English Phrasal Verbs

Alphabetical list O-P-Q of commonly-used phrasal verbs.

Phrasal Verbs beginning with the letter 'O', 'P' or 'Q'

open up to
- Confide in people, or to talk more freely about things that were kept private before.
  "The teacher tried to get the boy to open up to her, but with no success."
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. "
own up
- Admit or confess something.
  "The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window."
pack in
- Manage to do a lot of things.
  "We packed in a lot of sightseeing during our trip."
pass away
- Die.
  "The old lady passed away peacefully."
pass on
- Transmit.
  "Don't forget to pass on the information to all the members."
pass out
- Faint; lose consciousness.
  "She passed out when she received confirmation that the plane had crashed."
patch together
- Make something from different items.
  "The boys patched together a few planks of wood to make a table."
pay back
- Reimburse.
  "I will lend you 20€ provided you pay me back before the end of the week."
pay off
- Finish paying back all the money owed.
  "We are relieved to have paid off our loan."
pay off
- Pay someone so that they will leave you alone or keep a secret.
  "It is suspected that some witnesses were paid off to remain silent."
pay out
- Pay or hand over a sum of money to someone, usually a large amount.
  "The company had to pay out thousands of dollars in compensation."
phase in/out
- Introduce or discontinue something gradually.
  "The government decided to phase in the new regulations."
pick on
- Choose someone to blame, punish, bully, etc.
  "The other children were always picking on Charlie because of his red hair."
pick out
- Select; choose.
  "Will you help me pick out a handbag to go with my outfit?"
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.."
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."
play down
- Minimise the value or make something appear less important.
  "The government tried to play down the gravity of the situation."
plug in
- Connect electrical equipment.
  "Is there a socket where I can plug in my computer?"
point out
- Draw attention to a particular fact.
  "The doctor pointed out the benefits of a healthy diet."
pop across/over/down/out
- Come or go quickly in the direction specified.
  "She popped over to the shop to buy a sandwich."
pop in
- Make a brief visit.
  "My daughter sometimes pops in for a cup of coffee."
pop up
- Arise, occur.
  "The question of security popped up during the meeting."
pull in
- Move to a designated place at the side of the road.
  "A police car signalled to me to pull in."
pull off
- Leave the road momentarily.
  "I was tired from driving so I pulled off for a rest and a cup of coffee."
pull off (something)
- Accomplish a difficult task or succeed in doing something in spite of the obstacles.
  "Against all competition he pulled off the deal!"
pull out
- Move out from the roadside onto the road.
  "A motorbike suddenly pulled out in front of me."
pull over
- Move over to the side of the road.
  "She pulled over to make way for the ambulance."
pull up
- Stop.
  "All vehicles must pull up at the traffic lights."
pull through
- Overcome difficulties or illness.
  "My grandmother caught pneumonia last winter but she pulled through."
put across
- Explain something clearly; make yourself understood.
  "She certainly knew how to put across her ideas!"
put away
- Return something to the place where it is usually kept.
  "Please put away the dictionary when you've finished using it.
put back
- Replace, return to its proper place.
  "Please put the dictionary back on the shelf beside the others."
put forward
- Propose or recommend something.
  "The chairman put forward a proposal to move to bigger offices."
put off
- Postpone; delay; arrange a later date.
  "The meeting has been put off until next week because of the strike."
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."

put out
- Extinguish.
  "It took the fire fighters a long time to put out the fire."
put (yourself) out
- Go to a lot of trouble; be inconvenienced.
  "Please don't put yourself out for us."
put (something) out
- Leave or place something outside the house.
  "Don't forget to put out the dustbin this evening".
put through
- Connect two people (on the phone).
  "Just a moment please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown."
put up
- Erect, build.
  Danny put up a tent in the garden to keep the children happy."
put (someone) up
- Accommodate; give someone a bed
  "We can put you up if you'd like to come for the week-end."
put up with
- Tolerate.
  "I don't know how you can put up with the noise of all that traffic."
point out
- Indicate; direct attention to something.
  "My mother pointed out the house where she grew up."
queue up
- Stand in line waiting for your turn, for example to buy tickets.
  "Hundreds of people queued up to receive free food."
quieten down
- Become more calm or less noisy.
  "The children quietened down when the teacher arrived."

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