set the tone for
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phrasal-verb

set the tone for

Meaning
to create the general mood or attitude for a group or activity
Example
A leader’s behavior **sets the tone for** the entire organization.
idiom

set down

Meaning
to place something or write something down
Example
**Set down** your ideas so we can review them.
phrasal-verb

scale down

Meaning
to reduce the size, cost, or extent of something
Example
Due to rising costs, the company had to **scale down** its expansion plans.
idiom

security blanket

Meaning
something that gives a sense of safety or comfort
Example
Using a strong password manager is my **security blanket** online.
idiom

spaced out

Meaning
not paying attention; lost in thought
Example
He looked completely **spaced out** during the meeting.
idiom

sustainable development

Meaning
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Example
The company is committed to **sustainable development** by investing in green technologies.
phrasal-verb

step up productivity

Meaning
to increase the level of output or performance
Example
The company is taking steps to **step up productivity** across departments.
idiom

sweep someone off their feet

Meaning
to make someone fall in love with you suddenly
Example
His charm and confidence really **swept her off her feet**.
idiom

shop till you drop

Meaning
to go shopping for a long time until you are tired
Example
My sister loves to **shop till she drops** during sales.
idiom

stretch the truth

Meaning
to exaggerate or make something seem more important than it is
Example
He sometimes **stretches the truth** to impress people.
idiom

save the day

Meaning
to prevent failure or disaster by taking timely action
Example
His quick thinking **saved the day**.
phrasal-verb

sync across

Meaning
to make sure data or actions are consistent across devices or platforms
Example
All files automatically **sync across** your devices.
phrasal-verb

shoot up

Meaning
to rise suddenly and quickly
Example
Gold prices **shot up** after the geopolitical tensions increased.
idiom

smell a rat

Meaning
to suspect something wrong or dishonest
Example
I **smelled a rat** when he offered me free tickets.
idiom

silver lining

Meaning
a positive aspect in a bad situation
Example
Every dark cloud has a **silver lining**.
phrasal-verb

start up

Meaning
to begin a new business or project
Example
They decided to **start up** a food delivery service in their city.
phrasal-verb

settle on

Meaning
to choose something after considering other options
Example
After hours of discussion, they **settled on** a final plan.
phrasal-verb

shine through challenges

Meaning
to maintain positivity and confidence during difficulties
Example
She always manages to **shine through challenges** with a smile.
phrasal-verb

step back

Meaning
to pause and look at a situation calmly and objectively
Example
Sometimes you need to **step back** to see the bigger picture.
phrasal-verb

scrub off

Meaning
to remove dirt or stains by rubbing hard
Example
You need to **scrub off** that grease from the pan.
idiom

see the big picture

Meaning
to understand the overall situation or goal
Example
You need to **see the big picture** before making decisions.
phrasal-verb

steer someone toward

Meaning
to guide a person toward a helpful choice
Example
Mentors **steer interns toward** roles that match their strengths.
phrasal-verb

set up for shipping

Meaning
to prepare goods so they are ready to be sent
Example
The warehouse **sets up for shipping** as soon as orders close.
idiom

slip up

Meaning
to make a small mistake
Example
Everyone **slips up** sometimes — don’t worry about it.
phrasal-verb

scale into

Meaning
to invest gradually over time instead of all at once
Example
It's wise to **scale into** the market rather than investing everything at once.
phrasal-verb

strike up

Meaning
to start a conversation or friendship
Example
He easily **strikes up** conversations with strangers.
phrasal-verb

seek out

Meaning
to look for and find something or someone with effort
Example
She loves to **seek out** new experiences when she travels.
phrasal-verb

stand alongside

Meaning
to support or defend someone as part of a group
Example
True teammates **stand alongside** each other in difficult times.
phrasal-verb

show up

Meaning
to appear or arrive at an event
Example
Even though it was raining, most guests **showed up** on time.
phrasal-verb

stand firm

Meaning
to remain strong and not give up under pressure or doubt
Example
He decided to **stand firm** in his beliefs despite opposition.
idiom

stay the course

Meaning
to continue doing something until it is finished or successful
Example
It’s hard, but you need to **stay the course**.
idiom

share the load

Meaning
to divide the work or responsibility among people
Example
We should **share the load** so no one gets too tired.
phrasal-verb

side with

Meaning
to support one person or group in an argument or conflict
Example
She always **sides with** her best friend in arguments.
phrasal-verb

spark creativity

Meaning
to inspire creative thinking or ideas
Example
Team discussions often **spark creativity** and innovation.
idiom

save time

Meaning
to reduce the time needed for something
Example
Using shortcuts can **save time** when typing.
idiom

sugarcoat the truth

Meaning
to make something seem more pleasant or acceptable than it is
Example
Don’t try to **sugarcoat the truth**; we need to be honest about the situation.
idiom

sift out

Meaning
to remove unwanted parts from a mix
Example
We need to **sift out** duplicate entries in the list.
idiom

steal the show

Meaning
to be the most outstanding performer
Example
Her performance **stole the show** last night.
phrasal-verb

set off for

Meaning
to start a journey to a specific place
Example
We **set off for** Cox’s Bazar early in the morning.
phrasal-verb

stick to goals

Meaning
to remain committed to educational or personal objectives
Example
To achieve success, you must **stick to goals** no matter how hard it gets.
phrasal-verb

slow down growth

Meaning
to reduce the rate of economic expansion
Example
Rising inflation can **slow down growth** in developing countries.
phrasal-verb

smooth out differences

Meaning
to resolve disagreements or make things run more easily
Example
We need to **smooth out differences** between the teams to improve collaboration.
idiom

Stay in the loop

Meaning
To be informed about something regularly.
Example
Make sure you **stay in the loop** about the latest updates.
idiom

set a good example

Meaning
to behave in a way that shows others how they should act
Example
Parents should **set a good example** for their children.
idiom

scared out of one's wits

Meaning
to be very frightened
Example
The loud thunder **scared me out of my wits**.
idiom

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Meaning
The process of improving the visibility of a website or web page in a search engine's unpaid results.
Example
To improve our search rankings, we need to focus on **SEO** strategies.
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.
idiom

sing the same tune

Meaning
to have the same opinion as someone else
Example
Both managers **sing the same tune** about company policy.
idiom

see the light

Meaning
to finally understand or accept the truth or a new idea
Example
After years of denial, he finally **saw the light**.
idiom

soft launch

Meaning
a limited or quiet release of a new product before the full launch
Example
The company did a **soft launch** to test customer reactions.
idiom

sweet talk someone

Meaning
to flatter or charm someone into doing something
Example
He **sweet talked** his way into getting a discount.
idiom

Spin a story

Meaning
To present a story in a way that is intended to influence people's opinions or beliefs.
Example
The journalist managed to **spin a story** that made the politician look like a hero.
phrasal-verb

stand over to

Meaning
to transfer or carry something to another time or situation
Example
The discussion will be **stood over to** next week.
idiom

set your sights on

Meaning
to decide to achieve something; to aim for a specific goal
Example
She has **set her sights on** becoming a doctor.
idiom

second childhood

Meaning
the time in old age when a person starts behaving like a child again
Example
After retirement, he entered his **second childhood**.
idiom

sweep under the rug

Meaning
to hide or ignore problems instead of solving them
Example
You can’t just **sweep problems under the rug** forever.
phrasal-verb

speak out for

Meaning
to publicly support or defend someone or something
Example
He **spoke out for** the victims of political violence.
phrasal-verb

show off with

Meaning
to display or use something to attract attention
Example
She loves to **show off with** her stylish outfits.
phrasal-verb

snow in

Meaning
to be trapped somewhere because of heavy snow
Example
We were **snowed in** for two days after the blizzard.
phrasal-verb

sort things out with

Meaning
to resolve an issue directly with someone
Example
I need to **sort things out with** Jenna before the meeting.
phrasal-verb

spread out

Meaning
to extend over a large area; to reach many people
Example
The news **spread out** quickly across social media.
phrasal-verb

send across

Meaning
to convey a message or feeling clearly to others
Example
His speech **sent across** a strong message of cooperation.
phrasal-verb

scale up with

Meaning
to expand by adding extra resources
Example
They **scaled up with** extra analysts during the busy quarter.
phrasal-verb

speak up against

Meaning
to voice opposition to something openly
Example
Many young people **speak up against** injustice in their communities.
idiom

stay composed

Meaning
to remain calm and not show emotion
Example
He **stayed composed** even when things went wrong.
phrasal-verb

step toward progress

Meaning
to make progress or advance toward improvement
Example
Each reform is a **step toward progress** in global development.
phrasal-verb

sing out

Meaning
to sing loudly and clearly
Example
Don’t be shy—**sing out** so everyone can hear you!
idiom

stand one’s ground

Meaning
to refuse to change your opinion or position
Example
She **stood her ground** during the heated debate.
idiom

settle the score

Meaning
to take revenge or resolve a conflict from the past
Example
He wanted to **settle the score** after last year's argument.
phrasal-verb

speak over

Meaning
to talk while someone else is talking
Example
Try not to **speak over** others during the discussion.
phrasal-verb

step inside

Meaning
to enter a place, especially a building or room
Example
Please **step inside** and have a seat.
idiom

sift through

Meaning
to examine a large amount of information or items carefully
Example
I spent the afternoon **sifting through** old emails for the missing file.
idiom

sworn enemy

Meaning
someone who will never be your friend
Example
They used to be close but now are **sworn enemies**.
phrasal-verb

send out

Meaning
to distribute or send invitations to people
Example
We need to **send out** the invitations by tomorrow.
phrasal-verb

settle into peace

Meaning
to reach a state of inner calm and balance
Example
After journaling, I finally **settled into peace**.
phrasal-verb

scale up investment

Meaning
to increase the amount of money invested in a project or sector
Example
The policy aims to **scale up investment** in renewable energy.
phrasal-verb

set to

Meaning
to begin doing something energetically
Example
After the meeting, everyone **set to** work immediately.
phrasal-verb

smooth out fluctuations

Meaning
to reduce ups and downs and make something more stable
Example
Fiscal policies aim to **smooth out fluctuations** in the economy.
idiom

Spread joy

Meaning
to make others happy by being kind or cheerful
Example
It's important to **spread joy** wherever you go.
idiom

spin up

Meaning
to start something quickly, especially a system
Example
The IT team can **spin up** a test server in minutes.
phrasal-verb

space yourself out

Meaning
to take mental breaks to avoid stress
Example
You should **space yourself out** during long study sessions.
phrasal-verb

simmer with anger

Meaning
to feel but not express anger openly
Example
He **simmered with anger** after being insulted.
phrasal-verb

stand up against

Meaning
to resist or oppose injustice; to defend principles
Example
People **stand up against** censorship to protect freedom of speech.
phrasal-verb

scale up operations

Meaning
to expand the size or capacity of business or production
Example
To meet global demand, the company decided to **scale up operations**.
idiom

share the love

Meaning
to show support or appreciation by liking or sharing someone’s post
Example
**Share the love** by liking and commenting on this post!
idiom

show one's true colors

Meaning
to reveal one's true character or feelings, often after a period of hiding them
Example
He finally **showed his true colors** when he volunteered at the charity event.
phrasal-verb

step around

Meaning
to move to avoid something; to bypass a problem or rule
Example
He tried to **step around** the issue instead of facing it directly.
phrasal-verb

scale back spending

Meaning
to reduce the level of spending
Example
Due to inflation, many households are **scaling back spending**.
phrasal-verb

square off with

Meaning
to prepare to compete or argue directly with someone
Example
Two teams **square off with** each other in tonight's final.
phrasal-verb

smooth things over with

Meaning
to restore peace with someone after a disagreement
Example
She brought cookies to **smooth things over with** her neighbor.
phrasal-verb

shut someone down

Meaning
to stop someone from speaking or expressing themselves
Example
He tried to **shut her down** whenever she disagreed.
phrasal-verb

step aside for

Meaning
to let someone else take your position or role
Example
The senior manager decided to **step aside for** a younger leader.
phrasal-verb

storm out

Meaning
to leave a place angrily, like a storm
Example
He **stormed out** of the room when we mentioned the weather again.
phrasal-verb

show respect for

Meaning
to demonstrate honor or reverence toward something or someone
Example
People **show respect for** their ancestors during traditional rituals.
idiom

split the difference

Meaning
to agree on a compromise between two opinions or prices
Example
Let’s **split the difference** and meet halfway.
phrasal-verb

set time aside for

Meaning
to reserve part of your schedule for something
Example
I **set time aside for** journaling before bed.
idiom

seat at the table

Meaning
to have influence or participation in important decision-making
Example
Developing nations are demanding a **seat at the table** in climate talks.
phrasal-verb

settle for

Meaning
to accept something that is not perfect because there is no better option
Example
He didn’t like the first design but had to **settle for** it due to time constraints.
phrasal-verb

stand over from

Meaning
to postpone or delay something
Example
The meeting was **stood over from** last week to tomorrow.
phrasal-verb

stand up for

Meaning
to defend or support someone’s rights or opinions
Example
Parents should **stand up for** their children when they are treated unfairly.
phrasal-verb

sum up

Meaning
to summarize or express something briefly
Example
Let me **sum up** the key points before we finish.
phrasal-verb

stay put

Meaning
to remain in the same place and wait
Example
**Stay put** until I get back.
phrasal-verb

stir up demand

Meaning
to increase or stimulate consumer demand
Example
Lower interest rates can **stir up demand** for housing and cars.
phrasal-verb

set out

Meaning
to begin an action with a clear purpose or plan
Example
The leader **set out** to build a more collaborative culture.
phrasal-verb

set up a subsidiary

Meaning
to establish a smaller company controlled by a larger one
Example
They decided to **set up a subsidiary** in Singapore to handle regional operations.
phrasal-verb

sync expectations up

Meaning
to make sure everyone understands the same plan
Example
Let's **sync expectations up** before we send the proposal.
idiom

smear campaign

Meaning
an attempt to damage someone's reputation through false accusations or gossip
Example
The opposition launched a **smear campaign** against the minister.
phrasal-verb

scroll back through

Meaning
to go backward through a feed or list of posts
Example
I **scrolled back through** my messages to find our first conversation.
phrasal-verb

sit down with

Meaning
to meet and discuss something seriously or formally
Example
Government officials will **sit down with** community leaders to resolve the conflict.
idiom

space out

Meaning
to stop paying attention
Example
He tends to **space out** during long meetings.
phrasal-verb

shade in concepts

Meaning
to add tone or detail to drawings of ideas
Example
Designers **shade in concepts** to show light and depth in the sketch.
idiom

Share a smile

Meaning
to smile and bring happiness to others
Example
It's easy to **share a smile** and brighten someone's day.
idiom

separate the wheat from the chaff

Meaning
to distinguish valuable things from worthless ones
Example
It’s time to **separate the wheat from the chaff** in this project.
phrasal-verb

set out objectives

Meaning
to clearly define goals or intentions
Example
The UN has **set out objectives** for sustainable development.
phrasal-verb

spark off ideas

Meaning
to trigger or inspire new creative thoughts
Example
The workshop helped **spark off ideas** for future projects.
phrasal-verb

stay true to yourself

Meaning
to remain honest and authentic to your values
Example
Always **stay true to yourself**, no matter what others say.
idiom

split second

Meaning
a very short amount of time
Example
The decision was made in a **split second**.
idiom

Sow the seeds

Meaning
To begin a process that will develop in the future.
Example
Her small donations **sowed the seeds** of a larger charity movement.
phrasal-verb

stay driven

Meaning
to remain motivated and focused on your goals
Example
To achieve greatness, you must **stay driven** no matter what.
phrasal-verb

stabilize prices

Meaning
to make prices steady and prevent large fluctuations
Example
Regulations were imposed to **stabilize prices** in the food market.
phrasal-verb

stay off

Meaning
to avoid eating or drinking something unhealthy
Example
The doctor told me to **stay off** junk food for a month.