LIST OF ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS (C)
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Call for:
To require.
Example: "You're pregnant? This calls for a celebration!"
Call in:
To demand or request something that one has coming. Often used with the word "favor".
Example: "Hey, I've got to call in a favor."
Call off:
To cancel something.
Example: "They called off the game because of the rain."
Call up:
When speaking of soldiers, etc., to request to report for duty.
Example: "My brother was called up last week."
Calm down:
To relax; To make someone relax.
Example: "Calm down, it's not as bad as you think!"
Cancel out:
To bring something back to zero by cancelling its effect with a reverse effect.
Example: "The refund that we received was cancelled out by the increase in fees."
Care for:
1) To nurse someone or something.
Example: "He cared for his sick father for three years."
2) To like someone or something.
Example: "I don't really care for Thai food."
Carry off:
To pull off.
Carry on about:
To continue in an annoying way.
Example: "He kept carrying on about how expensive his car was."
Carry out:
To perform.
Example: "Dr. Williams carried out the procedure."
Cash in on (sth.):
To profit, make money from sth.
Example: "The basketball player wanted to cash in on his popularity by opening a sports bar."
Catch on:
To slowly start to understand.
Example: "She caught on after a few minutes."
Catch up:
1) To make up for lost time.
Example: "I was away from school for a week, so I'm trying to catch up on my homework."
2) To talk to someone after not talking for a long time.
Example: "Mary and I bumped into each other at the mall last week. We hadn't seen each other for a year, so we had a lot of catching up to do."
Cave in:
To give in; To accept something after being pressured to do so.
Example: "My brother finally caved in and bought the new t-shirt that everyone is wearing."
Chalk (something) up to:
To blame (something)(on something).
Example: "Don't worry about losing your wallet. Just chalk it up to bad luck."
Cheat on (someone):
To be unfaithful (to one's husband, wife, girlfriend, etc.)
Check in/into:
To enter or register at a hotel, airport, etc.
Example: "Guests can only check in after 11 AM."
Check out:
1) To investigate, take a look at.
Example: "Hey, check out this website. It's really cool!"
2) To leave a hotel, airport, etc.
Example: "My wife checked out of the hospital yesterday."
Cheer up:
To become cheerful (to cheer up); To makes someone feel better (to cheer someone up).
Example: "A good song will always cheer me up when I'm feeling down."
Chicken out:
To initially want to do something, but then to back out of doing it due to fear.
Example: "He was going to say something to the teacher, but he chickened out."
Chill out:
To relax.
Chip in:
To contribute.
Example: "We all have to chip in to buy Robert a present."
Clean out:
To completely remove everything (from somewhere).
Example: "I cleaned out my locker before I left for the summer."
Clean up:
To clean; To tidy up.
Example: "You forgot to clean up the mess you made in the kitchen."
Clear up:
1) To become sunny.
Example: "Wow, the weather really cleared up!"
2) To make something clear, understandable.
Example: "I didn't understand at first, but he cleared everything up for me."
Close down:
To close a place permanently.
Example: "I was sad to find out that they're going to close down my favorite restaurant."
Close in:
To approach, come close (physically).
Example: "The rebels were closing in on the city."
Come about:
To happen.
Example: "All of a sudden, he was named CEO, and no one really knew how that came about."
Come across:
1) To find (by chance, etc.)
Example: "I came across some of my old photos when I was cleaning my room."
2) To seem.
Example: "He might come across as being shy, but he isn't."
Come along:
1) To accompany someone.
Example: "I'm going to the mall; You can come along if you like."
2) To progress.
Example: "How's your project coming along?"
Come apart:
To separate into pieces. To break.
Example: "The watch came apart, and he didn't know how to put it back together."
Come back:
To return.
Example: "What time are you coming back tonight?"
Come by:
To come over. To drop by. To pay a visit. To visit.
Examples: "He came by last night.", "What time should I come by?"
Come down on:
To criticize.
Example: "The president really came down on opposition party members for failing to pass the bill."
Come down with:
To catch (an illness).
Example: "She came down with the flu."
Come forth:
To appear.
Example: "After the initial allegations, more accusers came forth last week."
Come off as:
To give the impression of being.
Example: "He comes off as being quite successful."
Come out:
1) To release (a book, podcast, etc.)
Example: "My brother is coming out with a new podcast."
2) To reveal to others that one is gay.
Example: "He came out to his parents last summer."
Come to:
To regain consciousness.
Example: "Patrick came to about a minute after passing out."
Come up:
To be raised (as a topic/issue during a conversation).
Example: "That issue never came up during our conversation."
Come up against:
To encounter (a problem, an opponent, etc.)
Example: "He came up against a lot of resistance from some of the conservative members of the committee."
Come up with:
To produce or create (an idea, a plan).
Example: "The writer came up with a great plot for his new book."
Count on:
To rely or depend on.
Example: "I'm your best friend and you can always count on me."
Cross out:
To put lines through something written, drawn, etc.
Example: "Cross out your name."
Cut back on:
To not spend as much money on.
Example: "We'll have to cut back on eating out this month."
Cut down on:
To reduce.
Example: "My brother is trying to cut down on smoking."
Cut (someone) off:
When driving: to drive into someone's lane, blocking their way; When speaking: To interrupt, stop someone when s/he is speaking.
Example: "I can't believe how that driver cut me off!"
