cut down on
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phrasal-verb

cut down on

Meaning
to reduce the amount or frequency of something harmful
Example
We must **cut down on** carbon emissions to fight climate change.
phrasal-verb

dig around

Meaning
to search or investigate something to find more information
Example
He started to **dig around** to find out the truth about the old house.
phrasal-verb

wipe down

Meaning
to clean a surface by rubbing it with a cloth
Example
Don’t forget to **wipe down** the kitchen counter after cooking.
phrasal-verb

build bridges with

Meaning
to improve relationships and promote understanding between people or countries
Example
The summit aimed to **build bridges with** neighboring countries.
phrasal-verb

sit through

Meaning
to stay until the end of something that is long or boring
Example
We had to **sit through** a three-hour seminar on research methods.
phrasal-verb

zone out with

Meaning
to relax or mentally drift while using something like music or a show
Example
I sometimes **zone out with** a podcast on the bus ride home.
phrasal-verb

turn up at

Meaning
to arrive unexpectedly at a place
Example
He **turned up at** my office without any notice.
phrasal-verb

tune out from

Meaning
to stop paying attention to stressful things; to mentally disconnect
Example
I sometimes **tune out from** work emails on weekends to recharge.
phrasal-verb

add up revenue

Meaning
to calculate total income or sales
Example
The accountant will **add up revenue** from all branches.
phrasal-verb

cut off from reality

Meaning
to be disconnected from what is real or practical
Example
He lives in his own world, completely **cut off from reality**.
phrasal-verb

deal off

Meaning
to finish or complete a business transaction
Example
They finally **dealt off** the property last week.
phrasal-verb

double down on learning

Meaning
to increase your effort toward gaining knowledge
Example
After the promotion, I **double down on learning** new leadership skills.
phrasal-verb

choke down

Meaning
to suppress or hide emotions like anger or sadness
Example
He tried to **choke down** his tears during the farewell speech.
phrasal-verb

float away stress

Meaning
to imagine your stress disappearing like something drifting away
Example
Visualize your worries and let them **float away** like clouds.
phrasal-verb

file on deadline

Meaning
to submit a story right at the required time
Example
Reporters **file on deadline** even when storms slow travel.
phrasal-verb

root out

Meaning
to eliminate or get rid of something completely
Example
The government vowed to **root out** corruption at every level.
phrasal-verb

join in the fun

Meaning
to participate in an enjoyable activity
Example
Even the shy guests **joined in the fun** after a while.
phrasal-verb

act out over stress

Meaning
to behave badly because pressure feels overwhelming
Example
Kids sometimes **act out over stress** when parents pack for long trips.
phrasal-verb

let emotions out

Meaning
to express feelings that you have been holding in
Example
It’s healthy to **let emotions out** instead of suppressing them.
phrasal-verb

chart a course for

Meaning
to create a clear plan toward a goal
Example
Directors **chart a course for** long-term growth at the retreat.
phrasal-verb

drift apart from

Meaning
to slowly become less close to someone
Example
Over the years, we **drifted apart from** each other and lost touch.
phrasal-verb

cut away

Meaning
to remove part of something with a tool or knife
Example
The doctor **cut away** the damaged tissue.
phrasal-verb

roll into place

Meaning
to start working smoothly after some time or preparation
Example
Once everyone understands their tasks, the new system will **roll into place**.
phrasal-verb

shift around

Meaning
to rearrange tasks, people, or resources to suit new situations
Example
We had to **shift around** responsibilities when two team members left.
phrasal-verb

carry down

Meaning
to bring something from a higher place to a lower place
Example
Could you **carry down** that box from the shelf?
phrasal-verb

build rapport with

Meaning
to create a friendly and understanding relationship with someone
Example
Teachers need to **build rapport with** their students.
phrasal-verb

fix up

Meaning
to arrange or plan something; to repair or prepare something
Example
She offered to **fix up** a lunch meeting for next week.
phrasal-verb

open up new horizons

Meaning
to create new opportunities for learning or understanding different cultures
Example
Studying abroad can **open up new horizons** for personal and cultural growth.
phrasal-verb

make it

Meaning
to become successful; to achieve something desired
Example
After years of struggle, he finally **made it** as a professional artist.
phrasal-verb

stay ahead

Meaning
to continue to be more successful or advanced than others
Example
You have to work hard to **stay ahead** in this competitive program.
phrasal-verb

rise with

Meaning
to grow stronger together with something or someone
Example
We can all **rise with** positivity and mutual respect.
phrasal-verb

close down

Meaning
to stop operating a business or company
Example
Due to losses, the branch had to **close down**.
phrasal-verb

drop off

Meaning
to take someone or something to a place by car
Example
Can you **drop off** the kids at school?
phrasal-verb

sound out about

Meaning
to ask people for their opinions on something
Example
Let's **sound out about** the new comment policy before we publish it.
phrasal-verb

flow with

Meaning
to move along naturally with emotions or situations instead of resisting them
Example
She learned to **flow with** her emotions rather than fight them.
phrasal-verb

check in

Meaning
to register at a hotel or airport
Example
We **checked in** at the hotel as soon as we arrived.
phrasal-verb

kick tricky issues up

Meaning
to escalate complicated problems to a higher level
Example
Service reps **kick tricky issues up** when policy decisions are needed.
phrasal-verb

keep your spirits up

Meaning
to stay cheerful and hopeful in tough times
Example
Even during stress, try to **keep your spirits up**.
phrasal-verb

double source

Meaning
to confirm information with at least two independent sources
Example
Reporters **double source** sensitive claims before airing them.
phrasal-verb

break off with

Meaning
to end a relationship or stop communicating with someone
Example
After the big fight, she decided to **break off with** him for good.
phrasal-verb

burst out smiling

Meaning
to suddenly start smiling widely
Example
When she saw the surprise gift, she **burst out smiling**.
phrasal-verb

loosen out

Meaning
to relax muscles or body after strain
Example
Stretching helps you **loosen out** your body.
phrasal-verb

pull in together

Meaning
to combine efforts to achieve a goal
Example
If we all **pull in together**, we can finish the project on time.
phrasal-verb

hand back

Meaning
to return something to its owner, especially after checking it
Example
The professor **handed back** the graded assignments on Monday.
phrasal-verb

ride through

Meaning
to stay emotionally strong during a difficult period
Example
She managed to **ride through** the hard times with patience.
phrasal-verb

cut out excuses

Meaning
to stop making excuses and take responsibility
Example
If you want to improve, you need to **cut out excuses**.
phrasal-verb

ease out tension

Meaning
to reduce or remove feelings of stress
Example
A warm bath helps to **ease out tension** from muscles.
phrasal-verb

hold grudges against

Meaning
to continue feeling angry or resentful toward someone
Example
It’s not healthy to **hold grudges against** your friends.
phrasal-verb

write to

Meaning
to send a letter or message to express gratitude or appreciation
Example
I plan to **write to** my old professor to thank him for his support.
phrasal-verb

link up with

Meaning
to connect or cooperate with another group or country
Example
Our company plans to **link up with** partners in Asia for expansion.
phrasal-verb

call for

Meaning
to demand or request something publicly
Example
The citizens **called for** fair elections and transparency.
phrasal-verb

key up

Meaning
to make someone feel nervous or excited
Example
She was **keyed up** before her first performance.
phrasal-verb

stand for yourself

Meaning
to defend your beliefs or actions confidently
Example
Always **stand for yourself** even when others disagree.
phrasal-verb

speak for

Meaning
to represent someone’s opinion or view
Example
I can’t **speak for** everyone, but I think this idea is worth trying.
phrasal-verb

stay true to

Meaning
to remain loyal to your values or beliefs
Example
Always **stay true to** your principles no matter what.
phrasal-verb

throw on

Meaning
to put on clothes quickly and carelessly
Example
She just **threw on** a sweater and ran out the door.
phrasal-verb

be carried away

Meaning
to become so excited that you lose control of your feelings
Example
They got **carried away** during the celebration.
phrasal-verb

build upon

Meaning
to use your past achievements as a base for further progress
Example
We can **build upon** our previous success to reach new goals.
phrasal-verb

wish away

Meaning
to hope something unpleasant would disappear or never happen
Example
You can't just **wish away** your mistakes.
phrasal-verb

draw up a budget

Meaning
to prepare or plan a financial outline for a period
Example
The finance team will **draw up a budget** for the next fiscal year.
phrasal-verb

hold accountable for

Meaning
to make someone responsible for their actions
Example
The CEO promised to **hold accountable for** those who broke company rules.
phrasal-verb

pour out your heart

Meaning
to express all your emotions and thoughts freely to someone
Example
She **poured out her heart** to her best friend after the breakup.
phrasal-verb

open up to peace

Meaning
to allow yourself to feel inner calmness
Example
Through meditation, I’ve learned to **open up to peace**.
phrasal-verb

carry up

Meaning
to take something from a lower place to a higher place
Example
Please **carry up** these bags to the attic.
phrasal-verb

believe in better days

Meaning
to stay positive that life will improve
Example
He always **believes in better days**, no matter how tough life gets.
phrasal-verb

stand up to

Meaning
to confront someone or something bravely in defense of someone
Example
He **stood up to** the bully to protect his little brother.
phrasal-verb

find out about

Meaning
to learn specific information or details regarding something
Example
I need to **find out about** the new insurance policy.
phrasal-verb

speak up for

Meaning
to defend or support yourself or someone else confidently
Example
You need to **speak up for** yourself when you know you’re right.
phrasal-verb

scale back on

Meaning
to reduce the amount of something you use or do
Example
We've **scaled back on** paper prints to cut waste.
phrasal-verb

fall down

Meaning
to drop to the ground; to fail at something
Example
He **fell down** while running in the park.
phrasal-verb

cut across inequalities

Meaning
to affect or involve people of all social and economic levels
Example
Climate change issues **cut across inequalities** and impact everyone.
phrasal-verb

eat in

Meaning
to have a meal at home or at the hotel instead of going out
Example
We were too tired to go out, so we decided to **eat in**.
phrasal-verb

lighten your thoughts

Meaning
to make your mind feel less heavy or serious
Example
Journaling helps me **lighten my thoughts** when I feel burdened.
phrasal-verb

unwind with

Meaning
to relax by doing something enjoyable
Example
I usually **unwind with** some music after dinner.
phrasal-verb

keep in

Meaning
to not allow someone to go out; to hold inside
Example
The teacher **kept in** the students after class for talking too much.
phrasal-verb

back up data

Meaning
to make a copy of data to prevent loss
Example
It’s important to regularly **back up data** on your computer.
phrasal-verb

curl up

Meaning
to bend your body and bring your knees close because of fear
Example
She **curled up** on the sofa when the horror movie got intense.
phrasal-verb

reflect within

Meaning
to think carefully about your feelings and actions
Example
He likes to **reflect within** before making big decisions.
phrasal-verb

pace yourself through

Meaning
to move steadily through a task without rushing
Example
I **pace myself through** long study guides to stay focused.
phrasal-verb

let pressure off

Meaning
to release built-up stress or tension
Example
He plays football on weekends to **let pressure off**.
phrasal-verb

show around

Meaning
to give someone a guided tour of a place
Example
I will **show around** our office to the new interns.
phrasal-verb

break into a smile

Meaning
to suddenly start smiling
Example
He **broke into a smile** when he heard the good news.
phrasal-verb

sign out

Meaning
to log off or exit from a meeting or account
Example
Remember to **sign out** after finishing the session.
phrasal-verb

cheer others on

Meaning
to encourage people to keep going
Example
Managers **cheer others on** when the team hits tough weather calls.
phrasal-verb

feed up

Meaning
to give food to someone or something
Example
Don’t forget to **feed up** the cat before going out.
phrasal-verb

let tension out

Meaning
to release built-up stress or pressure
Example
Exercise helps you **let tension out** after a tough day.
phrasal-verb

filter out negativity

Meaning
to remove negative thoughts or influences from your mind
Example
Try to **filter out negativity** and focus on what’s good.
phrasal-verb

look up

Meaning
to visit someone after a long time
Example
When you are in town, **look me up**.
phrasal-verb

clean up after

Meaning
to remove waste or mess left behind by people or animals
Example
Volunteers came to **clean up after** the beach festival.
phrasal-verb

face down

Meaning
to confront someone or something bravely
Example
He **faced down** his fears and took the exam again.
phrasal-verb

run off with

Meaning
to leave someone in order to start a romantic relationship with another person
Example
He **ran off with** his colleague and shocked everyone.
phrasal-verb

hand action items out

Meaning
to assign follow-up tasks to specific people
Example
Facilitators **hand action items out** before closing the meeting.
phrasal-verb

look over

Meaning
to examine or review something quickly
Example
Can you **look over** this proposal before submitting it?
phrasal-verb

hum along

Meaning
to make a sound with your lips closed while listening to a tune
Example
He **hummed along** to the melody playing in the background.
phrasal-verb

hear from

Meaning
to receive communication from someone
Example
I haven’t **heard from** Sarah in weeks.
phrasal-verb

roll out infrastructure

Meaning
to implement or expand physical and digital infrastructure projects
Example
The government plans to **roll out infrastructure** projects across the country.
phrasal-verb

fall behind on

Meaning
to fail to do something on time or as planned
Example
He **fell behind on** his rent payments last month.
phrasal-verb

carry over to

Meaning
to apply something learned or used in one situation to another
Example
You can **carry over** those skills **to** your new job.
phrasal-verb

put off

Meaning
to postpone or delay something
Example
They decided to **put off** the meeting until next week.
phrasal-verb

reach over to

Meaning
to extend a gesture of comfort or support
Example
She **reached over to** hold his hand when he started crying.
phrasal-verb

bond with

Meaning
to develop a close emotional connection with someone
Example
Parents should spend time to **bond with** their children.
phrasal-verb

cut over

Meaning
to switch from an old system to a new one
Example
We plan to **cut over** to the new cloud platform this weekend.
phrasal-verb

toy with

Meaning
to consider an idea casually without serious intention
Example
He’s been **toying with** the idea of developing a creative AI tool.
phrasal-verb

pass on

Meaning
to convey information to someone else
Example
Please **pass on** the message to the entire team.
phrasal-verb

push back on

Meaning
to resist or challenge a proposal or action
Example
Citizens **push back on** the policy until leaders revise it.
phrasal-verb

share out

Meaning
to distribute something equally among members of a group
Example
The organization **shared out** resources to support developing countries.
phrasal-verb

work hand in hand with

Meaning
to cooperate closely with someone
Example
The design and development teams **work hand in hand with** each other to deliver quality results.
phrasal-verb

hand in assignments

Meaning
to submit school or college work to the teacher
Example
You must **hand in assignments** before the deadline.
phrasal-verb

cut in with

Meaning
to interrupt someone politely during an online conversation
Example
I didn’t mean to **cut in with** your point, please continue.
phrasal-verb

build upon experience

Meaning
to use past experiences to improve future actions or performance
Example
We can **build upon our experience** to avoid making the same mistakes again.
phrasal-verb

burst out crying

Meaning
to suddenly start crying loudly
Example
The child **burst out crying** when his toy broke.
phrasal-verb

get in

Meaning
to enter a car or vehicle
Example
Please **get in** the car, it’s raining outside.
phrasal-verb

back up initiatives

Meaning
to provide support or resources for new projects
Example
Global organizations **back up initiatives** that promote equality.
phrasal-verb

move up in

Meaning
to advance or get promoted within an organization
Example
She worked hard to **move up in** her company.
phrasal-verb

focus on improvement

Meaning
to give attention to becoming better at something
Example
Every student should **focus on improvement** rather than perfection.
phrasal-verb

shut yourself off

Meaning
to isolate yourself emotionally or socially due to stress
Example
She tends to **shut herself off** from everyone when she’s anxious.
phrasal-verb

show gratitude for

Meaning
to express thanks or appreciation for something
Example
We should **show gratitude for** everyone who helped us reach this milestone.
phrasal-verb

hold talks with

Meaning
to have formal discussions or negotiations with someone
Example
The foreign ministers agreed to **hold talks with** neighboring countries.
phrasal-verb

push aside doubts

Meaning
to ignore fears or uncertainties and keep moving
Example
She **pushed aside doubts** and followed her instincts.
phrasal-verb

work from

Meaning
to base your creation on a source or reference
Example
She **worked from** a photograph to paint the portrait.
phrasal-verb

set your mind to

Meaning
to focus all your attention and effort on achieving something
Example
You can achieve anything if you **set your mind to** it.