Phrasal Verbs with Work
1) Back up: To ‘back up’
something is to make a copy of the information so that you don’t lose it. Often
this refers to files and documents on a computer.
2) Fall through: This is when a deal or arrangement doesn’t happen.
3) Laid off: This is when a company stops employing someone due to there not being enough work or money.
4) Run (something) by / past: This means to show someone something so they can share their opinion on it.
5) Take over: This can mean to take control of a company, or to start doing a job that someone else was responsible for.
6) Talk over: To discuss a situation or problem with someone.
7) Report back: To bring back information that you were asked to find out about.
8) Meet up: To gather with someone or a group to do something together.
9) Booked up: To have no spare time in a schedule.
10) Draw up: To prepare a plan or a document.
2) Fall through: This is when a deal or arrangement doesn’t happen.
3) Laid off: This is when a company stops employing someone due to there not being enough work or money.
4) Run (something) by / past: This means to show someone something so they can share their opinion on it.
5) Take over: This can mean to take control of a company, or to start doing a job that someone else was responsible for.
6) Talk over: To discuss a situation or problem with someone.
7) Report back: To bring back information that you were asked to find out about.
8) Meet up: To gather with someone or a group to do something together.
9) Booked up: To have no spare time in a schedule.
10) Draw up: To prepare a plan or a document.
Work Phrasal Verbs with
Meaning and Examples
Burn out
§
Meaning: Be extremely tired
§
Example: If he doesn’t stop working so hard,
he’ll burn himself out.
Call off
§
Meaning: Cancel
§
Example: They have called off the meeting.
Carry out
§
Meaning: Do a particular
piece of work, research etc
§
Example: We need to carry out more research.
Draw up
§
Meaning: Prepare something
in writing, especially an official document
§
Example: The contract was drawn up last year.
Fill in for
§
Meaning: To do somebody’s job
for a short time while they are not there
§
Example: Could I fill in for him? he asked.
Hand in
§
Example: You must all hand in your projects by the end of next week.
Knock off
§
Meaning: Stop working
§
Example: Let’s knock
off for lunch.
Knuckle down
§
Meaning: Start working
harder
§
Example: I’m going to have to knuckle down to some serious
study.
Lay off
§
Meaning: Stop employing
someone because there is not enough work for them to do
§
Example: 200 workers at the factory have been laid off.
Run by
§
Meaning: Tell someone about
an idea or plan so that they can give you their opinion
§
Example: You’d better run it by your
manager first.
Slack off
§
Meaning: Do something with
less energy and effort than is usual or necessary
§
Example: Workers usually slack off.
Take on
§
Meaning: Employ someone
§
Example: She was taken on as a trainee.
Take over
§
Meaning: Take control of
something
§
Example: I intend that you shall take over the business.
Work out
§
Meaning: To develop in a
successful way
§
Example: Things have worked out quite well for us.
Work on Meaning &
Examples
Work on
§
Meaning: Shape, form or
improve something
§
Example: John’s in
the studio working on the
plans for the new house.
Work on
§
Meaning: Exercise influence
on someone
§
Example: Leave it to
me. I’ll try to work on the
boss to give us the day off.
Work
out Meaning & Examples
Work out
§
Meaning: Calculate
§
Example: Can you work out how to get to the
university by car?
Work out
§
Meaning: Make sense of
§
Example: I
can’t work these
instructions out.
Work out
§
Meaning: Smooth
§
Example: This is a
beta version; we’re still working
out the kinks.
Work out
§
Meaning: Conclude with the
correct solution
§
Example: These
figures just don’t work out.
Work out
§
Meaning: Succeed
§
Example: Are you
still seeing John? – No, it didn’t work
out.
Work out
§
Meaning: Habitually exercise
rigorously, especially by lifting weights, in order to increase strength or
muscle mass or maintain fitness
§
Example: Wow, you’re
looking good! Do you work out?
Work out
§
Meaning: Used other than as
an idiom: see work,
out
§
Example: He works out of a small office
shared with three others.
Work
over Meaning & Examples
Work over
§
Example: The
estimated figures are not bad, but somebody will have to work them over.
Work over
§
Meaning: Physically attack
in order to cause injury
§
Example: He’ll talk,
once we work him over.
Work sb
out, Work smt off, Work sth out Meaning & Examples
Work sb out
§
Meaning: Understand sb’s
behaviour or nature
§
Example: He’s so
good in fact it seems virtually no one has worked him out.
Work smt off
§
Meaning: Get rid of
unpleasant feelings by doing physical activity
§
Example: He works off nervousness by
knitting.
Work sth out
§
Meaning: Understand sth by
thinking about it
§
Example: I
can’t work him out.
Work sth out
§
Meaning: Solve a problem or
issue
§
Example: It makes
sense to get the taxman to work
the figure out.
Work
through, Work up Meaning & Examples
Work through
§
Meaning: Deal with, resolve
a problem, often emotional
§
Example: He needs
to work through some
of the guilt he’s feeling.
Work up
§
Meaning: Raise; to excite;
to stir up
§
Example: He worked up the public’s passions
to rage.
Work up
§
Meaning: Develop
§
Example: I shall
have worked up an
appetite with all this heavy work.
