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| back up : to support or confirm OR to make a copy of, to save on a CD, etc. |
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| bail out : to rescue from difficulties, esp. financial difficulties |
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| bottom out : to reach the lowest point (before going up again) |
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| break down : to stop working (for a car or a machine) OR to fail or stop working in a successful way OR to change or remove sth that prevents people from having a successful relationship with each other OR to be unable to stop yourself crying, esp. in public |
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| break up : to separate into several smaller parts OR If a marriage, group of people, or relationship breaks up, the people in it separate. |
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| bring forward : to move sth to an earlier date or time |
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| bring out : to launch/introduce |
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| bring up: to raise (a child) OR to raise (a subject) |
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| build up: to create sth, to make sth develop or form or to make sth stronger (a good team, a reputation, a network of contacts, a relationship) OR to increase gradually |
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| burn out burn yourself out : to make or become exhausted or sick/ill, esp. as a result of long-term overwork and stress |
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| buy out: to buy part of a company, business, etc. from sb else, usually in order to get control of it |
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| call back : to call sb again or visit sb again for a particular purpose |
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| call for : to demand or ask publicly for sth to be done They are calling for a change in the law. |
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| call off : to cancel (a meeting, a trip, etc.) |
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| carry on : to continue (talking, working, etc.) |
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| carry out : to do sth that needs to be organised and planned, sth you have said you would do or sth sb has asked you to do (a survey, a task (= to do & complete a task), a takeover, sb’s instructions or orders, etc.) |
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| catch on : to become popular or fashionable (used about a product or idea) |
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| catch up (with sb) (with the news / on the gossip) : to reach the same standard or level as other people by improving or going faster |
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| check in : If you check in or are checked in at a hotel or airport, you go to the desk and report that you have arrived. |
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| check out : to make sure sth is true, correct or acceptable OR to look at sb/sth because they are interesting or attractive OR to leave a hotel after paying the bill |
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| check up on : to try to find out if sb is doing what they said they would do or what you want them to do OR to make sure that sth is true and correct |
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| cheer up : to become less sad or make sb feel less sad |
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| close down : to stop or make a company, shop etc. stop operating, usually permanently The company has closed down its loss-making stores. |
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| come across (as): to meet, find or discover sb/sth by chance /seem to be |
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| come down to : If a complicated situation or problem comes down to sth, that is the single most important thing. |
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| come in : Come in! / I’ll come in early tomorrow to finish that off. |
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| come on : used to tell sb to hurry, to encourage sb to do sth or to tell sb that you know that what they have just said is not true or right |
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| come up : to arise, to appear or start to affect you (a problem or difficulty) I’m afraid something has come up. I must go back to my office. |
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| come up with : to produce an idea, suggestion or solution |
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| contract out : to arrange for work to be done by another company or by sb outside the company |
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| copy in / copy sb in on sth : to make sure sb receives a copy of a letter, an electronic message, etc. that you are sending to sb else |
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| cut back : to reduce (production, output, expenses) |
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| cut back or down on : to reduce your consumption of (chocolate, cigarettes) |
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| cut down : to reduce (working hours, a long article) |
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| cut off : to suddenly not be able to hear sb that you were talking to on the phone |
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| deal with : to take the necessary action, esp. in order to solve a problem & to do business with a person, a company or an organisation |
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| draw up : to prepare a written document that needs careful thought or planning such as a list, a business plan, a contract or guidelines |
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| end up : to be in a particular situation, state, or place after a series of events, especially when you did not plan it |
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| fall behind (with sb or sth) : to become less successful than other people, companies, countries, etc. 2. to fail to finish a piece of work or pay sb money that you owe them at the right time |
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| fall through : to be abandoned or fail to be completed |
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| fill in/out : to complete (a form) |
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| fill in for sb : to do sb’s job for a short time while they are not there I’m filling in for a secretary who is in hospital. |
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| fill sb in (on sth) : to tell sb about sth that has happened |
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| fill up : to fill up (your tank) at the petrol/gas station |
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| find out : to get information after trying to discover it or by chance I need to find out what went wrong. |
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| flatten out : to level off/out, to stabilise |
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| focus on : to give all your attention, effort, etc. to a particular problem, subject or person |
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| get across : to be communicated successfully or to succeed in communicating an idea or piece of information to sb |
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| get along : to have a friendly relationship OR to deal with a job or situation or to make progress |
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| get away with : to not be caught or punished when you have done sth wrong |
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| get back to sth /to sb : to go back to (a point, a question, work, sleep) OR to talk to or call sb later in order to answer a question or give them information |
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| get down to : to start doing sth that is difficult or needs a lot of time or energy |
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| get on : to deal with a job or situation or to make progress 2. to be successful in your job |
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| get on with sb : to like and have a friendly relationship with |
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| get over sth : to successfully deal with a problem or difficulty |
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| get through (to sb) (on the phone) : to reach, to succeed in speaking to sb on the phone |
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| give back : to give sth to the person it belongs to or the person who gave it to you |
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| give up : to stop doing, esp. sth that you do regularly |
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| go ahead : to start to do sth, esp. after planning it or asking permission to do it 2. (infml) used to give sb permission to do sth or let them speak before you |
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| go away : to leave a place or person or to travel to a place and spend some time there, e.g. for a holiday |
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| go on /off : to start / stop working The machine went on /off. |
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| go on : to continue (doing sth) |
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| go out : to leave your house, esp. in order to enjoy yourself 2. to have a romantic relationship with sb |
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| go over : to speak about, discuss or check (the main points of a presentation, an essay) |
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| go through : to check (a bank statement, an article) |
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| go up/down : to increase / decrease Sales went up/down. |
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| to grow up : to develop from being a child to being an adult (≠ to grow!) He grew up in Chicago. (≠ Sales grew sharply in July.) |
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| hand back : The teacher handed back our homework. |
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| hand in : Hand in your homework to your teacher. |
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| hand out : Hand out a summary of your presentation to the audience. |
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| hang up (the phone) : to finish a phone conversation |
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| hold on : to wait a minute Hold on, please. |
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| hold up : to delay OR to remain strong |
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| hurry up : used to tell sb to do sth more quickly |
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| lay off : to stop employing sb because there is no work for them to do |
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| leave out : to exclude or not include |
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| let sb down : to not do sth that sb trusts or expects you to do |
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| level off or out : to become level or steady after a period of sharp rises or falls Interest rates are levelling off after a period of rapid rise. |
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| log in / into : to do the necessary action on a computer system that will allow you to start using it |
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| log off : to stop using a computer system by giving it particular instructions |
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| log on (to) / onto : to do the necessary action on a computer system that will allow you to start using it |
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| log out (of) : to stop using a computer system by giving it particular instructions There was a problem and everyone had to log out of the system. |
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| look after : to take care of sb by helping them, giving them what they need, or keeping them safe |
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| look at sth/sb : to turn your eyes OR read/examine/study |
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| look for (sb / sth) : to try to find sth you have lost, or sb who is not where they should be |
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| be looking for sb / sth : to be trying to find a particular kind of thing or person |
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| look forward to : to be excited and pleased about sth |
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| look into : to try to find the truth about a problem, crime, etc. in order to solve it / to examine thoroughly and closely in order to discover essential features or meaning / to investigate scientifically |
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| look up : to try to find information in a book, on a computer, etc. |
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| make up : to combine together to form sth, to constitute OR to invent / produce a new story, song, game, etc. by thinking |
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| make up for : to compensate for |
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| miss out (on) : to not have the chance to do sth that you enjoy and that would be good for you |
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| move on to : start talking about a new subject in a discussion, book, etc. |
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| narrow down : to reduce the number of things included in a range |
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| pass on : to give sb a piece of information that sb else has given to you |
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| pay back : to return money that you borrowed from sb |
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| pay off : to give sb all the money you owe them |
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| phase out : to stop using sth gradually in stages over a period of time The company plans to phase out children’s clothes. |
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| pick up : to get better or stronger, to improve 2. to collect 3. to lift up |
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| point out : to tell sb sth that they did not already know or that they had not thought about OR to show sth to sb by pointing at it |
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| put on : to put on a piece of clothing on your body 2. to gain (weight) |
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| put off : 1.to postpone 2. to discourage |
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| put sb up : to let sb stay in your house |
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| put up with : to tolerate, endure without complaining (sb, the dog, the neighbours, etc.) |
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| rip sb off : to cheat sb, for example by making them pay too much or by selling them sth of poor quality (arnaquer) |
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| roll out : to introduce a new product, to show a new thing |
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| round up (to sth) : to increase a number to the next highest whole number It’s £19.50, but we’ll round it up to £20. |
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| run out (of sth) : to use all of sth (time, money, paper, coffee, etc.) and not have any more left |
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| set aside : to keep sth, esp. money, time or a particular area, for a special purpose |
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| set up : to arrange for sth to happen (a business / a meeting) OR to start or establish (a company, a committee, etc.) |
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| settle on / upon : to decide or agree on sth |
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| shoot up : to go up quickly, to soar, to skyrocket |
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| shop around : to compare the quality or prices of goods or services that are offered by different shops, companies, etc. so that you can choose the best Customers should shop around for the best insurance deal. |
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| show up : to arrive, esp. at the place where sb is waiting for you |
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| shut up : (not polite) used to tell sb to stop talking |
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| sign up : to put your name on a list for something because you want to take part in it |
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| slow down : >< to speed up |
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| sort out : to separate one type of thing from another OR deal with |
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| speak up : used to ask sb to speak louder OR to say sth, esp. to express your opinion |
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| speed up : >< to slow down |
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| stand out : to be very easy to see or notice OR to be much better than other similar people or things |
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| start up : to start or establish a business |
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| take in : to register, to understand |
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| take off : to leave the ground OR to remove a piece of clothing |
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| take sb out : to take sb as your guest to a restaurant, cinema, etc. |
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| take sth out : to make a financial or legal arrangement with a bank, company, law court, etc. OR to get/withdraw money from your bank account |
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| take over : to gain control or possession of sth |
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| throw away or out : to get rid of sth that you do not want or need |
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| turn into : to become sth different, or to make sb or sth do this They turned an old warehouse into a supermarket. |
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| turn around : if a business, an economy, etc. turns around or sb turns it around, it starts being successful after it has failed to be successful for a time |
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| turn sth up >< down : to turn a switch on a machine such as an oven, a radio, etc. so that it produces more heat, sound, etc. |
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| turn up : to arrive at a place, esp. in a way that is unexpected |
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| work out : calculate an answer |
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