Phrasal Verbs


back away
move backwards in fear or dislike
When he saw the dog, he backed away.

back down
concede defeat
Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building.

back up
give support or encouragement

back up
make a copy of (file, program, etc.)
It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location.

bail out
pay money to secure someone's release

bail out
rescue from financial difficulties
The government bailed out the bank.

bank on
base your hopes on someone/something
Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help.

beef up
make more substantial
He beefed up his presentation with diagrams and statistics.

black out
lose consciousness
When he fell off the horse he blacked out.

block off
separate using a barrier
The area was blocked off during the demonstration.

blow up
The terrorists said the bomb would blow up at 9 o'clock.

blow up
be destroyed by an explosion
The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it.

boil down to
be summarized as
The problem boils down to a lack of money.

boot up
start a computer by loading an operating system or program.
Just give my a few minutes to boot up the computer.

break away
escape from captivity
A few horses broke away from the paddock.

break down
go out of order
cease to function
John's car broke down so he had to take the bus.

break down
lose control of one's emotions
The parents broke down when they heard the bad news.

break into
enter by force
Burglars broke into the house around midnight.

break out
start suddenly
Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.

break out of
escape from a place by force
Three prisoners broke out of jail.

break up
come to an end (marriage, relationship)
After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London.

bring up
raise (a child)
She stopped working in order to bring up her children.

brush up on
refresh one's knowledge of something

bump into
meet by accident or unexpectedly
Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.

burn out
stop (something) working
The fuse has burnt out.

burn out
become exhausted from over-working
Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down.

butt in (on something)
interrupt impolitely
It's rude to butt in on a conversation like that!

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