I padded  

out my essay with lots of quotations.

It depends how things pan  out.

The newspapers are pandering  to the lowest common denominator of public taste.

Despite her poverty, she refused to part  with her grandmother’s ring.

His mother passed  away last year.

The whole business passed him  by.

He escaped by passing himself  off as a guard.

She passes  out at the sight of blood.

He managed to patch  up his bike after the accident.

I’m short of funds so I’ll pay you  back next week.

pad sth 'out

1 to put soft material into a piece of clothing in order to change its shape

2 to make sth such as an article, seem longer or more impressive by adding things that are
unnecessary:The report was padded out with extracts from previous documents.

pan 'out

(informal) (of events or a situation) to develop in a particular way:I’m happy with the way things have
panned out.
pander to sth/sb

(disapproving) to do what sb wants, or try to please them, especially when this is not acceptable or
reasonable:to pander to sb’s wishes Ç The speech was pandering to racial prejudice.

'part with sth

to give sth to sb else, especially sth that you would prefer to keep:Make sure you read the contract
before parting with any money.

pass sth a'round / 'round

(BrE) to give sth to another person, who gives it to sb else, etc. until everyone has seen it:Can you pass
these pictures around for everyone to look at, please?

'pass as sb/sth

= pass for sb/sth

pass a'way

1 (also pass 'on) to die. People say ‘pass away’ to avoid saying ‘die’:His mother passed away last
year.

2 to stop existing:civilizations that have passed away

pass 'by (sb/sth)

to go past:The procession passed right by my front door.

pass sb/sth 'by

to happen without affecting sb/sth:She feels that life is passing her by (= that she is not enjoying the
opportunities and pleasures of life).

pass sth 'down

[often passive] to give or teach sth to your children or people younger than you, who will then give or
teach it to those who live after them, and so on SYN  hand down

'pass for / as sb/sth

to be accepted as sb/sth:He speaks the language so well he could easily pass for a German. Ç We had
some wine—or what passes for wine in that area.

'pass into sth

to become a part of sth:Many foreign words have passed into the English language.

pass 'off

(BrE) (of an event) to take place and be completed in a particular way:The demonstration passed off
peacefully.

pass sb / yourself / sth 'off as sb/sth

to pretend that sb/sth is sth they are not:He escaped by passing himself off as a guard.

pass 'on

= pass away

pass sth 'on (to sb)

to give sth to sb else, especially after receiving it or using it yourself:Pass the book on to me when you’ve
finished with it. Ç I passed your message on to my mother. Ç Much of the discount is pocketed by
retailers instead of being passed on to customers.

pass 'out

to become unconscious SYN  faint

pass 'out (of sth)

(BrE) to leave a military college after finishing a course of training:a passing-out ceremony

pass sb 'over

to not consider sb for promotion in a job, especially when they deserve it or think that they deserve
it:He was passed over in favour of a younger man.

pass 'over sth

to ignore or avoid sth SYN  overlook:They chose to pass over her rude remarks.

pass 'through …

to go through a town, etc., stopping there for a short time but not staying:We were passing through, so
we thought we’d come and say hello.

pass sth 'up

(informal) to choose not to make use of a chance, an opportunity, etc.:Imagine passing up an offer like
that!

'level sth against / at sb

to say publicly that sb is to blame for sth, especially a crime or a mistake:The speech was intended to
answer the charges levelled against him by his opponents.

level sth' down

to make standards, amounts, etc. be of the same low or lower level:Teachers are accused of levelling
standards down to suit the needs of less able students.

level 'off / 'out

1 to stop rising or falling and remain horizontal:The plane levelled off at 1 500 feet. Ç After the long hill,
the road levelled out.

2 to stay at a steady level of development or progress after a period of sharp rises or falls:Sales have
levelled off after a period of rapid growth.

level sth 'up

to make standards, amounts, etc. be of the same high or higher level

'level with sb

(informal) to tell sb the truth and not hide any unpleasant facts from them

patch sb/sth 'through (to sb/sth)

to connect telephone or electronic equipment temporarily:She was patched through to London on the
satellite link.

patch sth to'gether

to make sth from several different parts, especially in a quick careless way:They hope to be able to patch
together a temporary settlement.

patch sth/sb 'up

1 to repair sth especially in a temporary way by adding a new piece of material or a patch:Just to
patch the boat up will cost £ 1 0 000.

2 to treat sb’s injuries, especially quickly or temporarily:The doctor will soon patch you up.

3 to try to stop arguing with sb and be friends again:They’ve managed to patch up their differences.
Ç Have you tried patching things up with her?

4 to agree on sth, especially after long discussions and even though the agreement is not exactly what
everyone wants:They managed to patch up a deal.

pay (for sth) to suffer or be punished for your beliefs or actions:You’ll pay for that remark! Ç Many
people paid with their lives (= they died).

pay sb 'back (sth) | pay sth'back (to sb)

to return money that you borrowed from sb SYN  repay:I’ll pay you back next week. Ç You can pay back
the loan over a period of three years. Ç Did he ever pay you back that $ 1 00 he owes you?

pay sb 'back (for sth)

to punish sb for making you or sb else suffer:I’ll pay him back for making me look like a fool in front of
everyone.—related noun payback

pay sth'in | pay sth 'into sth

to put money into a bank account:I paid in a cheque this morning. Ç I’d like to pay some money into my
account.

pay 'off

(informal) (of a plan or an action, especially one that involves risk) to be successful and bring good
results:The gamble paid off.
pay sb'off

1 to pay sb what they have earned and tell them to leave their job:The crew were paid off as soon
as the ship docked.

2 (informal) to give sb money to prevent them from doing sth or talking about sth illegal or
dishonest that you have done:All the witnesses had been paid off.—related noun pay-off

pay sth'off

to finish paying money owed for sth:We paid off our mortgage after fifteen years.

pay sth'out

1 to pay a large sum of money for sth:I had to pay out £5 00 to get my car repaired.—related
noun payout ò note at spend

2 to pass a length of rope through your hands

pay 'up

to pay all the money that you owe to sb, especially when you do not want to or when the payment is
late:I had a hard time getting him to pay up.ò note at spend

pin sb 'down

1 to make sb unable to move by holding them firmly:Two men pinned him down until the police
arrived.

2 to find sb and make them answer a question or tell you sth you need to know:I need the up-to-date
sales figures but I can never pin him down at the office.

pin sb'down (to sth / doing sth)

to make sb make a decision or say clearly what they think or what they intend to do:It’s difficult to pin
her down to fixing a date for a meeting.

pin sth'down

to explain or understand sth exactly:The cause of the disease is difficult to pin down precisely.

'pin sth on sb
to make sb be blamed for sth, especially for sth they did not do:No one would admit responsibility. They
all tried to pin the blame on someone else. Ç You can’t pin this one on me—I wasn’t even there!

She says she’ll come, but I can’t nail her  down to a specific time.

We’ve narrowed  down the list to three possible candidates.

He nodded  off by the fire.

There was a reporter nosing  around for news in the courthouse.

I number her  among my closest friends.

The police are  onto him about the stolen car.

The company took the initiative in opening  up markets in Eastern Europe.

Very few students are opting  for science courses.

Even as a boy he was always ordering his friends  about.

Nobody owned  up to breaking the window.

nail sth'down

1 to fasten sth down with a nail or nails

2 to reach an agreement or a decision, usually after a lot of discussion:All the parties seem anxious
to nail down a ceasefire.
nail sb'down (to sth)

to force sb to give you a definite promise or tell you exactly what they intend to do SYN  pin down:She
says she’ll come, but I can’t nail her down to a specific time.

nail sth'up

1 to fasten sth to a wall, post, etc. with a nail or nails

2 to put nails into a door or window so that it cannot be opened

narrow sth'down (to sth)

to reduce the number of possibilities or choices:We have narrowed down the list to four candidates.

nod 'off

(informal) to fall asleep for a short time while you are sitting in a chair

nose a'bout / a'round (for sth)

to look for sth, especially information about sb SYN  poke about / around:We found a man nosing
around in our backyard.

nose sth'out

(informal) to discover information about sb/sth by searching for it:Reporters nosed out all the details of
the affair.
number (sb/sth) among sth (formal) to include sb/sth in a particular group; to be included in a particular
group:[vn] I number her among my closest friends. Ç [v] He numbers among the best classical actors in
Britain.

be 'onto sb

1 (informal) to know about what sb has done wrong:She knew the police would be onto them.

2 to be talking to sb, usually in order to ask or tell them sth:They’ve been onto me for ages to get a
job.

be 'onto sth

to know about sth or be in a situation that could lead to a good result for you:Scientists believe they are
onto something big. Ç She’s onto a good thing with that new job.

'open into / onto sth

to lead to another room, area or place

open 'out

to become bigger or wider:The street opened out into a small square.

open 'out (to sb)

to become less shy and more willing to communicate

open 'up

1 to talk about what you feel and think:It helps to discuss your problems but I find it hard to open
up.

2 to begin shooting:Anti-aircraft guns opened up.

3 (often used in orders) to open a door, container, etc.:Open up or we’ll break the door down!

open sth'up |open 'up

1 to become or make sth possible, available or able to be reached:The railway opened up the east
of the country. Ç Exciting possibilities were opening up for her in the new job.
2 to begin business for the day; to start a new business:I open up the store for the day at around 8
.3 0. OPP  close up

3 to start a new business:There’s a new Thai restaurant opening up in town. OPP  close down

4 to develop or start to happen or exist; to develop or start sth:A division has opened up between the
two ministers over the issue. Ç Scott opened up a 3 -point lead in the first game.

5 to appear and become wider; to make sth wider when it is narrow or closed:The wound opened up
and started bleeding. Ç The operation will open up the blocked passages around his heart. OPP  close up

open sth'up

to make sth open that is shut, locked, etc.:She laid the book flat and opened it up.

opt (for / against sth) to choose to take or not to take a particular course of action:[v] After graduating
she opted for a career in music. Ç [v to inf] Many workers opted to leave their jobs rather than take a
pay cut.

opt 'in (to sth)

to choose to be part of a system or an agreement

opt 'out (of sth)

1 to choose not to take part in sth:Employees may opt out of the company’s pension plan.

2 (of a school or hospital in Britain) to choose not to be under the control of the local authority—
related noun opt-out

order sb a'bout / a'round

(disapproving) to keep telling sb what to do in a way that is annoying or unpleasant

own 'up (to sth / to doing sth)

to admit that you are responsible for sth bad or wrong SYN  confess:I’m still waiting for someone to own
up to the breakages.

Trust him to go and mess things  up!

Fans were milling  about in the streets after the match.

Mind  out of the way - you’re blocking the passage.

We’ll miss  out the last two verses of the song.

If I don’t go to the party, I’ll feel I’m missing out  on all the fun.

I got the bags mixed  up and gave you mine.

Stop mucking  about and finish your work!

I expect we’ll muddle  through somehow!

She resents the way her family are trying to muscle  in on her success.

Thank you for your offer - I’d like to mull it  over for a few days before I decide.

mess a'round (BrE also mess a'bout)

1 to behave in a silly and annoying way, especially instead of doing sth useful SYN  fool around:Will
you stop messing around and get on with some work?
2 to spend time doing sth for pleasure in a relaxed way:We spent the day messing around on the
river.

mess a'round with sb (BrE also mess a'bout with sb)

to have a sexual relationship with sb, especially when you should not

mess a'round with sth (BrE also mess a'bout with sth)

1 to touch or use sth in a careless and/or annoying way:Who’s been messing around with my
computer?

2 to spend time playing with sth, repairing sth, etc.

mess sb a'bout / a'round

(BrE) to treat sb in an unfair and annoying way, especially by changing your mind a lot or not doing what
you said you would

mess 'up | mess sth'up

to spoil sth or do it badly:I’ve really messed up this time. Ç If you cancel now you’ll mess up all my
arrangements.

mess sb 'up

1 (informal) to cause sb to have serious emotional or mental problems

2 (NAmE, informal) to physically hurt sb, especially by hitting them:He was messed up pretty bad by
the other guy.

mess sth 'up

to make sth dirty or untidy:I don’t want you messing up my nice clean kitchen.

'mess with sb/sth

(usually used in negative sentences) to get involved with sb/sth that may be harmful:I wouldn’t mess
with him if I were you.

mill a'round (BrE also mill a'bout)

(especially of a large group of people) to move around an area without seeming to be going anywhere in
particular:Fans were milling around outside the hotel.

—see also milling

bored 'stiff | bored to 'death / 'tears | bored out of your 'mind

extremely bored

—more at witless

be bored, frightened, pissed, stoned, etc. out of your 'mind

(informal) to be extremely bored, etc.

mind 'out

(BrE, informal) used to tell sb to move so that you can pass  SYN  watch out:Mind out—you’re in the way
there!

mind 'out (for sb/sth)

(BrE) used to warn sb of danger:Have some of my plum jam—but mind out for the stones.

miss sb/sth 'out

(BrE) to fail to include sb/sth in sth SYN  omit:I’ll just read through the form again to make sure I haven’t
missed anything out.
miss 'out (on sth)

to fail to benefit from sth useful or enjoyable by not taking part in it:Of course I’m coming—I don’t want
to miss out on all the fun!

mix-up noun

(informal) a situation that is full of confusion, especially because sb has made a mistake  SYN 
muddle:There has been a mix-up over the dates.

mix it (with sb) (BrE) (NamE mix it 'up (with sb))

(informal) to argue with sb or cause trouble

mix sth'in (with sth)

to add one substance to others, especially in cooking:Mix the remaining cream in with the sauce.

'mix sth into sth

to combine one substance with others, especially in cooking:Mix the fruit into the rest of the mixture.

'mix sth into / to sth

to produce sth by combining two or more substances, especially in cooking SYN  blend:Add the milk and
mix to a smooth dough.

mix sth'up

to change the order or arrangement of a group of things, especially by mistake or in a way that you do
not want:Someone has mixed up all the application forms.—related noun mix-up  SYN  muddle

mix sb/sth 'up (with sb/sth)

to think wrongly that sb/sth is sb/sth else SYN  confuse:I think you must be mixing me up with someone
else.—see also mixed-up

muck a'bout / a'round

(BrE, informal) to behave in a silly way, especially when you should be working or doing sth else SYN 
mess about / around

muck a'bout / a'round with sth

(BrE, informal, disapproving) to do sth, especially to a machine, so that it does not work correctly SYN 
mess about / around:Who’s mucking around with my radio?

muck sb a'bout / a'round

(BrE, informal) to treat sb badly, especially by changing your mind a lot, or by not being honest SYN 
mess sb about / around:They’ve really mucked us about over our car insurance.

muck 'in (BrE, informal)

1 to work with other people in order to complete a task:If we all muck in, we could have the job
finished by the end of the week.

2 to share food, accommodation, etc. with other people:We didn’t have much money, but everyone
just mucked in together.

muck 'out |muck sth'out

to clean out the place where an animal lives

muck sth'up (informal, especially BrE)

1 to do sth badly so that you fail to achieve what you wanted or hoped to achieve SYN  mess sth
up:He completely mucked up his English exam.

2 to spoil a plan or an arrangement SYN  mess sth up

3 to make sth dirty:I don’t want you mucking up my nice clean floor.
muddle sth (up) to put things in the wrong order or mix them up:Don’t do that—you’re muddling my
papers. Ç Their letters were all muddled up together in a drawer.

muddle sb (up) to confuse sb:Slow down a little—you’re muddling me.

muddle sb/sth (up) | muddle A (up) with B to confuse one person or thing with another SYN  mix up:I
muddled the dates and arrived a week early. Ç He got all muddled up about what went where. Ç They
look so alike, I always get them muddled up.

muddle a'long

(especially BrE) to continue doing sth without any clear plan or purpose:We can’t just keep muddling
along like this.

muddle 'through

to achieve your aims even though you do not know exactly what you are doing and do not have the
correct equipment, knowledge, etc.:We’ll muddle through somehow.

muscle 'in (on sb/sth)

(informal, disapproving) to involve yourself in a situation when you have no right to do so, in order to
get sth for yourself

mull sth'over
to spend time thinking carefully about a plan or proposal SYN  consider:I need some time to mull it over
before making a decision.

Constant arguing doesn’t make  for a happy marriage.

I can make nothing  of this scribble.

The thieves made  off in a stolen car.

She’s not as rich as people make her  out to be.

I told the children a story, making it  up as I went along.

After all the delays, we were anxious to make up  for lost time.

Thanks for buying my ticket - I’ll make it up  to you later.

The job didn’t measure  up to my expectations.

Her questions were met  with blank looks all round.

Don’t mess the files  around, I’ve just put them in order.

make sth of sb/sth | make sth sth to cause sb/sth to be or become sth:[vn]
This isn’t very important—I don’t want to make an issue of it. Ç Don’t make a habit of it. Ç You’ve made
a terrible mess of this job. Ç It’s important to try and make something of (= achieve sth in) your life. Ç
We’ll make a tennis player of you yet. Ç [vn-n] I made painting the house my project for the summer. Ç
She made it her business to find out who was responsible.

'make for sth

1 to move towards sth SYN  head for

2 to help to make sth possible:Constant arguing doesn’t make for a happy marriage.

—see also be made for sb / each other at made

'make sb/sth into sb/sth

to change sb/sth into sb/sth SYN  turn into:We’re making our attic into an extra bedroom.

'make sth of sb/sth

to understand the meaning or character of sb/sth:What do you make of it all? Ç I can’t make anything of
this note. Ç I don’t know what to make of (= think of) the new manager.

make 'off

to hurry away, especially in order to escape

make 'off with sth

to steal sth and hurry away with it

make 'out (informal)

1 used to ask if sb managed well or was successful in a particular situation:How did he make out
while his wife was away?

2 (NAmE, informal) make (with sb) to kiss and touch sb in a sexual way; to have sex with sb

make sb 'out

to understand sb’s character

make sb/sth'out

1 to manage to see sb/sth or read or hear sth SYN  distinguish:I could just make out a figure in the
darkness. Ç [+ wh-] I could hear voices but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.ò note at identify

2 to say that sth is true when it may not be SYN  claim:She’s not as rich as people make out. Ç
[+ that] He made out that he had been robbed. Ç [+ to inf] She makes herself out to be smarter than she
really is.

make sth'out

1 to write out or complete a form or document:He made out a cheque for ê 1 00. Ç The doctor
made out a prescription for me.

2 (used in negative sentences and questions) to understand sth; to see the reasons for sth:How do
you make that out (= what are your reasons for thinking that)? Ç [+ wh-] I can’t make out what she
wants.

make sth'over (to sb/sth)

1 to legally give sth to sb:He made over the property to his eldest son.

2 to change sth in order to make it look different or use it for a different purpose; to give sb a
different appearance by changing their clothes, hair, etc. SYN  transform—related noun makeover

'make towards sth

to start moving towards sth:He made towards the door.

make 'up | make yourself / sb'up

to put powder, lipstick, etc. on your/sb’s face to make it more attractive or to prepare for an appearance
in the theatre, on television, etc.—related noun make-up ( 1 )

make sth'up

1 to form sth SYN  constitute:Women make up 5 6 of the student numbers.—related noun

make-up ò note at consist of

2 to put sth together from several different things—related noun make-up

3 to invent a story, etc., especially in order to trick or entertain sb:He made up some excuse about
his daughter being sick. Ç I told the kids a story, making it up as I went along. Ç You made that up!

4 to complete a number or an amount required:We need one more person to make up a team.

5 to replace sth that has been lost; to compensate for sth:Can I leave early this afternoon and make
up the time tomorrow?
6 to prepare a medicine by mixing different things together

7 to prepare a bed for use; to create a temporary bed:We made up the bed in the spare room. Ç They
made up a bed for me on the sofa.

make 'up for sth

to do sth that corrects a bad situation SYN  compensate:Nothing can make up for the loss of a child. Ç
After all the delays, we were anxious to make up for lost time. Ç Her enthusiasm makes up for her lack of
experience.

make 'up (to sb) for sth

to do sth for sb or give them sth because you have caused them trouble, suffering or disappointment
and wish to show that you are sorry SYN  compensate:How can I make up for the way I’ve treated you?
Ç (informal) I’ll make it up to you, I promise.

make 'up to sb

(BrE, informal, disapproving) to be pleasant to sb, praise them, etc. especially in order to get an
advantage for yourself

make 'up (with sb) (BrE also make it 'up)

to end a disagreement with sb and become friends again:Why don’t you two kiss and make up? Ç Has he
made it up with her yet? Ç Have they made it up yet?

'measure sb/sth against sb/sth

to compare sb/sth with sb/sth:The figures are not very good when measured against those of our
competitors.

measure sth'out

to take the amount of sth that you need from a larger amount:He measured out a cup of milk and added
it to the mixture.

measure 'up |measure sb/sth'up

to measure sb/sth:We spent the morning measuring up and deciding where the furniture would go.

measure 'up (to sth/sb)

(usually used in negative sentences and questions) to be as good, successful, etc. as expected or
needed SYN  match up:Last year’s intake just didn’t measure up. Ç The job failed to measure up to her
expectations.

'match sth against sth

to compare sth with sth else in order to find things that are the same or similar:New information is
matched against existing data in the computer.

'match sb/sth against / with sb/sth

to arrange for sb to compete in a game or competition against sb else:We are matched against last
year’s champions in the first round.

match 'up (to sb/sth)

(usually used in negative sentences) to be as good, interesting, successful as sb/sth SYN  measure up:The
trip failed to match up to her expectations.

match 'up (with sth)

to be the same or similar SYN  tally, agree:The suspects' stories just don’t match up.

match sth'up (with sth)

to find things that belong together or that look attractive together:She spent the morning matching up
orders with invoices.
meet 'up (with sb)

to meet sb, especially by arrangement:They met up again later for a drink.

'meet with sb

(especially NAmE) to meet sb, especially for discussions:The President met with senior White House
aides.

'meet with sth

1 to be received or treated by sb in a particular way:Her proposal met with resistance from the Left.
Ç to meet with success / failure

2 to experience sth unpleasant:She was worried that he might have met with an accident.

'meet sth with sth

to react to sth in a particular way SYN  receive:His suggestion was met with howls of protest.

I’m getting married next week, but please don’t let  on to anyone, will you?

We mustn’t let  up, even though we’re winning.

Squalor and poverty lay  behind the city’s glittering façade.

Life has often been likened  to a journey.

He’s lined  up a live band for the party.

You can’t live  on 2 00 calories a day.

He finds it hard to live  up to his mother's ideals.

He has to live  with the dreadful knowledge that he caused their deaths.

Put on some music to liven things  up.

It’s down to you now to look  after the family business.

let sb down

to fail to help or support sb as they had hoped or expected:I’m afraid she let us down badly. Ç This
machine won’t let you down. Ç He trudged home feeling lonely and let down.—related noun let-down

let sb/sth'down

to make sb/sth less successful than they/it should be:She speaks French very fluently, but her
pronunciation lets her down.

let sth'down

1 to let or make sth go down:We let the bucket down by a rope.

2 to make a dress, skirt, coat, etc. longer, by reducing the amount of material that is folded over at
the bottom OPP  take up

3 (BrE) to allow the air to escape from sth deliberately:Some kids had let my tyres down.

let sb / yourself 'in for sth

(informal) to involve sb/yourself in sth that is likely to be unpleasant or difficult:I volunteered to help,
and then I thought ‘Oh no, what have I let myself in for!’

let sb 'in on sth | let sb 'into sth

(informal) to allow sb to share a secret:Are you going to let them in on your plans?

let sth 'into sth

to put sth into the surface of sth so that it does not stick out from it:a window let into a wall
let sb 'off (with sth)

to not punish sb for sth they have done wrong, or to give them only a light punishment:They let us off
lightly. Ç She was let off with a warning.

let sb 'off sth

(BrE) to allow sb not to do sth or not to go somewhere:He let us off homework today.

let sth 'off

to fire a gun or make a bomb, etc. explode:The boys were letting off fireworks.

let 'on (to sb)

(informal) to tell a secret:I’m getting married next week, but please don’t let on to anyone. Ç [+ that] She
let on that she was leaving.

let 'out

(NAmE) (of school classes, films / movies, meetings, etc.) to come to an end, so that it is time for people
to leave:The movie has just let out.

let sb 'out

to make sb stop feeling that they are involved in sth or have to do sth:They think the attacker was very
tall—so that lets you out.—related noun let-out

let sth 'out

1 to give a cry, etc.:to let out a scream of terror Ç to let out a gasp of delight OPP  hold in

2 to make a shirt, coat, etc. looser or larger OPP  take in

let 'up (informal)

1 to become less strong:The pain finally let up.

2 to make less effort:We mustn’t let up now.

—related noun let-up

lay sth (down) to put sth down, especially on the floor, ready to be used:to lay a carpet / cable / pipe Ç
The foundations of the house are being laid today. Ç (figurative) They had laid the groundwork for future
development.
lay A (on / over B) | lay B with A to spread sth on sth; to cover sth with a layer of sth:Before they
started they laid newspaper on the floor. Ç The floor was laid with newspaper. Ç The grapes were laid to
dry on racks.

lay a'bout sb (with sth)

(BrE) to attack sb violently:The gang laid about him with sticks.

lay a'bout you / yourself (with sth)

(BrE) to hit sb/sth without control or move your arms or legs violently in all directions:She laid about
herself with her stick to keep the dogs off.

lay sth a'side (formal)

1 to put sth on one side and not use it or think about it SYN  set aside:He laid aside his book and
stood up. Ç (figurative) Doctors have to lay their personal feelings aside.

2 (also lay sth 'by) to keep sth to use, or deal with later SYN  put aside:They had laid money aside for
their old age.

lay sth'down

1 to put sth down or stop using it SYN  put down:She laid the book down on the table. Ç Both sides
were urged to lay down their arms (= stop fighting).

2 (formal) to stop doing a job, etc.:to lay down your duties

3 if you lay down a rule or a principle, you state officially that people must obey it or use it:You can’t
lay down hard and fast rules. Ç [+ that] It is laid down that all candidates must submit three copies of
their dissertation.

4 [usually passive] to produce sth that is stored and gradually increases:If you eat too much, the
surplus is laid down as fat.

lay sth 'in / 'up

to collect and store sth to use in the future:to lay in food supplies

lay 'into sb/sth

(informal) to attack sb violently with blows or words:His parents really laid into him for wasting so much
money.

lay 'off | lay 'off sb/sth

(informal) used to tell sb to stop doing sth:Lay off me will you—it’s nothing to do with me. Ç [+ -ing] Lay
off bullying Jack.

lay 'off sth

(informal) to stop using sth:I think you’d better lay off fatty foods for a while.

lay sb'off

to stop employing sb because there is not enough work for them to do  SYN  make sb redundant—
related noun lay-off

lay sth'on

(BrE, informal) to provide sth for sb, especially food or entertainment:to lay on food and drink Ç A bus
has been laid on to take guests to the airport.

lay sth 'on sb

(informal) to make sb have to deal with sth unpleasant or difficult:Stop laying a guilt trip on me (=
making me feel guilty).

lay sb'out

1 to knock sb unconscious

2 to prepare a dead body to be buried

lay sth'out

1 to spread sth out so that it can be seen easily or is ready to use:He laid the map out on the table.
Ç [+adj] Lay the material out flat.

2 [often passive] to plan how sth should look and arrange it in this way:The gardens were laid out
with lawns and flower beds. Ç a well laid out magazine—related noun layout

3 to present a plan, an argument, etc. clearly and carefully SYN  set out:All the terms and conditions
are laid out in the contract.

4 (informal) to spend money SYN  fork out:I had to lay out a fortune on a new car.—related noun
outlay

lay 'over (at / in … )

(NAmE) to stay somewhere for a short time during a long journey—related noun layover—see also stop
over

lay sb 'up

[usually passive] if sb is laid up, they are unable to work, etc. because of an illness or injury:She’s laid up
with a broken leg.

lay sth 'up

1 = lay sth in

2 if you lay up problems or trouble for yourself, you do sth that will cause you problems later

3 to stop using a ship or other vehicle while it is being repaired

'liken sth/sb to sth/sb

(formal) to compare one thing or person to another and say they are similar:Life is often likened to a
journey.

line 'up

to stand in a line or row; to form a queue / line:Line up, children! Ç Cars lined up waiting to board the
ship.

line sb/sth'up

1 to arrange people or things in a straight line or row:The suspects were lined up against the wall. Ç
He lined the bottles up along the shelf.

2 to arrange for an event or activity to happen, or arrange for sb to be available to do sth:Mark had
a job lined up when he left college. Ç I’ve got a lot lined up this week (= I’m very busy). Ç She’s lined up a
live band for the party.

line sth'up (with sth)

to move one thing into a correct position in relation to another thing

come through sth , come through phrasal verb came , come

to get better after a serious illness or an operation; to avoid injury or damage
With such a weak heart she was lucky to come through the operation. ◇ If you've ever done something
dangerous and come through unscathed , you'll know what I mean about this feeling.

'live by sth

to follow a particular belief or set of principles:That’s a philosophy I could live by.

'live by doing sth

to earn money or to get the things you need by doing a particular thing:a community that lives by fishing

live sth'down

to be able to make people forget about sth embarrassing you have done:She felt so stupid. She’d never
be able to live it down.

'live for sb/sth

to think that sb/sth is the main purpose of or the most important thing in your life:She lives for her
work. Ç After his wife died, he had nothing to live for.

live 'in

to live at the place where you work or study:They have an au pair living in.—see also live-in

'live off sb/sth

(often disapproving) to receive the money you need to live from sb/sth because you do not have any
yourself:She’s still living off her parents. Ç to live off welfare

'live off sth

to have one particular type of food as the main thing you eat in order to live:He seems to live off junk
food.

live 'on

to continue to live or exist:She died ten years ago but her memory lives on.

'live on sth

1 to eat a particular type of food to live:Small birds live mainly on insects.

2 (often disapproving) to eat only or a lot of a particular type of food:She lives on burgers.

3 to have enough money for the basic things you need to live:You can’t live on forty pounds a week.

live 'out

to live away from the place where you work or study:Some college students will have to live out.

live 'out sth

1 to actually do what you have only thought about doing before:to live out your fantasies

2 to spend the rest of your life in a particular way:He lived out his days alone.

live 'through sth

to experience a disaster or other unpleasant situation and survive it:He has lived through two world
wars.

'live together (also 'live with sb)

1 to live in the same house

2 to share a home and have a sexual relationship without being married SYN  cohabit

live 'up to sth

to do as well as or be as good as other people expect you to:He failed to live up to his parents'
expectations. Ç The team called ‘The No-Hopers’ certainly lived up to its name.

'live with sb

= live together

'live with sth

to accept sth unpleasant:I just had to learn to live with the pain.

liven 'up | liven sb/sth 'up

to become or to make sb/sth more interesting or exciting:The game didn’t liven up till the second half. Ç
Let’s put some music on to liven things up.
look 'after yourself / sb / sth (especially BrE)

1 to be responsible for or to take care of sb/sth:Who’s going to look after the children while you’re
away? Ç I’m looking after his affairs while he’s in hospital. Ç Don’t worry about me—I can look after
myself (= I don’t need any help).ò note at care

2 to make sure that things happen to sb’s advantage:He’s good at looking after his own interests.

look a'head (to sth)

to think about what is going to happen in the future

look a'round / 'round

to turn your head so that you can see sth:People came out of their houses and looked around.

look a'round / 'round (sth)

to visit a place or building, walking around it to see what is there:Let’s look round the town this
afternoon.

look a'round / 'round for sth

to search for sth in a number of different places:We’re looking around for a house in this area.

'look at sth

1 to examine sth closely:Your ankle’s swollen—I think the doctor ought to look at it. Ç I haven’t had
time to look at (= read) the papers yet.

2 to think about, consider or study sth:The implications of the new law will need to be looked at.

3 to view or consider sth in a particular way:Looked at from that point of view, his decision is easier
to understand.

look 'back (on sth)

to think about sth in your past SYN  reflect on:to look back on your childhood

look 'down on sb/sth

to think that you are better than sb/sth:She looks down on people who haven’t been to college.

'look for sth

to hope for sth; to expect sth:We shall be looking for an improvement in your work this term.
look 'forward to sth

to be thinking with pleasure about sth that is going to happen (because you expect to enjoy it):I’m
looking forward to the weekend. Ç [+ -ing] We’re really looking forward to seeing you again.

look 'in (on sb)

to make a short visit to a place, especially sb’s house when they are ill / sick or need help:She looks in on
her elderly neighbour every evening. Ç Why don’t you look in on me next time you’re in town?

look 'into sth

to examine sth:A working party has been set up to look into the problem.

look 'on

to watch sth without becoming involved in it yourself:Passers-by simply looked on as he was attacked.—
related noun onlooker

'look on sb/sth as sb/sth

to consider sb/sth to be sb/sth:She’s looked on as the leading authority on the subject.

'look on sb/sth with sth

to consider sb/sth in a particular way SYN  regard:They looked on his behaviour with contempt.

look 'out

used to warn sb to be careful, especially when there is danger  SYN  watch out:Look out! There’s a car
coming.

look 'out for sb

to take care of sb and make sure nothing bad happens to them

look 'out for sb/sth

1 to try to avoid sth bad happening or doing sth bad SYN  watch out:You should look out for
pickpockets. Ç Do look out for spelling mistakes in your work.

2 to keep trying to find sth or meet sb:I’ll look out for you at the conference.—related noun lookout

look 'out for sb / yourself

to think only of sb’s/your own advantage, without worrying about other people:You should look out for
yourself from now on.

look sth'out (for sb/sth)

(BrE) to search for sth from among your possessions:I’ll look out those old photographs you wanted to
see.

look sth'over

to examine sth to see how good, big, etc. it is:We looked over the house again before we decided we
would rent it.

look 'round

(BrE) to turn your head to see sb/sth behind you:She looked round when she heard the noise.

look 'through sb

[no passive] to ignore sb by pretending not to see them:She just looked straight through me.

'look through sth

[no passive] to examine or read sth quickly:She looked through her notes before the exam.

'look to sb for sth | 'look to sb to do sth

(formal) to rely on or expect sb to provide sth or do sth:We are looking to you for help.

'look to sth

(formal) to consider sth and think about how to make it better:We need to look to ways of improving
our marketing.

look 'up

(informal) (of business, sb’s situation, etc.) to become better SYN  improve:At last things were beginning
to look up.

look 'up (from sth)

to raise your eyes when you are looking down at sth:She looked up from her book as I entered the
room.

look sb 'up

[no passive] (informal) to visit or make contact with sb, especially when you have not seen them for a
long time:Do look me up the next time you’re in London.

look sth'up

to look for information in a dictionary or reference book, or by using a computer:Can you look up the
opening times on the website? Ç I looked it up in the dictionary.
look 'up to sb

to admire or respect sb

In a bitter article he lashed  out at his critics.

He really laid  into her, saying she was arrogant and unfeeling.

Lay  out the options before making a decision.

She’s laid  up with a broken leg.

Excessive patriotism can lead  to xenophobia.

She leapt  at the chance of going to America.

It is a novel which lends itself well  to dramatization for television.

I’m afraid she let us  down badly.

I volunteered to help, and then I thought ‘Oh no, what have I let myself  in for!’

The policeman let me  off with a lecture about speeding.

pick your 'way (across, along, among, over, through sth)

to walk carefully, choosing the safest, driest, etc. place to put your feet:She picked her way delicately
over the rough ground.

hammer sth out phrasal verb ( rather informal )

to discuss a plan or idea until everyone agrees or a decision is made
He failed to hammer out a deal with the team boss.
A new four-year contract was hammered out between the company and the airlines.
thrash sth out phrasal verb ( rather informal )
to discuss a situation or problem thoroughly until everyone agrees or a solution is found
The details have not been thrashed out yet.
Terms are still being thrashed out with the buyers. ◇ If it's going to be a problem, we'd better thrash it
out now before we get started.

lash 'out (at sb/sth)

1 to suddenly try to hit sb:She suddenly lashed out at the boy.

2 to criticize sb in an angry way:In a bitter article he lashed out at his critics.

lash 'out on sth

(BrE, informal) to spend a lot of money on sth

leap (in sth) a sudden large change or increase in sth:a leap in profits

'leap at sth

to accept a chance or an opportunity quickly and with enthusiasm SYN  jump at:I leapt at the chance to
go to France.

seize on sth , seize upon sth phrasal verb

to suddenly show a lot of interest in sth, especially because you can use it to your advantage
Peter seized on her last comment. ◇ The rumours were eagerly seized upon by the local press.
People might seize on/upon anything that sb does or says if they want to criticize them or publish details
of it.

shy a way from sth phrasal verb

to avoid doing sth because you are nervous, afraid or shy
Hugh never shied away from his responsibilities. ◇ The newspapers have shied away from investigating
the story.
Typical collocates of shy away from sth are question , subject , idea , prospect , commitment , truth ,
publicity and scandal .
shrink from sth phrasal verb ( written )
to be unwilling to do sth that is difficult or unpleasant
We made it clear to them that we would not shrink from confrontation. ◇ They did not shrink from doing
what was right.

flick through sth phrasal verb [ no passive ]

to quickly turn the pages of a book, magazine, etc. and look at them without reading everything
She was flicking through the pages of a magazine. ◇ I've only had time to flick through your report but it
seems to be fine.
Jill picked up my exercise book and started flicking through it. ◇ Flicking through the local paper, I
came across a picture of my old school.
look through sth phrasal verb [ no passive ]
to turn the pages of a book, magazine, etc., and look at them without reading everything
I caught him looking through my confidential files. ◇ She looked through her notes before the exam.
NOTE FLICK THROUGH STH OR LOOK THROUGH STH? If you flick through sth you do it more quickly than if
you look through sth , which is usually more deliberate. You might just look through a report if you felt
that it did not need more atttention, but you would not apologize for this: I've looked through your report
and it's fine. ◇ I've only had time to look through your report.
leaf through sth phrasal verb [ no passive ]
to quickly turn the pages of a book, without reading them or looking at them closely, especially in order
to find sth in particular
She leafed through the guide book until she found the page she wanted.
He sat on the bed and began to leaf through the pages. ◇ He was leafing through the telephone book,
trying to find Jane's number.
dip into sth phrasal verb -pp- [ no passive ]
to read only parts of sth
It's a good book to dip into now and again.
I haven't read the whole book, but I dip into it sometimes.
scan / BrE ; AmE / -nn- [ T , I ]
to read sth quickly but not very carefully and not reading every word, especially in order to find particular
information
I scanned the list quickly, looking for my name. ◇ She scanned through the newspaper over breakfast. ◇
You should teach students to scan for essential information.
skim / BrE ; AmE / -mm- [ T , I ]
to read sth quickly in order to find the main points or a particular point
I always skim the financial section of the newspaper. ◇ He skimmed through the article trying to find his
name.
NOTE SCAN OR SKIM? Sometimes you can use either word: I scanned/skimmed the list until I found my
name. However, scan is usually used when you are looking for particular information; skim is more often
used when you want to get a general idea of what sth is about. You do not ‘skim for sth’ : Teach students
to skim for essential information.
plough through sth ( BrE ) ( AmE plow through sth ) phrasal verb [ no passive ]
to make slow progress through a difficult or boring book or document, etc
I had to plough through dozens of legal documents.

'lend itself to sth

to be suitable for sth:Her voice doesn’t really lend itself well to blues singing.

Come on, keep  at it, you’ve nearly finished!

They don’t keep anything  from each other.

It’s best to keep  in with the boss.

Please keep  off politics while my father’s here.

He’s incompetent and not worth keeping  on.

Try to keep  out of the rain.

If you're going to work with me, you have to keep  to our agreement.

My aunt keeps herself  to herself most of the time.

They sang songs to keep their morale  up.

I can’t keep  up with all the changes in information technology.

keep / BrE ; AmE / kept , kept [ T ]

to do what you have promised or agreed to do
She kept her promise to visit them. ◇ He failed to keep his appointment at the clinic. ◇ If we all keep to
the agreement there won't be any problems.
It was difficult for the team to keep to the plan.
OPP break ⇨ BREAK   4
keep / BrE ; AmE / kept , kept [ T ]
to do what you have promised or agreed to do
She kept her promise to visit them. ◇ He failed to keep his appointment at the clinic. ◇ If we all keep to
the agreement there won't be any problems.
It was difficult for the team to keep to the plan.
OPP break ⇨ BREAK   4
deliver / BrE ; AmE / [ I , T ] ( rather informal , especially journalism or business )
to do what you promised to do or what you are expected to do; to produce or provide what people expect
you to
He has promised to finish the job by June and I am sure he will deliver. ◇ She always delivers on her
promises. ◇ If you can't deliver improved sales figures, you're fired. ◇ The team delivered a stunning
victory last night.
They discussed the failure of successive governments to deliver economic growth.
Deliver is usually used to talk about producing what is expected in business or sport: to deliver a (high-
quality) service/product/range of benefits/left hook/victory
honour / BrE ; AmE / ( BrE ) ( AmE honor ) [ T ] ( formal )
to do what you have promised or agreed to do
I have every intention of honouring our contract. ◇ She is determined to honour her husband's dying
wish. ◇ The bank refused to honour the cheque ( = to pay it ) .
They have failed to honour the peace agreement.
NOTE KEEP OR HONOUR? You can keep or honour a promise, agreement or your word : in these
collocations honour is much more formal than keep . You can also keep an appointment or engagement
or honour sb's wishes : He failed to honour his appointment. ◇ She is determined to keep her husband's
dying wish.
carry sth out / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb
to do what you have said you will do or what you have decided to do
He carried out his threat after being released from prison.
They never actually carried out their plan.
follow through / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb ( AmE , rather informal )
to do what you have said you will do or what you have decided to do
It's up to you to follow through with the plan. ◇ You've vowed to stay in shape during your pregnancy —
but will you follow through?
He has proved he can follow through on his promises.
NOTE CARRY STH OUT OR FOLLOW THROUGH? You can carry out or follow through on a promise or threat .
Follow through is more informal, but is used mostly in American English. Carry sth out is used with a
wider range of collocates, including plan, resolution, commitment, responsibility and engagement . You
can also carry out what sb else has asked you to do:
See also carry sth out ⇨ FOLLOW   3
stand by sth / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb stood , stood
to still believe or agree with sth you said, decided or agreed earlier
She still stands by every word she said.
Other typical collocates of stand by sth are findings , opinion , decision and story .

hang on phrasal verb hung , hung ( rather informal , especially journalism )

to continue trying to do or achieve sth in difficult circumstances
The team hung on for victory.
to continue in difficult circumstances
The business struggled along for some time. ◇ Life is hard but we all have to struggle on.
Struggle along/on suggests a sense of tiredness and difficulty rather than great enthusiasm or a strong
desire to achieve sth.

keep from sth , keep yourself from sth phrasal verb kept , kept
to stop yourself from doing sth, especially showing an emotion
She could hardly heep herself from laughing out loud. ◇ Caroline bit her lip to keep from telling him
how wrong he was.

keep from sth , keep yourself from sth phrasal verb kept , kept
to stop yourself from doing sth, especially showing an emotion
She could hardly heep herself from laughing out loud. ◇ Caroline bit her lip to keep from telling him
how wrong he was.
repress / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( rather formal )
to try hard not to feel or show an emotion
He burst in, making no effort to repress his fury. ◇ They tend to hide their emotions and repress their
desires.
►  repression / BrE ; AmE / noun [ U ]: sexual repression
NOTE SUPPRESS OR REPRESS? Repress is less frequent and more formal than suppress . Suppress is used
more often to describe a deliberate effort to prevent your feelings being seen by other people; repress is a
slightly stronger word, often suggesting that you do not want your inner feelings to be expressed at all,
even to yourself.
hold sth back / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb held , held
to stop yourself expressing how you really feel, especially through laughing or crying
He bravely held back his tears. ◇ At times he could barely hold back his impatience.
go on / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb goes , went , gone ( especially spoken )
(of a situation) to continue without changing, especially when you feel that it needs to change
This cannot be allowed to go on. ◇ How much longer will this hot weather go on for? ◇ We can't go on
like this — we seem to be always arguing.
How long has the affair been going on? ◇ The fight for justice goes on.
carry on / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb ( especially BrE , especially spoken )
to continue moving
Carry on until you get to the junction, then turn left.
keep on phrasal verb kept , kept ( especially spoken )
to continue
The rain kept on all day. ◇ Keep on until you get to the church.
Keep on sometimes suggests that sb/sth continues for a long time in a very determined and/or annoying
way.
drag on / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb -gg- ( disapproving )
to go on for too long
The dispute has dragged on for months.

keep sb/sth out phrasal verb kept , kept

to prevent sb/sth from entering a place
Keep that dog out of my study! ◇ They took security precautions to keep intruders out. ◇ The house has
extra insulation to keep out the cold.
OPP let sb in ⇨ LET SB IN

exclude [ T , often passive ]

to prevent sb/sth from entering a place or taking part in sth
Women are still excluded from some golf clubs. ◇ Large multinationals can make bids which effectively
exclude local firms. ◇ Many local people feel excluded from decisions that affect their own community.
The panel recommended that he also be excluded from serving on any committees. ◇ She saw herself as
an outsider trying to enter a world that sought to exclude her.
In British English, exclude can also mean to forbid a student to attend school for a time because of bad
behaviour: ( BrE ) Concern is growing over the number of children excluded from school. In American
English use expel .
OPP admit ⇨ LET SB IN , involve ⇨ INCLUDE   1
►  exclusion / BrE ; AmE / noun [ U , C ]: ( rather formal ) the causes of social exclusion ◇ ( BrE ) Two
exclusions from one school in the same week is unusual.
expel / BrE ; AmE / -ll- [ T ]
to officially make sb leave a school or an organization, usually because they have broken the rules or
done sth wrong
She was expelled from school at 1 5 . ◇ A number of Olympic athletes were expelled for drug-
taking. ◇ They were forcibly expelled from their farm by the occupying authorities.
All four MPs were expelled from the party for disloyalty.
►  expulsion / BrE ; AmE / noun [ U , C ]: The principal threatened the three girls with expulsion.
The club faces expulsion from the football league.
keep sb/sth out phrasal verb kept , kept
to prevent sb/sth from entering a place
Keep that dog out of my study! ◇ They took security precautions to keep intruders out. ◇ The house has
extra insulation to keep out the cold.
OPP let sb in ⇨ LET SB IN
drop / BrE ; AmE / -pp- [ T ]
to no longer include sb in a team or group
She's been dropped from the team because of injury.
shut sb/sth out / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb shutting , shut , shut
to prevent sb/sth from entering a place
Mum, Ben keeps shutting me out of the bedroom! ◇ They make sunglasses which shut out 9 9 of the
sun's harmful rays. ◇ He carefully locked the door behind him, shutting out the world.
NOTE EXCLUDE, KEEP SB/STH OUT OR SHUT SB/STH OUT? Exclude is slightly more formal and usually refers to
a rule or policy which stops sb from entering a place, such as a building or event. Keep sb/sth out and
shut sb/sth out are slightly more informal and usually refer to sth which physically stops sb from
entering a place. Shut sb/sth out emphasizes the idea of a physical barrier, such as a door.
ostracize ( BrE also -ise ) / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( formal )
(of a group of people) to refuse to let sb be a member of a social group; to refuse to meet or talk to sb
He was ostracized by his colleagues for refusing to support the strike. ◇ The regime risks being
ostracized by the international community.
blacklist / BrE ; AmE / [ T ]
to put the name of sb/sth on a list of people, products or countries that an organization or government
considers unacceptable or that must be avoided
She was blacklisted by all the major Hollywood studios because of her political views. ◇ At present,
anything except specifically blacklisted substances can be dumped at sea.
The list of people, products or countries is called a blacklist : a blacklist of countries where illegal
copying of software is thought to be widespread
excommunicate / BrE ; AmE / [ T ]
to punish sb by officially stating that they can no longer be a member of a Christian Church, especially
the Roman Catholic Church
The Vatican upheld its decision to excommunicate seven women who were ordained as priests last year.
►  excommunication / BrE ; AmE / noun [ U , C ]: They were threatened with excommunication.
maintain / BrE ; AmE / [ T ]
to keep sth such as a building or machine in good condition by checking or repairing it regularly
The house is large and difficult to maintain . ◇ The grounds are beautifully maintained .
The wheel spats collect debris and make it difficult to maintain the brakes. ◇ I do a lot of mechanical
work and I maintain my own car.
See also maintenance ⇨ REPAIR verb , maintain ⇨ MAINTAIN   1
preserve / BrE ; AmE / [ T , often passive ]
to keep sth in its original state in good condition
Three miles away is a perfectly preserved stretch of Roman road. ◇ ( humorous ) Is he really 6 0? He's
remarkably well preserved.
This vase has been preserved intact. ◇ The National Trust preserves the house and its grounds.
See also preserve ⇨ MAINTAIN   1
►  preservation / BrE ; AmE / noun [ U ]: building/environmental preservation
service / BrE ; AmE / [ T , usually passive ]
to examine a vehicle or machine and repair it if necessary so that it continues to work correctly
We need to have the car serviced. ◇ Gas appliances should be regularly serviced.
The car had just been serviced and was running perfectly. ◇ The mechanic who services our car has set
up his own business.
See also service , servicing ⇨ REPAIR verb
keep sth up phrasal verb
to take care of a place, house or garden so that it stays in good condition
We can't stay in this house — we simply don't have the money to keep it up.
See also upkeep ⇨ REPAIR

carry on / BrE ; AmE / carry sth on / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb ( especially spoken )
to continue doing sth
Carry on with your work while I'm away. ◇ After he left I just tried to carry on as normal ( = do the
things I usually do ) . ◇ He carried on peeling the potatoes.
Carry on the good work!
keep sth up , keep up with sth phrasal verb kept , kept
to continue sth at the same, usually high, level; to continue to pay or do sth regularly
The enemy kept up the bombardment day and night. ◇ Well done! Keep up the good work/Keep it up. ◇ If
you do not keep up with the payments you could lose your home.
We're having difficulty keeping up with our mortgage payments.
press a head , press on phrasal verb
to continue with an activity or journey in a determined way
The company is pressing ahead with its plans for a new warehouse. ◇ ‘Shall we stay here for the night?’
‘No, let's press on.’
stick with sb/sth phrasal verb [ no passive ] ( informal )
to continue with sth; to continue doing sth
They decided to stick with their original plan. ◇ Even if you find it hard at first, stick with it — it will get
easier with practice.
Stick with sb/sth is often used to talk about not changing or moving away from what you already know:
to stick with the old system/the original plan/what you know/what you already have/the status quo
keep (on) doing sth to continue doing sth; to do sth repeatedly:Keep smiling! Ç Don’t keep on
interrupting me!

keep sth (for sb) | keep sb sth (especially BrE) to save sth for sb:[vn, vnn] Please keep a seat for me. Ç
Please keep me a seat.

keep a secret | keep sth secret (from sb) to know sth and not tell it to anyone:[vn] Can you keep a
secret? Ç [vn-adj] She kept her past secret from us all.

PROMISE / APPOINTMENT

[vn] keep your promise / word | keep an appointment to do what you have promised to do; to go
where you have agreed to go:She kept her promise to visit them. Ç He failed to keep his appointment at
the clinic.

DIARY / RECORD

[vn] keep a diary, an account, a record, etc. to write down sth as a record:She kept a diary for over
twenty years. Ç Keep a note of where each item can be found.

SUPPORT SB

[vn] to provide what is necessary for sb to live; to support sb by paying for food, etc.:He scarcely earns
enough to keep himself and his family.

PROTECT

[vn] keep sb (from sth) (formal) to protect sb from sth:May the Lord bless you and keep you (= used in
prayers in the Christian Church). Ç His only thought was to keep the boy from harm.

IN SPORT

[vn] keep goal / wicket (BrE) (in football (soccer), hockey, cricket, etc.) to guard or protect the goal or
wicket—see also goalkeeper, wicketkeeper

keep sb 'after

(NAmE) = keep sb back ( 1 )

keep 'at sth

to continue working at sth:Come on, keep at it, you’ve nearly finished!

keep sb 'at sth

to make sb continue working at sth:He kept us at it all day.

keep a'way (from sb/sth)

to avoid going near sb/sth:Keep away from the edge of the cliff.

keep sb/sth a'way (from sb/sth)

to prevent sb/sth from going somewhere:Her illness kept her away from work for several weeks.

keep 'back (from sb/sth)

to stay at a distance from sb/sth:Keep well back from the road.

keep sb'back

1 (BrE) (NAmE keep sb 'after) to make a student stay at school after normal hours as a punishment

2 (NAmE) to make a student repeat a year at school because of poor marks / grades

keep sb'back (from sb/sth)

to make sb stay at a distance from sb/sth:Barricades were erected to keep back the crowds.

keep sth'back

1 to prevent a feeling, etc. from being expressed SYN  restrain:She was unable to keep back her
tears.

2 to continue to have a part of sth:He kept back half the money for himself.

keep sth'back (from sb)

to refuse to tell sb sth:I’m sure she’s keeping something back from us.

keep 'down

to hide yourself by not standing up straight:Keep down! You mustn’t let anyone see you.

keep sb'down

to prevent a person, group, etc. from expressing themselves freely:The people have been kept down for
years by a brutal regime. SYN  oppress
keep sth'down

1 to make sth stay at a low level; to avoid increasing sth:to keep down wages / prices / the cost of
living Ç Keep your voice down—I don’t want anyone else to hear. Ç Keep the noise down (= be quiet).

2 to not bring sth back through the mouth from the stomach; to not vomit:She’s had some water
but she can’t keep any food down.

'keep from sth | 'keep yourself from sth

to prevent yourself from doing sth:[+ -ing] She could hardly keep from laughing. Ç I just managed to
keep myself from falling.

'keep sb from sth

to prevent sb from doing sth:I hope I’m not keeping you from your work. Ç [+ -ing] The church bells keep
me from sleeping.

'keep sth from sb

to avoid telling sb sth:I think we ought to keep the truth from him until he’s better.

'keep sth from sth

to make sth stay out of sth:She could not keep the dismay from her voice.

keep 'in with sb

(BrE, informal) to make sure that you stay friendly with sb, because you will get an advantage from
doing so

keep sth'in

to avoid expressing an emotion SYN  restrain:He could scarcely keep in his indignation.

keep sb 'in

to make sb stay indoors or in a particular place

'keep sb / yourself in sth

to provide sb/yourself with a regular supply of sth

keep 'off

if rain, snow, etc. keeps off, it does not fall

keep 'off sth

1 to avoid eating, drinking or smoking sth:I’m trying to keep off fatty foods.

2 to avoid mentioning a particular subject:It’s best to keep off politics when my father’s around.

keep sb/sth'off | keep sb/sth 'off sb/sth

to prevent sb/sth from coming near, touching, etc. sb/sth:They lit a fire to keep off wild animals. Ç Keep
your hands off (= do not touch) me!

keep 'on

to continue:Keep on until you get to the church.

keep sb'on

to continue to employ sb

keep sth 'on

to continue to rent a house, flat / apartment, etc.

keep 'on (at sb) (about sb/sth)

(especially BrE) to speak to sb often and in an annoying way about sb/sth SYN  go on, nag:He does keep
on so! Ç I’ll do it—just don’t keep on at me about it!

keep 'out (of sth)

to not enter a place; to stay outside:The sign said ‘Private Property—Keep Out!’

keep sb/sth'out (of sth)

to prevent sb/sth from entering a place:Keep that dog out of my study!

keep 'out of sth | keep sb 'out of sth

to avoid sth; to prevent sb from being involved in sth or affected by sth:That child can’t keep out of
mischief. Ç Keep the baby out of the sun.

'keep to sth

1 to avoid leaving a path, road, etc. SYN  stick to sth:Keep to the track—the land is very boggy
around here.

2 to talk or write only about the subject that you are supposed to talk or write about:Nothing is
more irritating than people who do not keep to the point.

3 to do what you have promised or agreed to do:to keep to an agreement / an undertaking / a plan
4 to stay in and not leave a particular place or position:She’s nearly 9 0 and mostly keeps to her
room.

keep (yourself) to your'self

to avoid meeting people socially or becoming involved in their affairs:Nobody knows much about him;
he keeps himself very much to himself.

keep sth to your'self

to not tell other people about sth:I’d be grateful if you kept this information to yourself.

keep sb 'under

to control or oppress sb:The local people are kept under by the army.

keep 'up

if particular weather keeps up, it continues without stopping:The rain kept up all afternoon.

keep 'up (with sb/sth)

to move, make progress or increase at the same rate as sb/sth:Slow down—I can’t keep up! Ç I can’t
keep up with all the changes. Ç Wages are not keeping up with inflation.

keep 'up with sb

to continue to be in contact with sb:How many of your old school friends do you keep up with?

keep 'up with sth

1 to learn about or be aware of the news, current events, etc.:She likes to keep up with the latest
fashions.

2 to continue to pay or do sth regularly:If you do not keep up with the payments you could lose
your home.

keep sb 'up

to prevent sb from going to bed:I hope we’re not keeping you up.

keep sth'up

1 to make sth stay at a high level:The high cost of raw materials is keeping prices up.

2 to continue sth at the same, usually high, level:The enemy kept up the bombardment day and
night. Ç We’re having difficulty keeping up our mortgage payments. Ç Well done! Keep up the good
work / Keep it up!
3 to make sth remain at a high level:They sang songs to keep their spirits up.

4 to continue to use or practise sth:to keep up old traditions Ç Do you still keep up your Spanish?

5 to take care of a house, garden / yard, etc. so that it stays in good condition SYN  maintain—related
noun upkeep

Much of what she says is true but I cannot identify  with her ideas subjectively.

These trends are likely to impact  on international financial flows.

The Kenyan girl improved  on her previous best performance.

People called to inquire  after the baby.

He tries not to let his business interfere  with his home life.

Problems will have to be ironed  out before the product goes on the market.

Days like this make me feel like jacking it all  in.

Can I join  in the game?

I’ll just jot  down their phone number before I forget it.

If they offered me a job in the USA, I’d jump  at the chance.
i'dentify with sb

to feel that you can understand and share the feelings of sb else SYN  sympathize with:I didn’t enjoy the
book because I couldn’t identify with any of the main characters.

i'dentify sb with sth

to consider sb to be sth:He was not the ‘tough guy’ the public identified him with.

i'dentify sth with sth

to consider sth to be the same as sth else SYN  equate:You should not identify wealth with happiness.

be i'dentified with sb/sth | i'dentify yourself with sb/sth

to support sb/sth; to be closely connected with sb/sth:The Church became increasingly identified with
opposition to the regime.

identify sb/sth (as sb/sth) to make it possible to recognize who or what sb/sth is:In many cases, the
clothes people wear identify them as belonging to a particular social class.

impact (of sth) (on sb/sth) the powerful effect that sth has on sb/sth:the environmental impact of
tourism Ç The report assesses the impact of AIDS on the gay community. Ç Her speech made a profound
impact on everyone. Ç Businesses are beginning to feel the full impact of the recession.

impact (on / upon) sth to have an effect on sth SYN  affect: [v] Her father’s death impacted greatly on
her childhood years.: [vn] (business) The company’s performance was impacted by the high value of the
pound.

[v, vn] impact (on / upon / with) sth (formal) to hit sth with great force
im'prove on / upon sth

to achieve or produce sth that is of a better quality than sth else:We’ve certainly improved on last year’s
figures.

en'quire after sb

(formal) to ask for information about sb, especially about their health or about what they are doing

en'quire into sth

to find out more information about sth SYN  investigate:A committee was appointed to enquire into the
allegations.

en'quire sth of sb

(formal) to ask sb sth:[+ speech] ‘Will you be staying for lunch?’ she enquired of Charles.

interfere (in sth) to get involved in and try to influence a situation that does not concern you, in a way
that annoys other people:I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. Ç
The police are very unwilling to interfere in family problems.

inter'fere with sb
 1 to illegally try to influence sb who is going to give evidence in court, for example by threatening
them or offering them money

2 (BrE) to touch a child in a sexual way

inter'fere with sth

1 to prevent sth from succeeding or from being done or happening as planned:She never allows
her personal feelings to interfere with her work.

2 to touch, use or change sth, especially a piece of equipment, so that it is damaged or no longer
works correctly:I’d get fired if he found out I’d been interfering with his records.

iron sth 'out

1 to remove the creases (= folds that you do not want) from clothes, etc. by using an iron

2 to get rid of any problems or difficulties that are affecting sth:There are still a few details that
need ironing out.

jack sb a'round

(NAmE, informal) to treat sb in a way that is deliberately not helpful to them or wastes their time:Let’s
go. We’re being jacked around here.

jack 'in / 'into sth

(informal) to connect to a computer system:I’m jacking into the Internet now.

jack sth'in

(BrE, informal) to decide to stop doing sth, especially your job:After five years, he decided to jack it all in.

jack 'off

(taboo, slang) (of a man) to masturbate

jack 'up

(informal) to inject an illegal drug directly into your blood:Drug users were jacking up in the stairwells.
jack sth'up

1 to lift sth, especially a vehicle, off the ground using a jack

2 (informal) to increase sth, especially prices, by a large amount

jot sth'down

to write sth quickly:I’ll just jot down the address for you.

join 'in (sth / doing sth) | join 'in (with sb/sth)

to take part in an activity with other people:She listens but she never joins in. Ç I wish he would join in
with the other children.

join 'up

(BrE) to become a member of the armed forces SYN  enlist

join 'up (with sb)

to combine with sb else to do sth:We’ll join up with the other groups later.

[vn] conscript sb (into sth) (NAmE usually draft) to make sb join the armed forces SYN  call up:He was
conscripted into the army in 1 9 3 9 .
enlist sth/sb (in sth) | enlist sb (as sth) to persuade sb to help you or to join you in doing sth:[vn] They
hoped to enlist the help of the public in solving the crime. Ç We were enlisted as helpers. [also vn to inf]

enlist (sb) (in / into / for sth) | enlist (sb) (as sth) to join or to make sb join the armed forces SYN  call
up, conscript, draft: [v] They both enlisted in 1 9 1 5 . Ç to enlist as a soldier Ç [vn] He was
enlisted into the US Navy.

call / BrE ; AmE / [ C ]

a short visit to sb's home
I'm afraid this isn't a social call. ◇ The doctor's out on a call at the moment.
The doctor has five calls to make this morning. ◇ ( formal ) I received an unexpected call from the police
yesterday.
Call is used especially about a short visit to sb's home made by a professional person, especially a doctor
or nurse. It can also be used about friends visiting each other, but this now sounds rather old-fashioned:
He decided to pay a call on his old friend.
See also caller ⇨ VISITOR noun
stopover / BrE ; AmE / [ C ]
a short stay somewhere between two parts of a journey
We had a two-day stopover in Fiji on the way to Australia.
See also stop over ⇨ STAY verb   2

dub / BrE ; AmE / -bb- [ T , often passive ]

to give sb/sth an unofficial name, especially in the media, sometimes in a humorous or critical way
The media dubbed anorexia ‘the slimming disease’.
Princess Diana was dubbed ‘The People's Princess’ by the press. ◇ the Belgian actor, Jean Claude Van
Damme, dubbed ‘Muscles from Brussels’

nickname / BrE ; AmE / [ T , often passive ]

to give sb/sth an informal, often humorous, name that is used instead of or in addition to their/its real
name
She was nicknamed ‘The Ice Queen’.
When you nickname sb/sth, you usually choose a new name that is connected with their real name, their
personality, appearance or qualities, or with sth they have done or can do: Michael Jackson, nicknamed
‘Jacko’ ◇ He was nicknamed ‘Stretch’ because he was so tall.
His family kept bees, so we nicknamed him ‘Buzz’.

call / BrE ; AmE / [ T ]

to order sth to happen; to announce that sth will happen
The principal called a staff meeting to discuss the changes. ◇ The drivers were going to call a strike.

drop in/ round/ by , drop in , drop by , drop round , drop into sth phrasal verb -pp- [ no passive ] (
rather informal )
to visit a person or place for a short time, especially when you are not expected
Don't forget to drop in on Harry. ◇ They dropped round for a drink. ◇ I'll drop by some time next week.
◇ I sometimes drop into the National Gallery for an hour or so.
We dropped in to see Ellie on the way.
►  drop-in adj. : a drop-in advice centre
pop in/ round/ over , pop in , pop over / BrE ; AmE / pop round phrasal verb -pp- ( BrE , informal )
to visit a person or place for a short time, especially when you are not expected
I was just passing and thought I'd pop in.
I popped in to see Jill on the way home. ◇ We thought we'd pop round to say goodbye. ◇ I wonder if I
could just pop over?

cold feet
plural noun
loss of nerve: a loss of nerve about something planned, causing a person not to go ahead as originally intended

[From the fact that a soldier with cold or frozen feet is prevented from fighting]
jump (about) (from sth to sth) to change suddenly from one subject to another:I couldn’t follow the talk
because he kept jumping about from one topic to another. Ç The story then jumps from her childhood in
New York to her first visit to London.

jump 'in

1 to interrupt a conversation:Before she could reply Peter jumped in with an objection.

2 to start to do sth very quickly without spending a long time thinking first

'jump on sb (NAmE also 'jump at sb)

(informal) to criticize sb

jump 'out at sb

to be very obvious and easily noticed SYN  leap out at:The mistake in the figures jumped out at me.

jump at sth

to accept an opportunity, offer, etc. with enthusiasm

 SYN  leap at

take (a) hold idiom

to begin to have a strong effect on sth or have complete control over sb/sth; to become very strong
Panic took hold of him and he couldn't move. ◇ It was in the sixties that the cult of the teenager first took
hold.
A mood of hysteria took hold of the community. ◇ This is a trend that seems to be taking hold across the
country. ◇ They got out of the house just before the flames took hold. ◇ It is best to treat the disease
early before it takes a hold. ◇ You can prevent plaque taking a hold by removing it every day.
leave your/its/a mark , leave your mark , leave a mark , leave its mark idiom
to have an effect on sb/sth, especially a bad one, that lasts for a long time
Such a traumatic experience is bound to leave its mark.
War has left its mark on the country. ◇ She left a permanent mark on racing history.

hold / BrE ; AmE / held , held [ T ] ( formal )

to keep a seat, place or room reserved for sb
We can hold your reservation for three days.

hold sb/sth up / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb held , held [ often passive ]
to support or raise sb/sth and stop them from falling
His baggy grey trousers were held up with a piece of string. ◇ He held up his hands ( = raised his arms )
in a gesture of innocence.
bear / BrE ; AmE / bore , borne [ T ] ( rather formal )
to support the weight of sb/sth
The ground was too soft to bear his weight.
hold [ T ] / BrE ; AmE / held , held
to support the weight of sb/sth
I don't think that branch will hold your weight.
NOTE BEAR OR HOLD? These words have the same meaning, but bear is slightly more formal. Bear can
also be used figuratively, but hold is not used in this way: ( figurative ) He seemed unable to bear the
weight of his reponsibility. ◇ He seemed unable to hold the weight of his responsibility.

hold your ground , stand your ground idiom held , held ; stood , stood
to continue with your opinions or intentions when sb is opposing you and wants you to change; to face a
situation and refuse to run away
Don't let him persuade you — stand your ground. ◇ It is not easy to hold your ground in front of
someone with a gun.
They held their ground against bids from larger companies.
hold out against sb/sth phrasal verb held , held
to continue to resist sb/sth, especially in a dangerous or difficult situation
British troops held out against constant attacks. ◇ The Prime Minister held out against pressure to
speed up the reforms.

He works for a rival company but I don’t hold it  against him.

She just managed to hold  back her anger.

He was unable to hold  down a job after his nervous breakdown.

He loves holding  forth on any subject once he has an audience.

Would it be better to buy a house now or hold  off for a few months.

Hold  on a minute while I get my breath back.

Doctors hold  out little hope of her recovering.

We must hold the contractors  to their estimates.

My application was held  up by the postal strike.

I don’t hold  with some of these modern theories on education.

hold out for sth phrasal verb held , held [ no passive ]
to refuse to accept less than what you are asking for, especially when this causes a delay in reaching an
agreement
They are holding out for a 1 0 raise.
They should have held out for more concessions.

hold sb/sth up / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb held , held

to slow down or prevent the movement or progress of sb/sth
The launch was held up for several hours by environmental protesters. ◇ An accident is holding up
traffic. ◇ I'm holding everybody up — you go ahead without me.
My application was held up by the postal strike. ◇ It's not money that's holding things up — we just don't
have enough staff.
►  hold-up noun [ C ]: We should finish by tonight, barring hold-ups . ◇ What's the hold-up ( = what is
causing it ) ?

set sb/sth back / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb setting , set , set
to slow down the progress of sb/sth by a particular length of time
The bad weather set back the building schedule by several weeks. ◇ Her recovery was going well, but
this latest infection has really set her back.
This could set back the public status of such research for years.
See also setback ⇨ BLOW noun

hole up , be holed up phrasal verb ( informal )

to hide in a place
We've got to find out where he holes up at night. ◇ We believe the gang are holed up in the mountains.
For the past two years he has been holed up in London.

hang out / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb hung , hung ( especially AmE , informal )
to spend time relaxing; to spend a lot of time in a particular place or with a particular group of people
Do we have to rush around today? I'd rather just hang out. ◇ The local kids hang out at the mall.
It's a great place to meet, study, or just hang out. ◇ I've been hanging out backstage with the band.
hold sth a'gainst sb

to allow sth that sb has done to make you have a lower opinion of them:I admit I made a mistake—but
don’t hold it against me.

hold sb/sth'back

1 to prevent sb/sth from moving forward or crossing sth:The police were unable to hold back the
crowd.

2 to prevent the progress or development of sb/sth:Do you think that mixed ability classes hold
back the better students?

hold sth'back

1 to not tell sb sth they want or need to know:to hold back information

2 to stop yourself from expressing how you really feel:She just managed to hold back her anger. Ç
He bravely held back his tears.

hold 'back (from doing sth) | hold sb 'back (from doing sth)

to hesitate or to make sb hesitate to act or speak:She held back, not knowing how to break the terrible
news. Ç I wanted to tell him the truth, but something held me back.

hold sb'down

1 to prevent sb from moving, using force:It took three men to hold him down.

2 to prevent sb from having their freedom or rights:The people are held down by a repressive
regime.

hold sth'down

1 to keep sth at a low level:The rate of inflation must be held down.

2 [no passive] to keep a job for some time:He was unable to hold down a job after his breakdown.

3 [no passive] (NAmE, informal) to limit sth, especially a noise:Hold it down, will you? I’m trying to
sleep!

hold 'forth

to speak for a long time about sth in a way that other people might find boring
hold sth'in

to not express how you really feel:to hold in your feelings / anger OPP  let sth out

hold 'off

1 (of rain or a storm) to not start:The rain held off just long enough for us to have our picnic.

2 to not do sth immediately:We could get a new computer now or hold off until prices are lower. Ç
[+ -ing] Could you hold off making your decision for a few days?

hold sb/sth'off

to stop sb/sth defeating you:She held off all the last-minute challengers and won the race in a new
record time.

hold 'on

1 (informal) used to tell sb to wait or stop  SYN  wait:Hold on a minute while I get my breath back. Ç
Hold on! This isn’t the right road.

2 to survive in a difficult or dangerous situation:They managed to hold on until help arrived.

3 (informal) used on the telephone to ask sb to wait until they can talk to the person they want:Can
you hold on? I’ll see if he’s here.

hold sth'on

to keep sth in position:These nuts and bolts hold the wheels on. Ç The knob is only held on by sticky
tape.

hold 'on (to sth/sb) | hold 'onto sth/sb

[no passive] to keep holding sth/sb:Hold on and don’t let go until I say so. Ç He held onto the back of the
chair to stop himself from falling.ò note at hold

hold 'on to sth | hold 'onto sth

1 to keep sth that is an advantage for you; to not give or sell sth to sb else:You should hold on to
your oil shares. Ç She took an early lead in the race and held onto it for nine laps.

2 to keep sth for sb else or for longer than usual:I’ll hold onto your mail for you until you get back.

hold 'out

1 to last, especially in a difficult situation:We can stay here for as long as our supplies hold out.

2 to resist or survive in a dangerous or difficult situation:The rebels held out in the mountains for
several years.
hold 'out sth

to offer a chance, hope or possibility of sth:Doctors hold out little hope of her recovering.

hold sth'out

to put your hand or arms, or sth in your hand, towards sb, especially to give or offer sth:I held out my
hand to steady her. Ç He held out the keys and I took them.

hold 'out for sth

[no passive] to cause a delay in reaching an agreement because you hope you will gain sth:The union
negotiators are holding out for a more generous pay settlement.

hold 'out on sb

(informal) to refuse to tell or give sb sth

hold sth'over [usually passive]

1 to not deal with sth immediately; to leave sth to be dealt with later SYN  postpone:The matter
was held over until the next meeting.

2 to show a film / movie, play, etc. for longer than planned:The movie proved so popular it was held
over for another week.

hold sth 'over sb

to use knowledge that you have about sb to threaten them or make them do what you want

'hold sb to sth

1 to make sb keep a promise

2 to stop an opposing team scoring more points, etc. than you:The league leaders were held to a 0–
0 draw.

hold to'gether | hold sth to'gether

1 to remain, or to keep sth, united:A political party should hold together. Ç It’s the mother who
usually holds the family together.

2 (of an argument, a theory or a story) to be logical or consistent:Their case doesn’t hold together
when you look at the evidence.—compare hang together at hang

3 if a machine or an object holds together or sth holds it together, the different parts stay together
so that it does not break

hold 'up
to remain strong and working effectively:She’s holding up well under the pressure.

hold sb/sth'up [often passive]

1 to support sb/sth and stop them from falling

2 to delay or block the movement or progress of sb/sth:An accident is holding up traffic. Ç My

application was held up by the postal strike.—related noun hold-up

3 to use or present sb/sth as an example:She’s always holding up her children as models of good
behaviour. Ç His ideas were held up to ridicule.

hold up 'sth

to steal from a bank, shop / store, etc. using a gun—related noun hold-up

'hold with sth

[no passive] (used in negative sentences or in questions) to agree with sth SYN  approve of:I don’t hold
with the use of force. Ç [+ -ing] They don’t hold with letting children watch as much TV as they want.

hang-up / BrE ; AmE / [ C ] ( informal , usually disapproving )

an emotional problem about sth that makes you particularly embarrassed or worried
He's got a real hang-up about his height.
She seemed to have resolved her sexual hang-ups.
►  hung up adj. [ not before noun ]: You're not still hung up on that girl?
He's too hung up about fitness.

hang a round phrasal verb hung , hung ( informal )

to wait or stay near a place, not doing very much
You hang around here in case he comes, and I'll go on ahead.
hang (sth) (up) [+adv. / prep.] to attach sth, or to be attached, at the top so that the lower part is free or
loose:[vn] Hang your coat up on the hook. Ç Where are we supposed to hang our washing up to dry? Ç
[v] There were several expensive suits hanging in the wardrobe.

[vn] [usually passive] hang sth with sth to decorate a place by placing paintings, etc. on a wall:The
rooms were hung with tapestries.

hang a'bout (BrE, informal)

1 to wait or stay near a place, not doing very much:kids hanging about in the streets

2 to be very slow doing sth:I can’t hang about—the boss wants to see me.

3 (informal) used to tell sb to stop what they are doing or saying for a short time:Hang about!
There’s something not quite right here.

hang a'bout with sb

(informal) to spend a lot of time with sb

hang a'round ( … )

(informal) to wait or stay near a place, not doing very much:You hang around here in case he comes, and
I’ll go on ahead.

hang a'round with sb

(informal) to spend a lot of time with sb

hang 'back

to remain in a place after all the other people have left

hang 'back (from sth)

to hesitate because you are nervous about doing or saying sth:I was sure she knew the answer but for
some reason she hung back.

hang 'on

1 to hold sth tightly:Hang on tight—we’re off!ò note at hold

2 (informal) used to ask sb to wait for a short time or to stop what they are doing:Hang on—I’m not
quite ready. Ç Now hang on a minute—you can’t really believe what you just said!

3 to wait for sth to happen:I haven’t heard if I’ve got the job yet—they’ve kept me hanging on for
days.

4 (informal) used on the telephone to ask sb who is calling to wait until they can talk to the person
they want:Hang on—I’ll just see if he’s here.

5 to continue doing sth in difficult circumstances:The team hung on for victory.

'hang on sth

to depend on sth:A lot hangs on this decision.

hang 'on to sth

1 to hold sth tightly:Hang on to that rope and don’t let go.

2 (informal) to keep sth, not sell it or give it away:Let’s hang on to those old photographs—they
may be valuable.

hang 'out

(informal) to spend a lot of time in a place:The local kids hang out at the mall.—related noun hang-out

hang 'over sb

if sth bad or unpleasant is hanging over you, you think about it and worry about it a lot because it is
happening or might happen:The possibility of a court case is still hanging over her.

hang to'gether

1 to fit together well; to be the same as or consistent with each other:Their accounts of what
happened don’t hang together.

2 (of people) to support or help one another

hang 'up

to end a telephone conversation by putting the telephone receiver down or switching the telephone
off:After I hung up I remembered what I’d wanted to say.
hang sth'up

(informal) to finish using sth for the last time:Ruth has hung up her dancing shoes.

hang 'up on sb

(informal) to end a telephone call by suddenly and unexpectedly putting the telephone down:Don’t hang
up on me—we must talk!

—see also hung up

Most of my clothes were handed  down to me by my older brother.

My Grandad is constantly hankering  after the 'good old days'.

She’s always harping  on about how badly paid she is.

You really won all that money on a horse? You’re having me  on!

She's going to have it  out with her husband after what he said to her last night.

Head  for the cinema, then turn left.

His mother wouldn't hear  of him doing his own washing.

The whole deal hinges  on how well this presentation goes.

In an interview she hit  back at her critics.

He was hitting  on his girlfriend's sister all night.

hand sth back phrasal verb
to give or return sth to the person who owns it or to where it belongs, often by placing it in their hands
She picked up the wallet and handed it back to him. ◇ Control of the territory was handed back to
China.

put sth back phrasal verb putting , put , put

to return sth to its usual place or the place where it was before it was moved
If you use something, put it back! ◇ I put the book back on the shelf.
give sth back / BrE ; AmE / give sb back sth / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb gave , given
to return sth to its owner; to allow sb to have sth again
Give me back my pen! ◇ Give me my pen back! ◇ I picked it up and gave it back to him. ◇ The
operation gave him back the use of his legs.
take sth back phrasal verb took , taken
to return sth to the shop where you bought it, for example because it is the wrong size or does not work;
(of a shop) to accept goods that have been taken back and repay the money or give sth else in exchange
Don't worry. If you decide you don't like it, you can always take it back. ◇ The store refused to take the
jacket back, claiming that it had already been worn several times.

pass sth on phrasal verb

to give sth to sb else, especially after receiving it or using it yourself
Pass the book on to me when you've finished with it. ◇ I passed your message on to my mother. ◇ Much
of the discount is pocketed by retailers instead of being passed on to customers.
See also pass sth on ⇨ CONVEY

bequeath / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( formal )

to leave your money or property to sb in your will ( = a legal document ) after your death; to leave the
results of your work, knowledge or ideas for other people to use or deal with
He bequeathed his entire estate to his daughter. ◇ The previous government had bequeathed a legacy of
problems.
He bequeathed his books and papers to the British Museum.
See also bequest ⇨ LEGACY
hand sth down phrasal verb [ usually passive ]
to give or teach sth to your children or people younger than you
Most of his clothes were handed down to him by his older brother. ◇ These skills used to be handed
down from father to son.

hand in sth the part or role that sb/sth plays in a particular situation; sb’s influence in a situation:Early
reports suggest the hand of rebel forces in the bombings. Ç Several of his colleagues had a hand in his
downfall. Ç This appointment was an attempt to strengthen her hand in policy discussions.

a hand [sing.] (informal) help in doing sth:Let me give you a hand with those bags (= help you to carry
them). Ç Do you need a hand with those invoices? Ç The neighbours are always willing to lend a hand.

fall into sb’s 'hands / the 'hands of sb

(formal) to become controlled by sb:The town fell into enemy hands. Ç We don’t want this document
falling into the wrong hands.

(at) first 'hand

by experiencing, seeing, etc. sth yourself rather than being told about it by sb else:The President visited
the area to see the devastation at first hand.
hand sth to sb | hand sb sth to pass or give sth to sb:[vn, vnn] She handed the letter to me. Ç She
handed me the letter.

hand sth a'round / 'round

to offer or pass sth, especially food or drinks, to all the people in a group

hand sth 'back (to sb)

to give or return sth to the person who owns it or to where it belongs

hand sth 'down (to sb)

1 [usually passive] to give or leave sth to sb who is younger than you SYN  pass down:These skills
used to be handed down from father to son.—related noun hand-me-down

2 (especially NAmE) to officially give a decision / statement, etc. SYN  announce:The judge has
handed down his verdict.

hand sth'in (to sb) (BrE also give sth 'in (to sb))

to give sth to a person in authority, especially a piece of work or sth that is lost:You must all hand in your
projects by the end of next week. Ç I handed the watch in to the police. Ç to hand in your
notice / resignation (= formally tell your employer that you want to stop working for them)

hand sb 'off (BrE) (also straight-'arm, stiff-'arm both NAmE)

(in sport) to push away a player who is trying to stop you, with your arm straight

hand sth 'on (to sb)

to give or leave sth for another person to use or deal with SYN  pass on

hand sth 'out (to sb)

1 to give a number of things to the members of a group SYN  distribute:Could you hand these
books out, please?—related noun handout

2 to give advice, a punishment, etc.:He’s always handing out advice to people.

hand sth 'over (to sb) | hand 'over (to sb) | hand sth 'over (to sb)

to give sb else your position of power or the responsibility for sth:She resigned and handed over to one
of her younger colleagues. Ç He finally handed over his responsibility for the company last year.—
related noun handover
hand sb 'over to sb

to let sb listen or speak to another person, especially on the telephone or in a news broadcast:I’ll hand
you over to my boss.

hand sb/sth 'over (to sb)

to give sth/sb officially or formally to another person:He handed over a cheque for $2 00 000. Ç They
handed the weapons over to the police.—related noun handover

harp 'on (about sth) | 'harp on sth

to keep talking about sth in a boring or annoying way

(also have got) [vn] (informal) (not used in the progressive tenses) to put sb at a disadvantage in an
argument:You’ve got me there. I hadn’t thought of that.

[vn] [no passive] have sb as sth to take or accept sb for a particular role:Who can we have as
treasurer?

[vn] (used with a past participle) have sth done to cause sth to be done for you by sb else:You’ve had
your hair cut! Ç We’re having our car repaired.

[vn] (used with a past participle) have sth done to suffer the effects of what sb else does to you:She
had her bag stolen.
(especially BrE) to finish sth unpleasant so that it does not continue:Let’s have done with this silly
argument.

have it 'off / a'way (with sb)

(BrE, slang) to have sex with sb'have it (that … )

to claim that it is a fact that …:Rumour has it that we’ll have a new manager soon.

have (got) it / that 'coming (to you)

to be likely to suffer the unpleasant effects of your actions and to deserve to do so:It was no surprise
when she left him—everyone knew he had it coming to him.

have it 'in you (to do sth)

(informal) to be capable of doing sth:Everyone thinks he has it in him to produce a literary classic. Ç You
were great. I didn’t know you had it in you.

have (got) sth a'gainst sb/sth

(not used in the progressive tenses) to dislike sb/sth for a particular reason:What have you got against
Ruth? She’s always been good to you.

have sb'back

to allow a husband, wife or partner that you are separated from to return

have sth 'back

to receive sth that sb has borrowed or taken from you:You can have your files back after we’ve checked
them.

have (got) sth 'in

(not used in the progressive tenses) to have a supply of sth in your home, etc.:Have we got enough food
in?

have sb 'on

(informal) to try to make sb believe sth that is not true, usually as a joke:You didn’t really, did you?
You’re not having me on, are you?

have (got) sth 'on (not used in the progressive tenses)

1 to be wearing sth:She had a red jacket on. Ç He had nothing (= no clothes) on.

2 to leave a piece of equipment working:She has her TV on all day.

3 to have arranged to do sth:I can’t see you this week—I’ve got a lot on.

have (got) sth 'on sb

[no passive] (informal) (not used in the progressive tenses) to know sth bad about sb, especially sth that
connects them with a crime:I’m not worried—they’ve got nothing on me.

have sth 'out

to cause sth, especially a part of your body, to be removed:I had to have my appendix out.

have sth 'out (with sb)

to try to settle a disagreement by discussing or arguing about it openly:I need to have it out with her
once and for all.

have sb 'up (for sth)

(BrE, informal) [usually passive] to cause sb to be accused of sth in court:He was had up for
manslaughter.

[sing.] the head of the table the most important seat at a table:The President sat at the head of the
table.

get your 'head round sth

(BrE, informal) to be able to understand or accept sth:She’s dead. I can’t get my head round it yet.
over sb’s 'head

1 too difficult or complicated for sb to understand:A lot of the jokes went (= were) right over my
head.

2 to a higher position of authority than sb:I couldn’t help feeling jealous when she was promoted
over my head.

be 'heading for sth (also be 'headed for sth especially in NAmE)

to be likely to experience sth bad:They look as though they’re heading for divorce.

head sb 'off

to get in front of sb in order to make them turn back or change direction SYN  intercept:We’ll head them
off at the bridge!

head sth 'off

to take action in order to prevent sth from happening:He headed off efforts to replace him as leader.

head sth 'up

to lead or be in charge of a department, part of an organization, etc.—see also head verb (2 )

(not usually used in the progressive tenses) hear (about sb/sth) to be told about sth:[v] Haven’t you
heard? She resigned. Ç ‘I’m getting married.’ ‘So I’ve heard.’ Ç Things are going well from what I hear. Ç I
was sorry to hear about your accident. Ç I’ve heard about people like you. Ç [vn] We had heard nothing
for weeks. Ç [v (that)] I was surprised to hear (that) he was married. Ç I hear you’ve been away this
weekend. Ç [vn (that)] I’ve heard it said (that) they met in Italy. [also v wh-]

(not used in the progressive tenses) to listen or pay attention to sb/sth:[vn] Did you hear that play on
the radio last night? Ç [vn inf] Be quiet—I can’t hear myself think! (= it is so noisy that I can’t think
clearly) Ç [v wh-] We’d better hear what they have to say. Ç I hear what you’re saying (= I have listened
to your opinion), but you’re wrong.

'hear from sb | 'hear sth from sb

to receive a letter, email, phone call, etc. from sb:I look forward to hearing from you. Ç I haven’t heard
anything from her for months.

'hear of sb/sth | 'hear sth of sb/sth

to know about sb/sth because you have been told about them:I’ve never heard of the place. Ç She
disappeared and was never heard of again. Ç The last I heard of him he was living in Glasgow. Ç This is
the first I’ve heard of it!

not 'hear of sth

to refuse to let sb do sth, especially because you want to help them:She wanted to walk home but I
wouldn’t hear of it. Ç [+ -ing] He wouldn’t hear of my walking home alone—see also unheard-of

hear sb 'out

to listen until sb has finished saying what they want to say

unheard-of adjective

that has never been known or done; very unusual:He’d dyed his hair, which was almost unheard-of in
the 1 9 6 0s. Ç It is almost unheard-of for a new band to be offered such a deal.

'hinge on / upon sth

(of an action, a result, etc.) to depend on sth completely:Everything hinges on the outcome of these
talks. Ç [+ wh-] His success hinges on how well he does at the interview.

hit sth (on / against sth) to knock a part of your body against sth:
He hit his head on the low ceiling.

hit sb/sth (with sth) to bring your hand, or an object you are holding, against sb/sth quickly and with
force:My parents never used to hit me. Ç He hit the nail squarely on the head with the hammer. Ç She
hit him on the head with her umbrella.

hit (it) 'big

(informal) to be very successful:The band has hit big in the US.

hit the 'buffers

(informal) if a plan, sb’s career, etc. hits the buffers, it suddenly stops being successful

hit the 'ceiling / 'roof

(informal) to suddenly become very angry

hit the 'deck

(informal) to fall to the ground

'hit it

(informal) used to tell sb to start doing sth, such as playing music:Hit it, Louis!

hit the 'spot

(informal) if sth hits the spot it does exactly what it should do

hit sb when they’re 'down

to continue to hurt sb when they are already defeated

hit sb where it 'hurts

to affect sb where they will feel it most

hit 'back (at sb/sth)

to reply to attacks or criticism:In a TV interview she hit back at her critics. SYN  retaliate

'hit on sb

(NAmE, slang) to start talking to sb to show them that you are sexually attracted to them

'hit on / upon sth

[no passive] to think of a good idea suddenly or by chance:She hit upon the perfect title for her new
novel.

hit 'out (at sb/sth)

to attack sb/sth violently by fighting them or criticizing them:I just hit out blindly in all directions. Ç In a
rousing speech the minister hit out at racism in the armed forces.

hit sb 'up for sth | 'hit sb for sth

(NAmE, informal) to ask sb for money:Does he always hit you up for cash when he wants new clothes?

'hit sb with sth

(informal) to tell sb sth, especially sth that surprises or shocks them:How much is it going to cost, then?
Come on, hit me with it!

I can't go  back on my word.

I shall go entirely  by what my solicitor says.

I think I’ll go  for the fruit salad.

Jane seems to be going  off Peter.

She kept going  on about how we’d behaved badly, let her down, etc, etc.

Go  over your work carefully before you hand it in.

I had to go  without breakfast this morning.

I hated that picture when it was given to me, but now it's started to grow  on me.

The idea for the book grew  out of a brief visit to India some years ago.

The government must guard  against introducing measures which will increase inflation.

[v -ing, usually +adv. / prep.] go flying, singing, etc. to move in a particular way or while doing sth
else:The car went skidding off the road into a ditch. Ç She went sobbing up the stairs. Ç She crashed into
a waiter and his tray of drinks went flying.
[v] go on sth to leave a place and do sth different:to go on a journey / a tour / a trip / a cruise Ç
Richard has gone on leave for two weeks.

go for sth to leave a place or travel to a place in order to take part in an activity or a sport:to go for a
walk / drive / swim / run Ç Shall we go for a drink (= at a pub or bar) after work? Ç I have to go shopping
this afternoon. Ç We’re going sailing on Saturday.

[v + adv.  /  prep.] go (from … ) to … to lead or extend from one place to another:I want a rope that
will go from the top window to the ground. Ç Where does this road go?

[v] will / would not go (in / into sth) used to say that sth does / did not fit into a particular place or
space:My clothes won’t all go in that one suitcase. Ç He tried to push his hand through the gap but it
wouldn’t go.

go (into sth) if a number will go into another number, it is contained in that number an exact number of
times:[v-n] 3 into 1 2 goes 4 . Ç [v] 7 into 1 5 won’t go. Ç (NAmE) 7 into 1 5
doesn’t go. Ç 7 won’t go into 1 5 .
[v] go to / into sth | go out of sth used in many expressions to show that sb/sth has reached a
particular state / is no longer in a particular state:She went to sleep. Ç That colour has gone out of
fashion.

[v-adj] go unnoticed, unreported, etc. to not be noticed, reported, etc.:Police are worried that many
crimes go unreported.

[v] sb/sth must / has to / can go used to talk about wanting to get rid of sb/sth:The old sofa will have to
go. Ç He’s useless—he’ll have to go.

[v] go (on sth) when money goes, it is spent or used for sth:I don’t know where the money goes! Ç Most
of my salary goes on the rent. Ç The money will go to finance a new community centre.

[v] go (to sb) (for sth) to be sold:We won’t let the house go for less than $2 00 000. Ç There was
usually some bread going cheap (= being sold cheaply) at the end of the day.
be going [v] (informal) to be available:There just aren’t any jobs going in this area.

anything goes

(informal) anything that sb says or does is accepted or allowed, however shocking or unusual it may
be:Almost anything goes these days.

don’t go doing sth

(informal) used to tell or warn sb not to do sth:Don’t go getting yourself into trouble.

not (even) 'go there

(informal) used to say that you do not want to talk about sth in any more detail because you do not even
want to think about it:Don’t ask me to choose. I don’t want to go there. Ç ‘There was a problem with his
parents, wasn’t there?’ ‘Don’t even go there!’

to 'go

1 remaining; still left:I only have one exam to go.

2 (NAmE, informal) if you buy cooked food to go in a restaurant or shop / store, you buy it to take
away and eat somewhere else:Two pizzas to go.

what goes around 'comes around (saying)

 1 the way sb behaves towards other people will affect the way those people behave towards them
in the future

2 something that is not fashionable now will become fashionable again in the future

go / BrE ; AmE / [ C ] ( BrE , rather informal )

a try
You should have a go at answering all the questions. ◇ It took three goes to get it right.
I doubt if he'll listen to advice from me, but I'll give it a go.

go / BrE ; AmE / goes , went , gone [ I ] ( informal , especially spoken )

(of a machine) to work in the correct way
What makes it go?

go a gainst sth phrasal verb

(of an idea, belief or action) to not fit or agree with another idea or belief
Paying for hospital treatment goes against her principles. ◇ His thinking goes against all logic.

the go-ahead [ sing. ] ( rather informal , especially journalism )

permission for sb to start doing sth
The company hopes to get the go-ahead for the new service. ◇ Councils were given the go-ahead to
spend more on housing.
The government has given the go-ahead for two new power stations. ◇ Archaeologists were given the
go-ahead for a new excavation. ◇ We need further discussions before giving the final go-ahead.
The go-ahead is nearly always used with the verbs get or give .
go-between / BrE ; AmE / [ C ]
a person who takes messages between one person or group and another
A number of local church leaders have acted as go-betweens with the paramilitaries.

go down / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb goes , went , gone [ I ]

(of a computer system) to stop working temporarily
The system is going down in ten minutes.
NOTE CRASH OR GO DOWN? Individual computers or whole systems can crash and this is always sudden
and unexpected; when a system goes down , it may have been turned off deliberately to prevent people
from using it while work is carried out on it.

go in for sth phrasal verb goes , went , gone ( usually used in negative statements )
to enjoy and take part in sth as an interest or hobby
She doesn't go in for team games.
In British English go in for sth also means to put your name on the list for an exam or competition: She's
going in for the Cambridge First Certificate.

go with out , go with out sth phrasal verb goes , went , gone
to not have sth that you usually have or need
There wasn't time for breakfast, so I had to go without. ◇ She went without eating for three days.
Many of these families go without adequate medical care.

forgo (also forego ) / BrE ; AmE / forgoes , forwent , forgone [ T ] ( formal )

to decide not to have or do sth that you would like to have or do
No one was prepared to forgo their lunch hour to attend the meeting.
go a'bout

(BrE) = go around

'go about sth

to continue to do sth; to keep busy with sth:Despite the threat of war, people went about their business
as usual.

go a'bout sth

to start working on sth SYN  tackle:You’re not going about the job in the right way. Ç [+ -ing] How should
I go about finding a job?

go 'after sb

to chase or follow sb:He went after the burglars. Ç She left the room in tears so I went after her.

go 'after sb/sth

to try to get sb/sth:We’re both going after the same job.

go a'gainst sb

to not be in sb’s favour or not to their advantage:The jury’s verdict went against him.

go a'gainst sb/sth

to resist or oppose sb/sth:He would not go against his parents' wishes.

go a'gainst sth

to be opposed to sth; to not fit or agree with sth:Paying for hospital treatment goes against her
principles. Ç His thinking goes against all logic.

go a'head

1 to travel in front of other people in your group and arrive before them:I’ll go ahead and tell them
you’re on the way.
2 to happen; to be done SYN  proceed:The building of the new bridge will go ahead as planned.—
related noun go-ahead

go a'head (with sth)

to begin to do sth, especially when sb has given permission or has expressed doubts or opposition:‘May I
start now?’ ‘Yes, go ahead.’ Ç The government intends to go ahead with its tax cutting plans—related
noun go-ahead

go a'long

1 to continue with an activity:He made up the story as he went along.

2 to make progress; to develop:Things are going along nicely.

go a'long with sb/sth

to agree with sb/sth:I don’t go along with her views on private medicine.

go a'round / 'round

1 to spin or turn:to go round in a circle

2 to be enough for everyone to have one or some:There aren’t enough chairs to go around.

3 (BrE also go a'bout) to often be in a particular state or behave in a particular way:She often goes
around barefoot. Ç [+ -ing] It’s unprofessional to go round criticizing your colleagues.

4 to spread from person to person:There’s a rumour going around that they’re having an affair.

go a'round / 'round (to … )

to visit sb or a place that is near:I went round to the post office. Ç I’m going around to my sister’s (= her
house) later.

'go at sb

to attack sb:They went at each other furiously.

'go at sth

to make great efforts to do sth; to work hard at sth:They went at the job as if their lives depended on it.

go a'way

1 to leave a person or place:Just go away! Ç Go away and think about it, then let me know.

2 to leave home for a period of time, especially for a holiday / vacation:They’ve gone away for a
few days. Ç I’m going away on business.
3 to disappear:The smell still hasn’t gone away.

go 'back

if two people go back a period of time (usually a long time), they have known each other for that
time:Dave and I go back twenty years.

go 'back (to … )

to return to a place:She doesn’t want to go back to her husband (= to live with him again). Ç This toaster
will have to go back (= be taken back to the shop / store where it was bought)—it’s faulty. Ç Of course
we want to go back some day—it’s our country, our real home.ò note at return

go 'back (to sth)

1 to consider sth that happened or was said at an earlier time:Can I go back to what you said at
the beginning of the meeting? Ç Once you have made this decision, there will be no going back (= you
will not be able to change your mind).

2 to have existed since a particular time or for a particular period:Their family goes back to the time
of the Pilgrim Fathers.

go 'back on sth

to fail to keep a promise; to change your mind about sth:He never goes back on his word (= never fails to
do what he has said he will do).

go 'back to sth

to start doing sth again that you had stopped doing:The kids go back to school next week. Ç [+ -ing]
She’s decided to go back to teaching.

go be'fore

to exist or happen in an earlier time:The present crisis is worse than any that have gone before.

'go before sb/sth

to be presented to sb/sth for discussion, decision or judgement:My application goes before the planning
committee next week.

go be'yond sth

to be more than sth SYN  exceed:This year’s sales figures go beyond all our expectations (= are much
better than we thought they would be).

go 'by
(of time) to pass:Things will get easier as time goes by. Ç The weeks went slowly by.

'go by sth

to be guided by sth; to form an opinion from sth:That’s a good rule to go by. Ç If past experience is
anything to go by, they’ll be late.

go 'down

1 to fall to the ground:She tripped and went down with a bump.

2 if a ship, etc. goes down, it disappears below the water SYN  sink

3 when the sun or moon goes down, it disappears below the horizon SYN  set

4 if food or drink will / will not go down, it is difficult / easy to swallow:A glass of wine would go
down very nicely (= I would very much like one).

5 if the price of sth, the temperature, etc. goes down, it becomes lower SYN  fall:The price of oil is
going down. Ç Oil is going down in price. OPP  go up

6 (informal) to get worse in quality:The neighbourhood has gone down a lot recently.

7 (computing) to stop working temporarily:The system is going down in ten minutes.

8 (NAmE, informal) to happen:You really don’t know what’s going down?

go 'down (from … )

(BrE, formal) to leave a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge, at the end of a term or after finishing
your studies OPP  go up (to … )

go 'down (in sth)

to be written in sth; to be recorded or remembered in sth:It all goes down (= she writes it all) in her
notebook. Ç He will go down in history as a great statesman.

go 'down (on sb)

(slang) to perform oral sex on sb (= to use the mouth to give sb sexual pleasure)

go 'down (to sb)

to be defeated by sb, especially in a game or competition:Italy went down to Brazil by three goals to
one.

go 'down (to … ) (from … )

to go from one place to another, especially further south or from a city or large town to a smaller
place:They’ve gone down to Brighton for a couple of days. OPP  go up

go 'down (with sb)

to be received in a particular way by sb:The suggestion didn’t go down very well with her boss.

go 'down with sth

(especially BrE) to become ill / sick with sth SYN  catch:Our youngest boy has gone down with
chickenpox.

'go for sb

to attack sb:She went for him with a knife.

'go for sb/sth

1 to apply to sb/sth:What I said about Peter goes for you, too. Ç They have a high level of
unemployment—but the same goes for many other countries.

2 to go to a place and bring sb/sth back:She’s gone for some milk.

3 to be attracted by sb/sth; to like or prefer sb/sth:She goes for tall slim men. Ç I don’t really go for
modern art.

'go for sth

1 to choose sth:I think I’ll go for the fruit salad.ò note at choose

2 to put a lot of effort into sth, so that you get or achieve sth:Go for it, John! You know you can
beat him. Ç It sounds a great idea. Go for it!

go 'in

1 to enter a room, house, etc.:Let’s go in, it’s getting cold.

2 if the sun or moon goes in, it disappears behind a cloud

go 'in for sth

1 (BrE) to take an exam or enter a competition:She’s going in for the Cambridge First Certificate.

2 to have sth as an interest or a hobby:She doesn’t go in for team games.

go 'in with sb

to join sb in starting a business:My brothers are opening a garage and they want me to go in with them.
go 'into sth

1 (of a vehicle) to hit sth violently:The car skidded and went into a tree.

2 (of a vehicle or driver) to start moving in a particular way:The plane went into a nosedive.

3 to join an organization, especially in order to have a career in it:to go into the Army / the
Church / Parliament Ç to go into teaching

4 to begin to do sth or behave in a particular way:He went into a long explanation of the affair.

5 to examine sth carefully:We need to go into the question of costs.

6 (of money, time, effort, etc.) to be spent on sth or used to do sth:More government money needs
to go into the project. Ç [+ -ing] Years of work went into researching the book.

go 'off

1 to leave a place, especially in order to do sth:She went off to get a drink.

2 to be fired; to explode:The gun went off by accident. Ç The bomb went off in a crowded street.ò
note at explode

3 if an alarm, etc. goes off, it makes a sudden loud noise

4 if a light, the electricity, etc. goes off, it stops working:Suddenly the lights went off. Ç The heating
goes off at night. OPP  go on

5 (BrE, informal) to fall asleep:Hasn’t the baby gone off yet?

6 (BrE) if food or drink goes off, it becomes bad and not fit to eat or drink

7 (BrE) to get worse in quality:Her books have gone off in recent years.

8 to happen in a particular way:The meeting went off well.

go 'off (on sb)

(NAmE, informal) to suddenly become angry with sb

go 'off sb/sth

(BrE, informal) to stop liking sb/sth or lose interest in them:Jane seems to be going off Paul. Ç I’ve gone
off beer.

go 'off with sb

to leave your husband, wife, partner, etc. in order to have a relationship with sb else:He went off with
his best friend’s wife.
go 'off with sth

to take away from a place sth that does not belong to you:He went off with $ 1 0 000 of the
company’s money.

go 'on

1 when a performer goes on, they begin their performance:She doesn’t go on until Act 2 .

2 (in sport) to join a team as a substitute during a game:Cole went on in place of Beckham just
before half-time.

3 when a light, the electricity, etc. goes on, it starts to work:Suddenly all the lights went on. OPP  go
off

4 (of time) to pass:She became more and more talkative as the evening went on.

5 (usually be going on) to happen:What’s going on here?

6 if a situation goes on, it continues without changing:This cannot be allowed to go on. Ç How much
longer will this hot weather go on for? Ç We can’t go on like this—we seem to be always arguing.

7 to continue speaking, after a short pause:She hesitated for a moment and then went on. Ç
[+ speech] ‘You know,’ he went on, ‘I think my brother could help you.’

8 used to encourage sb to do sth:Go on! Have another drink! Ç Go on—jump!

go 'on (ahead)

to travel in front of sb else:You go on ahead—I’ll catch you up in a few minutes.

'go on sth

(used in negative sentences and questions) to base an opinion or a judgement on sth:The police don’t
have much to go on.

go 'on (about sb/sth)

to talk about sb/sth for a long time, especially in a boring or complaining way:He went on and on about
how poor he was. Ç She does go on sometimes!

go 'on (at sb)

(especially BrE) to complain to sb about their behaviour, work, etc. SYN  criticize:She goes on at him
continually.

go 'on (with sth)

to continue an activity, especially after a pause or break:That’s enough for now—let’s go on with it
tomorrow.

go 'on doing sth

to continue an activity without stopping:He said nothing but just went on working.

go 'on to sth

to pass from one item to the next:Let’s go on to the next item on the agenda.

go 'on to do sth

to do sth after completing sth else:The book goes on to describe his experiences in the army.

go 'out

1 to leave your house to go to a social event:She goes out a lot. Ç [+ -ing] He goes out drinking
most evenings.

2 when the tide goes out, it moves away from the land SYN  ebb  OPP  come in

3 to be sent:Have the invitations gone out yet?

4 (BrE) when a radio or television programme goes out, it is broadcast

5 when news or information goes out, it is announced or published:[+ that] Word went out that the
director had resigned

6 if a fire or light goes out, it stops burning or shining

go 'out (of sth)

1 to fail to reach the next stage of a competition, etc.:She went out of the tournament in the first
round.

2 to be no longer fashionable or generally used:Those skirts went out years ago.

go 'out of sb/sth

(of a quality or a feeling) to be no longer present in sb/sth; to disappear from sb/sth:All the fight seemed
to go out of him.

go 'out to sb

if your thoughts, etc. go out to sb, you think about them in a kind way and hope that the difficult
situation that they are in will get better:

go 'out with sb | go 'out (together)

(especially of young people) to spend time with sb and have a romantic or sexual relationship with
them:Tom has been going out with Lucy for six weeks. Ç How long have Tom and Lucy been going out
together?

go 'over sth

1 to examine or check sth carefully:Go over your work before you hand it in.ò note at check

2 to study sth carefully, especially by repeating it:He went over the events of the day in his mind (=
thought about them carefully).

go 'over (to … )

to move from one place to another, especially when this means crossing sth such as a room, town or
city:He went over and shook hands with his guests. Ç Many Irish people went over to America during the
famine.

go 'over to sb/sth

(in broadcasting) to change to a different person or place for the next part of a broadcast:We are now
going over to the news desk for an important announcement.

go 'over to sth

to change from one side, opinion, habit, etc. to another:Two Conservative MPs have gone over to the
Liberal Democrats.

go 'over (with sb)

(NAmE) to be received in a particular way by sb:The news of her promotion went over well with her
colleagues.

go 'round

= go around

go 'round (to … )

= go around (to … )

go 'through

if a law, contract, etc. goes through, it is officially accepted or completed:The deal did not go through.

go through sth

1 to look at or examine sth carefully, especially in order to find sth:I always start the day by going
through my email. Ç She went through the company’s accounts, looking for evidence of fraud.
2 to study or consider sth in detail, especially by repeating it:Let’s go through the arguments again.
Ç Could we go through (= practise) Act 2 once more?

3 to perform a series of actions; to follow a method or procedure:Certain formalities have to be

gone through before you can emigrate.

4 to experience or suffer sth:She’s been going through a bad patch recently. Ç He’s amazingly
cheerful considering all he’s had to go through.

5 to use up or finish sth completely:The boys went through two whole loaves of bread.

go 'through with sth

to do what is necessary to complete a course of action, especially one that is difficult or unpleasant:She
decided not to go through with (= not to have) the operation.

'go to sb/sth

to be given to sb/sth:Proceeds from the concert will go to charity. Ç All her property went to her eldest
son (= when she died).

go to'gether

= go with sth

'go towards sth

to be used as part of the payment for sth:The money will go towards a new car. Ç [+ -ing] Part of my pay
cheque went towards buying a CD player.

go 'under

1 (of sth that floats) to sink below the surface

2 (informal) to become bankrupt (= be unable to pay what you owe):The firm will go under unless
business improves.

go 'up

1 to be built:New offices buildings are going up everywhere.

2 when the curtain across the stage in a theatre goes up, it is raised or opened

3 to be destroyed by fire or an explosion:The whole building went up in flames.

4 if the price of sth, the temperature, etc. goes up, it becomes higher SYN  rise:The price of cigarettes
is going up. Ç Cigarettes are going up in price. OPP  go down

go 'up (to … )
(BrE, formal) to arrive at a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge, at the beginning of a term or in
order to begin your studies OPP  go down (from … )

go 'up (to … ) (from … )

to go from one place to another, especially further north or to a city or large town from a smaller
place:When are you next going up to Scotland? Ç We went up to London last weekend. OPP  go down

'go with sb

1 (old-fashioned, informal) to have a sexual or romantic relationship with sb

2 (informal) to have sex with sb

'go with sth

1 to be included with or as part of sth:A car goes with the job.

2 to agree to accept sth, for example a plan or an offer:You’re offering £5 00? I think we can go
with that.

3 (also go (together)) to combine well with sth SYN  match:Does this jacket go with this skirt? Ç
Those colours don’t really go (together).

4 (also go to'gether) to exist at the same time or in the same place as sth; to be found
together:Disease often goes with poverty. Ç Disease and poverty often go together.

go wi'thout (sth)

to manage without sth that you usually have or need:There wasn’t time for breakfast, so I had to go
without. Ç How long can a human being go (= survive) without sleep? Ç [+ -ing] She went without eating
for three days.

grow (in sth) to increase in size, number, strength or quality:[v] The company profits grew by 5 last
year. Ç The family has grown in size recently. Ç She is growing in confidence all the time. Ç A growing
number of people are going vegetarian. Ç Fears are growing for the safety of a teenager who
disappeared a week ago. Ç [v-adj] The company is growing bigger all the time.
grow a'part (from sb)

to stop having a close relationship with sb over a period of time

grow a'way from sb

[no passive] to become less close to sb; to depend on sb or care for sb less:When she left school she
grew away from her mother.

grow 'back

to begin growing again after being cut off or damaged

grow 'into sth [no passive]

1 to gradually develop into a particular type of person over a period of time

2 (of a child) to grow big enough to fit into a piece of clothing that used to be too big:The dress is
too long for her now but she’ll grow into it.

3 to become more confident in a new job, etc. and learn to do it better:She’s still growing into her
new role as a mother.

'grow on sb

[no passive] if sb/sth grows on you, you start to like them or it more and more

grow 'out

(of a hairstyle, etc.) to disappear as your hair grows:I had a perm a year ago and it still hasn’t grown out.

grow sth'out

to allow your hair to grow in order to change the style:I’ve decided to grow my layers out.

grow 'out of sth [no passive]

1 (of a child) to become too big to fit into a piece of clothing SYN  outgrow:He’s already grown out
of his school uniform.
2 to stop doing sth as you become older SYN  outgrow:Most children suck their thumbs but they
grow out of it.

3 to develop from sth:The idea for the book grew out of a visit to India.

grow 'up

1 (of a person) to develop into an adult:She grew up in Boston (= lived there as a child). Ç Their
children have all grown up and left home now.—related noun [+ to inf]grown-up

2 used to tell sb to stop behaving in a silly way:Why don’t you grow up? Ç It’s time you grew up.

3 to develop gradually: A closeness grew up between the two girls.

be on your 'guard

to be very careful and prepared for sth difficult or dangerous

mount / stand / keep 'guard (over sb/sth)

to watch or protect sb/sth:Four soldiers stood guard over the coffin.

off (your) 'guard

not careful or prepared for sth difficult or dangerous:The lawyer’s apparently innocent question was
designed to catch the witness off (his) guard.

'guard against sth

to take care to prevent sth or to protect yourself from sth:to guard against accidents / disease

tell a'gainst sb
(BrE, formal) to be a disadvantage to sb:Her lack of experience told against her.

'tell of sth

(formal or literary) to make sth known; to give an account of sth:notices telling of the proposed job cuts

tell sb'off (for sth / for doing sth)

(informal) to speak angrily to sb for doing sth wrong SYN  scold:I told the boys off for making so much
noise. Ç Did you get told off?—related noun telling-off

'tell on sb

(informal) to tell a person in authority about sth bad that sb has done:Promise not to tell on me!

blow the whistle (on somebody or something) to report somebody for doing something wrong or illegal, especially within an organization

turn a blind eye idiom

to pretend not to notice sth bad that is happening, so that you do not have to do anything about it
The authorities were either unaware of the problem or turned a blind eye to it.
take no notice phrase took , taken
to pay no attention to sb/sth, as if they/it were not there or did not exist
Take no notice of what he says. ◇ Don't take any notice of what you read in the papers. ◇ Take no notice
and they'll just go away.

gloss over sth phrasal verb

to avoid talking about sth unpleasant or embarrassing by not dealing with it in detail
There is a strong temptation to gloss over potential problems. ◇ He glossed over any splits in the party.
I’m very busy at the moment but I hope to get  round to answering your letter next
week.

I find her impossible to get  through to.

What on earth will he get  up to next?

Patrick decided to give  away everything he possessed and become a monk.

He decided to take the soft option and give  in to their demands.

One of the plane’s engines gave  out in mid-Atlantic.

She did a year at university, but then decided to give  up the course.

The article glosses  over the corruption within the organization

The building of the new bridge will go  ahead as planned.

I don’t go  along with her views on nuclear disarmament.

be getting on for sth phrase ( especially BrE , rather informal )

to be nearly a particular time, age or number, especially a late time or old age
It must be getting on for midnight. ◇ He's getting on for eighty.
get sth a cross phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( rather
informal )
to succeed in communicating sth
He's not very good at getting his ideas across.

get a head phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten
to make progress; to make progress faster or further than sb/sth else
She wants to get ahead in her career. ◇ He soon got ahead of the others in the class.
Get ahead is used especially to talk about the progress of individual people in their work or studies.

get on , get a long phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten (
especially BrE , rather informal )
used to talk or ask about the success or progress of sb
He's getting on very well at school. ◇ I went to see how they were getting along.
How are you getting on?
When get on/along is used with an adverb, it is usually well ; it is not common to talk about sb getting
on/along badly . The subject of get on/along is usually a person or small group of people in an informal
context; it is NOT used to talk about businesses, organizations or events.

fare / BrE ; AmE / [ I ] ( especially written )

used to talk or ask about the success or progress of sb/sth
The party fared very badly in the last election. ◇ The North, by and large, has fared better than most
regions in avoiding high unemployment figures.
NOTE PERFORM OR FARE? Perform is more active than fare : a person or company that performs well is
successful because of what they do; a person or group that fares well is successful, or just lucky, because
good things happen to them or the conditions are right for them. Both these words are used to talk about
people, groups or organizations, but NOT events : The interview performed/fared well.
get round sb ( BrE ) (also get a round sb especially in AmE ) phrasal verb getting , got , got ;
AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( rather informal )
to persuade sb to agree to sth or to do what you want, usually by being very nice to them
She knows how to get round her dad.
His mother didn't want him to let him go but he got around her.

win sb over phrasal verb winning , won , won

to get sb's support or approval, especially by persuading them that you are right when they disagreed with
you before
She's against the idea but I'm sure I can win her over. ◇ They were immediately won over by his famous
charm.

go off phrasal verb goes , went , gone

to leave a person or place, especially in order to do sth
‘Where did David go?’ ‘He went off to find his dad.’ ◇ She went off to college last year and I haven't
seen her since. ◇ Matt went off in search of a flashlight.
He went off, muttering to himself. ◇ I went off to check that the kids were all right. ◇ Marie had gone
off in the direction of the lake. ◇ He went off upstairs without finishing his dinner.
See also retire ⇨ WITHDRAW   1

fight back / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb fought , fought

to resist strongly or attack sb who has attacked you
Don't let them bully you. Fight back! ◇ It is time to fight back against street crime. ◇ The team fought
back from 3 –0 down to get a 3 –3 draw.
He tried to fight back, but there were too many of them. ◇ The company has begun to fight back by
reorganizing its marketing department.
retaliate / BrE ; AmE / [ I ]
to do sth that harms sb because they have harmed you first
The police were pelted with stones and retaliated with tear gas. ◇ The boy hit his sister, who retaliated
by kicking him.
Ukraine threatened to retaliate by closing oil pipelines.
See also retaliation ⇨ REVENGE
get back at sb phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( informal ,
especially spoken )
to do sth that harms or punishes sb because they have harmed you first
I'll find a way of getting back at him!
The students mess around to get back at the teachers for telling them off. ◇ He'll probably meet her just
to get back at me.
avenge / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( formal or literary )
to punish or hurt sb in return for sth bad or wrong they have done to you, your family or friends
He promised to avenge his father's murder. ◇ She was determined to avenge herself on the man who had
betrayed her.
In time, perhaps, these deaths will be avenged. ◇ They were out to avenge last season's defeat.
See also vengeance ⇨ REVENGE
hit back phrasal verb hitting , hit , hit ( rather informal )
to reply angrily to criticism
In a TV interview she hit back at her critics. ◇ The chairman has hit back at claims in a national
newspaper.
The minister hit back, saying there was no crisis. ◇ The opposition hit back with personal attacks on the
president.
get even idiom getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( informal )
to cause sb the same amount of trouble or harm as they have caused you
I'll get even with you for this, just you wait.
He'd been waiting a long time for a chance to get even.
strike back phrasal verb struck , struck
to retaliate
He urged his people to strike back if they were attacked.
We should strike back with all means we judge appropriate.
NOTE RETALIATE OR STRIKE BACK? Strike back can be a more emotional term than retaliate . People talk
about their own desire to strike back at sb who has hurt them; when you are talking about a situation that
you are not involved in yourself, you might use the word retaliate : She was filled with a desire to strike
back at him. ◇ Kay was sent off for retaliating against Walsh.
settle a score idiom
to hurt or punish sb who has harmed or cheated you in the past
It was a chance to settle a few scores with their neighbours. ◇ ‘Who would do such a thing?’ ‘Maybe
someone with an old score to settle.’
They were eager to settle scores with those who had exploited them.

write back phrasal verb wrote , written

to write sb a letter replying to their letter
I'm afraid I never wrote back to him. ◇ She wrote back saying that she couldn't come.
get back to sb phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( informal )
to speak or write to sb again later, especially in order to give a reply
I'll find out and get back to you.
cope / BrE ; AmE / [ I ]
to deal successfully with the difficulties of a particular situation
He wasn't able to cope with the stresses and strains of the job. ◇ She copes very well under pressure. ◇ I
got to the stage where I just couldn't cope any more. ◇ In heavy rain the system can't cope and it floods.
◇ Desert plants are adapted to cope with extreme heat.
She was struggling to cope with the demands of a new baby. ◇ The family is learning to cope without a
car. ◇ Everyone finds different ways of coping with bereavement.
manage / BrE ; AmE / [ I ]
to be able to solve your problems or deal with a difficult situation
How do you manage without a car? ◇ Many find it difficult to manage on their weekly income. ◇ It
won't be easy, but I'm sure we'll manage somehow.
I don't know how she manages on her own with four kids.
NOTE COPE OR MANAGE? The subject of manage in this meaning is always a person; the subject of cope
may be a person, thing or system : In heavy rain the system can't manage. People or systems often have to
cope with a particular difficulty such as stress, pressure, problems, demands , a workload , a challenge , a
situation or an emergency . People often have to manage in a particular situation, without a particular
thing that they need or usually have, or on a limited amount of money.
get by phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( rather informal )
to manage to live or do a particular thing using the money, knowledge or equipment that you have,
especially when it is limited or less than normal
How does she get by on such a small salary? ◇ I can just about get by in German ( = I can speak basic
German ) . ◇ You don't need specialist clothing — you can get by with shorts and a T-shirt.
If John loses his job, I don't know how we'll get by.
get on phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( rather informal )
to manage to live or do sth, especially with little help
This is a chance to see how you get on on your own. ◇ We can get on perfectly well without her.
muddle through phrasal verb ( especially BrE , rather informal )
to deal successfully with sth even though you do not know exactly what you are doing and/or do not have
the correct equipment
He'd got used to muddling through without any formal training.
We'll muddle through somehow.

discourage / BrE ; AmE / [ T , often passive ]

to make sb feel less confident or enthusiastic about doing sth
Don't be discouraged by the first failure — try again! ◇ The weather discouraged most people from
attending. ◇ High interest rates will discourage investment.
From boyhood he had been easily discouraged by obstacles in his path. ◇ Learners can feel very
discouraged if an exercise is too difficult.
OPP encourage ⇨ ENCOURAGE   1
See also discouraging ⇨ DISAPPOINTING
►  discouragement / BrE ; AmE / noun [ U , C ]: an atmosphere of discouragement and despair ◇
Despite all these discouragements, she refused to give up.
OPP encouragement ⇨ ENCOURAGE   1
demoralize ( BrE also -ise ) / BrE ; AmE / [ T , often passive ]
to make sb lose confidence and hope, especially by creating a negative feeling among a group of people
Constant criticism is enough to demoralize anybody. ◇ Many members were demoralized by the
leadership's failure to implement reforms.
The world depression further demoralized the labour movement.
See also morale ⇨ MOOD
►  demoralizing / BrE ; AmE / ( BrE also -ising ) adj. : the demoralizing effects of unemployment
depress / BrE ; AmE / [ T ]
to make sb feel sad and without hope or enthusiasm
Wet weather always depresses me. ◇ It depresses me to see so many young girls smoking.
The prospect of staying single depressed her. ◇ What depresses me most is that I never see you.
See also depressed ⇨ DEPRESSED , depressing ⇨ NEGATIVE , depression ⇨ GLOOM
daunt / BrE ; AmE / [ T , often passive ]
to make sb feel nervous and less confident about doing sth, because it seems difficult or frightening
She was a brave woman but she felt daunted by the task ahead.
He's a bit daunted at the thought of managing on his own. ◇ The prospect of going in a helicopter rather
daunts me. ◇ She had struggled with problems that would daunt the most energetic and resourceful of
people.
See also daunting ⇨ FRIGHTENING
crush / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( especially written )
to destroy sb's confidence or happiness
She felt completely crushed by the teacher's criticism. ◇ Their new self-confidence could not be crushed.
He always has this fantastic energy. Nothing can crush him.
►  crushing / BrE ; AmE / adj. : a crushing defeat in the election
The shipyard has been dealt another crushing blow with the failure to win this contract.
get sb down phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( rather
informal , especially spoken )
to make sb feel sad or depressed
Don't let it get you down too much. ◇ The lack of sleep is getting me down.
OPP cheer sb up ⇨ ENCOURAGE   1
oppress / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( rather formal , written )
to make sb only able to think about sad or worrying things
The gloomy atmosphere in the office oppressed her.
He was beginning to feel oppressed by his surroundings.

get in , get in sth , get into sth phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got ,
gotten
to go inside a vehicle such as a car or into a small boat
‘Get in,’ she said, opening the passenger door. ◇ The two of us got in the back. ◇ She checked the tyres
and got back into the van.
Rob got in beside me. ◇ Never get into a car with someone you don't know. ◇ The group got into a bus
which took them to the airport.
OPP get out ⇨ GET OUT
board / BrE ; AmE / [ T , I ] ( rather formal )
to go onto a ship, plane, train or bus
The ship was boarded by customs officials. ◇ Passengers were waiting to board .
She boarded a train for Philadelphia.
If a plane or ship is boarding , it is ready for passengers to get on: BA Flight 9 4 3 for Istanbul is
now boarding at Gate 1 4 .
get on , get on sth , get onto sth phrasal verb getting , got , got
to go inside a form of transport that carries a lot of people, such as a plane, bus, train or boat; to climb
onto a bicycle, motorcycle or horse
I think the men got on at the last stop. ◇ Let's just go to the airport and get on a plane. ◇ She got back
on the horse and rode off.
You can get on the bus at the end of the road. ◇ We got onto the ferry at Dover. ◇ Joe told me to get on
the back of his bike.
OPP get off ⇨ GET OUT
embark / BrE ; AmE / [ I ] ( formal )
to go onto a ship at the start of a journey; to put sb onto a ship
The invasion force was ready to embark. ◇ The team embarked for ( = started their journey to ) Italy.
They travelled with him to the coast to watch him embark. ◇ The emigrants embarked at Liverpool. ◇
They embarked the troops by night.
OPP disembark ⇨ GET OUT
mount / BrE ; AmE / [ T , I ] ( rather formal )
to climb on a horse, bicycle or motorcycle in order to ride it
Carla mounted her bike and pedalled off. ◇ He mounted and galloped off.
He mounted his horse and rode away.
When mount is used without an object it usually means to get on a horse. Mount a bicycle/motorcycle is
more formal than mount a horse ; it is more usual to say get on a bicycle/bike/motorcycle/motorbike .
OPP dismount ⇨ GET OUT

make your mark , make a mark idiom made , made ( rather informal )
to become famous and successful in a particular area
She has already made her mark on the music industry.
She quickly made her mark as a film director. ◇ This was perhaps his final chance to make his mark in
politics. ◇ He was a young lawyer, keen to make his mark by taking on the local crime boss.
make a name for yourself idiom made , made ( rather informal )
to become famous and gain a reputation
She's made quite a name for herself.
He ran away to sea at fifteen and made a name for himself as a fist fighter. ◇ The environmental group
had already made a name for itself by chasing whalers on the high seas. ◇ He quickly made a name for
himself with his performances at the local theatre.
See also name ⇨ REPUTATION

get on phrasal verb getting , got , got ( BrE , rather informal )

to be successful in your career
Parents are always anxious for their children to get on. ◇ I don't know how he's going to get on in life .
NOTE MAKE IT OR GET ON? Make it often suggests that there is there is one critical moment or achievement
in sb's career, at which point you can tell whether they have been successful or not; it also suggests that
success depends on talent and self-belief. Get on suggests a more gradual process of becoming successful
through hard work.

turn out / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb

to be finally discovered to be sth, especially when this is unexpected
The job turned out to be harder than we thought. ◇ It turned out that she was a friend of my sister.
The house they had offered us turned out to be a tiny apartment.

get out / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( not
usually used in the progressive tenses ) ( rather informal )
(of secret information) to become known
If this gets out there'll be trouble.

get through sth phrasal verb getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten
to use a large amount of sth
We got through a fortune while we were in New York! ◇ We get through a lot of paper in the office.

get sth (for yourself / sb) | get (yourself / sb) sth to obtain sth:[vn] Where did you get (= buy) that
skirt? Ç Did you manage to get tickets for the concert? Ç She opened the door wider to get a better look.
Ç Try to get some sleep. Ç He has just got a new job. Ç [vnn] Why don’t you get yourself a car? Ç [vn,
vnn] Did you get a present for your mother? Ç Did you get your mother a present?
get sth done to cause sth to happen or be done:I must get my hair cut. Ç I’ll never get all this work
finished.

get sth (for yourself / sb) | get (yourself / sb) sth (especially BrE) to prepare a meal:[vn] Who’s getting
the lunch? Ç [vn, vnn] I must go home and get tea for the kids. Ç I must go home and get the kids their
tea.

stand in for sb/sth phrasal verb stood , stood

to take the place of sb/sth else, especially sb/sth more important or famous
My assistant will stand in for me while I'm away. ◇ The scenes were filmed in North Wales, which had to
stand in for the North West Frontier.
He stood in for his father in his frequent absences. ◇ Deputy heads of schools will stand in for heads
who are absent or where there is a vacancy. ◇ In the last scene a stuntman stood in for Johnny Depp.
See also stand-in ⇨ REPLACEMENT

fill in for sb/sth phrasal verb ( especially AmE )

to stand in for sb/sth
He called me one Saturday morning and asked me to fill in for him. ◇ Most of the locations filling in for
Venezuela are really in the United States.
NOTE STAND IN FOR SB/STH OR FILL IN FOR SB/STH? These verbs are used in the same way, but stand in for
sb/sth is used more in British English and fill in for sb/sth is used more in American English.
substitute for sb/sth phrasal verb ( rather formal )
to take the place of sb/sth else
Nothing can substitute for the advice your doctor is able to give you. ◇ One of her colleagues agreed to
substitute for her at the last minute.
See also substitution ⇨ EXCHANGE , substitute ⇨ REPLACEMENT noun , substitute ⇨ REPLACE verb   2

cover for sb phrasal verb

to do sb's work or duties while they are away
I'm covering for Jane while she's on leave. ◇ You may be asked to cover for employees who are off sick.
See also cover ⇨ REPLACEMENT noun
NOTE STAND IN, FILL IN OR COVER? You cover for your colleagues at work, especially people who do
similar jobs to you and have the same status. You stand/fill in for a person who is more senior than you
in your organization, or a performer who is more famous and popular than you. When you cover for sb
you are often considered to be doing them a favour; sb who stands/fills in for sb is often seen as second
best.

get to grips with sth , come to grips with sth idiom getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting ,
got , gotten ; came , come
to begin to understand and deal with sth difficult
I'm slowly getting to grips with the language. ◇ They have so far failed to come to grips with the
ecological problems.

get to your feet phrase getting , got , got ; AmE , spoken getting , got , gotten ( written )
to stand up after sitting, kneeling or lying
I helped her to get to her feet.
‘I'd better be going,’ he said, getting to his feet.
go to sleep phrase goes , went , gone
to start to sleep, especially when you intend to
Go to sleep — it's late. ◇ The baby just wouldn't go to sleep. ◇ He woke for a moment and then went to
sleep again.
I shut my eyes and tried to go to sleep. ◇ After she had gone to sleep, I crept out of the room.
OPP wake , wake up ⇨ WAKE UP

get a'bout

(BrE) = get around

get a'bove yourself

(especially BrE) to have too high an opinion of yourself

get a'cross (to sb) | get sth a'cross (to sb)

to be communicated or understood; to succeed in communicating sth:Your meaning didn’t really get

across. Ç He’s not very good at getting his ideas across.

get a'head (of sb)

to make progress (further than others have done):She wants to get ahead in her career. Ç He soon got
ahead of the others in his class.

get a'long

1 (usually used in the progressive tenses) to leave a place:It’s time we were getting along.

2 = get on

get a'round

1 (BrE also get a'bout) to move from place to place or from person to person:She gets around with
the help of a stick. Ç News soon got around that he had resigned.

2 (especially NAmE) = get round

'get at sb
(usually used in the progressive tenses) to keep criticizing sb:He’s always getting at me. Ç She feels she’s
being got at.

'get at sb/sth

to reach sb/sth; to gain access to sb/sth:The files are locked up and I can’t get at them.

'get at sth

to learn or find out sth:The truth is sometimes difficult to get at.

get a'way

1 to have a holiday / vacation:We’re hoping to get away for a few days at Easter.—related noun
getaway

2 (BrE, informal) used to show that you do not believe or are surprised by what sb has said:‘These
tickets didn’t cost me a thing.’ ‘Get away!’

get a'way (from … )

to succeed in leaving a place:I won’t be able to get away from the office before 7 .

get a'way (from sb / … )

to escape from sb or a place

get a'way with sth

1 to steal sth and escape with it:Thieves got away with computer equipment worth $3 0 000.—
related noun getaway

2 to receive a relatively light punishment:He was lucky to get away with only a fine.

3 to do sth wrong and not be punished for it:Don’t be tempted to cheat—you’ll never get away with
it. Ç [+ -ing] Nobody gets away with insulting me like that.

4 to manage with less of sth than you might expect to need:After the first month, you should be able
to get away with one lesson a week.

get 'back

to return, especially to your home:What time did you get back last night?ò note at return

get sth'back

to obtain sth again after having lost it:She’s got her old job back. Ç I never lend books—you never get
them back.
get 'back (in)

(of a political party) to win an election after having lost the previous one

get 'back at sb

(informal) to do sth bad to sb who has done sth bad to you; to get revenge on sb:I’ll find a way of getting
back at him!

get 'back to sb

to speak or write to sb again later, especially in order to give a reply:I’ll find out and get back to you.

get 'back to sth

to return to sth:Could we get back to the question of funding?

get be'hind (with sth)

to fail to make enough progress or to produce sth at the right time:I’m getting behind with my work. Ç
He got behind with the payments for his car.

get 'by (on / in / with sth)

to manage to live or do a particular thing using the money, knowledge, equipment, etc. that you
have:How does she get by on such a small salary? Ç I can just about get by in German (= I can speak
basic German).

get 'down

(of children) (BrE) to leave the table after a meal

get sb 'down

(informal) to make sb feel sad or depressed

get sth'down

1 to swallow sth, usually with difficulty

2 to make a note of sth SYN  write down:Did you get his number down?

get 'down to sth

to begin to do sth; to give serious attention to sth:Let’s get down to business. Ç I like to get down to
work by 9 . Ç [+ -ing] It’s time I got down to thinking about that essay.

get 'in | get 'into sth

1 to arrive at a place:The train got in late. Ç What time do you get into Heathrow?

2 to win an election:The Republican candidate stands a good chance of getting in. Ç She first got into
Parliament (= became an MP) in 2 00 1 .

3 to be admitted to a school, university, etc.:She’s got into Durham to study law.

get sb'in

to call sb to your house to do a job

get sth'in

1 to collect or gather sth:to get the crops / harvest in

2 to buy a supply of sth:Remember to get in some beers for this evening.

3 to manage to do or say sth:I got in an hour’s work while the baby was asleep. Ç She talks so much
it’s impossible to get a word in.

get 'in on sth

to take part in an activity:He’s hoping to get in on any discussions about the new project.

get 'in with sb

(informal) to become friendly with sb, especially in order to gain an advantage

get 'into sth

1 to put on a piece of clothing, especially with difficulty:I can’t get into these shoes—they’re too
small.

2 to start a career in a particular profession:What’s the best way to get into journalism?

3 to become involved in sth; to start sth:I got into conversation with an Italian student. Ç to get into a
fight

4 to develop a particular habit:Don’t let yourself get into bad habits. Ç You should get into the routine
of saving the document you are working on every ten minutes. Ç How did she get into (= start taking)
drugs?

5 (informal) to become interested in sth:I’m really getting into jazz these days.

6 to become familiar with sth; to learn sth:I haven’t really got into my new job yet.

get 'into sth | get yourself / sb 'into sth

to reach a particular state or condition; to make sb reach a particular state or condition:He got into
trouble with the police while he was still at school. Ç Three people were rescued from a yacht which got
into difficulties. Ç She got herself into a real state (= became very anxious) before the interview.

get 'off | get 'off sb

used especially to tell sb to stop touching you or another person:Get off me, that hurts!

get 'off | get sb 'off

1 to leave a place or start a journey; to help sb do this:We got off straight after breakfast. Ç He got
the children off to school.

2 (BrE) to fall asleep; to make sb do this:I had great difficulty getting off to sleep. Ç They couldn’t get
the baby off till midnight.

get 'off | get 'off sth

to leave work with permission:Could you get off (work) early tomorrow?

get 'off sth | get sb 'off sth

to stop discussing a particular subject; to make sb do this:Please can we get off the subject of dieting? Ç I
couldn’t get him off politics once he had started.

get sth 'off

to send sth by post / mail:I must get these letters off first thing tomorrow.

get 'off on sth

(informal) to be excited by sth, especially in a sexual way

get 'off (with sth)

to have no or almost no injuries in an accident:She was lucky to get off with just a few bruises.

get 'off (with sth) | get sb 'off (with sth)

to receive no or almost no punishment; to help sb do this:He was lucky to get off with a small fine. Ç A
good lawyer might be able to get you off.

get 'off with sb

(informal, especially BrE) to have a sexual or romantic experience with sb; to start a sexual relationship
with sb:Steve got off with Tracey at the party.

get 'on
1 (also get a'long) used to talk or ask about how well sb is doing in a particular situation:He’s getting
on very well at school. Ç How did you get on at the interview?

2 to be successful in your career, etc.:Parents are always anxious for their children to get on. Ç I don’t
know how he’s going to get on in life.

3 (also get a'long) to manage or survive:We can get on perfectly well without her. Ç I just can’t get
along without a secretary.

get 'on to sb

1 to contact sb by telephone, letter or email:The heating isn’t working; I’ll get on to the landlord
about it.

2 to become aware of sb’s activities, especially when they have been doing sth bad or illegal:He had
been stealing money from the company for years before they got on to him.

get 'on to sth

to begin to talk about a new subject:It’s time we got on to the question of costs.

get 'on with sb | get 'on (together) (both BrE) (also get a'long with sb, get a'long (together) NAmE,
BrE)

to have a friendly relationship with sb:She’s never really got on with her sister. Ç She and her sister have
never really got on. Ç We get along just fine together.

get 'on with sth

1 (also get a'long with sth) used to talk or ask about how well sb is doing a task:I’m not getting on
very fast with this job.

2 to continue doing sth, especially after an interruption:Be quiet and get on with your work. Ç
(informal) Get on with it! We haven’t got all day.

get 'out

to become known:If this gets out there’ll be trouble.

get sth'out

1 to produce or publish sth:Will we get the book out by the end of the year?

2 to say sth with difficulty:She managed to get out a few words of thanks.

get 'out (of sth)

to leave or go out of a place:You ought to get out of the house more. Ç She screamed at me to get out.
get 'out of sth

1 to avoid a responsibility or duty:We promised we’d go—we can’t get out of it now. Ç [+ -ing] I wish
I could get out of going to that meeting.

2 to stop having a particular habit:I can’t get out of the habit of waking at six in the morning.

get sth 'out of sb

to persuade sb to tell or give you sth, especially by force:The police finally got a confession out of her.

get sth 'out of sb/sth

to gain or obtain sth good from sb/sth:She seems to get a lot out of life. Ç He always gets the best out of
people.

get 'over sth

to deal with or gain control of sth SYN  overcome:She can’t get over her shyness. Ç I think the problem
can be got over without too much difficulty.

get 'over sth/sb

to return to your usual state of health, happiness, etc. after an illness, a shock, the end of a relationship,
etc.:He was disappointed at not getting the job, but he’ll get over it.

get sth'over (to sb)

to make sth clear to sb:He didn’t really get his meaning over to the audience.

get sth 'over (with)

(informal) to complete sth unpleasant but necessary:I’ll be glad to get the exam over and done with.

get 'round / a'round sb

to persuade sb to agree or to do what you want, usually by doing nice things for them:She knows how to
get round her dad.

get 'round / a'round sth

to deal with a problem successfully SYN  overcome:A clever lawyer might find a way of getting round
that clause.

get 'round / a'round to sth

to find the time to do sth:I meant to do the ironing but I didn’t get round to it. Ç [+ -ing] I hope to get
around to answering your letter next week.
'get through sth

1 to use up a large amount of sth:We got through a fortune while we were in New York!

2 to manage to do or complete sth:Let’s start—there’s a lot to get through.

get 'through (sth)

(BrE) to be successful in an exam, etc.

get sb 'through sth

to help sb to be successful in an exam:She got all her students through the exam.

get 'through (sth) | get sth 'through (sth)

to be officially accepted; to make sth be officially accepted:They got the bill through Congress.

get 'through (to sb)

1 to reach sb:Thousands of refugees will die if these supplies don’t get through to them.

2 to make contact with sb by telephone:I tried calling you several times but I couldn’t get through.

get 'through (to sth)

(of a player or team) to reach the next stage of a competition:Moya has got through to the final.

get 'through to sb

to make sb understand or accept what you say, especially when you are trying to help them:I find it
impossible to get through to her.

get 'through with sth

to finish or complete a task

'get to sb

(informal) to annoy or affect sb:The pressure of work is beginning to get to him.

get sb/sth to'gether

to collect people or things in one place:I’m trying to get a team together for Saturday.

get to'gether (with sb)

to meet with sb socially or in order to discuss sth:We must get together for a drink sometime. Ç
Management should get together with the union.—related noun get-together
get 'up

1 to stand up after sitting, lying, etc. SYN  rise:The class got up when the teacher came in.ò note at
stand

2 if the sea or wind gets up, it increases in strength and becomes violent

get 'up | get sb 'up

to get out of bed; to make sb get out of bed:He always gets up early. Ç Could you get me up at 6 .3
0 tomorrow?

get yourself / sb 'up as sth

[often passive] (BrE) to dress yourself/sb as sb/sth else:She was got up as an Indian princess.—related
noun get-up

get sth 'up

to arrange or organize sth:We’re getting up a party for her birthday.

get 'up to sth

1 to reach a particular point:We got up to page 7 2 last lesson.

2 to be busy with sth, especially sth surprising or unpleasant:What on earth will he get up to next? Ç
She’s been getting up to her old tricks again!

divulge / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( formal )

to give sb information that is supposed to be secret
Police refused to divulge the identity of the suspect.
Divulge is often used in the negative, or with a verb that has a negative meaning.
give sb/sth a way / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb gave , given
to make known sth that sb wants to keep secret
She gave away state secrets to the enemy. ◇ His voice gave him away ( = showed who he really was. ) ◇
( especially BrE ) It was supposed to be a surprise but the children gave the game away .
See also betray ⇨ TELL   2
NOTE DIVULGE OR GIVE STH AWAY? A person who gives sth away should really be keeping the information
secret; a person who divulges information is more likely to have the authority to do so.
bring sth to light idiom brought , brought
to make new information known to people
These facts have only just been brought to light.
good buy [ C ]
a thing that is worth the money that you pay for it
That jacket was a really good buy.
OPP bad buy
A bad buy is NOT worth the money that you pay for it.
giveaway / BrE ; AmE / [ C ] ( informal )
something that a company gives free, usually with sth else that is for sale
Comic books were first published in the US in 1 9 3 3 , for use as advertising giveaways.
a snip [ sing. ] ( BrE , informal )
a thing that is cheap and good value
It's a snip at only £2 5 .
a steal [ sing. ] ( especially AmE , informal )
a snip
This suit is a steal at $8 0.

give sth over to sth phrasal verb gave , given [ usually passive ]
to use sth for one particular purpose
This gallery is given over to British art.

despair / BrE ; AmE / [ I ]

to stop believing that there is any possibility that a bad situation will change or improve
Don't despair ! We'll think of a way out of this. ◇ They'd almost despaired of ever having children. ◇ I
despair of him; he can't keep a job for more than six months.
He began to despair that his dream would never materialize.
See also despair ⇨ DESPAIR noun , despairing ⇨ DESPERATE
give up hope phrase gave , given
to stop believing that sth you want will happen
Don't give up hope yet. ◇ They have given up hope of finding any more survivors.
His family have given up hope of an early release. ◇ He has not given up hope that he can recover in
time.
See also hope ⇨ HOPE noun   1
lose hope phrase lost , lost
to stop believing that sth you want will happen
We have lost all hope of a negotiated settlement. ◇ I never lost hope, even when I was told I would never
walk again.
He began to lose hope of finding new evidence.
See also hope ⇨ HOPE noun   1
NOTE GIVE UP HOPE OR LOSE HOPE? You often lose hope gradually as a situation gets worse or the chances
of sth happening seem to get less. You give up hope when you realize at a particular point that sth is not
going to happen as you want.
lose heart idiom lost , lost
to stop hoping for sth or trying to do sth because you have not been successful so far and you no longer
feel confident
We mustn't lose heart just because of a temporary setback.
After he lost the second set, he seemed to lose heart.
OPP take heart
If you take heart , you start to feel more positive about sth: The government can take heart from the latest
opinion polls.

give sb a'way

(in a marriage ceremony) to lead the bride to the bridegroom and formally allow her to marry him:The
bride was given away by her father.

give sth a'way

1 to give sth as a gift:He gave away most of his money to charity. Ç (informal) Check out the prices of
our pizzas—we’re virtually giving them away!—related noun giveaway

2 to present sth:The mayor gave away the prizes at the school sports day.

3 to carelessly allow sb to have an advantage:They’ve given away two goals already.

give sth/sb a'way

to make known sth that sb wants to keep secret SYN  betray:She gave away state secrets to the enemy.
Ç It was supposed to be a surprise but the children gave the game away. Ç His voice gave him away (=
showed who he really was).—related noun giveaway

give sb 'back sth | give sth 'back (to sb)

1 to return sth to its owner:Could you give me back my pen? Ç Could you give me my pen back? Ç I
picked it up and gave it back to him. Ç (informal) Give it me back!

2 to allow sb to have sth again:The operation gave him back the use of his legs.

give 'in (to sb/sth)

1 to admit that you have been defeated by sb/sth:The rebels were forced to give in.

2 to agree to do sth that you do not want to do:The authorities have shown no signs of giving in to
the kidnappers' demands.

give sth 'in (to sb) (BrE) (also hand sth 'in (to sb) BrE, NAmE)

to hand over sth to sb in authority:Please give your work in before Monday.

give 'off sth

to produce sth such as a smell, heat, light, etc.:The flowers gave off a fragrant perfume.

'give on to / onto sth

[no passive] (BrE) to have a view of sth; to lead directly to sth:The bedroom windows give on to the
street. Ç This door gives onto the hall.

give 'out

1 to come to an end; to be completely used up:After a month their food supplies gave out. Ç Her
patience finally gave out.

2 to stop working:One of the plane’s engines gave out in mid-Atlantic. Ç Her legs gave out and she
collapsed.

give sth 'out

to give sth to a lot of people:The teacher gave out the exam papers.

give 'out sth

1 to produce sth such as heat, light, etc.:The radiator gives out a lot of heat.

2 [often passive] (especially BrE) to tell people about sth or broadcast sth

give 'over

(BrE, informal) used to tell sb to stop doing sth:Give over, Chris! You’re hurting me. Ç [+ -ing] Give over
complaining!

give yourself 'over to sth (also give yourself 'up to sth)

to spend all your time doing sth or thinking about sth; to allow sth to completely control your life

give sth 'over to sth

[usually passive] to use sth for one particular purpose:The gallery is given over to British art.

give 'up

to stop trying to do sth:They gave up without a fight. Ç She doesn’t give up easily. Ç I give up—tell me
the answer.

give sb 'up

1 (also give 'up on sb especially in NAmE) to believe that sb is never going to arrive, get better, be
found, etc.:There you are at last! We’d given you up. Ç We hadn’t heard from him for so long, we’d
given him up for dead.

2 to stop having a relationship with sb:Why don’t you give him up?

give sth 'up

1 [no passive] to stop doing or having sth:She didn’t give up work when she had the baby. Ç We’d
given up hope of ever having children. Ç [+ -ing] You ought to give up smoking.

2 to spend time on a task that you would normally spend on sth else:I gave up my weekend to help
him paint his apartment.

give sth 'up (to sb)

to hand sth over to sb else:We had to give our passports up to the authorities. Ç He gave up his seat to a
pregnant woman (= stood up to allow her to sit down).

give yourself / sb 'up (to sb)

to offer yourself/sb to be captured:After a week on the run he gave himself up to the police.

give yourself 'up to sth

= give yourself over to sth

give 'up on sb

1 to stop hoping or believing that sb will change, get better, etc.:His teachers seem to have given up
on him.

2 (especially NAmE) = give sb up

gloss 'over sth

to avoid talking about sth unpleasant or embarrassing by not dealing with it in detail:to gloss over a
problem Ç He glossed over any splits in the party.

turn sth over to sb phrasal verb ( especially AmE )

to give the control of sth to sb
He turned the business over to his daughter.
entrust / BrE ; AmE / [ T ] ( formal )
to make sb responsible for doing sth or taking care of sb
He entrusted the task to his nephew. ◇ He entrusted his nephew with the task. ◇ His mother entrusted
him to doctors at Charing Cross hospital.
Note the three possible patterns used with entrust : to entrust sth to sb ◇ to entrust sb with sth ◇ to entrust
sb to sb .

hand sth over / BrE ; AmE / phrasal verb

to give sb else your position of power or the responsibility for sth
He finally handed over his responsibility for the company last year.
Hand sth over is typically used with work-related words such as job, project, business and responsibility
. In British English hand over to sb can also be used without an object: ( BrE ) She resigned and handed
over to one of her younger colleagues.
►  handover / BrE ; AmE / noun [ C , U ]: the smooth handover of power from a military to a civilian
government