Verbs followed by Adverbs followed by Prepositions

Verbs followed by Adverbs followed by Prepositions

	Phrases
add up to: total	I am going to find out what that will add up to.
back down from: step away	I never back down from anything.
back out of: renege	You can’t back out of a contract.
boil down to: reduce	Her argument boils down to you being right or wrong.
bow out of: leave	She is going to bow out of the competition.
brush up on: study	He brushed up on his Spanish.
carry on with: keep going	You can carry on with your project.
catch up to: close in	The police were able to catch up to the thief.
clean up after: pick up for	Mom was tired because she cleaned up after her son.
come down to: arrive at	His choice came down to bread or water.
come down with: get sick	You will come down with the flu.
come out in: emerge	Your skin came out in pimples.
come up against: block	You may come up against some problems.
come up with: create	I will come up with an answer.
creep up on: sneak upon	Cats like to creep up on mice to catch them.
cry out for: plead	Our health system cried out for help.
cut back on: lessen	The school had to cut back on new books.
do away with: cancel	My parents had to do away with a holiday.
face up to: take responsibility	You should face up to your mistakes.
fall back on: depend on	I needed to fall back on my savings.
fit in with: adapt	It is easy for some people to fit in with others.
fool around with: joke	We liked to fool around with our friends.
get away with: escape	The criminal used a gun to get away with a crime.
get down to: be serious	The meeting had serious discussions to get down to.
get in on: involve	He wanted to get in on the new ideas.
give up on: quit	I am not going to give up on you.
go along with: pacify	I did not want to go along with his plans.
go back on: renege	You should never go back on a promise.
go through with: complete	You should always go through with something you start.
grow out of: increase in size	My daughter did not grow out of her clothes for two years.
hold out for: wait for	The union held out for better wages.
keep up with: stay level	The slow runners could not keep up with the others.
lead up to: climax	The movie has a storyline that leads up to a great ending.
live up to: accommodate	I have a reputation to live up to.
log on to: connect	I use a password to log on to my computer.
look down on: sneer at	Rich people seem to look down on the poor.
look forward to: expect	I know you look forward to the holidays.
look out for: observe	You need to keep a look out for speeding cars.
look up to: respect	I look up to my mother.
make up for: settle	He wanted to make up for his mistake.
pull out of: withdraw	He had to pull out of the race.
push on with: keep going	I will push on with or without you.
put up with: accept	I cannot put up with loud noises.
read up on: learn	I like to read up on strange stories.
rub off on: influence	I hope my bad habits don’t rub off on you.
run up against: confront	You may run up against a difficulty.
send away for: request	I am going to send away for a gift.
stick up for: help	I will stick up for you tomorrow.
stock up on: collect	I know people who stock up on supplies.
talk down to: condescending	You shouldn’t talk down to other people.
walk away with: succeed	He was able to walk away with the prize.
watch out for: take care	You need to watch out for biting insects.
wriggle out of: extract	I hope you can wriggle out of your problem.
zero in on: concentrate	We have to zero in on any difficulties.