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. "
own up
- Admit or confess something.
  "The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window."
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."
pay back
- Reimburse.
  "I will lend you 20€ provided you pay me back before the end of the week. "
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."
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 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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