CALL BACK (also phone back) Definition: (This verb has more than one meaning)to phone someone because you weren’t able to speak to them when they phoned you.  E.g.1. John phoned while you were out. He asked if you could call him back. E.g.2. Sorry! The baby’s crying. Can I call you back? This phrasal verb can be separated.

CALL FOR Definition: to go to someone’s house to collect him or her because you are going somewhere together. (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1: It starts at 7:30 – I’ll call for you at 7 so we won’t be late. E.g.2: If I call for you at 8 o’clock we can come to work together and save on petrol. This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

CALM DOWN / CALM (someone) DOWN Definition: to become less upset, angry, excited or lively. / to make someone less upset, angry, excited or lively. E.g.1: He was very upset about it, but he calmed down eventually. E.g.2: Calm down! You’re getting too excited! E.g.3: She was very angry so he had to calm her down before they could discuss the problem properly. This phrasal verb can be separated.

CATCH ON Definition: to understand something, often after a delay. (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1: He’s not the brightest student in the class – it takes him rather a long time to catch on. E.g.2: The teacher didn’t realise that his class were playing a trick on him by not answering any questions, but he caught on when they started giggling. This phrasal verb can’t be separated.

CHAT (someone) UP Definition: to talk to someone in a friendly was because you want her or him to be your new girlfriend or boyfriend. (Informal British English) E.g.1: While he was flying home, he tried to chat the flight attendant up, but she wasn’t interested. E.g.2: When I left the pub she was busy chatting up the barman. This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 1)

CHECK OUT Definition: to look at something or find out about it to discover whether it is good, correct, safe or useful etc (This verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1. I think there’s a problem with my computer. Could you check it out for me? E.g.2. Have you checked out the new Churchill House Forums yet? I think they’re great! This phrasal verb can be separated.

CHEER (someone) UP Definition: to stop someone feeling depressed and make them feel happy. E.g.1: She always manages to cheer me up. E.g.2: Mark isn’t very happy at the moment. What can we do to cheer him up? This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 1 and 2)

CHEESE (someone) OFF (informal British English) Definition: to make someone annoyed or disappointed. E.g.1: It really cheeses me off when people drop litter! E.g.2: I’m cheesed off because I had a row with my boyfriend last night. This phrasal verb can be separated. 

CHILL OUT Definition: to relax after being stressed, angry, or after doing something tiring. [informal] E.g.1. The nightclub also had a room with comfortable furniture where people could chill out or chat. E.g.2. Hey! Chill out! Shouting at them won’t help. This phrasal verb can’t be separated.

CHOP (something) UP Definition: to cut something into small pieces. E.g.1:Chop all the vegetable up and put them in a pan of boiling water. E.g.2: I was chopping up the meat when I cut my finger. This phrasal verb can be separated.

CLEAN (someone) OUT Definition: (informal) to take all the money that someone has. E.g.1: I was going to stay at the casino until midnight, but they had cleaned me out by 10 p.m. E.g.2: Don’t play poker with him; he’ll clean you out! This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 1 & 2)

CLEAR OFF Definition: a very informal (and slightly rude) way to tell someone to go away This phrasal verb has more than one meaning E.g.1: When Jo saw the cat in her garden again, she opened the window, shouted “Clear off, you!!!” and threw a shoe at it. E.g.2: Mr Hunter came home from work to find a scruffy-looking boy talking to his 15-year-old daughter. “Clear off and don’t let me catch you talking to Claire again or I will call the police,” he threatened. This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

CLEAR UP This phrasal verb has more than one meaning Definition: to settle or solve a problem, disagreement or misunderstanding by explaining and discussing it. E.g.1: I think this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon. E.g.2: I know this is a difficult negotiation. Let’s clear the other points up, too. When we all agree we can go home. This phrasal verb can be separated.

CLOUD OVER Definition: (concerning eyes) to become dull and blank. (This phrasal verb has more than 1 meaning) E.g.1: He knew his students were bored because their eyes had clouded over and some of them were beginning to doodle in their notebooks. E.g.2: At the end of the film, after the hero had rescued everyone he fell to the ground, his eyes clouded over, he twitched and then died. This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

COME OUT WITH Definition: to say something which is unexpected or surprising. E.g.1: You can’t come out with something like that and expect not to be criticised! E.g.2: He comes out with the most bizarre ideas sometimes! This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

COME ROUND Definition: (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning) to visit your house to see you for a short time. E.g.1: Before we go to the cinema, why don’t you come round to my house? E.g.2: Bill and Ben are coming round tonight – we’re going to watch a video. This phrasal verb can’t be separated.

COME TO Definition: (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)used to introduce the total number or amount of something. E.g.1: One bottle of orange juice, a sandwich and a cream cake. That comes to £4.50p E.g.2: Yes, but if we each invite five friends who also invite five friends, the total number of people at the party will come to over 200! This phrasal verb can’t be separated.

CONJURE UP Definition: to make others imagine an image or idea E.g.1. It’s a powerful painting. It conjures up feelings of frustration and rage for many people. E.g.2. As an author, he can conjure up images of beautiful places and strange machines. This phrasal verb can be separated.

COUGH (something) UP Definition: to remove something from your stomach or throat by coughing. (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning.) E.g.1: If someone has internal injuries, they might cough blood up. E.g.2: She nearly choked on her sandwich but luckily she managed to cough it up. This phrasal verb can be separated. 

COUNT ON (someone) Definition: to rely on someone to help or support you. E.g.1: We’re going to vote on my proposal at the meeting. Can I count on your vote. E.g.2: Ask Mary; you can always count on her to know the latest information. This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

CRASH OUT Definition: to go to sleep (quickly), an informal phrasal verb (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1: Because my party did not end until 2 o’clock in the morning, half my friends crashed out on the floor. E.g.2: Ben crashed out as soon as his head touched the pillow. This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

CREASE (someone) UP Definition: (British English, informal) to amuse someone greatly, or to be greatly amused. E.g.1: He’s so funny! His jokes really crease me up. E.g.2: The whole class creased up when their teacher tried to stand up and found he was stuck to the chair. This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 1)

CROSS OVER Definition: to travel to the other side of something, such as a road, a river or a border. (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1. Be careful when you cross over that road. E.g.2. They crossed over into California at 2 a.m. This phrasal verb can’t be separated.

CUT DOWN Definition: to reduce your consumption of something. (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1: My doctor advised me to cut down on fatty food. E.g.2: If you cut down on drinking, smoking and eating rich food you might live longer, but you might die of boredom! This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

CUT (someone) OFF Definition: to disconnect someone during a telephone call. (This verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1. We were cut off before I could tell him why I had phoned him. E.g.2. The telephone system here is awful. You often get cut off. This phrasal verb can be separated.

CUT (something) OFF Definition: to remove something using a knife or other sharp implement. (This phrasal verb has more than one meaning) E.g.1: He had an accident when he was using a chainsaw and cut his thumb off. E.g.2: Van Gough cut his ear off. This phrasal verb can be separated.