English Phrasal Verbs
Alphabetical list O-P-Q of commonly-used phrasal verbs.
Phrasal Verbs beginning with the letter 'O', 'P' or 'Q'
- opt out (of)
- Leave a system or decide not to participate.
"I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament. "
- Leave a system or decide not to participate.
- own up
- Admit or confess something.
"The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window."
- Admit or confess something.
- pass away
- Die.
"The old lady passed away peacefully."
- Die.
- pass on
- Transmit.
"Don't forget to pass on the information to all the members."
- Transmit.
- pass out
- Faint; lose consciousness.
"She passed out when she received confirmation that the plane had crashed."
- Faint; lose consciousness.
- pay back
- Reimburse.
"I will lend you 20€ provided you pay me back before the end of the week. "
- Reimburse.
- phase in/out
- Introduce or discontinue something gradually.
"The government decided to phase in the new regulations."
- Introduce or discontinue something gradually.
- pick on
- Choose someone to blame, punish, bully, etc.
"The other children were always picking on Charlie because of his red hair."
- Choose someone to blame, punish, bully, etc.
- pick out
- Select; choose.
"Will you help me pick out a handbag to go with my outfit?"
- Select; choose.
- pick up
- Learn.
"Children are quick to pick up a new language."
- Collect somebody/something; give someone a lift.
"James is coming to pick me up at the station.."
- Learn.
- play up
- Cause pain or discomfort.
"My stomach is starting to play up again after all that heavy food."
- Emphasise the value or make something seem more important.
"Donald always plays up his achievements."
- Cause pain or discomfort.
- play down
- Minimise the value or make something appear less important.
"The government tried to play down the gravity of the situation."
- Minimise the value or make something appear less important.
- pop across/over/down/out
- Come or go quickly in the direction specified.
"She popped over to the shop to buy a sandwich."
- Come or go quickly in the direction specified.
- pop in
- Make a brief visit.
"My daughter sometimes pops in for a cup of coffee."
- Make a brief visit.
- pop up
- Arise, occur.
"The question of security popped up during the meeting."
- Arise, occur.
- pull in
- Move to a designated place at the side of the road.
"A police car signalled to me to pull in."
- Move to a designated place at the side of the road.
- pull off
- Leave the road momentarily.
"I was tired from driving so I pulled off for a rest and a cup of coffee."
- Leave the road momentarily.
- pull out
- Move out from the roadside onto the road.
"A motorbike suddenly pulled out in front of me."
- Move out from the roadside onto the road.
- pull over
- Move over to the side of the road.
"She pulled over to make way for the ambulance."
- Move over to the side of the road.
- pull up
- Stop.
"All vehicles must pull up at the traffic lights."
- Stop.
- pull through
- Overcome difficulties or illness.
"My grandmother caught pneumonia last winter but she pulled through."
- Overcome difficulties or illness.
- put across
- Explain something clearly; make yourself understood.
"She certainly knew how to put across her ideas!"
- Explain something clearly; make yourself understood.
- put away
- Return something to the place where it is usually kept.
"Please put away the dictionary when you've finished using it.
- Return something to the place where it is usually kept.
- put back
- Replace, return to its proper place.
"Please put the dictionary back on the shelf beside the others."
- Replace, return to its proper place.
- put forward
- Propose or recommend something.
"The chairman put forward a proposal to move to bigger offices."
- Propose or recommend something.
- put off
- Postpone; delay; arrange a later date.
"The meeting has been put off until next week because of the strike."
- Postpone; delay; arrange a later date.
- put on
- Turn on / switch on.
Could you put on the light please?
- Wear a garment or piece of clothing.
"You'd better put on your coat - it's cold outside today."
- Turn on / switch on.
- put out
- Extinguish.
"It took the fire fighters a long time to put out the fire."
- Extinguish.
- put (yourself) out
- Go to a lot of trouble; be inconvenienced.
"Please don't put yourself out for us."
- Go to a lot of trouble; be inconvenienced.
- put (something) out
- Leave or place something outside the house.
"Don't forget to put out the dustbin this evening".
- Leave or place something outside the house.
- put through
- Connect two people (on the phone).
"Just a moment please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown."
- Connect two people (on the phone).
- put up
- Erect, build.
Danny put up a tent in the garden to keep the children happy."
- Erect, build.
- put (someone) up
- Accommodate; give someone a bed
"We can put you up if you'd like to come for the week-end."
- Accommodate; give someone a bed
- put up with
- Tolerate.
"I don't know how you can put up with the noise of all that traffic."
- Tolerate.
- point out
- Indicate; direct attention to something.
"My mother pointed out the house where she grew up."
- Indicate; direct attention to something.
- queue up
- Stand in line waiting for your turn, for example to buy tickets.
"Hundreds of people queued up to receive free food."
- Stand in line waiting for your turn, for example to buy tickets.
- quieten down
- Become more calm or less noisy.
"The children quietened down when the teacher arrived."
- Become more calm or less noisy.
More Phrasal Verbs: