English Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb Opposites
Phrasal verbs with their opposing phrasal verb
| PHRASAL VERB | OPPOSITE PHRASAL VERB |
|---|---|
| Add in Insert something additional. "Don't forget to add in a heading." |
Cross out Remove by drawing a line through. "We don't need that. Just cross it out." |
| Cool down Lower the body temperature. "I'll have an ice-cream to cool down! |
Warm up Raise the temperature. "He lit a fire to warm up the room." |
| Break off / Break up End a relationship. "Eva and Sam broke off their engagement." "Our parents' marriage broke up." |
Make up End a quarrel and become friends again. "They've made up and are now back together again." |
| Doze off / Nod off Fall asleep. "My Dad often dozes off at the cinema." |
Wake up Stop sleeping. "Wake up! It's time to get ready for school!" |
| Egg on Encourage someone to do something. "Egged on by his friends, he climbed the tree." |
Put off Discourage someone from doing something. "We wanted to visit but we were put off by the long queue." |
| Get ahead Make progress; do better than others. "She got ahead of the others in her class." |
Fall behind Fail to maintain a certain level. "If you don't work harder, you'll fall behind at school." |
| Go away Go to another place for a period of time. "They went away for a few days to relax." |
Come back Return to the place you left. "You're welcome to come back any time." |
| Go out Leave your home to go to a social event. "We often go out at the weekends." |
Stay in Remain indoors or in your home. "Let's stay in this evening and watch a film." |
| Lay off Fire, dismiss, let go. "Many factories have had to lay off workers." |
Take on Hire or engage staff. "The company is now taking on extra staff." |
| Look up to Admire. "He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him." |
Look down on Consider as inferior. "He tends to look down on those who are not successful." |
| Pass out Faint; lose consciousness. "She passed out when she heard the bad news." |
Come to Regain consciousness. "She fainted because of the heat, but she came to quickly." |
| Pick up Collect someone or something. "Sam is going to pick me up at the airport." |
Drop off Drive someone somewhere. "I'll drop you off at the bus stop on my way." |
| Put together Make something by fitting parts together. "The boy is putting together a model plane." |
Take apart Dismantle or separate components. "The technician had to take apart the machine." |
| Set up Arrange or organize. "A meeting has been set up for Tuesday." |
Call off Cancel. "The meeting has been called off." |
| Speed up Accelerate or go faster. "We need to speed up or we'll never be ready!" |
Slow down Reduce speed or go more slowly. "The lights are red. Slow down!" |
| Take off Leave the ground. "The plane took off at the scheduled time." |
Touch down Lnd on the ground or runway. "The plane will touch down at about 2 o'clock." |
| Take up Make something shorter (clothing). "The skirt is too long. It needs to be taken up." |
Let down Lengthen; make longer (clothing). "The skirt can be let down for you if you like." |
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