Alphabetical lists of commonly-used phrasal verbs in English. Alphabetical List - B
back away
Move backwards, in fear or dislike "When he saw the dog, he backed away."
back down
Withdraw; concede defeat "Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the cinema."
back down
Stop defending your opinion "Jenny never backs down. She loves debating and usually wins."
back into
Reverse a vehicle into a space "Tom backed his car into a parking space."
back into
Hit something when reversing a vehicle "Lisa backed into the fire hydrant that she couldn’t see in the rear view mirror."
back off
Retreat; abandon an intention; become less aggressive "The thugs backed off when they saw the police."
back onto
Reverse a vehicle onto something "Jack backed the van onto the gravel path."
back onto
Overlook something from the back. "They have a beautiful house that backs onto the beach."
back out
Not keep a promise; decide not to do something agreed on "You promised to help. Please don't back out now!"
back out of
Withdraw from an agreement "He backed out of the Paris agreement."
back out of
Drive out of a place in reverse gear. "She backed the car out of the garage."
back up
Give support or encouragement "If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up? "
back up
Make a copy of (file, document, program...) for security purposes. "It is recommended to back up all files for safety."
bail out
Pay money to secure someone's release from jail. "When he was arrested his family refused to bail him out."
bail out
Rescue from financial difficulties. "The government bailed out the bank."
band together
Unite in a group. "Consumers banded together to protest against the measures."
bank on
Base your hopes on something/someone. "Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help."
bargain for
Expect; be prepared for. "The interview was more difficult than he had bargained for."
bear out
Confirm. "The other witnesses will bear out my testimony."
bear with
Be patient. "Please bear with me please while I finish my explanation."
beef up
Improve or make more substantial. "He beefed up his presentation with diagrams and statistics."
black out
Faint; lose consciousness. "When he fell off the horse, he blacked out."
block off
Separate using a barrier. "The area was blocked off during the demonstration."
blow up
Be destroyed by an explosion. "The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it."
bog down
Get caught up in something and be unable to make progress. "Try not to get bogged down with/in unimportant details."
boil down to
Be reduced to the main reason or the essential part. "The problem boils down to a lack of money."
boot up
Start a computer by loading an operating system or program. "Just give me a few minutes to boot up the computer."
break away
Escape from captivity. "The horses were enclosed in a paddock but a few of them managed to break away."
break away from
Leave and become independent. "He broke away from the organisation and set up his own agency."
break down
Go out of order; stop functioning. "John's car broke down on the way to the airport."
Lose control of one's emotions. "The parents broke down when they heard the news."
break something down
Divide into smaller or simpler parts. "The lesson will be easier to learn if you break it down into small sections."
break free
Detach from a physical hold. "He broke free from his attacker's grasp."
break in/into
Enter by force in order to steal something. "I saw a man outside the shop trying to break in. "The burglars broke into the house around midnight."
break in on
Interrupt unexpectedly. "An operator suddenly broke in on our telephone conversation."
break off
Stop, disdiscontinue. "It has been decided to break off diplomatic relations with that country."
Stop speaking. "She broke off in the middle of a sentence."
break out
Start suddenly or erupt. "Rioting broke out as a result of the strike." "He was in such a nervous state that sweat started to break out on his forehead."
break out of
Escape from captivity by force. "Three prisoners broke out of the central prison last night."
break through
Force a way through something. "The car broke through the barrier set up by the police."
break up
Come to an end (marriage, a relationship ...). "After her marriage broke up, Caroline went to live in London."
Separate into small pieces. "Pablo had to use a fork to break up the soil."
break with
Discontinue something or do something in a different way. "He broke with tradition and invented new methods."
bring about
Cause something to happen. "The arrival of electricity in rural areas brought about a huge change."
bring off
Succeed in doing something difficult. "You pretended to be a journalist and he believed you? I never thought you'd bring it off!"
bring up
Raise (a child). "She stopped working for a few years in order to bring up her children."
Mention something. "His friends knew he had lost his job but they decided not to bring up the subject."
brush up on
Improve; refresh one's knowledge of something. Mary decided to brush up on her Spanish before going to South America."
bump into
Meet by accident or unexpectedly. "Rafael bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket."
burn out
Stop (something) working. "These electric bulbs seem to burn out more quickly than the old ones." "The lawn mower has broken down. I think the motor has burnt out."
Become exhausted from too much work or stress. "Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down and stop working such long hours.."
butt in (on)
Interrupt impolitely. "It's rude to butt in on a conversation."
