Phrasal Verbs: D
Dash off:
To go or leave somewhere quickly. Also "to run off". ex. "She dashed off to the store before I had a chance to speak to her."
Dawn on (somebody):
To come to the realization; to realize. ex. "It never dawned on me that she might be unhappy = I never realized that she might be unhappy"
Decide against (doing something):
To decide not to (do something). ex. "He decided against joining the military." IMPORTANT: In English, although it's correct to say "He decided *against* joining the military, you can't say "He decided *for* joining the military" - You have to say "He decided to join the military."
Die down:
To diminish in intensity. ex. "After the controversy died down, he was able to lead a normal life again."
Die for (something):
To really want (something). ex. "I'd die for some enchiladas right now."
Dig in:
To start eating. ex. "Dig in, boys. The food is getting cold!"
Dish out:
To dispense, give out. Often used in the phrase "to dish out criticism."
Dig up:
To discover something that is supposed to be secret. ex. "The reporter dug up some information that might jeopardize the senator's campaign."
Dive in:
To start doing something enthusiastically, often without planning ahead. ex. "Don't think about it, just dive in."
Do away with:
To abolish. ex. "Most people in this country would like to do away with the death penalty."
Do over:
To do again. ex. "I'm sorry but that's not good enough - You'll have to do it over."
Do up:
When talking about clothes - to fasten, to button, etc. ex. "Could you help me do up the buttons at the back of my dress?"
Do without:
To manage without something. ex. "We're going to have to do without a car for a while."
Doze off:
To fall asleep. ex. "He dozed off for a couple of hours."
Dress up:
To wear elegant clothes. ex. "I love dressing up to go to the theater."
Drag on:
To last much longer than expected. ex. "I thought that film would be short, but it really dragged on."
Draw out:
To make something last longer than necessary. Often used in the passive form: to be "drawn out". ex. "His speech was really drawn out."
Draw up:
To organize. To create. ex. "The residents of the building drew up a plan to catch the thief."
Dream up:
To invent. To make up.
Drift off:
To . ex. "The police drove out the crowd from the stadium."
Drive (someone) out:
To make (someone) leave and/or stay away. ex. "The police drove out the crowd from the stadium."
Drive up:
To raise. To cause to increase (prices, rates, etc.). ex. "The new policies drove up prices."
Drop by:
To visit someone unexpectedly. ex. "My parents dropped by last Saturday."
Drop in (on):
To visit someone unexpectedly. ex. "My parents dropped in on me last Saturday."
Drop off:
To deliver someone or something. ex. "I'll drop you off at around 7 PM."
Drop out of:
Quit/ stop going to (school, etc.) ex. "She dropped out of school last year, but now she wants to go back."
Dwell on (something):
To spend a lot of time thinking about something. Often has a slightly negative connotation. ex. "Stop dwelling on the past!"