LIST OF ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS (P)
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Pan out:
To happen; to occur.
Example: "Our trip to Vietnam didn't pan out."
Pass away:
To die.
Example: "His grandfather passed away last month."
Pass for (something/someone):
To be able to be accepted as (something/someone).
Example: "He's 37, but he can pass for 30."; "He can pass for being Italian."
Pass on:
1) To tell or transmit.
Example: "He passed the news on to the president."
2) To not take or accept.
Example: "I'll buy the blouse, but I'll pass on the pants."
2) To pass away. To die.
Example: "His grandmother passed on last November."
Pass out:
1) To faint.
Example: "The woman passed out from the heat."
2) To distribute.
Example: "The demonstrators were passing out flyers."
Pass (something) up:
To let (something) go by.
Example: "I passed up a great opportunity to make a lot of money."
Pay back:
To repay. To get revenge.
Example: "P1: Why is she being so mean to him? P2: She is paying him back for all the years he was mean to her."
Pay off:
1) To complete payment.
Example: "I won't be able to pay off my student loan for another 10 years."
2) To bribe.
Example: "The police were obviously paid off to stay away."
Pick on:
To harass. To intentionally make someone upset.
Example: "You shouldn't pick on him just because he's different."
Pick up:
1) To raise/lift something.
Example: "Pick up your shirt and hang it in the closet."
2) To come and get someone (usually in a car).
Example: "I have to pick the kids up at school."
3) To notice.
Example: "She picked up on his bad mood."
4) To meet someone and initiate a (sexual) relationship.
Example: "Some sleazy guy was trying to pick me up last night."
Play down:
To diminish the significance of. To make something sound less important.
Example: "The CEO tried to play down the dismal financial report."
Play up:
To exaggerate the significance of. To make something sound more important.
Example: "He likes to play up the fact that he was raised in a tough neighborhood."
Point out:
To indicate. To bring to someone's attention.
Example: "I'd like to point out that two of the bank robbers were from Canada."
Polish off:
To finish.
Example: "Peter polished off the rest of the spaghetti."
Pull in:
To drive in. To park.
Example: "They pulled in to the Taco Bell to grab something to eat."
Pull (something) off:
To succeed in doing something (that seemed undoable, hard to do, etc.)
Example: "I can't believe she pulled it off. I was sure she was going to fail."
Put (someone) down:
To make negative remarks about (someone).
Example: "He was a very mean boy who always put down everyone around him."
Pull over:
To stop a vehicle (usually by driving towards the side of the road).
Example: "Pull over by those bushes. I have to go to the bathroom."
Put (someone) on:
To try to trick someone (usually not in a serious/malicious way - often as a joke/for fun).
Example: "You're putting me on! He didn't really say that, did he?"
Put (something) off:
To delay doing (something) until a later time.
Example: "Why do you keep putting this off? Just do it and get it over with."
Put out:
To release (when speaking about books, music, podcasts, etc.)
Example: "He's putting out a new podcast about Buddhism."
Put (someone) up:
To have someone as a guest in one's home; To allow someone to sleep in your home.
Example: "It was really kind of your uncle to put me up for a week."
Put up with:
To tolerate.
Example: "I can't put up with his behavior any longer."
