50 Phrasal Verbs used in Office Environment

Let’s learn some Phrasal Verbs very often used in office environment.

Ask for

• Meaning: Request / demand
• Example: She asked for a leave tomorrow.

Back up

• Meaning: Support /secure
• Example: The arrogant manager never backed up his staff.

Bear out

• Meaning: Confirm
• Example: This brief report bears out my opinion about it.

Bear with

• Meaning: Tolerate
• Example: I’m sure you will bear with us for the delay in delivering the goods this time.

Break down

• Meaning: Sub-divide under many headings.
• Example: This list includes the names of all the candidates. Could you break that down into age-groups?

Break in

• Meaning: Interrupt
• Example: When the boss was explaining the action plan, he broke in with a matter of no relevance at all.

Break out

• Meaning: Terminate
• Example: The meeting broke out without arriving at any conclusions.

Bring forward

• Meaning: Propose / submit
• Example: Each department should bring forward their new action plans by the end of this month.

Bring up

• Meaning: Mention
• Example: Everybody was worried that the secretary would bring up the matter of appointing a new treasurer at the meeting yesterday.

Call for

• Meaning: require
• Example: The current situation calls for an urgent meeting with the responsible officers.

Call in

• Meaning: Request to come
• Example: It is high time to call in an expert to handle this issue.

Call off

• Meaning: cancel
• Example: They had to call off the meeting since the chairman had met with an accident.

Carry on

• Meaning: Continue
• Example: The principal asked the teachers to carry on their discussion though he had to leave early.

Carry out

• Meaning: obey
• Example: Everyone in the office is required to carry out the instructions given in the Disciplinary Code.

Close down

• Meaning: Shut down / Stop operations
• Example: The company was soon closed down since it was continuously making losses.

Come across

• Meaning: Find by chance
• Example: Lilly came across some important reports when she was cleaning the cupboard.

Come up

• Meaning: Raise for discussion
• Example: The participants did not come up with the much pressing matters at the discussion.

Cut down

• Meaning: Reduce
• Example: The Finance Manager asked us to cut down expenses with an immediate effect.

Drop out

• Meaning: Withdraw
• Example: Many employees have already dropped out of the programme.

Fall in with

• Meaning: Agree to co-operate
• Example: Darcy needs us to fall in with his suggestion whether we like it or not.

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Fill in

• Meaning: 1. Give someone information
  2. Fill in each blank
• Example: 1. Could you fill in this form please?
  2. I missed the meeting. Could you fill me in?

Find out

• Meaning: Discover
• Example: The Sales Manager asked his subordinates to find out the real reason behind the sudden drop in sales.

Fix upon

• Meaning: Chose
• Example: The Regional Manager fixed upon Rita to deliver the Welcome Speech.

Get away with

• Meaning: Escape from something you are guilty of
• Example: Don’t think that you can easily get away with what you have done to tarnish the image of the Company.

Get on

• Meaning: Make progress
• Example: The new recruits are getting on very well with their daily activities.

Get over

• Meaning: Recover from a physical or mental weakness / trauma
• Example: I still cannot get over his disrespectful response that day.

Get through

• Meaning: Get into telephone conversation
• Example: I’m trying to contact the customer who made the complaint but I cannot get through.

Give up

• Meaning: Discontinue an attempt
• Example: Nobody can give up once the project starts.

Go ahead

• Meaning: Continue
• Example: Lucy asked me to go ahead with the work until she gets back.

Go over

• Meaning: Examine
• Example: He wanted to go over the entire report before submission.

Hand over

• Meaning: Transfer responsibility
• Example: The retiring officer handed over his files without delay.

Hold on

• Meaning: Wait on the telephone
• Example: Please hold on for a second till I come back with the information.

Keep up

• Meaning: Maintain
• Example: We must work hard to keep up the current level of performance.

Let down

• Meaning: Disappoint someone by being unable to fulfill a duty
• Example: He strongly believed that his staff would not let him down under any circumstances.

Look down on

• Meaning: Despise
• Example: The new recruit is worried that the others look down on her for being slow at work.

Look into

• Meaning: Investigate
• Example: I will look into the matter and keep you informed of the progress.

Look for

• Meaning: Search
• Example: Can you look for a better solution?

Look forward to

• Meaning: Expect with eagerness
• Example: Everyone was looking forward to meeting the new boss.

Look over

• Meaning: Revise quickly
• Example: You must always look over the business letters you write before they are delivered to your customers.

Made up

• Meaning: Decide
• Example: He finally made up his mind to accept the transfer.

Point out

• Meaning: show
• Example: Can you point out if there is any mistake in my writing please?

Put aside

• Meaning: Save
• Example: He used to put aside a considerable amount from his monthly salary for future uncertainties.

Put forward

• Meaning: Offer for consideration
• Example: Everyone was invited to put forward their suggestions to improve the production process.

Put off

• Meaning: Postpone something
• Example: You cannot put off taking care of your health thinking that you have plenty of work to do.

Put on

• Meaning: Dress oneself
• Example: You should put on an appropriate dress when you come to office.

Put up with

• Meaning: Bear patiently
• Example: We cannot put up with your indifferent behavior towards our prime customers any further.

Run out of

• Meaning: lack
• Example: I have run out of A4. Can you lend me some?

Send for

• Meaning: Summon
• Example: The supervisor sent for me and asked for an explanation for the breakdown of the new machine.

Sit back

• Meaning: Relax
• Example: You cannot sit back and order people around all the time. You need to work hard too.

Turn up

• Meaning: arrive
• Example: The meeting with the customer was scheduled yesterday but he didn’t turn up.

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