break
to end a relationship
break up
(Jenny and George have broken up.)
to return
get back
(Give me a call when you get back.)
to start to do smt.
go ahead
(We've received permission to go ahead with the music festival in spite of opposition from local residents./ I got so fed up with waiting for him to do it that I just went ahead and did it myself.)
to try to find
look for
to put what you are holding on a surface or floor
put down
to escape
break out
(They broke out of prison and fled the country)
to remove something that you don't want any more
get rid of
(I can't wait to get rid of that old couch.)
to follow someone
go after
(The police went after him but he got away)
to be careful, vigilant or take notice
look out
(The police have warned shopkeepers to look out for forged notes./ Please look out when you’re crossing streets.)
to postpone
put off
(The meeting has been put off for a week./ He keeps asking me out, and I keep putting him off.)
to become very upset
break down
(The girl broke down and cried when she got a bad grade.)
to get better after an illness, or feel better after something or someone has made you unhappy
get over
(You will get over the illness more quickly if you relax./ It took him years to get over the shock of his wife dying.)
to examine or look at something in a careful or detailed way
go over
(We're still going over the details of the contract./ It's a good idea to get someone to go over your application form before you submit it./ Investigators have been going over the events that led to the accident.)
to investigate, to examine facts about a situation
look into
(We're looking into the possibility of merging the two departments./ When we looked into buying a car, we decided it was better to hire one occasionally.)
to insult or make someone feel stupid
put sb down
(Why did you have to put me down in front of everybody like that?)
to force entry into a building
break in/into
(Thieves broke into our office downtown and stole the computers.)
to retaliate or take revenge
to get back at someone
(I think he’s trying to get back at her for what she said in the meeting.)
to oppose or disagree with something or someone
go against
(Public opinion is going against the government on this issue. / What you're asking me to do goes against everything I believe in.)
to consider inferior, to think that you are better than someone
look down on
(She thinks they look down on her because she doesn't have a job.)
to tolerate, to be willing to accept someone or something that is unpleasant or not desirable
put up with
(I don’t know why she puts up with him.)
to develop a skin condition
break out in
(She broke out in a rash after eating some strawberries./ When I heard the noise, I broke out in a cold sweat.)
to escape blame or succeed in avoiding punishment when you do something wrong
get away with
(she thought she could get away with cheating on her taxes./ It's time they put a stop to his bad behaviour. He's been getting away with it for too long.)
to not have something or to manage to live despite not having something
go without
(They were poor as children, and sometimes had to go without./ I'd rather go without food than work for him.)
to have a lot of respect for, admire someone:
look up to
(He'd always looked up to his uncle./ Kids look up to ballplayers, and we need to let kids know that it is NOT ok to cheat. )
to extinguish, to stop something that is burning from continuing to burn
put out
(Be sure to put out your campfire before you go to sleep.)