C1 · Advanced

Advanced Phrasal Verbs — C1 English Vocabulary

This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about advanced phrasal verbs — tricky multi-word verbs of fluency. Every word comes with its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.

  1. account for/əˈkaʊnt fɔː/

    “Costs account for half the price.”

  2. back down/ˌbæk ˈdaʊn/

    “Neither side will back down.”

  3. bank on/ˈbæŋk ɒn/

    “Do not bank on good weather.”

  4. brush up on/ˌbrʌʃ ˈʌp ɒn/

    “I must brush up on my French.”

  5. carry out/ˌkær.i ˈaʊt/

    “They carry out repairs daily.”

  6. come across/ˌkʌm əˈkrɒs/

    “You often come across bargains here.”

  7. come up with/ˌkʌm ˈʌp wɪð/

    “We must come up with a plan.”

  8. crack down on/ˌkræk ˈdaʊn ɒn/

    “Police crack down on speeding.”

  9. cut back on/ˌkʌt ˈbæk ɒn/

    “We must cut back on sugar.”

  10. do away with/ˌduː əˈweɪ wɪð/

    “They want to do away with the rule.”

  11. draw up/ˌdrɔː ˈʌp/

    “Lawyers draw up the contract.”

  12. drum up/ˌdrʌm ˈʌp/

    “They drum up support online.”

  13. fall back on/ˌfɔːl ˈbæk ɒn/

    “She can fall back on savings.”

  14. fall through/ˌfɔːl ˈθruː/

    “The deal may fall through.”

  15. figure out/ˌfɪɡ.ər ˈaʊt/

    “I cannot figure out the code.”

  16. get around to/ɡet əˈraʊnd tuː/

    “I never get around to it.”

  17. give in to/ˌɡɪv ˈɪn tuː/

    “Do not give in to pressure.”

  18. go through with/ˌɡəʊ ˈθruː wɪð/

    “He could not go through with it.”

  19. iron out/ˌaɪən ˈaʊt/

    “We need to iron out the details.”

  20. keep up with/ˌkiːp ˈʌp wɪð/

    “I cannot keep up with the news.”

  21. live up to/ˌlɪv ˈʌp tuː/

    “The film did not live up to the hype.”

  22. look down on/ˌlʊk ˈdaʊn ɒn/

    “Do not look down on others.”

  23. look forward to/ˌlʊk ˈfɔː.wəd tuː/

    “We look forward to your visit.”

  24. look into/ˈlʊk ˌɪn.tuː/

    “Police will look into the matter.”

  25. make up for/ˌmeɪk ˈʌp fɔː/

    “Nothing can make up for the loss.”

  26. opt for/ˈɒpt fɔː/

    “Many opt for the cheaper plan.”

  27. pin down/ˌpɪn ˈdaʊn/

    “It is hard to pin down the cause.”

  28. point out/ˌpɔɪnt ˈaʊt/

    “Critics point out the flaws.”

  29. put up with/ˌpʊt ˈʌp wɪð/

    “I will not put up with this.”

  30. rule out/ˌruːl ˈaʊt/

    “We cannot rule out a strike.”

  31. run into/ˈrʌn ˌɪn.tuː/

    “I often run into old friends.”

  32. set out/ˌset ˈaʊt/

    “They set out to break the record.”

  33. sort out/ˌsɔːt ˈaʊt/

    “We must sort out the mess.”

  34. stand for/ˈstænd fɔː/

    “What does the sign stand for?”

  35. stand out/ˌstænd ˈaʊt/

    “Her work tends to stand out.”

  36. take on/ˌteɪk ˈɒn/

    “They take on new staff each year.”

  37. take up/ˌteɪk ˈʌp/

    “He wants to take up painting.”

  38. turn down/ˌtɜːn ˈdaʊn/

    “She had to turn down the offer.”

  39. weigh up/ˌweɪ ˈʌp/

    “Let us weigh up the options.”

  40. work out/ˌwɜːk ˈaʊt/

    “Things will work out fine.”

  41. branch out/ˌbrɑːntʃ ˈaʊt/

    “The firm wants to branch out.”

  42. bring about/ˌbrɪŋ əˈbaʊt/

    “Reforms can bring about change.”

  43. clamp down on/ˌklæmp ˈdaʊn ɒn/

    “They clamp down on fraud.”

  44. dwell on/ˈdwel ɒn/

    “Do not dwell on the past.”

  45. embark on/ɪmˈbɑːk ɒn/

    “They embark on a new project.”

  46. fend off/ˌfend ˈɒf/

    “She had to fend off questions.”

  47. gloss over/ˌɡlɒs ˈəʊ.və/

    “He tends to gloss over details.”

  48. hammer out/ˌhæm.ər ˈaʊt/

    “They hammer out a deal.”

  49. hinge on/ˈhɪndʒ ɒn/

    “Success may hinge on timing.”

  50. mull over/ˌmʌl ˈəʊ.və/

    “Let me mull over the idea.”

  51. phase out/ˌfeɪz ˈaʊt/

    “They will phase out the model.”

  52. play down/ˌpleɪ ˈdaʊn/

    “Officials play down the risk.”

  53. ramp up/ˌræmp ˈʌp/

    “Factories ramp up production.”

  54. shrug off/ˌʃrʌɡ ˈɒf/

    “He tends to shrug off criticism.”

  55. single out/ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈaʊt/

    “Do not single out one person.”

  56. stem from/ˈstem frɒm/

    “Problems stem from poor planning.”

  57. tide over/ˌtaɪd ˈəʊ.və/

    “A small loan can tide over a business.”

  58. usher in/ˌʌʃ.ər ˈɪn/

    “The vote may usher in change.”

  59. water down/ˌwɔː.tə ˈdaʊn/

    “They water down the proposal.”

  60. zero in on/ˌzɪə.rəʊ ˈɪn ɒn/

    “Detectives zero in on a suspect.”