TOEFL Phrasal Verbs [PDF]

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1. Account for Meaning: To explain the reason for Example: Increased pollution may account for climate change. 2. Adhere to Meaning: Obey Example: You must adhere to the terms of the contract. 3. Allude to Meaning: Mention in an indirect way Example: She kept alluding to our agreement, but she didn’t want to reveal it. 4. Bring on Meaning: To cause something bad to happen, especially illness Example: His heart condition was brought on by his diet. 5. Bring up Meaning: To start discussing a subject Example: She brought the matter up very late so they didn’t have time to discuss it properly. 6. Come about Meaning: To happen, especially by chance Example: Increased unemployment has come about through automated production. 7. Cut back Meaning: To reduce Example: They are cutting back expenses. 8. Do without Meaning: To succeed in living or working without Example: We can do without help from you. 9. Embark on Meaning: To start a new project or activity, usually one that will be difficult or take time Example: After graduating from university, she embarked on a career in banking. 10. Follow through Meaning: To continue doing something until it has been completed Example: You will need to follow through with some reading if you want to master the subject. 11. Frown upon Meaning: To not approve of something Example: Failure to attend classes is frowned upon. 12. Get across Meaning: To make people understand something Example: The teacher managed to get across how important it was to attend lectures. 13. Get around Meaning: To be heard by a lot of people Example: News of his promotion got around very fast. 14. Get at Meaning: To try to suggest something without saying it directly Example: What are you getting at? Was my presentation too long? 15. Get back Meaning: To start doing something again after not doing it for a period of time. Example: Let’s get back to discussing how this happened. 16. Look forward to Meaning: To feel happy about something that is going to happen Example: I’m looking forward to meeting you later.



17. Look into Meaning: To try to discover facts about something Example: After several customers complained about late deliveries, they decided to look into the matter. 18. Make of Meaning: To understand someone or something in a certain way Example: What do you make of the teacher’s decision to shorten this course? 19. Map out Meaning: To plan in detail how something will happen Example: Her career was mapped out for her when she decided to take that job. 20. Meet up Meaning: To come together with someone Example: Let’s meet up and discuss how we are going to go about this project. 21. Narrow down Meaning: To reduce the number of possibilities Example: The detectives narrowed down the list of suspects to just two. 22. Put forward Meaning: To suggest an idea, opinion so that it can be discussed Example: The proposals were put forward last week, but the committee didn’t have time to discuss them. 23. Put off Meaning: To delay doing something especially when you don’t want to do it Example: Are you putting off writing that essay because you can’t concentrate right now? 24. Resort to Meaning: To do something unpleasant in order to solve a problem Example: We must resort to legal action of they don’t offer compensation. 25. Rule out Meaning: To stop considering something as a possibility Example: The CEO said that yearly bonuses can be ruled out in light of the financial crisis. 26. Run by Meaning: To tell someone your ideas so they can give you their opinion Example: I have a few ideas for tomorrow’s meeting. Can I run them by you? 27. Talk out of Meaning: To persuade someone not to do something Example: Her parents talked her out of living in a rented flat. 28. Think over Meaning: To consider a problem carefully Example: You should think it over before handing in your resignation. 29. Turn out Meaning: To develop in a particular way Example: The presentation turned out well, considering how little you prepared for it. 30. Verge on Meaning: To almost be in a particular state Example: His speech was so good, it was verging on genius.