English Phrasal Verb Dictionary

List of English Phrasal Verbs Beginning With 'B'

Back (7)

Back away

- Retreat or go backwards

Back down

- Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument

Back into

- Enter a parking area in reverse gear

Back off

- Retreat

Back out

- Fail to keep an arrangement or promise

Back out of

- Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement
- Exit a parking area in reverse gear

Back up

- Make a copy of computer data
- Support
- Drive a vehicle backwards

Bag (1)

Bag out

- Criticise

Bail (4)

Bail out

- Save, rescue
- Remove water from something that is flooded
- Jump out of a plane because it is going to crash

Bail out of

- Pay a bond to release someone from jail

Bail out on

- Stop supporting someone when they are in trouble

Bail up

- Talk to someone and delay them
- Rob someone at gunpoint

Ball (1)

Ball up

- Confuse or make things complicated
- Roll or form into a round shape

Balls (1)

Balls up

- Spoil, ruin

Bang (6)

Bang about

- Move in a place making a lot of noise

Bang around

- Move in a place making a lot of noise

Bang on

- Talk at great length

Bang on about

- Keep talking about something

Bang out

- Play a musical instrument loudly

Bang up

- Put someone in prison
- Damage badly

Bank (1)

Bank on

- Count or rely on

Bargain (3)

Bargain down

- Persuade someone to drop the price of something they're selling

Bargain for

- Expect something to happen (usually negative)

Bargain on

- Expect something to happen (usually negative)

Barge (2)

Barge in

- Enter a place and interrupt

Barge into

- Enter a place and interrupt people rudely

Bash (4)

Bash about

- Mistreat physically

Bash in

- Break, damage or injure by hitting

Bash out

- Write something quickly without much preparation

Bash up

- Break, damage or hurt by hitting

Bawl (1)

Bawl out

- Scold, shout at someone
- Scold
- Sing or shout unpleasantly loudly

Be (25)

Be after

- Try to find or get

Be along

- Arrive

Be away

- Be elsewhere; on holiday, etc.

Be cut out for

- Be suitable, have the necessary qualities

Be cut up

- Be upset

Be down

- Be depressed
- Be reduced or less

Be down on

- Have negative feelings toward someone

Be down with

- Be ill

Be fed up

- Be bored, upset or sick of something

Be in

- Be at home or at work
- Be submitted, arrive

Be in on

- Be involved in

Be not on

- Be unacceptable

Be off

- Be bad (of food)
- Depart, leave

Be on

- Be functioning (of machines)
- Take place
- Take medication or drugs, especially when they affect the person badly
- Be at the top of one’s game, performing very well

Be on about

- Mean, try to say

Be onto

- Pursue, be aware of someone's true nature

Be out

- Be absent from a place

Be out of

- Have no more left

Be out to

- Attempt

Be snowed under

- Have too much work

Be taken aback

- Be shocked or surprised

Be taken with

- Like something

Be up

- Be out of bed
- Have increased or risen
- When the time for something finishes or expires

Be up for

- Be enthusiastic about an upcoming event

Be up to

- Be good enough
- Doing something naughty or wrong

Bear (6)

Bear down on

- Move towards

Bear on

- Influence, affect

Bear out

- Confirm that something is correct
- Confirm that something is correct

Bear up

- Resist pressure

Bear up under

- Cope with something difficult or stressful

Bear with

- Be patient

Beat (3)

Beat down

- Strong sunshine
- Get someone to lower the price of something

Beat out

- Narrowly win in competition

Beat up

- Attack violently

Beaver (2)

Beaver away

- Work hard

Beaver away at

- Work hard doing something

Bed (2)

Bed down

- Sleep somewhere less comfortable than normal
- Become established or successful over time

Bed out

- Move a plant outside

Beef (1)

Beef up

- Make something stronger or more solid

Belong (2)

Belong to

- Be a member
- Be connected to a time, place, belief, thing, etc

Belong with

- Be in the correct or appropriate location with other items

Belt (2)

Belt out

- Sing something loudly

Belt up

- Be quiet
- Fasten your seatbelt

Bend (3)

Bend down

- Lower the top half of your body

Bend over

- Lower the top part of your body

Bend over backwards

- Do a lot to try to help or please someone

Big (1)

Big up

- Exaggerate the importance
- Increase the size of muscles by exercise

Bitch (1)

Bitch up

- Spoil or ruin something

Black (1)

Black out

- Fall unconscious
- Lose light

Blank (1)

Blank out

- Censor text so that words cannot be read
- Have a temporary memory failure

Blare (1)

Blare out

- A loud sound or music

Blast (1)

Blast off

- Leave the ground- spaceship or rocket

Blaze (1)

Blaze away

- Fire a gun repeatedly

Bleed (1)

Bleed out

- Cause sufficient blood loss to result in death

Bliss (1)

Bliss out

- Be extremely relaxed and happy

Block (4)

Block in

- Park a car and obstruct another car
- Shade or fill in

Block off

- Obstruct an exit to prevent people from leaving

Block out

- Stop light from entering or leaving
- Try not think about or feel something because it is upsetting or painful

Block up

- Fill a space so that nothing can pass

Blow (7)

Blow away

- Kill
- Beat rivals or competitors by a large margin
- Impress greatly
- When the wind moves something from a place

Blow down

- When the wind forces something to fall

Blow in

- Arrive, sometimes suddenly or unexpectedly

Blow off

- Not keep an appointment
- Ignore, not do something
- Expel gas from the anus

Blow out

- Extinguish candles, matches, etc.
- Defeat decisively

Blow over

- When a scandal gets forgotten

Blow up

- Explode
- Inflate
- Enlarge (e.g., photograph).
- The beginning of a storm
- Lose your temper, become angry

Blurt (1)

Blurt out

- Say something quickly without thinking, especially if you shouldn't

Board (2)

Board out

- Arrange for pets to stay somewhere while you're away

Board up

- Cover windows or doors with wood, metal, etc.

Bog (4)

Bog down

- Slow make progress

Bog in

- Eat enthusiastically

Bog into

- Eat something enthusiastically

Bog off!

- Get lost

Boil (4)

Boil down

- Simplify, reduce to the essentials

Boil down to

- Amount to

Boil over

- When a hot liquid spills out of a container
- When people lose their tempers and things get nasty

Boil up

- Feel a negative emotion strongly
- Cook or heat something to boiling point

Bolster (1)

Bolster up

- Give support, reinforce, strengthen

Bone (2)

Bone up

- Study hard for a reason

Bone up on

- Study hard for a goal or reason

Book (4)

Book in

- Make a reservation in advance
- Check in at a hotel

Book into

- Make a reservation in advance
- Check in at a hotel

Book out

- Leave a place in a hurry

Book up

- Reserve

Boot (1)

Boot up

- Start a computer

Border (1)

Border on

- Be located next to a place
- Be very nearly something

Boss (2)

Boss about

- Use excessive authority to control people

Boss around

- Use excessive authority to control people

Botch (1)

Botch up

- Ruin or spoil something

Bottle (3)

Bottle away

- Store up

Bottle out

- Lack courage to do something

Bottle up

- Not express your feelings

Bottom (1)

Bottom out

- Pass the lowest point and start rising

Bounce (3)

Bounce into

- Force someone

Bounce back

- Recover

Bounce off

- Test ideas

Bowl (2)

Bowl out

- Hit someone's wicket in cricket with the ball

Bowl over

- Surprise someone greatly
- Knock someone to the ground

Box (2)

Box in

- Prevent something from moving, especially vehicles

Box up

- Pack things in boxes to move them

Brace (1)

Brace up

- Feel more confident or optimistic about something

Branch (1)

Branch out

- Move into a different area of business, etc.

Break (9)

Break away

- Leave an organisation, usually to form a new one

Break down

- End negotiations unsuccessfully
- Start crying
- Stop working
- Remove a barrier or obstacle

Break in

- Go into a building to steal something
- Interrupt something
- Train a horse to be ridden
- Carefully use new products until they are fully functional.

Break off

- Break a piece from something
- End a relationship

Break out

- Start (war, conflict)

Break out in

- Sweat heavily, develop skin sores or irritation.

Break out of

- Escape

Break through

- Pass a barrier or obstacle

Break up

- Break into many pieces
- Close an educational institution for the holidays
- Finish a relationship
- Become inaudible over the telephone because of interference

Breeze (4)

Breeze along

- Move easily and quickly

Breeze in

- Enter a place quickly

Breeze into

- Enter a place quickly

Breeze through

- Pass easily, succeed

Brick (2)

Brick in

- Close or fill a space with bricks

Brick up

- Close or fill a space with bricks

Brighten (1)

Brighten up

- Improve (weather)
- Become happier
- Make something more attractive or pleasant

Bring (15)

Bring about

- Make something happen

Bring along

- Bring someone or something to certain place
- Help someone improve

Bring around

- Persuade or convince someone
- Bring something with you when you visit
- Get someone talking about something

Bring back

- Cause someone to remember
- Return

Bring down

- Make a government fall
- Make something cheaper

Bring forth

- Produce something, make it known or visible
- Produce
- Make something happen
- Remove something from where it is kept or hidden

Bring forward

- Make something happen earlier than originally planned

Bring in

- Earn

Bring off

- Succeed with something difficult

Bring on

- Cause something to happen or speed up the process
- Make something appear

Bring out

- Release or publish
- Elicit a response

Bring out in

- Cause a health problem or reaction

Bring round

- Make someone wake up from unconsciousness or an anaesthetic

Bring up

- Mention
- Raise a child

Bring Up

- Be officially charged with a crime

Brush (2)

Brush off

- Ignore, pay little attention

Brush up

- Improve a skill quickly

Bubble (1)

Bubble over

- Become very excited

Buck (1)

Buck up

- Hurry (either transitive or reflexive)
- Smarten up, improve

Bucket (1)

Bucket down

- Rain heavily

Buckle (3)

Buckle down

- Start working hard, apply yourself

Buckle under

- Accept something under pressure, against your will

Buckle up

- Fasten a seatbelt

Budge (1)

Budge up

- Move to make space for someone

Buff (2)

Buff up

- Clear, clean or make something shine
- Improve

Buff up on

- Improve your knowledge quickly

Bug (2)

Bug off!

- Go away

Bug out

- Open your eyes wide in surprise
- Leave somewhere in a hurry

Build (1)

Build up

- Develop a company
- Increase

Bulk (2)

Bulk out

- Make something bigger or thicker

Bulk up

- Gain weight, develop bigger muscles

Bump (3)

Bump into

- Meet by chance

Bump off

- Kill

Bump up

- Increase

Bundle (3)

Bundle off

- Send someone somewhere

Bundle out

- Expel

Bundle up

- Put on warm clothing
- Wrap or tie things together

Bunk (1)

Bunk off

- Not go to school when you should

Buoy (1)

Buoy up

- Make someone feel more positive
- Keep afloat

Burn (4)

Burn down

- Burn completely

Burn off

- Remove by burning or similar process

Burn out

- Lose enthusiasm and energy to continue in a demanding job

Burn up

- Destroy completely by fire
- Drive at high speed
- To be or cause to be highly annoyed

Burst (1)

Burst into

- Catch fire very quickly
- Laugh, cry or clap loudly

Bust (1)

Bust up

- End a relationship, usually angrily or after arguing

Butt (2)

Butt in

- Interrupt

Butt out

- Not be involved in other people's business

Butter (1)

Butter up

- Praise or flatter someone excessively

Buy (5)

Buy in

- Force a CD or record into the charts by buying lots of copies

Buy into

- Accept an idea

Buy off

- Pay someone to stop them causing trouble

Buy out

- Buy somebody's share in a company

Buy up

- Buy all of something

Buzz (3)

Buzz around

- Move quickly around a place

Buzz off

- Leave somewhere

Buzz off!

- Go away (imperative)

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