English Phrasal Verbs

Alphabetical list D of commonly-used phrasal verbs.

Phrasal Verbs beginning with the letter 'D'

dash off
- Leave a place quickly; hurry away.
  "Harry dashed off before I had time to take his phone number."
dawn on
- Become apparent/you begin to understand.
  "The truth finally dawned on Tony when he saw his girlfriend with another man."
deal with
- Handle, take care of, address (problem, situation).
  "The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers."
deck out (in/with)
- Dress; decorate.
  "The women were all decked out in beautiful dresses."
  "The exhibition hall will be decked out in the colours of Europe."
die down
- Calm down, become less strong, diminish in intensity.
  "When the applause died down, she started to sing."
dig into
- Plunge your hands deep inside something, especially to look for something.
  "He dug into his pocket and found the key."
- Press hard into something.
  "The strap of her bag dug painfully into her shoulder."
- Start to do something.
  "It was time to dig into the work that had accumulated on her desk."
- Take from something.
  "Dad had to dig into his savings to repair the roof."
dig up
- Break up the soil/remove by digging.
  "Tom tried to dig up the tree by its roots."
- Discover or reveal information.
  "Some newspapers often try to dig up scandalous information."
dish out
- Distribute or give away a lot.
  "He spent the day dishing out invitations to tourists."
dispense with
- Decide to do without something.
  "They've dispensed with the paper version so you'll have to download it."
do away with
- Get rid of; abolish.
  "Some people think it's time to do away with the monarchy."
do over
- Clean or redecorate.
  "My parents will need to do over their living-room soon. The paintwork needs refreshing."
do up
- Fasten (a garment).
  "Good boy Charlie! You know how to do up your coat now!"
  
  Improve by making minor repairs and decorating.
  "We could do up the spare room and rent it out."
do without
- Manage without.
  "The shops are closed so I'm afraid we'll have to do without sugar."

drag on
- Last longer than expected.
  "We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on!"
drag out
- Make something longer than necessary.
  "Let's decide quickly and not drag out this discussion."
- Make someone reveal information that they are unwilling to give.
  "The police finally dragged out a confession from the suspect. "
draw back
- Move backwards; retreat
  "The burglar drew back when he saw the big dog."
draw down
- Take money from a reserve or fund
  "We can draw down on the loan when necessary."
draw down
- Reduce in number or amount
  "The US intends to draw down its forces considerably."
draw even
- Equalize in a competition or race
  "The two horses drew even at the finish line."
draw in
- Become dark earlier or be shorter
  "The days are drawing in as we approach Christmas."
draw in/up
- Arrive and stop
  "A taxi drew in and the famous couple stepped out."
  "A police car drew up beside him and he was asked to show identification."
draw into
- Get involved in something
  "I didn’t want to get drawn into their argument."
draw on
- Inhale
  "He drew on his cigarette before continuing to speak."
draw on/upon
- Use knowledge and information for a specific purpose
  "Amy drew upon her experience to prepare a lesson."
draw out
- Take money from your bank account
  "I need to draw out some money before we go to the market."
draw out
- Make a shy person more willing to speak or participate.
  "The teacher managed to draw out the shy child."
draw out
- Make something continue longer than necessary.
  "The chairman made a speech that was long and drawn out."
draw up
- Move something closer.
  "It's warmer by the fire. Let me draw up a chair for you."
draw up
- Write (contract, agreement, document, plan).
  "An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties."
draw (oneself) up
- Bring oneself into an erect position
  "Jack drew himself up when his name was called"
dress up
- Wear elegant clothes.
  "Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country?"
- Disguise oneself.
  "You know how children love to dress up at Halloween. It's part of the fun!"
drift apart
- Become less and less close.
  "We were childhood friends but we drifted apart over the years."
drift off
- Gradually fall asleep.
  "Once he was on the train he sat back, closed his eyes and drifted off."
drive at
- Insinuate; be trying to say.
  "I'm not sure I understand. What exactly are you driving at?"
drop behind
- Fall into a position behind others.
  "Our sales have dropped behind those of our competitors."
drop by/in
- Pay a brief visit, usually on the way somewhere.
  "I don't see her often but she promised to drop by one day for a cup of coffee."
  "Jimmy sometimes drops in to see his grandparents on his way home from school."
drop off
- Deliver something or drive someone somewhere.
  "I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like. I'm going that way."
- Fall asleep.
  "Granddad often drops off in front of the television."
drop out
- Stop going to classes before finishing a course of study or the school year.
  "Emily decided to go to art school, then dropped out after the first term."
drown out
- Be louder in order to cover another sound.
  "They turned up the music to drown out the noise of the children outside."

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