English Phrasal Verbs

Alphabetical list T of commonly-used phrasal verbs.

Phrasal Verbs beginning with the letter 'T'

tag along
- Follow a person or group, especially when not invited.
  "Sam doesn'’t want his little brother to tag along when he goes out with his friends."
take after
- Resemble in appearance or character.
  "Jamie really takes after his dad."
take along
- Bring with you.
  "The beach party will be fun! Sam’s going to take along his guitar."
take apart
- Dismantle or separate the components.
  "The technician had to take the machine apart in order to repair it."
take away
- Cause something to disappear.
  "The doctor gave my father tablets to take away the pain."
- Buy food at a restaurant and carry it elsewhere to eat it.
  "Two beef curries to take away please."
take back
- Agree to receive back/ be returned.
  "We will take back the goods only if you can produce the receipt."
- Retract or withdraw something said.
  "I take back what I said about cheating. I didn't mean it."
take care of
- Look after.
  "I'll take care of your plants while you're away."
take off
- Leave the ground.
  "The plane took off at 7 o'clock."
take in
- Allow to stay in one's home.
  "The old lady next door is always taking in stray cats and dogs!"
- Note with your eyes and register.
  "Amanda took in every detail of her rival's outfit."
- Understand what one sees, hears or reads; realise what is happening.
  "The man immediately took in the scene and called the police."
take on
- Hire or engage staff.
  "Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff."
take out
- Remove ; cause to disappear.
  "Try this. It should take out the stain."
- Extract from somewhere.
  "She took out a pen to note down the supplier's address."
- Invite someone to dinner, the theatre, cinema, etc.
  "Her boyfriend took her out for a meal on her birthday."
- Obtain a service or document (insurance, mortgage ...).
  "Many homeowners take out a mortgage when they buy property."
take to
- Begin to like someone or something.
  "My parents took to James immediately."
- Make a new habit of something.
  "Dad had taken to walking in the park every morning.'
take up
- Fill or occupy space or time.
  "There's not much space here. The big table takes up too much room.
- Adopt as a hobby or pastime.
  "My father took up golf when he retired."
- Start something e.g. a job.
  "While writing his first book he took up a job as a teacher."
- Make something shorter.
  "That skirt is too long for you. It will need to be taken up.
- Continue something interrupted.
  "She took up the story where Bill had left off."
talk into
- Persuade someone to do something.
  "Caroline talked John into buying a new car."
talk out of
- Persuade someone not to do something.
  "Her parents tried to talk Amy out of leaving her job."
tear up
- Rip into pieces
  "Tear up the pizza boxes before you put them in the bin."
tell off
- Reprimand; criticise severely
  "The teacher told her off for not doing her homework."
test out
- Carry out an experiment.
  "The theory hasn't been tested out yet."
think over
- Consider something fully.
  "I'll have to think over your proposal before I decide."
think up
- Invent, find, produce by thought.
  "The kids put the cat in the oven because it was cold. What are they going to think up next!"

throw away/out
- Discard as useless or unwanted.
  "You can throw away that book - it's a load of rubbish! "
throw up
- Vomit ; be sick.
  "I nearly threw up when I saw the injured passengers."
tire out
- Exhaust completely.
  "The children were so turbulent they tired out their grandmother."
touch down
- Land on the runway.
  "There were no delays. The plane touched down exactly on time."
toy with
- Think about, without serious intent.
  "I've been toying with the idea of walking to work, but it would mean getting up earlier."
track down
- Search until found.
  "The police finally tracked down the main suspect."
trade in
- Give as part payment for a new article.
  "I traded in my old car for a new model."
trundle along
- Move slowly.
  "The old man trundled along the road with his wheelbarrow."
try on
- Put on or wear something to see if it suits or fits.
  "I'm not sure about the size. Can I try it on?"
turn away
- Refuse entrance to someone.
  "Tickets were sold out and hundreds of fans were turned away from the football stadium."
turn down
- Lower the volume.
  Please turn down the music; it's too loud.
- Refuse.
  "It would be silly to turn down a generous offer like that!
turn off
- Stop by turning a switch, tap or knob.
  "Please remember to turn off the lights before you leave."
turn up
- Arrive; appear.
  "Her train was delayed so she turned up an hour late at the meeting."
- Raise the volume.
  Could you turn up the radio please? I'd like to listen to the news.

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