spur on growth
All a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
All Types idiom phrasal-verb proverb
Content locale
EN English BN Bengali HI Hindi ES Spanish FR French DE German RU Russian ZH Chinese JA Japanese
All Expression Cards All Expressions
phrasal-verb

spur on growth

Meaning
to encourage or accelerate economic development
Example
Digital innovation is expected to **spur on growth** in the service sector.
idiom

make it to the top

Meaning
to reach the highest point of success
Example
After years of hard work, he finally **made it to the top** of his career.
idiom

wait and see

Meaning
to be patient until something becomes clear
Example
Let’s **wait and see** what happens next.
idiom

give it a shot

Meaning
to try something, even if you are not sure of success
Example
You should **give it a shot**; you might surprise yourself.
idiom

like father, like son

Meaning
a son behaves like his father
Example
Tom loves cars just like his dad — **like father, like son**!
idiom

your own flesh and blood

Meaning
A family member or close relative.
Example
How can you turn away from **your own flesh and blood**?
phrasal-verb

trip up

Meaning
to make someone make a mistake; to make an error
Example
The interviewer tried to **trip up** the candidate with tricky questions.
phrasal-verb

long for

Meaning
to wish very strongly for something that cannot happen or is far away
Example
He still **longs for** the days when he could have made things right.
phrasal-verb

go over lessons

Meaning
to review or check lessons again for better understanding
Example
I always **go over lessons** before an exam.
idiom

go back to square one

Meaning
to start again from the beginning
Example
If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to **go back to square one**.
phrasal-verb

learn to appreciate

Meaning
to develop admiration or respect for other traditions and beliefs
Example
Through travel, you can **learn to appreciate** cultural diversity.
idiom

sort out

Meaning
to organize or resolve a confusing situation
Example
We need to **sort out** this billing error today.
idiom

hit the nail on the head

Meaning
to be exactly right about something
Example
You **hit the nail on the head** with that analysis.
phrasal-verb

cheer someone for

Meaning
to show appreciation by praising or encouraging someone
Example
They **cheered him for** his volunteer work at the shelter.
idiom

call it a night

Meaning
to stop what you are doing and go home, especially after a party
Example
It’s getting late, let’s **call it a night**.
idiom

Take your chances

Meaning
To try something despite uncertainty.
Example
He decided to **take his chances** and apply for the international scholarship.
idiom

cool as a cucumber

Meaning
very calm and composed
Example
He stayed **cool as a cucumber** during the meeting.
phrasal-verb

open up space for joy

Meaning
to make emotional room for happiness after pain
Example
After forgiving herself, she began to **open up space for joy**.
phrasal-verb

rise through

Meaning
to progress or succeed in something through effort and determination
Example
She managed to **rise through** hard work and self-belief.
phrasal-verb

work out of

Meaning
to be based or operate from a specific place
Example
He **works out of** our Singapore office.
phrasal-verb

pace yourself

Meaning
to control the speed at which you work to avoid exhaustion
Example
You need to **pace yourself** during busy weeks.
phrasal-verb

act up

Meaning
to behave badly or cause trouble
Example
The kids started to **act up** during the long car ride.
idiom

press ahead

Meaning
to continue with determination despite obstacles
Example
Let’s **press ahead** even if the timeline shifts.
idiom

tighten the belt

Meaning
to reduce spending; to save money due to financial constraints
Example
In tough economic times, businesses must **tighten the belt** to survive.
phrasal-verb

speak kindly of

Meaning
to say positive things about someone as a form of appreciation
Example
Everyone **speaks kindly of** her because she’s always generous.
phrasal-verb

fill up with

Meaning
to become full or crowded with something
Example
The hall **filled up with** excited guests before the concert began.
phrasal-verb

delegate tasks

Meaning
to assign responsibilities to others
Example
An effective leader knows how to **delegate tasks** efficiently.
idiom

add insult to injury

Meaning
to make a bad situation even worse
Example
First, they lost the game, and then, to **add insult to injury**, their bus broke down.
idiom

Make up for lost time

Meaning
To do something faster to compensate for wasted time.
Example
We worked overtime to make up for lost time.
phrasal-verb

turn around

Meaning
to improve a situation or make something successful again
Example
The new leader helped **turn around** the company’s declining performance.
idiom

set the pace

Meaning
to establish a standard of performance or progress for others to follow
Example
Our CEO always **sets the pace** for the entire company.
phrasal-verb

move forward with joy

Meaning
to continue with a happy and positive attitude
Example
Let’s **move forward with joy** and not dwell on the past.
idiom

keep your word

Meaning
to honor a promise or commitment
Example
You must always **keep your word** if you want to gain trust.
idiom

make your blood run cold

Meaning
to cause extreme fear or horror
Example
The ghost story **made my blood run cold**.
phrasal-verb

ease your mind

Meaning
to make yourself feel less worried or anxious
Example
Talking to a friend can really **ease your mind**.
idiom

to learn the hard way

Meaning
to learn by making mistakes or through difficult experiences
Example
He **learned the hard way** that honesty is the best policy.
phrasal-verb

comfort someone through

Meaning
to help someone emotionally during a difficult time
Example
She **comforted him through** his toughest days.
idiom

keep one's head above water

Meaning
to survive financially in difficult times
Example
Many small businesses struggle to **keep their heads above water**.
phrasal-verb

take things easy

Meaning
to relax and not get too worried or upset
Example
You need to **take things easy** instead of stressing about every detail.
phrasal-verb

sing along

Meaning
to sing together with a recording or performer
Example
Everyone **sang along** when the band played their favorite song.
phrasal-verb

bring together the team

Meaning
to unite people to work collaboratively
Example
The new manager managed to bring together the whole team after a conflict.
phrasal-verb

lift yourself out of

Meaning
to recover or rise from a negative emotional state
Example
She worked hard to **lift herself out of** depression.
phrasal-verb

push up

Meaning
to make something increase in value or price
Example
Rising fuel costs have **pushed up** transportation expenses.
idiom

reach common ground

Meaning
to find shared interests or agreement between parties
Example
After a long discussion, they **reached common ground**.
phrasal-verb

phase in

Meaning
to introduce or implement something gradually over a period of time
Example
The school plans to **phase in** bilingual education over the next few years.
idiom

break the law

Meaning
to commit an illegal act
Example
Anyone who **breaks the law** should be punished.
idiom

Go overboard

Meaning
To do something to an excessive degree.
Example
He **went overboard** decorating his office for the holidays.
phrasal-verb

cut someone off

Meaning
to interrupt someone while they are speaking
Example
She kept **cutting me off** whenever I tried to explain.
phrasal-verb

open the heart to

Meaning
to express your honest emotions to someone
Example
He finally **opened his heart to** his parents.
phrasal-verb

breathe through

Meaning
to manage stress or pain by breathing calmly
Example
When anxious, try to **breathe through** the feeling slowly.
idiom

burst of inspiration

Meaning
a sudden feeling of creativity or motivation
Example
He wrote the poem in a **burst of inspiration**.
idiom

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade

Meaning
make the best out of a bad situation
Example
She lost her job but decided to **make lemonade** by starting her own business.
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

take notes on

Meaning
to write down important information while studying
Example
You should **take notes on** every lecture.
idiom

to hack into

Meaning
to gain unauthorized access to a system or network
Example
The attackers managed **to hack into** the company's internal servers.
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

log back out

Meaning
to safely disconnect from a system again after using it
Example
Don’t forget to **log back out** after checking your account.
phrasal-verb

give back

Meaning
to return something to someone
Example
Don’t forget to **give back** the book you borrowed.
idiom

give someone the creeps

Meaning
to make someone feel uncomfortable or afraid
Example
Old abandoned houses **give me the creeps**.
idiom

bad luck

Meaning
unfortunate or unlucky situation
Example
It’s just **bad luck** that it rained on our picnic day.
idiom

wise up

Meaning
to become aware or informed about something
Example
It’s time to **wise up** and start saving money.
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.
idiom

zone off

Meaning
to divide an area into sections
Example
They’ll **zone off** part of the hall for workshops.
phrasal-verb

learn to accept

Meaning
to come to terms with failure as part of life
Example
You must **learn to accept** failure if you want to succeed.
idiom

put to the test

Meaning
to see how good someone or something is
Example
Her knowledge was **put to the test** during the interview.
idiom

fall on one's shoulders

Meaning
to be responsible for something difficult or unpleasant
Example
The task of organizing the event **fell on her shoulders**.
phrasal-verb

use sparingly

Meaning
to use something in small or limited amounts
Example
Please **use** the office supplies **sparingly** until the next order arrives.
idiom

farm out

Meaning
to give work to someone else to do
Example
The company decided to **farm out** its design work.
phrasal-verb

cool yourself off

Meaning
to calm down after being angry or excited
Example
He went for a walk to **cool himself off** after the argument.
phrasal-verb

stumble over

Meaning
to make an error while speaking or reading
Example
He **stumbled over** several words in the script.
phrasal-verb

round on

Meaning
to suddenly attack or criticize someone angrily
Example
He suddenly **rounded on** his friend for lying to him.
idiom

jump in

Meaning
to join an activity quickly
Example
Feel free to **jump in** if you have suggestions.
phrasal-verb

bottle up

Meaning
to hide or control your emotions instead of expressing them
Example
He tends to **bottle up** his anger instead of talking about it.
idiom

a front-page story

Meaning
a news story that is important enough to be placed on the front page of a newspaper
Example
The fire in the city center was **a front-page story** for the national newspapers.
idiom

a heart-to-heart

Meaning
a sincere and open conversation
Example
We had **a heart-to-heart** about our future plans.
phrasal-verb

talk things through

Meaning
to discuss a problem thoroughly to reach understanding
Example
They decided to **talk things through** before making any decision.
phrasal-verb

stick it out

Meaning
to continue doing something difficult until the end
Example
Even though the job was hard, he decided to **stick it out**.
idiom

The Midas touch

Meaning
The ability to make money or succeed in everything one does.
Example
She seems to have **the Midas touch**—every project she starts becomes a success.
phrasal-verb

zero in on goals

Meaning
to focus all attention and effort on achieving something
Example
The team needs to **zero in on goals** to stay efficient.
idiom

Go against the grain

Meaning
to do something that is contrary to the usual way of doing things
Example
Their new approach really **goes against the grain** of traditional research methods.
idiom

spring for

Meaning
to pay for something, especially as a treat for others
Example
I'll **spring for** dessert since it's your birthday.
idiom

on one's shoulders

Meaning
having the responsibility or burden of something
Example
The success of the project is **on his shoulders**.
phrasal-verb

bring out differences

Meaning
to recognize and appreciate distinct qualities
Example
Workshops help **bring out differences** as strengths rather than weaknesses.
phrasal-verb

come up to

Meaning
to reach a particular standard or expectation
Example
Her performance didn't **come up to** our expectations.
idiom

on the line

Meaning
at risk; in danger of being lost
Example
The company’s reputation is **on the line** after the failed shipment.
idiom

a rollercoaster of emotions

Meaning
to experience very high and very low emotional states in a short time
Example
The week was **a rollercoaster of emotions**, with moments of joy and sadness.
idiom

nothing to write home about

Meaning
not special or interesting
Example
The movie was **nothing to write home about**.
idiom

see the glass half full

Meaning
see the positive side of something
Example
Try to **see the glass half full** instead of half empty.
phrasal-verb

set forth

Meaning
to present or explain an idea or proposal clearly
Example
The president **set forth** his vision for the nation’s economic future.
phrasal-verb

stand in for

Meaning
to take someone’s place temporarily
Example
Lisa will **stand in for** me during the client meeting tomorrow.
idiom

On the clock

Meaning
Working, often with a strict time limit or deadline.
Example
I’m **on the clock** today, so I can’t waste any time.
idiom

under the table

Meaning
done secretly or dishonestly, often involving money
Example
He was paid **under the table** to avoid taxes.
idiom

blind experiment

Meaning
a test conducted without participants knowing certain information to prevent bias
Example
The scientists conducted a **blind experiment** to ensure accuracy.
idiom

spaced out

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

spread over

Meaning
to distribute across a certain time or area
Example
The costs will be **spread over** the next three months.
phrasal-verb

hand over control

Meaning
to transfer authority or management to another party
Example
The firm will **hand over control** of its Asian operations to a local partner.
idiom

clamp down

Meaning
to take strong action to stop something
Example
The manager decided to **clamp down** on late arrivals.
idiom

butterflies in the stomach

Meaning
feeling nervous or excited
Example
I always get **butterflies in my stomach** before a date.
idiom

bear in mind

Meaning
to remember or consider something
Example
**Bear in mind** that traffic will be heavy at that time.
idiom

cut through the noise

Meaning
to stand out from the competition; to be noticed despite distractions
Example
Our campaign needs to **cut through the noise** and grab people’s attention.
phrasal-verb

open your heart to

Meaning
to express love, trust, or care freely
Example
It’s important to **open your heart to** those who care about you.
idiom

crunch the data

Meaning
to process and analyze large amounts of data
Example
The AI can **crunch the data** in seconds and give insights.
phrasal-verb

work around challenges

Meaning
to find a way to deal with or bypass difficulties during change
Example
We had to **work around challenges** to complete the migration.
idiom

spill the tea

Meaning
to share gossip or secrets
Example
Come on, **spill the tea** - what happened at the party?
phrasal-verb

talk out of

Meaning
to persuade someone not to do something
Example
I tried to **talk him out of** quitting his job.
phrasal-verb

forecast for

Meaning
to predict what will happen at a particular time in the future
Example
Experts **forecast for** heavy rainfall next month due to climate change.
phrasal-verb

hear out

Meaning
to listen to someone until they have finished speaking
Example
Please **hear me out** before making a decision.
phrasal-verb

build back

Meaning
to restore emotional strength after hardship
Example
It’s never easy to **build back** after heartbreak.
idiom

cloud computing

Meaning
the practice of using remote servers to store, manage, and process data over the internet
Example
Many businesses rely on **cloud computing** for data storage and security.
idiom

on the front line

Meaning
directly involved in the most active or dangerous part of something
Example
Doctors were **on the front line** during the pandemic.
phrasal-verb

gain from

Meaning
to get a benefit, advantage, or knowledge from something
Example
You can **gain from** every experience, even the difficult ones.
idiom

loose cannon

Meaning
an unpredictable person who may cause problems
Example
He’s a **loose cannon** who often says things without thinking.
idiom

a thorn in the flesh

Meaning
something or someone that causes continuous trouble or annoyance
Example
The new regulations have been **a thorn in the flesh** for small business owners.
phrasal-verb

pump into

Meaning
to invest a large amount of money in something
Example
They **pumped into** the real estate sector during the boom years.
idiom

to have someone's back

Meaning
To support or defend someone.
Example
Don’t worry, I **have your back** if things go wrong.
phrasal-verb

bring in income

Meaning
to earn money from work or investment
Example
She started freelancing to **bring in income** alongside her full-time job.
phrasal-verb

carry forward your progress

Meaning
to continue developing based on what you have already achieved
Example
Always try to **carry forward your progress** to the next level.
idiom

to have second thoughts

Meaning
to reconsider a decision
Example
I’m **having second thoughts** about moving abroad.
phrasal-verb

forward to

Meaning
to send a received message to another person
Example
Can you **forward** this message **to** the manager?
phrasal-verb

ease off pressure

Meaning
to reduce stress or workload to feel relaxed
Example
Take short breaks to **ease off pressure** during work.
idiom

Things will get better

Meaning
difficult situations will improve over time
Example
I know you're stressed, but remember, **things will get better**.