Common Phrasal Verbs Alphabetical List A

Abide by	Respect or obey (the law, a decision, a rule...)	If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.
Account for	Give a reason or an explanation	I hope you can account for all the money you spent. Data show delta variant accounted for some 22.7% of cases.
Ache for	Want someone or something very much	He was so lonely he ached for the sound of a human voice.
Act on	Take action as a result of something	The police decided to act on the anonymous call they received.
Act out	Demonstrate something with gestures and actions	The children acted out the scene in the classroom.
Act up	Cause pain or annoyance by functioning badly	Dad’s poor knee is acting up again.
Add up	Make sense; seem reasonable	She explained what happened but the details she gave just don’t add up.
Adhere to	Support; follow; act in accordance with	All contestants must adhere to the rules.
Advise against	Recommend not to do something	The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads.
Agree with	Have the same opinion as some else	I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.
Aim at	Direct towards a target	The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker.
Allow for	Take into consideration;  include in a calculation	It will take longer. You have to allow for heavy traffic at rush hour.” “We must allow for food expenses too. Let’s add 20€ per person.”
Allude to	Mention or make reference to something in an indirect way	I don’t understand. What problem is she alluding to?
Amount to	Reach; be equivalent to	The total repair work will amount to 1200€.” “His statement amounted to a confession.
Angle for	Try to obtain something by hinting or suggestin	From the way he’s speaking I suspect Tom is angling for a free ticket.
Answer back	Reply rudely to someone in authority when you are expected to remain silent	I’m your teacher. Don’t answer back!
Answer for	Be held responsible for something	Normally parents have to answer for their children’s behaviour. Speak on behalf of someone.  I agree with your proposal, but I can’t answer for my associate.”
Answer to	Be responsible to/be controlled by (someone)	Who do you answer to in your job?”
Appeal to	Plead or make an earnest request	The organisers appealed to the crowd to stay calm. Be attractive or interesting. The idea of camping in the woods doesn’t appeal to me at all.
Apply for	Make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan, etc.)	When he saw the advertisement he decided to apply for the job.
Arrive at	Reach (an agreement, a decision, a conclusion)	It is hoped that they will arrive at an agreement at the end of the meeting.
Ask after	Enquire about someone’s well-being	My mother is always asking after you.
Ask around	Mention it to people you see or meet	I’ll ask around and see if anyone has seen your cat.
Ask in	Invite someone to come inside	I couldn’t leave her standing outside in the cold so I asked her in.
Ask out	Invite someone to lunch, dinner, the cinema	John has asked Mary out several times.
Attest to	Prove to be true; bear witness to	The number of visitors attests to the popularity of the website.
Avail (oneself) of	Take advantage of something (an opportunity)	When the sales begin you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy that coat.
Average out at	Result in an average (amount)	The price of lunch averages out at $10 per person.