backed up
The &Is hwkd fl their demand for meeting
their dmnaRdswith threats.
wrth thePmidenl.
&v+nlpmn+adv + r+adv+n
seealso eAcK new ( O N ~ R O WSTH)
w 'back-upn I[Ulsupport or help that you can
Qv+adv + v + p p
URP
in arder to do sth: milihrv back-YDo Th#
.......
,back 'ontosth Wh'if
)a bullding backs onto
haw n huge-h&-up learn. 2 [ciasecond piece of
sth, It has 5th tehind It: The Rote1 backs onto the
equipment. set of plank percan, stc. that can
goIf mum.
replace another if necessary:He 'sourk k - u p if
anotherplayer h ' t availubk. o the hk-up pian
6
'V + P ~ ~ P
9 [C] (computing)a copy of a ffle, program,etc.
,beck 'out; ,back 'out of slh; ,back 'out of
for use in case the origtnal is lost or damaged:
doing sth to decide not to do sth that you had
Haw you kepi a h c k - u pof thisple?oa buck-up
agreed orpmmised to do:E w W i n g ' s a r m W .
disk
It's too [rife to buck out mu o There'sstill time O
+s@e &h
BACKUP B ~ B A C Km T H UP
back out of selurye the h o w .

baa MI (-I
balemi
,bag sth 'up to put sth,usually large amounh of ,bale 'out: ,bale 'out of ath
= BAIL ow,
stb, intoabagorbags: Thewegetabbamhggd
HAIL OUT OF STH I
up on thefarm andthen sentoutto theshop.
,bale 'out; , M e a2h 'out(&m =BAIL OUT,MIL
Bag sth canalsobe used withthismeaning.
o v ~
Q v+adv+n a v+nlpmn+adv
,bale
'at,.bale sbhth 'out of sth

m~)

,,,

( R ~ E=)BAIL

bail

SBISTI~OUT, BAIL SBISTH OUT OF STH

sth 1 (BTE a h .bale balk ma^^
'out, ,hk'wt of nth) to jump outof a plane that
is going to crash, using a parachute (= a large 'balk at sth; 'balk at ddng sth (-flu
=enurnA T S T H , M u L K AT DOING STH
PleCe of cloth that owns out like an umbrella

,bail

'aut:,ball *odd

and makes people fill slowly and safely): The
crew jmt M time lo h i 1 orat 2 0 to stop

dorngsthor takmgpart insthbecause it i s d f i - ,balls slh 'upWEE
A)to spoil sth;to do 6th very
cult or unpleasant: Theactor who luas supmsed
badly
h bepbying !hewnboiM out. + see o h BACK
A more polite. informal way of saying this
OUT,BACK OUT OF STH, BACK OUT OF DOING STFF
1s foul Bth up or bungle 8th
ev+adu

v+adv+pmp

,hi!'Out ,ball sth 'Out(BrEah,bak'out,,bah
8th 'out) to throw water out of a bcat with a container orwith yourhands: Thebwfwillsinkunless
we h i 1 out. o Thgr siartedbaillng the boat out.
bo=t,watW
&v+adv r v + n l p m + B d Y

@v+nlpmn+adw v+adv+n
b 'balls-up n (A,
skng, espechlly i9rEj m e -

thing that has been done very badly: I ma& a
real boils-upof myexam.
A more polite, informal way of saying thls
1s foul-up.

+v+dr+n

,bailsb 'out (fnw) ta pay sb's hfi (= the money bandm u d l
that sb accused uf a crime has to pay if they do ,bandto'gethertoformagroupandacttogether
not appear a t their hial) for them,so that they
m order to achieve sth, etc: We
tu band
can be set flwunt~ltheir trial
together toJight thezer%forms.
+v+nlm+adv.

v+adv+n

v+adv

,ballsbnth 'out:
,ballsblsth 'omof 4th ( B E
a h .bale sbisth 'out, ,bale ablstk 'wt of sth) bandage /kndrd3/
(informnh to rescue sWsth f¶vm dimculties, ,bandage sbMh 'up to map a bandape (= a
especially financial difficulties: Thegovernment
long narrow strip of material) around a pi? of
hm ref& to $ail thecompany outagain.
the body that is @ u r d : Joe brrndngcd me up
&v+nlpmn+adv + v+adv+n +
until the W r mme. o I didn't see the burns
v+nlpron+athr+prep
becawe herfingers wereall badaged up.
C. 'ballowl n (ospciully AmE, fi~inanoe)an act of
EEJ wound. sbC lwann,m k
glv~ngfinanclal help to a cornpan): economy, etc.
Bandage sblsth up is often USAin the
to save it from falliwg~varnmentIbank
hiloukP
pacsive. Bandage sWsth is also used wlth this
o a hiloulpnckage
meanlng.

balancepbselansl

Qv+nlpmn*adv

v+adv+n

'balance A against B to compare the value or b a n d ~ l ' b n d i l (b.dk..bmdying, t#ndl.d,
bandfed)
importance of one plan, mrnent. etc aminst
another: You m w ilh& the high &laa ,bandy sth a'boul (also ,b.ndy .th a'mund
aguinrt thelong tuorkinghlrrs.
eslwcialiyBE)ifa word,anme+etc. is bandied
E B net sth amlnst sth
about,it is mentioned or talked about by many
6 v+ nlpmn + prep
people, often in a careless way: The sturles being
,balance 'out; ,balance sth 'outrupif thbnndied about ore cvmplereIy fa&, o He's nut
that are very different or have opposite effects
mid onythrng like the £#ama lueekfism being
balance out or you balance them oat, they
bandiedaround
become equal in amount or value: you eat a
m story, flgurer, wwdltann
uoriefyof fd,
protein and mrbohydmu will
W Randy sth aboatlaround Is usually usad
M o m out o w r a week. o We need to inu& t h m
m the passive.
moregirk m bnlance up the numbers (= so that
&v+adv*n
v+nlpmn+adv
there are equal n u m b r s of boys and girls).
&r+adv * v+adv+n v+nlpron+adv

-

bang tbml
,bang a'round(also,brig n'beut esmially BrB
to move around noisily: We couM hear t h m
h i n g n h u t upstairs,nuruiagihings.
evtadu

banked on getiing a cup qf &ke at the a i m
but e
v
e
w
i
n
g uxls closed, o He was hw~kingon
she tmin k i n g on time. o She might already haw
cieawd up butlwouldn't bank OR It.
count on sblsth,eount on ddng M,
count on sbl*

dolng ath: reckon on sUsth,

,bang a'way 4 . ( h f m m O to hit sth 1pwatedly
reckon on dolng sth,mckon on sblstk dolng
wlth lots of force or energy: She p k k d UP uphe
ath
hammer and hgan brvlglng away with mthusG
v + prep * v +prep+ dpmn +to inf
asm. 2 if sth such as your heart bangs away, It ,bank 'up; ,bank sth 'up IBrE) tu form into a
makes very loud regular sounds: My hwn wap
large pile; to make sth form a large pile: The
hngingaway unhea2th;Ip
srrowI&ndbnnkduponeithero~oftherwd.
Qv+adv

,bang a'way at sth IAm&,i?@~rmuO
t o work
very hard at sth: She ban& m y all drry at her
assrgnment+
,srw, bash away (at sth)(BE?
&v+adv+prep

Qv+adv a v+nlpmn+adv

t

v+adu+n

,bargaln ath a'way (mre)to give away 8th valuable or Important in exchange for sth less valuable or imprrhant: The lerrders Med lo bnrgnin
away thefeedom of iheirpwpk.

,bang sth 'down to put 5th down quickly and
with a lot of force so that it makes a loud noise:
+v+adv+n + v+pmn+adv + v + n + a d v ( h
He banged hisfist down on the labk o He hnged
fwwnt)
thephone down (= ended the telephone conversa'bargaln
forlon sth; 'bargaln Form dolng
tlon) beforeImuId&xpInln.
5th; 'bargain forlon sbleth dolng sth to
@v+nlpmn+adv + v+adv+n
expect or be prepared to do sth; to e
m sth to
,bang 'Into sbtsth tocrash intom hit sbtsthviohappen or sb to do sth: We hadn't b u r g a f d f o r
lenm usualIy by mistake: He ran around thecorsuch bad weathe%o 1 hadn't bago tned on taking
ner and banged &to an old lady who luas mmhg
the kids with us. o Ididn't $argainJor Jake being
the other way.
at the wrtlr o When he tried to awue mIth Kate,
e v + m
hego&ok than re h a d b ~ ~ d n e d f oorWhal
.
,bang 'on a b w t sblsth (BrE, Ilgforrrml)to talk
I hadn't bargained for was that veryfew pmpk
or write a lot or tn a boring way abut 6th:Put is
would speak English.
aEwy$ bmging on abut mlftlcs.o She keew
BE) reekon on sblath, mken onddng ~th.
hngingon aboul how t u o d r f u l herson a
reckon on sblsth dolng 5th
IEE) goon (aboutsblskh)
EiElThese phrasal verbs are u9uaUy used in
(g v+adv+prep
negative sentences.
V+PMP
,bang 'out sth; ,bang When?'out (irV3rmuD
1 to play music very loudly: He h n g e d out the
tuneon thepiano. 2 to write sth very qu~cklyand barge/ h d 3 : ~ m ~ h - r & /
wlthout taking much care: She was banging out ,barge 'in (on Wsth), ,barge 'Into sth (InJ%rfour mvek a w6 IE9 b S h d h Out (BrFJ; mno 1 tomteraplaceorjoinagmupofpeople
chum sth out
quickly and rudely, without being ask& Sony
A noun must always m o w out. but a prp
t o M h , h t ... oShebrrrgedinonowmting
noun comesbetween the verb and oat.
wtlhoul knocking. o He just
(his way) inlo
+ v + a d v + n .v+pmn+adv
the m m .2 to interrupt what sb is doing or say,bang sbtsth 'up ( A d , iqfommfl to damage or
ing,especially when you have not &n Inv~tedto
I ~ J W sblsth, especially by hitting sth else: I
joln in: As soon as I pn&
for breath. &Id
banged up my knee when Ifell flthe bike.
barged in, 0 Youmn" j u t coma h r g i n g into o w
&v+sdv+n + v+nlpmn+adv
wnuersnthnl
Qv+adv + v+prep
beiget ,banged 'up (BrE,i n f o m O t o b locked
up or put in prison:He wasbawtdup in a S i W
barkw k m b a x k l
pow jail for six months.
4$~belget + v+ Etdv
,bark sth 'outto ahout ath loudly: Shebwkdout
i n s W h m Z o h 8 r ~ ~
rap sth wl
Ell ordsn, lnstntalons
W Rark sth can also be used with the same
'bank on 8'bank on ddng ath: 'bank
meaning, He h r k e d o r d m at T f m
on sblsth doing sth to rely on sWsth: to be
g v + a d v + n * v+nlpmn+adv * v+adv+ap#zh
confident that sth will happen: 1'm habankimp on
your help o I'm hnking on you to helo me. o I'd

e

..barrlcade
................ . .................................

-................................................................................................
10
..... .........,....... ,,,..........,
*

-.

*

barrleade/,mkerd{
,bash 8th 'out(BE, wimal)to write 8th vwy
bad,&=
yourself&
'I,;
be*,-de
qulckl% without taking much Eare: I don't do
IJustbhthmout.
youmetftsb 'Inl~ntofln'slde
sth to put up a
line of objects at the entrance to a moo or build~ + ~ ~ , " ~ Y+ ~ m n
in& so that nobody can get in or out, usually to
protect or defend yourself or sb else: T k p o l h , b s h sb 'UP (&rE, W r m b to attack sb vio1"tIly
mild when he barricaded hi-rf
in.
They b~rrbxdedt h e m i w h i d e their house. o
UP
Famllm had to be bebarticaded insidea resta~rigap
Bashsbupisusedlezs often than thesynw
w h i k s t & @ n t s p r u wlslde.
~
nym beat sb up
@ v+n/prOn+adv v + a b + n
&W room, hwrse
@ v+nlprnn+adv v+nlpm+prap
bat Ml Mt.1
. .
baselbersl
,bat sth a'rouml (inform0 to taLk a h t or &Base 8th on sth ( a h at,,,~
cugsvlansor ideas,etc.beforeycu decide what to
upon & mwp
formno touse orhavem id- an-fieme.
etc.
do: We'reim b a t l i ~ S m hiksomW
e
-.
as the point h m which 5th can de dml&:
@Id I d ~ s . f i g u m 8
Themuelisbnsedonatrwstorjr o&kbming
&v+rlrpmn+adv 4 ~ + & + n
the pmsecutmn cuse on the evof two .wit.
ne-.
0w
h the
~ design based w orhs batten1r n ~ ~hnr
r t h tustd upon i m r & imrm- ,batten sth 'downtofasten 9th firmly firmly &order
#ton.o Sue's kno.wl&e of Japan was bns@d only
to prevent damage by starms or winds: Thqr
on whutshehndmadin books.
mamged lo batten &urn the shutters and doors
bselslon, theoty, deslgn, qlnlon, stc
Wore the hurrimne hit
E 5 l l Base sth onRlpon 5th is often used in the

,Wsth ' o u t ( l ~ r m a Lesmiulty Brmto say or be 'down to sb to be the rmponsibilim of ak to
besb'sfault:It's&wn toyou@he@lhrmrmra
sing sth very loudly or in a harsh voice: 5%
Qv+adv+pr%p
M
t giw you an order She bawls it out. o The
only a little money left
be ' d m to sfh to
chiidmn h w k d o u t tht?songSn

*

passive

v + Wpmn + prep

J

E

ficult times ahead: Businesses are b m.m-l n ~
down the h t c h e s and preparing pr a dimuz
umr
J--..

, h s h sbtsth a'bout ( B E , Worm0 to hit or
strike sblsth and treat themlit in a rough
- m y.: b m e r r ~ r ) ~
Themuggerhadkshedherabout
,batter nth 'down to hit 8th EepeatedFy until it
(4 v + nlpion+ adv
breaks and falls down: Theonly rurry &get in unrs
.bash a k y <at+th) (BrE)ta work very hml at
ro hl&r thedoordotom
sth fora periodof tlme:IbaPhsdawyatihe&@Jdoor=
keakh
clcmn:&.(hh
icie w~thoutab r e a k h m I 1 until 6.
+v+nlpmn+adv 4 v+adv+n
Ov+a&
,bash 8th ' d o r m ( i ~ l , ~ ~ b
~ ar~ ~l kt( s
omta&~r@w~~l~ub.~k)
Ib~:kl
destroy sth and make it fall bv hittlnn it vi*
-~ e n d~~ h: ~ ~ h ~ ~ ~ h a d l o b a s h ~ h'baulk
e d ~ at
r d am;
o w .baulk at d o [ sth
~ to
mdoorm
break *h
(mmfirmao,
unwilling to do sth or to get involwd In rth
knock 5th d o w n ( m o ~ o m ~
because it is dlfflcult, dangerous,expensive,etc:
+v+nlpmn+adv 4 v+edv+n
Hehulkedat theidea of Mlinghispurents where
,bash 8th 'in (infinraal, espedully Brm to bmak
hemgoing.
or destroy sthbyhlttingltviolently: Thwhdom
EZZl Idm,mpame
had k e n W e d in.
@ V+PW
EQ wlndow, haad. skull. m -e
-

EE)smash sth in

Bash 8th in is often used In the p a s s i ~
+u+nlprcm+adv *v+arhr+n
03Il .bash sbk 'k&bralm In (Womanto hit
sb very hard: Shut w o r r l l baFhyour bminsin!

, b s h "a (with nth) (ME.
Wrml)to continue
workhe hard at sth: Lei's bash on. oI'd k M r
bash on w ~ l hmy work.

E B eat on Iwlth sth) Imowfirmarj
Qv+a&

+ v+n+adv(mrP)

Qv+adu*prep

be/bl:m

f m b k l (Warn, ~ m gwar
, {waa,
woa;AmEwaz, whe\,wsm Iwa(r), #:(r)/, M n
/bin,bmo
-aRer

-at
"away
-berm

--

bhind

beh~ndm
-down

I'mdownlomy l a s t & I h

b

-on
12 - o n a m
- / p l w p on a!

-onto
-out
-outfor

-outof

-down m
-down W
4go d m with

-war
-psd
thmugh

-in
-in-/get in on
-(well) In wltt~

-up Mfore
-up for

--

ibetgo 'down wfth 8th to have or catch an illness:Glll'sdown withflu

+v +a& + prep

be 'In 1 to be in fashion: mlsklrts me in #his
season. 2 to be elected to apolitical position: The
bmocmtsam infir another iernt.
*v+sdv

be 'In for sth (Irsfomdj to be going lo experience 8th soon,espeAally sthunpleasant She's in
forn shock. o It lwks hke we're infiro srorm.

UP

up wrist

-uplo
13 -upon

-Into

-off

@v+adv+n r v+n/pron+adr
. b a t t e n d m fhe'hatchw topreparefordif--

bash ~

+v+adu+n 4 v+pron+adv
v + a d v + m

bawlb y
,bawl sb 'outI M m l ) to s w k angrlIy to sb
bemuse they have done 5th wrong: hfy baaa
hwledrrPe outfir hInsIrrk,
I S 3 tell sb afl (for 6tMfor ddng sth)

6 +.

,

,-iwbwt

n,pmn + a*

,,

+ adv +

,,

(wrmat)

am of speaking angrily to sb because they haw
done sth wrong

sth to try to gat or obtain sth:Saueml
b~
p o p k i n t h e o ~ a r e ~ t M w m j o she's
b.
bmngbuniw. IwrclnrImwhats&'s&
QV+P~P

b 'at ab (I-,

eswespecInIIy W.Ej = srr/ool

KEEP ON AT 68

be 'at sill to be busy doing sth:He3 kern at his
essaynllnight. oI'ilbeal fialldny lomorroul

ev+adv+pmp

befget 'In on sth (ilafwmafi tohave a sharein or
knowledge of sth; to be or become involved In
sth:Amyou3non~he?oI'dlikelohinon
hdeal.

Q v+adv+prev

be (well) 'In with sb to be (very)menuwith
sb and likely to get an advantage fromthe£riendship

+v+a&+prep

be 'Into sth to haw a taste for w an Interest in
sth: Are you inlo jazz rnwic?oHe'sbaen inlo
tmfnsssfnceMwtwasmIlBoy.

eV + P ~ P

he 'Off 1 to leave; to go, - M y
in a hurry: I
must be ofl 2 to have gone bad and not be fit to
eat or drtnk: This milk is on
+v*abu

be 'off 8th 1 to have no interest in sth: to have
be 'at It to behave badly; to argue or Wt:
stopped liking sth. She can't b w1I. Ske's &n
TIw kids om ai It again.
ofl herfood all A.o That's it I'm f l men for
lve. 2 to have finished speakon the tele
be a'way to not 'be at Dome, especially when YOU
phone:Isn't heofl the phoneyet?
are on holidayMW.atlm or on a buslness trip:
b v + prep
We'll bt o m y for the month of A w w t . oHe5
away on brrsilmessat the moment.
be ,off for 'sth(#rformoOm have a particular
*v+a&
amount of sth: How am w flfor
(= how
much havewegot)?
ke before ~b= B E UP BEFORE SB
+v+adv+pr%p
be be'hlndsb to give sb your support Don Warbe 'on 1(of an went, a show,a perPormanoe,etC.1
get that W'W behfndpuall the ww
to be happening: to take place: Is ##party
V*PBP
,bbe'hlndvrfth sthtobelatedoingath,suEhaa on? 2 (of a performer)t o be on the stage;to perform:Who's on m?
o We'reonafter the support
paying abW, yourrent,etc:We* behindwiththe
band, 3 (of f d ) to be cooking:Am the p o t o m
mortgage repayments. o I'm Mind with my cob
m?
Icge usrgmenrs.
+V+PW

rnm

*

+v + adv

+ prep

h'downif a computer system ts down, it La not
working temporarily:SureIy y o w c O m P W isn't

down again?
Qv+adv

be 'down on sb to treat sb severely or UnealrlY:
He'sbeenreaUy&wnonmMl~

cAv+adv

& you'rs

(spoken,~lrformal)
u d when you
are accepting a bet or a c h a w
be 'onsb if sth such as drinks,fwd, ti-,
etc.
are on sb,they are paid for by that m n : The
drinksumon mtonigh1.nkht.

@ v+PreP

be 'on sth 1 to be taking medicine, a drug, etc: be 'outof sth tohaveuwdupa pupply ofsthand
S h e ' s k n on ihepillSorlenyears. o r'ntonstrong
havenothing left We'moutof swar
~ ~ i n k i l k2m
to be talking to sb on thetelephone:
@ v +a& u prep
she's ken on thephonefor
to be eating be 'wer sb to have returned to your usual state
or drinking &I: I'm on
thW
~ I W Y of happiness after the end of a relatfonshfp:It
th FPmorniag
wns hardat~rst,but I'm o m him nour
Av+n-lr

~~

V

.

P.YC

ev+wp
am you 'an? (s-,
I@oml) used
when you are wry surprised at sb's behaviour be
"
to your
state of health after an illness:He's o m theflu
and are suggestingthat they are acting in a simlnom
lar way to sb using drugs
Q v + m
ba 'on about st h (bg-orrnal,m p ~ i aly@
l
to
talkaboutsth,oPteninaboringway;torneangth: be 'wst't(wmo~toshowthatymthink
He's a l w y s on aboul how rnllcn money he eorns.
sb is so old that they can no longer do anything
Or interesting
The *'ldren &Whedat
0 WhQtareyou on about?(=I don't r e d y
h h anrIaid he w a s m it
stand).

*

what

ev+adv+prep
bIgheep
at rb
1l
(mmal,
e s p m BrE)
~ [ bto try to persuade sb to do sth $y
talking about it verg often and in an annoway: I'ue k e n on at my husband to go so the doc106 but he mn't.
BE) n q sb

v+pp
be sonto *b
1to becomeawm thittsb
has done sth wrong or illegal slid be trying to
catch them: Thepaliceamn'!onto wpt. 2 to talk
to sb about sth, especiallyto coinplainsbout sth
or ask them to do sth: rue k n onto the muncil
abut Ihe no&.
Q v+adv+pmp

e V+PWP

be amto
to find or
sththat cwld
hirvevery gd results
you or
sb else: She
could be onto sonrsthing (= she might hw discoverd sth that wffl pmve important).
$v+PW

(b ab) to be ronnected to sb on the

"Iephone Y w h t h m ~ h m m
*Othemnagwmm

rn knock sblsth down

You'rr

@ v + n / p m + a&

towards sblsth in a determined or threatening
way: A m u x l cfjournalisAF born do~unon the
m i n i s ~ o Ahwrimner is bmrfng down on
c e w l Am&. 2 (eswtirrlly AmEE if a problem o r a d i t l c u l t situation bears down on you,
it makes you fwlvery worrid and has a severe
mecton you:Thedraught i s h r r w d o m n wry
hard on farmers. 3 (espciaJly AmEl to press
or push on sblsth: Cligumtiue)The g o m m e n t
has announced It will bear down on (= deal
strictlywith) irlflntion.

ev+adv

'up 1 to be awake: b ' m W e a m
all night. 2 (of the wlnd, the sea, &c.) to
increase in strmgth or bpcome violent: I n the
morning the wind uxrrp up and we m t twdyfor a
dOYk sof1irag. 3 ((spoken. iwiirnm0 (of a drink a
meal, etc.) to be ready: W 3 up!Come andgel It.
*seeab
To
@u+adv
h'up against a b t h toke fadng problems or
difficulties: W e k up agailrsi tough mmptifion.
O
rhmprayers 'Mu& lh@Yuh?re raa'rV up
aminsf it I= in a dimcult situation). o Do YOU

a

v + a h +n (hJh7ma)

,beat 9th 'down 1to hit 8th hard. &n many
,bear '~QWIon s b t h ( a h ,bear Idarm upon
times, untll ~tfalls down: Tlae pol& had 0 M t
sblsth moreformnl) 1 (=phi@
BrE) to move
the door doun, o h p l e am h n d l y beat- the

be 'through (with sblnth) (especlnlly AmE) to
havef~nishedusingordoings* tohavehished
a relationship wrth sb: Aren't you FAmugh w?
You've h n
0 He p r a m h i Re was through
with dmgs. o Keith andIare through.
hE

UP

*

v+adv+tolnf

mrn

+v+prep+~t

be '*mugh

nod,tohave sbtopped
work asapmtestand ba
on strfke: Themstal workersorsstlllovt. 2 to be
nolonger in prison: I'veheardSmilA3out
mlirewhtW'uh~pagai~fl
if a jury (= a group of m p l e who decide the
v*&*P'Bp
results of a competition orwhether or not sb 1s
guilty of a crime) is out, they m stiu trying to be 'UP bfore sb at.^ be*
*)to -r
in court or before ajuof*: He'sup mom t h j d ~ @
make a decision 4 to no longer be in fashion:
~ r r o ~
Black ls out thisyea,: o F b l i r e w s s m r o & out
4 v + a d v + ~ m v+PreP
~
of fashion these dqvs (= no one is gwlite any
more). 5 if an action,for example, b out, i t isnot be 'up for ath 1 to be mnsidered for sth, espe
possible or Is not allowed: Shll w g @ tm g d k
cially as a candidate for ajob, In an eIection. etc:
one evening mt mek?Monday's out -I'ue god a
She's upforpromotion, o &formal)Thmtrm 50
Fretrch class.
tickets w f o r gmbs I= mailable for people who
Qv+&
askquicklyt 2 tobeforsb to buy2seeyourhouw
the Jury b (still) 'out on s(k used when you
is up fir sale. o A Picmso is upfor a u c t f o ~3
are say~ngthatsth is stihot certain: Thejury is
(i*msal) to tw ready to take part In an activity:
stillouton whether w i n e m hgoodfiryou
The newjob wrll beachallmge,but I'm upfor it.
beloutfwsth;ba hittodosthtobetrying
4v+&*Prep
very hard to do sth or to get sth: He's outfor b 'Up ta 4b 1 to be sb's responsibility or duty:
r e m e . 0 Everyom'sjusl oul for lohat they can
It's up lo you lo makesun thehoztse Lr kept tidy- 2
gel thesedays (= they aretrying to get things for
tobe lefttosbtadecide: 'Shalt wgaou6? 'It'sup
themselves).o The & m a team wnnt lo win
toyou.'
thisreom, bu#Smzilawout tn stop them.
ev+adv+pmp
+v+a*+prep

be 'up ta sth (Iru3rmal)1 to be busy doing sth,
mpe~iallysth bad: Whol ?laveyw been W
,beal sb 'baaktomakesbmwebackwardsaww
labehy?~ThekldFmqufet- I'rPn sum they'rew
from sth: She rws beaten tuck bythePames.0
ro M gmd (= they are doing 8th bad). 2 to be as T W t r M lo beat theenemyf o m back.
g o d aspeopleexpxt: Wasywr ntaol up tostandBeat sb back isusuallyusedin the pass&.
ard?
+v+nIpron+adv * v+a&+n
&~*adv*WP
'down(on/upon sbl*) I if the sun beat8
muvkatb up? (spoken i n f w m 1~ used to ask ,beat
down, it shines with great heat: The sun bw#
sb if there is sumethingwrong: You h k terrible!
down all ufternmn
a clear sky. 2 if rain
What's up? 0 Imuldn't rcndersland what was up
beats down, it falls with great form: The rnln
mfth George. 2 used as a greeting to mean 'how
was lanling down on #hem.
are you?, 'what have you been doing?', etc
ev+adv
be u'pon sb (formnilto be going to happen verg , b a t sb~sth' d m to persuade nb to reducethe
soon T~etecrwnIsalmasr umn ILT.
price of 5th: to get sb to accept a lower prim for
4 v + prep
sth: Chrk triadlo h i them down lo a io~erp*.

dam down mgether hat b w k (= they are not
rushhg to buy it). EEl dear
b w k 5th
d m ; batter 8th dmrm 2 to make 8th flatter or

lower by hitting it hard, usually with sth flat: I
~ w d spade
a
to t a t d o w n themuduntil it u
h
w
w
and hard. o 5%0 rwmen tried to beot down the
j E Q m on his back. EZJ flames

+ v+nlpron+adv + v+adv+n

,bed sbtsth 'off 1to drive sblsthback or
by lighting: They b w t off an attack & hhrebe!
army. o ~ e % i e d lo beat the thugs of with a
@v+adv+prep
stick. E E l attack,attnckar 2 to defeat s h t h in
'bear onmpon sb/sth uormtd)to be connected
a comwtetltlon. Themmpany has beaten W V
withsblsth: to hovean effect onsWpth:Thisdacistrong competitionfmrn abmnd. EEd chl!enga,
sion bmrs d i m l y on our evemiby [iues.
mpetltlon

on

E9 dfed
"

stu'sth

EEl7lThis
verb 1s rnaLnly used
..
11Sfi.

& v + a d v + n + v+nlprwrtadv
In written Eng- 'beat on sb MrnE. idormal) to hit o t klck sb

repeatedly

e V+@P

see O h W A T SB UP:BRAT UP ON SB

,bear s b t h 'out ( e s m h t i y Brm to show that
ev+prev
sth is true or that what sb says Is W e : to support ,beat 8th 'out 1 to pmduce a r m m b~ M W
sbtsth:Iolwaysslrldshe'd doruell. John will bear
6th such as a drum repeatedly EZ
!i rhythm 2 to
me out on this. o John will bevlr out w h t l s 0~ ~ putoutaflwbyhitting it withsthsuchasablanThisih~isrwtbormout@thf~~.
ket, a jacket, a brush, etc. He used kisjnclfet 50
+v+n/prcn+adv 4 v+adv+n
baat out thefInmes. IiBJ flames, flm 3 to make a
,bear 'up ( u w r sth) to remain cheerful and in
p~weof metal flat by hitting it with a hamme'
conml in a diffcult situation: 'How is Your
etc: PUmgotd mn be &ten out foform V q Illin
motkr?"She's W r i n g up very mluelL'o 'How are
sheds. E E goldnmn,dent
you?"Oh bearing up'
g v + a c i v + n v+pmn+adv v+n+adv(less
+v+adu

J%wuenA

' b a r U r n 8b/& = eEAR ONh7PON SB/STH
,boat sb ~t(Forath)(AmlT)mdefsatsbinammpetition: Thgy &at wL n h other wmganiesfor
'bear with 8b tobeptient withsb: ifwu'lljurrl
the contract.
bee* wrth mefor a moment, I'll hy to find
0
@v+nfpmn+adw v+adv+n
She's ~tndsra btofstmin. Just beor wlth her
Bearwlth sb is usually used in the p-nt
'beat sb to sth; ,beat sb YO H to achieve 13thor
tense or to ask sb to be patient.
reach a place before s'b eW.Beckham h
e
a
l everyo m eke to the ball. o Book iww Wore s o w
v+PWP
else beabsyou bo it!

&.

e

+v*nfp~pn+pwp

beat up

...................

........XI
...............h
.

.....

............................

m......

..

14
.....II......*.......-...................X....IX
...

_

, k M Sb 'uptohit orkick sb regeatedly: H e r b
bandlrsedtoWhm~.oThegangtmn#round,beg 'off;,beg b f foft ,beg 'off dolng sth to
becsting up old India.
ask tobeexcusedhm sth;to say that you cannot
bWh sb up (informal. h m t )
do 6th that you are expected or have p r o m i d to
+ ~ ? Q ~ D B E AUTP O N S B
do: She was asked & work the weekend shift bud
&v+nlpron+adv v+adv+n
she tried to beg OAF o He kgg@doff ~Lstiinghis
b ,beat-'up ( m m h l l y A m ( B E m l l y
grulndparents.
,baterr-'up) udj [usually before noun] (inforEfBpull oltt, allout d atk,pull out M ddng
ma0 old or damaged: Hedrives a h t - u pold mix
, h a t yourseH 'up (informan to blame ywrself
for 9th; to criticize yourseIf: w don't sllGceed
thefirsf t i m , weshouldn't beat ourselves urn but
try ugain.
-L

a

.e)v+pm*aW

,beat 'up on sb W,i w 3 1 7 ~to
~ )attack sb
physically or with words: Of mum it3 mot OKto
b w t u p o n ~ v r w i f eo. H e w a s d o f denling
upon the Presidernt in thepress.
+ Seealso BEAT ON SB
@v+adV+prep

beaver /%tmr)/
,beaver a'way (st ah](BrE, lrlformal)to work
very hard at sth: She*$ been h v e r l n g atmy at

her homeuwrkforhours.
@v+adv

become~brkhml(

b n wmeml

becoma)

be'comeof sbhthO t o happen to sWsth:
I w n d e r w h ~ bmm
t
of the m p l e wfto lived
~dwroWhtwLfl$ecwne~us~
job?
=Becomeof
sblsthisalwayswdhaqwstlon with what
(4 v + P ~ P

,bed "down (&.E) 1 to lie down to ga to sleep
somewhere you do not normally sleep: Young
people h k k d down in ahrwnys. IEB doaa
d m (BrE, lessformal)2 ( a h ,bad 'In) if sth/sb
new beds down, itthey W m e settld and start
to work well: It'll take a whilefor the new sysbrn
ro bed &wn. o The tam players have Meii
down well an the Mrn
@v+adv

beef J~HI
,W 'up nth; ,wM e m 'up ~*donnal)
to
make sth bigger, stronger, more interesting,etc:
Securib has hen W
e
d up. o Tha mmww hns
been Wfngto ktf up its imp,
A noun must always follow up, but a p m
noun wrnes between the verb and up.
@v+sdu+n + v+pron+adv
t ' b w f w b p ndj [only before n o w improved;

made bigger, stronger, more Interesting, etc:
beefededupsecurity

be'lfeve In s M t h 1 to feel SUE that sbtsth
exists: Do you klieve in ghoslppo I believe in
God.o 1don't belieue in aliens. + see a h nlseeLIEVR It4 SdSTH 2 to have confidence in sW&, to
feel surethattheylitwilIbesucceWlorachiwe
sth: Mypamnrsalmuys k l i e v in me. o I h w 60
believe in a p d u c t W o r e I m n sell rt.

OV+PP
be'lleveIn sth:be'lhva In dolng sth tofeel
thatsthisright or valuable; toapproveof sth:Do
you beltem In w i t u l punishment? o She M
Y
believe in running rrsks. o I'vealways b e l W in
giuingpmple a s m n d cham^

Q V+PWP
be'lleve ~ t of
h sb to accept that sb is capableof
a particular action, etc., especially a bad or
immoral,one: Taking drugs! 1can't belime f h t
oSLucy! o If I hudn't seen him &M it. I would
~ Imuer
m y have b e I i e d t b of him. o She is &*rmined io believe she worst of me (= think I am
capable of doing, and l i l y to do, 6th wry bad).

@ v+ nlpmn

+

prep

belong~ I T R UA&-19-1
;
be'long to sb (MI rrsed In t h e m l w m)
f ta be theprolwrtyof sb;to be owned by sb: The
hourre belong& to my wustn. o That land belongs
iothegollduh o W h o a b w t h e m n k b ~ & ? 2if
a llme or an event belongs to a team, a group of
people, etc. they we the mast succemfhl,popular
or ~mportant:Britain drd well in the athletics
wmpatition, but #heoby klongwI to N ~ m oy
Thesecand havd thettuentiethcentuury hlonged
to the young. 3 if a job, a du& etc, belongs to
you, it is your responsibility. Thejob of d k r p
linirsg ta chzld belongs lo thepar@nb.o The credit
for our smxss hlongs io #hestaf (= they made
us s u c c e M , for example by working hard).

-

"

behng bone $ p e r k E!Dl spclu, clar*, group,
eatngory 3 to be part of 6th or connected with a

"

bindpmmd/ W n d . b ~ m bdamd/E

,blnd sb 'over (law)
to warn sb that they wllF
part~culartime or place: These things beIong lo
hare to appear in court if they break the law
the pusL o Wrztm like him belong to a different
again:He was b o u n d o u m t o l r e t p t h e ~ .
@nercafmn EEi thm w,generation
B i n d s b m i s u s d l y used inthepawive.
Q v + m

&v+nlpmn+adv

belt ~ b e ~ t t
,belt sth ' d m ( A M , t@rmoO to drink ath
quickly: Hebelreddown hisher
Z9 knoek sth back
Qv+adv+n + v*nlpron+adv

+ v+adv+n

'blnd sb to sth v o r m n to form sb to do sth by
making them pmmlw to do it or making it part
of a legal document: Th@mmpany directom we
hound to wcmq (=they have promised not ta
say anything) about thefrr#ureoJ the wmplny. o
The bandfound they tuew bound fo the mnbuct.
Bind sb to 8th is usually used in the pa%

,bell 'out ztb; ,belt FMhem 'out (lrbformaoif
SlI'C
you belt out a song or a piece of music, you sing
or play it very loudly: Nobody mn belt alrl a hne
Qv+nlpr~l+w~
likesiwmn, o A mdio h i t d o u t p o p music.
,bind 8th Up (with sth) ta tie a long thin piece of
mA noun must always follow out, but a pro- fabric mund 9th to protect it: S ~ bound
E
up his
noun comes betwm the verb and out.
wounds with bar&$es.
+v+adv+n r v+pmn+edv
Q v + d v + n + v+nlpm+adv
Im bound 'up In st41 to b very busy with 8th;
,belt 'upIBrE. WrmaO 1(spkm)used to tell sb
to be very intm-sted or involved in sth: Hebtm
not very politely to be qulet: &*U up, will you?
hound up in hls work to haw much time for hls
S ~ Uup
I ( r n f o m l ) 2 to fasten the belt that
childrw~.bound 'up wlth 8th c l w l y connected
you wear in a car to keepyou in yourseat ~fthere
with sth: The history of She mmmw is ~
I
buckle up
is an accident (a seat belt)
bound up with the histary of the CranlfarniIy.
@ v+adv

bend

(m,
b mm t n

b i bmrtl (MI l b r t l . ' b w l'bml)

,bend 'downto lean down: He &nt dorota ond 'bAeat sthtotrytobitesth:The&gbEIatthe
boy'shand.
kissed heron thechmk.

6 v+adv

QV+PP

,bend ',
,bend 'aver sth to lean mrw: to ,blte 'back (aswab) to mct when sb has
harmed you and ay to harm or crlticiza them:
bend h m the waist: Bend ouer nnol lolxh w r
youcrtficizehim, he'll b i t e k k
foes, o He was bendingouer his desk, m'tinstins
EZL) hll back (atsWsch)
@ v + a d v * v+prep
@ v+adv
m b e n d owr 'bac(to do rth) to do
everything you can or make a great effort to do ,blte sth 'back to stop yo&
from saying 5th
sth, especially to help sb: We kd o w M k or Ram showing how you feel: She stmggqIeri to
wards to kfairla all the chiIdm.
b!te back the Iwrsof dhppohtrrrenr. o M ~ k ebit
back his onget o The word 'idiot*came into her
wyl,M. or h m u e n t bsb
bet
hmd, butshe bit it back.
tmg, b s t l ~betted).
,
E U w o w , anger, retort IlE) l u p p l a u nth
Bite sth back is not used in the passive.
'bet on s t k ' b t on sbdolng sthtorelyon~th
@ v+adv+n + v + p m + a d v + v+n+adv(mrP)
or on sb doing sth and expect It to happen: 'Do
you ihirrk she'll corn.'' '
I
wouldn't M on it (= I ,bite 'into sth 1 tocutorprrss lntothesurfaceof
st h: Themllm bli inro his neck. EQcut Into atb
don't t h ~ n kit is very Hkely). ' oDonr bet on me
2 to have an unpleasant effect on sth,especNly
still being hem wheny#u get h c k !
by making itsmaller. Therecessronis bitinginlo
BE)cwnt om sblsth,~ountonddngath,count
ourprofits.
on sbleth dolw s*l

Q v + prep

QV + P ~ ~ P

+Y+WP

be'long to ath 1 to be a member of sth, for
example, a dub, an organhation or a family:I
don't bebw to any polrtiml p~rly.
ooPortUgaI
olreody belongs to the European Union.EXi
(trade) union, club, (polltleal) party 2 to be part
of a particular group or system: R a t t h m k e s
belongtotheuipwjiamily. o TThesethmturtlesall

bHe off
..............................15. ...... .............................. ...........-.....................................

'."'*""""

........................

-

,bHe sth 'off to cut 8th ofP by biting it: She bftofl
n n h e of chomlale. o Hisfinger had h e n bitten

lar way;to advert& ssblsth as 8th: ~ome$a#im&
nrerecefvlng w h n l h n s k n billedrnarauolution-

nty treatment. o The
hrinkl AT I M ~ ~ , , - ,

rnrn

bilw

;Q

@ V + a*

n + v +WPM + a*
mf*nmsbb 'headoffotf(frlfom0
to shout
fi-b or speak W them angrily,often for no goDd
reason: 1only asked him when the work muid be
finished and he almost bit my head ofl blte o f f
more Man you can 'chew (informal) to t r y to do
+

Y

bkek
................................

..............-....

I
X
.
.
.
-

16
................-...... .I....................A...

.......................................

.
.
I
I

_

-..+

.......-

for you: I"hk blare p l e a ( r h ~ blerl
~n~
dImehe3bi~n~momlhan~mndtaudtauI,~
Ublam
'
O
M
'Out if music bm
rmt.
hbmen myhidher'tongue offjout
'0 a radio, etc. blares out music, it is produwd
medto say that youwrsh you
said 8th that
or played wry loudly: Music tuas blaring our
you have just said: Sam looked hurt and Mark
Irom somwm, The radio wlrs bhriw out
cuuldhaw bitknherherngw on:
rock music.
S
E
B blast wt. Mmf sth w t ( k m w n t )
black ~blekekl

too much ar 6th that ia too 6-t

+

,black 'out to lose consciousness or bse your
memory for a short time: Thepain hit hlmand he
bkksdout.

v+adv r v+adv+n

+ v+nlpmn*adv

blast r n ~ m t m b l r e s t ~

,blast a ' w y (~ s W a h ) if a punor sb using a gun
ev+adv
blasts away, the gun fires Ioudly and continuk 'blackoutn a temporary bss of oonsciousnegs
ously: The machirwgw b h t d w y all night.
or of memory: When dEd you stud hauinr rm
bhckouts?

ev+adv

+S W Q h BLACKOUT at BLACK STH OUT

,blast s M h a'way (lessmm
to
)kki ssb or
remove sth or break it apart vlolentl~for
,black ath 'out to turn out ltghts mmpleteb or
example w ~ t ha gun, explosives, etc: They h u e
cover windows. etc. so that light cannot be seen
blast& a w the s
aof this h u t i f u i MI.& to
from outside: b h h d out windowslhouses o The
make o twd o flgurotiw) This t h r y h u ken
~
city rws often b h k d o u t (= there were no lights
bIns&daway by thenemevidenm.
because there was no electricity)by power cua
,sv*, blow sbMh away
E J window, city
e v + a d v + n + v+nlpmn+a&(m)
Hack sth out isoftenused in the psssive.
,blast "ff when a spacecraft blasts ofF,It leaves
Q v + a d v + n . v + w n + a d v + v+n+adv(rnre)
the ground and goes up into spa=: The m%et
b 'blackout f (mp3ully Brm (in the past) a
bius.Moff at 7.2Bp.m
periodof timeduringa warwhsntheslrwsmd
m Hft off
buildin@ were kept as dark as possible so that
*v+adv
the enemy could not see whatto bomb 2 [usually
t 'bl8~t*Wnl[rlthe moment when a spaceffaft
pl.] (BrE)acoveringfor windows that stopslight
leaves the ground: BIaslafl uttU bP in SO semnrls.
from outside corning In,Orthat stops bright light
being seen h m outside: blackout material 3 ,blast 'out: ,blast sth 'out iF music blasts out
(also 'outageAm& a m o d of time when the
or aradio,etc. blasts outmusic, It bpruducador
electricity supply to a place stops completely
played very loudly: A B w t h sang wus blastzng
lEti3 This is now the most common meaning of
out a t f i f l ualume, o The m$iu was b h t i n g out
blackout. 4 a situation when the government or
h q mkmusic.
thp w11ce prevent a radio or television pro,sr*, blare out, M m .fhout
gramme h m being broadcast, or do not allow
+v+adv + v+adv+n v+nlpmn+adv
some news or information to be given tothe public: The government have heen a s c u d of maintoinfnga news bfackoutowrelmionfraud"
,blazea'wayl (atsWrth)ifgunsorpeopleblaze
+~eeafsoR L A C K O U T ~BLACK
~
OUT
away, the guns fire mtinuously: Thenunsk e ~ i
biazing away at the enemy. 2 If a fire blazes
blank ~l$lsegkl
away, it burns brightly
,blank 'out( A m , &form0 If you or your mind
BEa Blaze is usedwith the 8ame meanhgs.
blanks oat, you m ' t remember mythinn or
& v + a&
you become confused:I h o p l & n l blank out in ,blare 'up if a gre blam,it suddenly starts
the eram.
burning more strongly: @gumid
His anger
UElH Blank has the same me-.
blared up u n m m i k h l j t
@ u+adv

-

rfrv+arl"
",

,blank 9th ' o d $ to delibxately
sth
unpleasant Your chlkfhmd mqv how ken diffi- blendhlendl
cuU but you mn?just blank it out. 2 to cwer sth
*)
if rwmetHlng
in
written or printed, for example, with black ink Ibled 'In (*
so that it -not
be m d : All ihe names in the
~
~
~
~
remn had been blanked ouf.
blend i n m l y with thewpet. o Tha n e w o m
* v+pmn *
w*n+adv(rrve)
b h k m ' t b k d in )-,&[ with i&
&&it&m[sur.
mundings. 2 (wtth sb) if sb blends in with other

.

'

.

I7

....

L

....X...........................................~.....n................................-............
'.-'..-

.

blow away

.......................

~eo~le,thgrbecomesimilar
tothepeoplearound ,blockfih'outtosbop~tornoiisehmooming
blocked out
in; to cwer or hide sth: The
them:He should try 0 blend h wfth the W
L
Fa
much of thesunlight. o m u r u t i w ) I'm W tu
blr nore.
the tnIfFc n0i.w now Ijwt block it out I= I don't
+ S e e a h BLEND INTO STH; MERGE IN (WITH STH),
hear it).
MERGE INTO STH
BXi MgM, run, .ound
+./+a&
@ v + a d v + n . v+pmn+adv + v + n + a d v ( h
,bland sth 'In 1(in owkIngEto add motha sub

PrePW)
stance to ath and mix them together: Heat the
burtergently and lhrm &nd Ina h t S l @ ~ uBrFX) ,block s h t h 'out;,block sb/sth 'outof sth
to avo~dremembering swath or thinking abut
mix sth In 2 to make a suhtance mix with
sblsth, especially sth unpleasant: He rried lo
another so that ynu cannot see where one ends
blmk the ~ncidentowl of his mind.
and the other starts: BIend theqeshadow in with
,sv*1 blot sblath out,btal sWsth owl o
f ath;
yourfingem. o He ble& m she c h a m 1 lines to
shut 8th out, shut sth out of stb: lupplaSS sth
make thepicture look softer
Qv+nlpron+adv + v+adv+n
+v+adv+nev+pmn+adve v+n*e&(less
v + n/pmn + a h + prep
fwuent)
, b l d 'Into8th tolookorsoundsoaimilar tosth ,blocksth'uptofillsthsuchasahoklem@etely
so that nothrng can get through It All the winthat it ISdIfEcult for anyone to see w hear It sep
arately. The animalsmn become a[mosl ~nviriibk dows hnd k e n bhked up
EEI wlndow, door, hole,Rlsplaw
by hlend~nginto ihe longgrms o Thenew develQv+nlpron+adv 4 v+adv+n
opment should bknd inlo itssurrwndin~s.
b ,blacked 'upadj completely full;not clear:I've
EZJ background, surroundlnp
got a blockwl-up nor;e.
+saaabo HI.END IN;MERCE I N (WITH STH).MERGE
INTO STM

+v+prep

,blotsbrsth 'out; ,blot s h t h 'out of 8th to
avoid remembering sWsth or thinking about
,bRmp 'autrup(AmE, iMormaO to becomefat: to sblsth, espe~iallysth unpleasant: He wanted 0
blot out the memog~
galn weight
+v+adv

blinkjbhkl
,blink sth a W y to clear 8th BPm the eyes by
blinking .(= closing and opening ywr eyes
quickly): He blinkedawy a tear

mteam

+v+adv+n

* v+dpmn+adv

,blink sth 'bsektotrytowntrolyourteam!~nd

IEImmorles, thught.
bidaWsth out,
block sblsth out o# stll; shut sth nut, s h d sth
out of 5th
ev*n/pmn+adv + v+adv+n r
v+nlprm+adv+m
in; to
,blot sth 'out to stop light or noise
c w e r or hide slh: Dnrk c l o d s wexe blotting out
She sun.
EB3 l l g M sun,ttwr,round
Mock s?h wt
Qv+adv+n * v+rtlpmn+adu

myseff b l l n k ~ n g ~ c k ~ ~ h h ~
E l only tmarIs)

9v+adv+n + v+nlpmn+adv

-*

-wt

18 -down
,block slNsth 'In to stop a vehicle from being
-0Wr
in, into
"UP
drlven away by parking too close to it: You're
-off
blodrlngthathfini in, o ~ h i y h a d p w k e in
d
frontof me,b h k I n g m I n ~Iwasblackdinbj,
,blow alrey; ,blow Hh a'way to be mwed or
two Io,-r&ssoIhadtoleavethewrund~Ik.
carried away by the form of the wind or by sb's
Q) v+nIpmn+adv + v+adv+n(& fwwnt)
,block nth 'off1t o ~ l o s e a m a d o r a n o t h e r p ~ ~bmth;tomweinthis way:~twmso w i n d y ~ h e m
m d J ' bkw OW? 0Aslldden b m blew h ~ s
newsby placing a barrier acmes it to stop s&t.h gohg
WPQ~W0
. she blew away #heduston the lid.
in or cornme out: The mIiEB bIocXBd mdreel a f t
-~ .
~ .~
~
w
~
~
leaks.-kh street, mad, areal, antrank EE) ,blow sb a'way 1 [lqfwnurbto impsb a lot
close sth off (to 8thlsb) 2 (especmlly AmG) to
to surprise or please sb: I s c u o h w ~ o m m o n
B d w a y last ymr and it just blew me awa~a
reserve a period of time for a particular activity:
T h u W y aflernoomare blocked offprsporbs.

-

@v+n/pron+&

+ v+adv+n

boll down

....'.,........,.

............................
~

2 IAmE, idormat, s p a m to defeat ab easily: ,blow 'out;,Mow ath 'out1 Wafhmebbws
Mitchell blew m a y theother r u m .
o a t or sWsth blows it out, it is put out by the
+v*nlpmn+&
+ v+adv+n
wind or mme air: Them WQS a s&n
gusr of
mind and the mmndle bleur out. o She twk a deep
,Wow sbisth a'way to kill sb or remove or desbreathand bk-wout ail thecundk 2 if a window
troy sth with explosivesor with a gun: He threatblow8 out,or an explosion,etc, blow it out, the
e n d to blow us a m % o They blew hk k m p g
force makes it fall out: All the windows blew out
nwuy(= by shootlngthem).
in the blast. o The expbsbn blew our the winB blast nbiatk avray
dows in the butldmg.
v+Wpmn+adv + v*arhr+n
e v + a d v + r+adv+n + v+nlpm+sdv
,brow 'dorm; ,blow 5th 'down It sth bbm
wrt)to defmt slb
down, or the w ~ n dblows It down, it falls to the ,blow Sb 'out WmE, i?g-1,
easily: The home Fmm blew out the Suns by M
ground m u s e of the force of the wink An OM
wk tree hnd bbwn down in the &rm o H m - points.
@v+dpmn+adv v+adv+n
dredsof treeshavehnblowndown this iuintm
b 'wawwt n W, irlformal. sporl) an easy
Qv+adv + v+nlpron+adv r v+adv+n
victory
,blow 'In; ,blow 'Into sth (lnformab) to arrive
+seealsoE~owow~at
stow OWT
somewhere where you are not expPcted: Laok
who'sjusl bbwn in! o How you h r d who'sjwt ,blow ath 'out 1 to breathe sth out fmn your
mouth. She inhakd and then bIau thesmoke out.
blown into town?
exhale 9th 2 to All sth, especially your
v+adv v+prep
cheeks,w ~ t hair She blew out her cheek in ems,blow 'off;,blow sth 'off;,Mowsth 'off sth
pamtwn.
cheeka
1 if sth blows ORor the wInd blow&it off, it is
+v+nlpmn+adv + v+adv+n
removed by the forceof the wtnd: M y hat bkwofl
UiE!blow yourlshb 'bmlnnaul (ir&mmn to kill
oAgusl4fwrndblewherwofloTbrooJwas
yourselBsb by shooting yomIfIthem in the
blown o r llae Greem'hoz&. 2 if sth blows off in
head
an explosion, or an explosion blow s t h off it 1s
violently remwed: Thedoor blewoff inlheaxplp ,blow Itself 'wtIf a storm blows itseaelf ant, it
loses its force and stops: By morning the m m
sion. o Thee+plosiunblewthemf off ( t h e h o w ) .
h i blown itsev out.
@v+adv + v+nlpron+adv v+adv+n +

+

+

v+ nlpmn+ prep

+ v+pron+adr

mblowlknack s M
Dtl tO i m p m or ,blow 'over 1 if a storm blows wer, it bemrnea
surprise sb very much: When Ifirst W the
less strong and stops: W e s h e l W in a barn until
sow, it blew my sacks o n
the sMra blew wet IEQ dle dmvn,subside 2 if
sth such as an argument blows wer,it becomes
,blow 'off 8th; ,blow It '&(A&,
i r & m d j to
less immrtant and is forgotten: Dun? m m back
deckde no2 to do sth you should do or were planto work until the argument has blown over EfQ
ningto do: Jmh bkw off herclnssesonfiiduy
subslde
afLermn togo shopping.
+v+adr
EmX A noun must follow off, but a pronoun
comes betweenthe verb and off.
,blow 'over,blawrmth 'mmrif sWslh blows
@ v+adv+n v+pmn+adv
over or the wind blows sbhth over,they fan to
the ground becauseof the force of the wind:Gne
,blow 3b '0ff(.4naE, InirmaOto disappoint sb by
of the irees had blown o w r in the stom. o The
not meeting them as arranged., to end 8. wlationfence had been blown over in a storm.
shrp with sb: We uwre srrppwd to go out yes*
Blow sblsth over is offen used in the p w
day, but he blew meoff:
slue: Pedesk~amwere blown over in &e force
stand sb up

+

winds today.
v+nlpron+adv + v+adv+n
g v + a d v r v+nlpron+adv
,blow 'out 1 if a lyre blows oat, it bursts suddenly:One of &front tym bkmout.
hrrt ,blow 'up 1 to explode; to be dstroyad by an
explosion: The bomb blew up as q r f s tried to
2 rf an oil or gas well blows out It suddenly
defrrse it. 0 The cur blew up when it hit the wlL
sends out gas with great force
explode (moreformal) 2 to staxt suddenly
+v+adu
and withfom:Aslosm blew upjusraftertheship
F 'blowout n Ianoccasionwhenatyre bursta on
Ieftmrt. o R row has blown upowrtheleaklngaf
a vehicle while it 3s being driven 2 an occasion
ir$ormcrtioion to t h e p m . EQ
dla d m 3 [a* sb)
when oll or gassuddenly escapeshm anoil weU
(rnformaR to become very angry: MYmum blew
3 (BrE, i!&rml) a large meal at which pmple
u p a t m y c d a d f o r ~ p l n g m u p m h t eoHfsattG
.
eat too much 4 W+
inform0 a large party or
tudeannoy&meand f bkw up.
soclal occasion
ev+adv
-B see a h BLOWOUTat e ~ o w
SB OUT

H

B

l

b

h

q

t

n

a

b

i

~

c

'into nth 1to walk into 6Weth because
m ,blunder
~ -

atlcm blows up in your face. it goes ~ w byd y
wrong and causesyou harm or embarrassment
b 'blow-up n I {especinllyAmE) an explosion 2
ylmm an n i o n when sb becomesvery angry:
an argument:The lensionsbeluxen themended u1
a blg blow-up,
4 Wt?dS0 BLOW-UPat BLOW STH UP

you areawkward or unable to s:
She blundmpd
intoa tree. 2 teaceidentally And yourself ina diificult or dangerous place or situation: She blund e r d intoa dangernusownof theclrjrafterlosing
her way. 0 He had innocently blundered into a
priwie dkpute.

*w+m

#law sb/sth 'up to k
id sb or destroy sth with a
bomb or an explosion: The h w k m thraalened
toblow theplnneup. oOAj&einIfalyruasMown
,blurt sth 'out to say sth suddenly and without
up hy a car bomb Iapf uwek
thinkmgcmrulEy: %$been
anmi&nt,'she
Blow sblsth up is often usedinthe passive.
blurted out o He found himself blurting oui the
Q v+nlpron+adv + v+adv+n
whole story to her
@v+adv+&
v+adv+n + v+rrlpmn+adv
,blow ath 'up1tofillsthwlthairor gas: Y w W
lo blow up the tyres on your bike. EZQl balloon,
E B Inflate sth ( m m f o r m n ~ I& stk boardfbxd:AmEbad/
down 2 to make 9th larger: What a lowly photo! ,board sth 'up to cwer awindow or a door wlth
Why don'tyou have it blown up?@Eiphota Isrrr,
boards:Allthe windows had &en b m k d up.
enlarge ath (mrefmmf)
3 to make sth seem
FB3 wlndmv, houw,shop
more ~mportant,
betteror worse than ~treally IS:
Board sth up is often used inthe passive.
The whole Marr has k n blomn un out of all
@v+nlpron+adv + v+adv+n
pmportiom. F B exaggerate sth (moreJorrnQi)
~ v + n l p m n + a d v v+adv+n
b 'blow-up n a lacger picture made from a photo
or pictun: The blom-LIDs h o d a SCar on the ,bob 'up 1to come to the surface quickly: S h
dive$ in and hbobbad up nfiw =rids LWr En t h ~
attacker 3 c h k .
middle of the pool. 2 to appear suddenly: She
+ s e e a I s o ~ w w - ~ ~ a tUP
~~ow
hbbed upfmm behind thefence..
pup up
t 'blowup odj [only More m]that you can
QV+&
fill w ~ t air
h or gas
+see also BLOW-UP atBLOW UP

,bluff sb 'wt.(oId-fmhioned,i&rmaL (?s@n[ly
AmEj to lie and pretend In order to h i v e sb
+v+nlpfcm+sdv

r

v+adv+n

,bog ' d m(
A
mtobe unable to makepmgreas:
The bill hgged down aftw kfngpaspedbY Cangress.
(bv+adv

,bluff It 'out{es@dlyBrEj to lie and deceive sb be~get,bogged 'down(In sth)1tobelget tuck
in mud orwet gt~und:
tobecome stuck in 8th and
In order to get out of n dimcult situation, espeunable to m a h progress: The m r got bog&
cially when they suspect yw are not being hondown m the mud. 2 to beunabletomake progress
est: if he asks any dimult questions~you'll have
in an activity: Ihn'iget
down in details. o
to b I m it out. o I know euerylhing so there's no
I'm rather w
g
e
d down (with work) at the
point lryrng blw itout.
moment.
Qv+rt+sdv
belget+ v + adv
,bluff sb 'out of sth (oWfmhbmd, AnFF to
,bog 'm(BrE. sZmg) used to tell sb rudely to go
deceive sb in order to get sth Porn them
away:Sog oflISn tryinglosleep!
F 0 , c h m t $h
of sth,chwt sb out of sth
clear off ( W o r m 0
v + dpmn * a&+ prep

m&

+

+

@v+adv

,blundera'rouml: ,blumlera'mund sth (ah

,blunder a'boutPmund, ,blunder a'brmv'mund , M I a'way if a liquid boUs away, it boils until
there is nothing l& The wuw in the s a m n
sth especially RrEj to move about a place in an
had all bolledaway.
awkward or uncertain way, knocking into
)ar.) wapOrah(m~j-ormul)
thmgs: He blunder& a b u t in the dark, &ling
v+adv
fir the light swilch. o f blun&d wound the
j b t , hying lo be quiet.
,bolt d h 'down 1 to make a liquid less In quan+v*adv
v+prep
tity by lmlllng it IIB) r e d m nth (morefOmU0

+

boll down to

....................................................
-.....*.....-..

...*.r......-....-

......-....2(

2 (to 8th) tomake sthsmakr by semwingunim- ,bomb 'outElnjBmE, qpdallykmh')loPailvery
portant parts and leaving only the essential
badly: Themovkbombed o u r n t t h e b x o ~ ,
things: Boil the report down lo Ihe key wznts.
Bomb is&ou&with thesamemeanlng.
E l 0 wndvlnw 8th (moreformal)
&v+nlpron*a& 4 v+adv+n

Q v+adv
berg& ,bombmi 'out:m
e
t ,bombed ' o d
,boil 'down to sth (not used in thepmgmmIw
of sth ff a person is bombed out,their home 1s
f e r n )if a situation, an issue,etc. boll3 down to
d~stroyedby bombs: if a building 1s bombed
sth, it has that as itsmainpart: Itall h ~ f s d o w n out, It is destroyed by bombs: T h y got bombed
lo money rn the&.
out.
+v*a&+prep

+belget+v+edv

,boll ' m r I If a liquid in AN, etc. W over, it
boils and flows over the side of the pan: Dm? kt

r be(get+v+adv+prep

m:

bane
A ~ bwnl
E
the milk borl o m 2 Onto 8th)(inform0 if anger. ,bone 'up on 8th ( W r m a l )to study 8th:to look
an argument, etc. boils mr, it change and
again at sth you a h a d y h w lrnurl bone upon
becomes very violent and diicult to control:
myFrench &foremgotoParis.
The unrest could boil owr inlo civil wul: o She
v + adv + prep
inlerrupied swiftly ,!&ire hts m p r muM boil
owragain. EE)explode

+

+v+adv

,boil 'up Lf anper, an argument,etc. boils up, It
starts to beoome stronger ormore violent
+v+adv

, b k 'In(at.th),,bOOk 'In@ &th(BrE)toarrive
at a hotel and arrange to have a mom: TRajr
h k e d in (at the 56 Fmncis H o w wing a f a h
mme.o She M e d into a hotel in the certw oj

, h i l SWI 'up
to heat a liquid or some fwd
Boston
until lt bails:I'llboil the W k u pegainand we'll
FEE) checkIn(atah);chkhtosth
Rrrveacupof tea.
BE0 check out, cheek out of nth
Boil sth can be usel with the same mean@v+adv v + w p
ing.
,book sbllpourself 'In(atsth),,book s'luyour@ v+Wpmn+adv * v+adv+n
self 'inte sth(BrE)toresemaroomatahotel,
etc for sb: I'ue Booked rrs in at the Plaza. o The
hote! I w m booked into was awfuI. o He'sbooked
,bollix sth 'up(AmE,slang)tomnfuseorchange
h a m ! f r m n rehub~litutionclinic.
sth:tospoilsth
EEi hotel
mess sth up (JtbfOmO, lwew sth up
@ v + nfprm + adv v + ntpmn + prep
(slang)
,book 'up (lw ath) (
w
f
u
BrE) to reserve a
@v+nlpmn+& * v+adv+n
place, fur example on a lrip or a course: I h k & d
upfor the coursenwnths In h l l c e .
bolsterrbmtstalr):A ~ 'bwi.1
E
W Bmk (for 5th) can be used with the same
meaning.
,bolster s h t h 'up to support or encourage sb:
+v+adv
to make sth better or stronger: He tried to bolster
up their momk o The high iniemf ram helped be ,booked'up 1 if a plane, restaurant, theatre,
to bokre* up them?wm$
etc. i s boom up, there are no seats, tablea etc.
EEi confidence,morale
available:Ail theflights are h k e d up
Be
Bolster sWsth is morefmquent.
fully h k e d is often uwd with the same meanQv+nlpmn+a&
v+adv+n
ing. 2 (informal)if a person is booked up, they
have no tlme available: He mn'!see you tomorrow, he's booked up.
,bolt 8th 'down (WrrrmT)to eat sth very
quickly:Ehadlohltdownmy br&fa$t.

+be+v+edv

mfood

E E E Bolt nth isalso used with this meaning.
b v*adv+n

,boom 'out if a sound or sb's voiw booms mt,it
makes a loud, deep noise: Hls uolw boomed out,
announcing the w i n m .

,bornb a'long (ir&rmal, espclally BrE) to move
very fast,usually havehicle

,boom 'out
to say 5th In a loud deep v o w
She bwmd out #n#Wfans through n bud
h a i k o A mice hmmd out: ' N o M y moue!'

+v+n/pmn+adv

+v+adv

+v+adu

&v+adv+n

v+a&*spwch

bottle ybntl: A ~ E ' W
,bod sb ' o e ,boot sb 'out of sth (ir&rmaI, ,bottle 'out: , W e 'out of sth; , w e 'out
of dolng sth (BrE, iqfofmnr) to suddenly
especwlly BrE) to force sb to leave a place. job,
decide not to do sth -use
you are too fightschool,club, etc:I'll have to boosyou wtsoon -1
en& I hoftled out of phoning him at the k t
want to lock up. o T ~mnnnger
E
h i e d him oat of
mrnute.
thetenrn, o He luns bootedout the h o w by his
,sr*, cMekon out chlclren out ol sth.chlcken
fn ther

,srrrr kkksbout,ldEkYboutofrth~hfimml),

-

outvfddnglth

Qv+adv
v+adu+prep
sth
Boot sb out, boot sb oat of sth are often ,bottle sth 'up to keep your feelings, especialEV
used In the passive.
sadness or anger, hidden md not telE other
+v+nlpmn+adv + v+sdv+n +
pwple how you am feeling: Tell m m n e hour
v+ nfpmn + adv + pr%p
yo~~'re@ling,
in.&&@ boltlingit all up.
,boot 'up;,M
sth 'up (mmputlng) if a m- @Iemotions,feelings
@v+nlpmn+attv v+adu+n
puter boots up, or sb boots it up, it is turned on
and becomes ready to use: My machine tsn't bootmgupupropriy. o When-youh#
up,a m w wirl
appwr on tk h e m o B w i the computer up and ,bottom 'out if markets,prices or ktd situetions
enaryowpassword.
bottom out, they reach their l m t mint and
computer
then stop getting worse: The m
n hnsfinnlly
Qv+adv
v + d p m n + & v + v+adv+n
$oltomedout.
throw sb out,thmw sb out of

border /lmda(r);AmE'b3nl-/

+v+adv

'border on sth (also'border upon d h ( h f o r - bouncem-si
M I ) 1 to share a border with mother counh~
or ,bounce sth a'round(frsrormat,e ~ 1 ~ s c l a l f y ~ ~ ~
region; to be next to a place: Many slates bo&to discuss 5th with other pmple: We're bouncing
ing on t h EEam mger Fa jora o Their garden
samnew ikksarnwrd.
border$ on the Riwr S e w n . 2 to mme close to
E E Ideas
being 6th: Her selfar@dence bordm rm a r m
~ v + n l p m n + a d u4 v+e&*n
gance. o Our task h r & n on She impossIbk E!D
,bounce 'back(from mth) IAmEcrIsn ,wmp 'beek
verge on ath
(lnb ath)] (Informal) to m v e r well after you
Q v + prep
have been ilUs~ckor had a dimcult time: No matter whnt happens, she ahays b o u r n back wry
quick1y.
,bore 'into sbleth (lltemv)if mmebody'a eye8
Isr.)r e c o w (from sth)(morejbrmal)
bore into sblsth,they stare in a way that makes
@v+adv
sb feel uncomfortable: His blue eyes seemed to ,bounce Wck: ,brim sth 'back if an e
b m into fm
mail boancea back,or the system bounces it
0v + P ~ @ P
back, it returns to the person who sent It
M u s e the sgetem wet deliver it
Qv+&

+ v+adv+n

v+nlpron+adv

,boss sb a'rwnd ( a h ,bM. sb #but a w ,bounoe ab 'ide sth;,bounce $b 'Into
ciolty BrE) (fnformnl)to tell sb what to do in a
dolng sth (especiallyBrE) to make or force sb
forceM or unpleasant way: He's alwuys bossing
to do sth quickly without g~vingthem time to
hki wiJe mmd.
think about it:IfeltI'd heenbounced inlompponQ v + nlpran+ adv
ing apmposalldidn't really agree with.
=This
phrasal verb is of€cn used in the
botchl%DtJ;AmEba.tf/
passwe.
@ v + nlpmn + prep
,botch d h 'up{ i r l f o m t )to spoil 6th by doing it
badly; to do sth badly: I m W o f f i l n g my corn- ,bounce sth 'off 8b (iMrmol0 to tell sb eLse
your ideas to find out what they think about
pure6 he's botched il up cunnplp&E~
them: We wmable to sharepmblems and bounce
E33 mess sth up
Botch sth is usedmore frequently with the
ideas on each other
ESl Meas
same meaning:botched a m p & at DrY
+v+n/pron+adv
v+sdv+n
b ' b t c h p ( a h b k h ) n (Wrmnl,-I&

Bra a piece of work that is badly done

@ v + dpmn + prep

branchfim:ntJ:AmEbmntJj
bow mu1
,bow ' d m 1-t(
sWath) to move your ,branch 'Off 1 iS a road or path branches aff, it
head or the top ~ rof tyour body forwards or
leaves a larger one and goes in a different direc50
downwards as a sign of respect: He
tion: ShefolIoruad thepath until it branched ofl o
h w down
the king. 2 (to ~Wsth)to do what
Over Ihe bridge0 rwdhmrtdrosoff lo the right, 2
sb tells you to da without trying to resist: We
if a person branches off, they leave a road or
@se W f usl bow down and IPI the gwernmpnt
path and travel in a diflerent direction: Go past
do whaleuer it wan&
thefirm and branch off towwds the he,
Qv+edv

@v+&

,h
'Out,,bOw ' o d of 8th to stop doing an ,branch 'out (Into sth) to begin to do a new job or
activity or a job that you have been doing sucan activity that you do not usually do: Th@mmpmy u bmnchlng out inm Eumpe, o She's I ~ P
m s f u l l ~often for a long time: mr thinyymrs
in politics, hefteels it is time 60 bow out. o Smith
ing thewmmny lo branch oat on her own.
wili h w w t of p r o f ~ ~ ~ l ofwthlE
noI
ol the end of
Qv+&
themson.
Qv+adv

* v+a&+pi-ep

'bow to 8th to agree u