English phrasal verbs

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sally forth, sally out
set out in a sudden, energetic or violent manner

sample, try, try out, taste
take a sample of; "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the regional dishes"

satisfy, fulfill, fulfil, live up to
meet the requirements or expectations of

save, carry through, pull through, bring through
bring into safety; "We pulled through most of the victims of the bomb attack"

save, lay aside, save up
accumulate money for future use; "He saves half his salary"

scan, skim, rake, glance over, run down
examine hastily; "She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi"

scat, run, scarper, turn tail, lam, run away, hightail it, bunk, head for the hills, take to the woods, escape, fly the coop, break away
flee; take to one's heels; cut and run; "If you see this man, run!"; "The burglars escaped before the police showed up"

scoop, scoop out, lift out, scoop up, take up
take out or up with or as if with a scoop; "scoop the sugar out of the container"

score, hit, tally, rack up
gain points in a game; "The home team scored many times"; "He hit a home run"; "He hit .300 in the past season"

scram, buzz off, fuck off, get, bugger off
leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form; "Scram!"

scrape along, scrape by, scratch along, squeak by, squeeze by, rub along
manage one's existence barely; "I guess I can squeeze by on this lousy salary"

scrape, scrape up, scratch, come up
gather (money or other resources) together over time; "She had scraped together enough money for college"; "they scratched a meager living"

scratch out, cut out
strike or cancel by or as if by rubbing or crossing out; "scratch out my name on that list"

screen off, separate off
partition by means of a divider, such as a screen; "screen off this part of the room"

screen, block out
prevent from entering; "block out the strong sunlight"

screen, screen out, sieve, sort
examine in order to test suitability; "screen these samples"; "screen the job applicants"

screw up
screw or turn higher

screw up
twist into a strained configuration; "screw up one's face"

search, seek, look for
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the missing man in the entire county"

seat, sit, sit down
show to a seat; assign a seat for; "The host seated me next to Mrs. Smith"

secede, splinter, break away
withdraw from an organization or communion; "After the break up of the Soviet Union, many republics broke away"

see through
perceive the true nature of; "We could see through her apparent calm"

see through
remain with until completion; "I must see the job through"

see through
support financially through a period of time; "The scholarship saw me through college"; "This money will see me through next month"

sell off
get rid of by selling, usually at reduced prices; "The store sold off the surplus merchandise"

sell out
give information that compromises others

sell out, sell up, liquidize
get rid of all one's merchandise

send in
give one's name or calling card to a servant when making a formal visit

send in
mail in; cause to be delivered; "Send in your comments"

send, get off, send off
transfer; "The spy sent the classified information off to Russia"

send, send out
to cause or order to be taken, directed, or transmitted to another place; "He had sent the dispatches downtown to the proper people and had slept"

senesce, age, get on, mature, maturate
grow old or older; "She aged gracefully"; "we age every day--what a depressing thought!"; "Young men senesce"

separate, part, split up, split, break, break up
discontinue an association or relation; go different ways; "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and I split up"

serve, attend to, wait on, attend, assist
work for or be a servant to; "May I serve you?"; "She attends the old lady in the wheelchair"; "Can you wait on our table, please?"; "Is a salesperson assisting you?"; "The minister served the King for many years"

serve, serve up, dish out, dish up, dish
provide (usually but not necessarily food); "We serve meals for the homeless"; "She dished out the soup at 8 P.M."; "The entertainers served up a lively show"

set about, go about, approach
begin to deal with; "approach a task"; "go about a difficult problem"; "approach a new project"

set back
slow down the progress of; hinder; "His late start set him back"

set back, knock back, put back
cost a certain amount; "My daughter's wedding set me back $20,000"

set down, put down, place down
cause to sit or seat or be in a settled position or place; "set down your bags here"

set forth, expound, exposit
state; "set forth one's reasons"

set in
become established; "winter has set in"

set in
blow toward the shore; "That gale could set in on us with the next high tide"

set in, kick in
enter a particular state; "Laziness set in"; "After a few moments, the effects of the drug kicked in"

set off
set in motion or cause to begin; "The guide set the tour off to a good start"

set up
begin, or enable someone else to begin, a venture by providing the means, logistics, etc.; "set up an election"

set up, lay out, set
get ready for a particular purpose or event; "set up an experiment"; "set the table"; "lay out the tools for the surgery"

set, go down, go under
disappear beyond the horizon; "the sun sets early these days"

settle, get back
get one's revenge for a wrong or an injury; "I finally settled with my old enemy"

settle, root, take root, steady down, settle down
become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style; "He finally settled down"

settle, settle down
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground; "dust settled on the roofs"

settle, square off, square up, determine
settle conclusively; come to terms; "We finally settled the argument"

sever, break up
set or keep apart; "sever a relationship"

severed, cut off
detached by cutting; "cut flowers"; "a severed head"; "an old tale of Anne Bolyn walking the castle walls with her poor cut-off head under her arm"

sew, run up, sew together, stitch
fasten by sewing; do needlework

shade, fill in
represent the effect of shade or shadow on

shake, shake off, throw off, escape from
get rid of; "I couldn't shake the car that was following me"

share, divvy up, portion out, apportion, deal
give out as one's portion or share

shave, knock off
cut the price of

shed, cast, cast off, shake off, throw, throw off, throw away, drop
get rid of; "he shed his image as a pushy boss"; "shed your clothes"

shoot up
rise dramatically; "Prices shot up overnight"

show, show up
be or become visible or noticeable; "His good upbringing really shows"; "The dirty side will show"

shred, tear up, rip up
tear into shreds

shriek, shrill, pipe up, pipe
utter a shrill cry

shrug off
minimize the importance of, brush aside; "Jane shrugged off the news that her stock had fallen 3 points"

shut off, block off, close off
block off the passage through; "We shut off the valve"

shut off, close off
isolate or separate; "She was shut off from the friends"

shut off, close off
stem the flow of; "shut off the gas when you leave for a vacation"

shy away from
avoid having to deal with some unpleasant task; "I shy away from this task"

sicken, come down
get sick; "She fell sick last Friday, and now she is in the hospital"

sign away, sign over
formally assign ownership of; "She signed away her rights"

sign off
cease broadcasting; get off the air; as of radio stations

sign up
join a club, an activity, etc. with the intention to join or participate, "Sign up for yoga classes"

sign, contract, sign on, sign up
engage by written agreement; "They signed two new pitchers for the next season"

signalize, signalise, point out, call attention
point out carefully and clearly

sink, settle, go down, go under
go under, "The raft sank and its occupants drowned"

sit back, take it easy
settle into a comfortable sitting position

sit by, sit back
be inactive or indifferent while something is happening; "Don't just sit by while your rights are violated!"

sit down, sit
take a seat

sit in
attend as a visitor; "Can I sit in on your Intermediate Hittite class?"

sit in
participate in an act of civil disobedience

sit out
endure to the end

sit out
not participate in (an activity, such as a dance or a sports event); "He sat out the game"

sit, sit around
be around, often idly or without specific purpose; "The object sat in the corner"; "We sat around chatting for another hour"

sit, sit down
be seated

size up, take stock, scrutinize, scrutinise
to look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail; "he scrutinized his likeness in the mirror"

sketch, chalk out
make a sketch of; "sketch the building"

slash, cut down
cut with sweeping strokes; as with an ax or machete

slave, break one's back, buckle down, knuckle down
work very hard, like a slave

sleep off
get rid of by sleeping; "sleep off a hangover"

sleep over, stay over
stay overnight; "The boy's friends were allowed to sleep over after the birthday party"

sleep together, roll in the hay, love, make out, make love, sleep with, get laid, have sex, know, do it, be intimate, have intercourse, have it away, have it off, screw, fuck, jazz, eff, hump, lie with, bed, have a go at it, bang, get it on, bonk
have sexual intercourse with; "This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm"; "Adam knew Eve"; "Were you ever intimate with this man?"

slip, drop off, drop away, fall away
get worse; "My grades are slipping"

slow, slow down, slow up
cause to proceed more slowly; "The illness slowed him down"

slow, slow down, slow up, slack, slacken
become slow or slower; "Production slowed"

slump, fall off, sink
fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly; "The real estate market fell off"

smother, put out
deprive of the oxygen necessary for combustion; "smother fires"

snap up, snaffle, grab
get hold of or seize quickly and easily; "I snapped up all the good buys during the garage sale"

sneak in, creep in
enter surreptitiously; "He sneaked in under cover of darkness"; "In this essay, the author's personal feelings creep in"

sniff out, scent out, smell out, nose out
recognize or detect by or as if by smelling; "He can smell out trouble"

snip, clip, crop, trim, lop, dress, prune, cut back
cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of; "dress the plants in the garden"

snuff out, blow out, extinguish, quench
put out, as of fires, flames, or lights; "Too big to be extinguished at once, the forest fires at best could be contained"; "quench the flames"; "snuff out the candles"

sober up, sober
become more realistic; "After thinking about the potential consequences of his plan, he sobered up"

sober up, sober
become sober after excessive alcohol consumption; "Keep him in bed until he sobers up"

solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem"

sorb, take up
take up a liquid or a gas either by adsorption or by absorption

sound off, strike up
start playing; "The musicians struck up a tune"

spare, give up, part with, dispense with
give up what is not strictly needed; "he asked if they could spare one of their horses to speed his journey"

speak up
speak louder; raise one's voice; "The audience asked the lecturer to please speak up"

spell out
make explicit; specify in detail; "You should spell out your demands"

spell out
spell fully and without abbreviating; "Can you spell out your middle name instead of just giving the initial?"

spell, spell out
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of; "How do you spell this word?" "We had to spell out our names for the police officer"

spill, shed, pour forth
pour out in drops or small quantities or as if in drops or small quantities; "shed tears"; "spill blood"; "God shed His grace on Thee"

spit, spit out
utter with anger or contempt

split, stock split, split up
an increase in the number of outstanding shares of a corporation without changing the shareholders' equity; "they announced a two-for-one split of the common stock"

splutter, sputter, spit out
spit up in an explosive manner

spot, recognize, recognise, distinguish, discern, pick out, make out, tell apart
detect with the senses; "The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards"; "I can't make out the faces in this photograph"

square up, jog, even up
even up the edges of a stack of paper, in printing

square, square up
make square; "Square the circle"; "square the wood with a file"

squat, crouch, scrunch, scrunch up, hunker, hunker down
sit on one's heels; "In some cultures, the women give birth while squatting"; "The children hunkered down to protect themselves from the sandstorm"

stamp out, kill
end or extinguish by forceful means; "Stamp out poverty!"

stand back
stand away from an object or person; "He stood back to look at her"

stand back, keep one's eyes off, keep one's distance, keep one's hands off, stay away
stay clear of, avoid; "Keep your hands off my wife!"; "Keep your distance from this man--he is dangerous"

stand by
not act or do anything; "He just stood by when the police beat up the demonstrators"

stand by, stick around, stick about
be available or ready for a certain function or service

stand by, stick by, stick, adhere
be loyal to; "She stood by her husband in times of trouble"; "The friends stuck together through the war"

stand for, hold still for
tolerate or bear; "I won't stand for this kind of behavior!"

stand out
be stubborn in resolution or resistance

stand out
steer away from shore, of ships

stand up
refuse to back down; remain solid under criticism or attack

stand up, hold up, hold water
resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc.; "Her shoes won't hold up"; "This theory won't hold water"

stand up, stick up
defend against attack or criticism; "He stood up for his friend"; "She stuck up for the teacher who was accused of harassing the student"

stand, stand up
be standing; be upright; "We had to stand for the entire performance!"

stand, stand up, place upright
put into an upright position; "Can you stand the bookshelf up?"

start, protrude, pop, pop out, bulge, bulge out, bug out, come out
bulge outward; "His eyes popped"

start, start up
get going or set in motion; "We simply could not start the engine"; "start up the computer"

start, start up, embark on, commence
get off the ground; "Who started this company?"; "We embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack"

start, take up
begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job; "Take up a position"; "start a new job"

stay up, sit up
not go to bed; "Don't stay up so late--you have to go to work tomorrow"; "We sat up all night to watch the election"

stay, stay on, continue, remain
continue in a place, position, or situation; "After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser"; "Stay with me, please"; "despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year"; "She continued as deputy mayor for another year"

stay, stick, stick around, stay put
stay put (in a certain place); "We are staying in Detroit; we are not moving to Cincinnati"; "Stay put in the corner here!"; "Stick around and you will learn something!"

step out
go outside a room or building for a short period of time

stick out, protrude, jut out, jut, project
extend out or project in space; "His sharp nose jutted out"; "A single rock sticks out from the cliff"

stick to, stick with, follow
keep to; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet"

stick together, stay together
be loyal to one another, especially in times of trouble; "The two families stuck together throughout the war"

stiffen, tighten, tighten up, constrain
restrict; "Tighten the rules"; "stiffen the regulations"

stimulate, arouse, brace, energize, energise, perk up
cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me"; "This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate"

stock, buy in, stock up
amass so as to keep for future use or sale or for a particular occasion or use; "let's stock coffee as long as prices are low"

stop, stop over
interrupt a trip; "we stopped at Aunt Mary's house"; "they stopped for three days in Florence"

store, hive away, lay in, put in, salt away, stack away, stash away
keep or lay aside for future use; "store grain for the winter"; "The bear stores fat for the period of hibernation when he doesn't eat"

stow away
hide aboard a ship or a plane to get free transportation; "The illegal immigrants stowed away on board the freighter"

straighten, straighten out
make straight

strengthen, beef up, fortify
make strong or stronger; "This exercise will strengthen your upper body"; "strengthen the relations between the two countries"

strike down
cause to die, especially suddenly; "The disease struck down many young men in the village"

strike out
be unsuccessful in an endeavor; "The candidate struck out with his health care plan"

strike out
make a motion as with one's fist or foot towards an object or away from one's body

strike out
put out or be put out by a strikeout; "Oral struck out three batters to close the inning"

strike out
set out on a course of action; "He struck out on his own"

strike up
begin; "strike up a conversation"; "strike up a friendship"

strike, walk out
stop work in order to press demands; "The auto workers are striking for higher wages"; "The employees walked out when their demand for better benefits was not met"

string out, spread out
set out or stretch in a line, succession, or series; "the houses were strung out in a long row"

string, string along
move or come along

string, string up
add as if on a string; "string these ideas together"; "string up these songs and you'll have a musical"

strong-arm, bully, browbeat, bullyrag, ballyrag, boss around, hector, push around
be bossy towards; "Her big brother always bullied her when she was young"

stub out, crush out, extinguish, press out
extinguish by crushing; "stub out your cigar"

stumble, slip up, trip up
make an error; "She slipped up and revealed the name"

stump, mix up
cause to be perplexed or confounded; "This problem stumped her"

subcontract, farm out, job
arranged for contracted work to be done by others

submit, bow, defer, accede, give in
yield to another's wish or opinion; "The government bowed to the military pressure"

substitute, deputize, deputise, step in
act as a substitute; "She stood in for the soprano who suffered from a cold"

substitute, sub, stand in, fill in
be a substitute; "The young teacher had to substitute for the sick colleague"; "The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet"

subtract, deduct, take off
make a subtraction; "subtract this amount from my paycheck"

succeed, win, come through, bring home the bacon, deliver the goods
attain success or reach a desired goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won"

suck in, draw in
draw in as if by suction; "suck in your cheeks and stomach"

suck, suck in
attract by using an inexorable force, inducement, etc.; "The current boom in the economy sucked many workers in from abroad"

sum up, summarize, summarise, resume
give a summary (of); "he summed up his results"; "I will now summarize"

summarize, summarise, sum, sum up
be a summary of; "The abstract summarizes the main ideas in the paper"

support, back up
give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to; "She supported him during the illness"; "Her children always backed her up"

surface, come up, rise up, rise
come to the surface

surrender, cede, deliver, give up
relinquish possession or control over; "The squatters had to surrender the building after the police moved in"

surrender, give up
give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another; "The last Taleban fighters finally surrendered"

survive, last, live, live on, go, endure, hold up, hold out
continue to live through hardship or adversity; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?"

survive, pull through, pull round, come through, make it
continue in existence after (an adversity, etc.); "He survived the cancer against all odds"

suspend, set aside
make inoperative or stop; "suspend payments on the loan"

swallow, get down
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking; "Swallow the raw fish--it won't kill you!"

swallow, take back, unsay, withdraw
take back what one has said; "He swallowed his words"

swing, get around
be a social swinger; socialize a lot

switch off, cut, turn off, turn out
cause to stop operating by disengaging a switch; "Turn off the stereo, please"; "cut the engine"; "turn out the lights"

switch on, turn on
cause to operate by flipping a switch; "switch on the light"; "turn on the stereo"

switch, change over, shift
make a shift in or exchange of; "First Joe led; then we switched"