Essential Phrasal Verbs and Idioms
A
– a chance in a million
– a great deal
– a matter of time
– a means (of / to)
– a piece of cake
– a second chance
– accomplish
– accomplished
– accomplishment
– account
– achieve a goal
– activist
– afford
– affordable
– afraid of
– agree to
– agree with
– all the way to
– amused
– ancestor
– ancient
– annoyed
– annoying
– appeal to
– approach
– arrive at
– arrive in
– ashamed
– assignment
– at all costs
– at the latest
– attach
– award
– aware of
– awesome
– balance a budget
– ban
– based on
– (be) worth a fortune
– beat
– believe in
– beverage
– bitter
– blame for
– blame on
– borrow
– break a record
– break down
– break into
– bring along
– bring on
– bring out
– bring up
– burn
– butter someone up
– by any chance
– by chance
– by far
– by mistake
– call for
– capable of
– care about
– carry on
– carry out
– catch
– catch up (with / on)
– cave in
– chairperson
– challenge
– championship
– chances are
– charge
– check out
– cheer
– chew
– chewy
– chip in
– clean up
– come across
– come along
– come up with
– complain about
– computer whizz
– concentrate on
– concerned
– confused
– confusing
– confusion
– convenient
– convey
– cool down
– cope with
– cost an arm and a leg
– couch potato
– countless
– cover
– cry over spilt milk
– currency
– cut down
– cut down on
– cutting-edge
– daring
– darkness
– deadline
– deal with
– decrease
– defeat
– delightful
– denial
– deny
– department store
– depths
– destruction
– determination
– determined
– develop into
– device
– die out
– different from
– disability
– disabled
– disappear
– disapprove
– discouraged
– discouraging
– disease
– disprove
– distract
– distracted
– distracting
– distraction
– do exercises
– do research
– do someone a favour
– do someone good
– do the housework
– do well
– draw
– dry up
– dump
– ecologist
– edible
– either way
– embarrass
– embarrassed
– embarrassing
– embarrassment
– enable
– end
– end up
– endangered
– endless
– ensure
– equal
– equalise
– equality
– equip
– equipment
– equipped
– existence
– face
– fall apart
– familiar with
– famous for
– fascinated
– fascinating
– fear
– feat
– feature
– fed up with
– fee
– flavour
– flood
– fluent
– follow in someone’s footsteps
– fond of
– food for thought
– forecast
– fossil fuel
– free up
– frightened
– frightening
– fulfil
– fulfilling
– fulfilment
– gaming
– get across
– get ahead
– get along
– get away
– get by
– get in
– get it
– get one’s own way
– get out of the way
– get over
– give away
– give off
– give up
– glance at
– go broke
– go Dutch
– go hand in hand
– go out of one’s way
– government
– grateful for
– gratitude
– hard-earned money
– harmful
– harmless
– have a way with
– have it both ways
– have it your way
– have trouble
– have your cake and eat it
– hazardous
– heat up
– helpful
– helpless
– herd
– hereditary
– heritage
– hold out
– hole
– hopeful
– hopeless
– illegal
– illegible
– illness
– impatient
– importance
– impression
– improvement
– in a nutshell
– in advance
– in charge of
– in high demand
– in mind
– in person
– in the long run
– in the way
– inaccurate
– incredible
– indifference
– indifferent to
– inexperienced
– inherit
– insight
– insist on
– install
– installation
– interested in
– interference
– invest
– investment
– involved in
– irrational
– irresponsible
– issue
– jealous of
– journalist
– jump at the chance
K
– keen on
– keep an eye on
– keep track of
– knock down
– know one’s way around
L
– lack
– land
– landfill
– last chance
– lead to
– leader
– leave alone
– leave for
– leave nothing to chance
– lend
– lifestyle
– live beyond one’s means
– live (from) hand to mouth
– loan
– look the other way
– look up
– luxurious
– luxury
M
– mad about
– mainstream
– major
– majority
– make a living
– make a mistake
– make a profit
– make an effort
– make deliveries
– make ends meet
– make off with
– make predictions
– make progress
– make sense
– make sure
– make up
– mankind
– meaningful
– meaningless
– meet the needs
– megacity
– megacomputer
– megastar
– melt
– memorable
– memory
– mimic
– miscalculate
– misconception
– misfit
– misleading
– mispronounce
– mistreat
– misunderstand
– misuse
– mother tongue
– moved
– moving
– mutation
N
– neglect
– neglected
– neglectful
– negligence
– network
– no chance
– no two ways about it
– not my cup of tea
O
– odd
– off by heart
– on board
– on foot
– on the house
– on the rise
– on the way out
– on time
– operate
– opponent
– oppose
– opposition
– out of place
– out of reach
– out of tune
– outcome
– outdated
– outdoors
– outsider
– over-optimistic
– overcome
– overeat
– overestimate
– overpriced
– overspend
– owe
P
– painful
– painless
– participate in
– pass on
– passerby
– pattern
– pay one’s own way
– payment
– peaceful
– peak
– perceive
– perception
– perceptive
– perform
– performance
– performer
– phase out
– pick
– pioneer
– placed
– play a key role
– plenty
– plummet
– poacher
– poaching
– point out
– poison
– poisonous
– pollute
– pollution
– population
– powerful
– powerless
– praise for
– pray
– prayer
– prejudice
– prepared to
– priceless
– profit
– profitable
– prompt
– proud of
– purchase
– pure chance
– put all your eggs in one basket
– put aside
– put away
– put back
– put off
R
– raise awareness
– raw
– reelect
– refusal
– refuse
– regret
– regretful
– reliable
– reliance
– rely on
– remains
– remind
– remind of
– reminder
– replace
– replacement
– request
– requirement
– rescue
– restart
– retailer
– reward
– rewrite
– right
– ripe
– risk
– risky
– role model
– roots
– run out of
– runner-up
S
– safe from
– sample
– save up for
– savings
– scientist
– score
– scoreboard
– scruffy
– self-discipline
– set off
– setback
– shame
– shameful
– shelter
– shop around (for)
– show up
– sign
– skilful
– skilled
– skyrocket
– slavery
– slow down
– sorrow
– spectator
– spice things up
– spicy
– spit out
– splash out on
– sportswear
– spot
– spread
– stage
– stand a chance
– stand still
– steal the show
– struggle
– stunning
– stunt
– succeed in
– successful at
– suitable for
– superior to
– superiority
– supplies
– supply
– surface
– surprised by
– switch
T
– tactless
– take a break
– take action
– take advantage of
– take for granted
– take one’s chances
– take one’s time
– take part in
– take place
– take pride in
– take up
– take with a pinch of salt
– taste buds
– teammate
– tear
– the chance of a lifetime
– the world over
– thoughtful
– thoughtless
– threat
– threaten
– threatening
– thrill
– thrilled
– throughout
– throw away
– tighten one’s belt
– time-waster
– tolerance
– tolerant
– tolerate
– tongue
– tool
– tough
– trade
– trek
– trigger
– troublemaker
– turn away
– turn back
– turn down
– turn into
– turn off
– turn on
– turn out
– turn round
– turn up
– tusk
U
– under control
– under pressure
– underestimate
– underpaid
– unexplored
– unfair
– unmapped
– unpredictable
– unprepared
– unprotected
– unwilling
– urge
– use up
V
– valuable
– value
– vanish
– viewpoint
– visually impaired
W
– walk on eggshells
– waste
– way back
– way before
– wealth
– wealthy
– weapon
– well-being
– widely
– widespread
– wildlife
– willingness
– wipe out
– withdraw
– withdrawal
– wonder
– workout
– world record
– worry about
– worship
– worthwhile
– wrong about
– young