Phrasal Verbs that start with “A”
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Abide by | Obey or follow a decision or rule. | We must abide by the court’s ruling. |
| Account for | Provide an explanation for something. | They had to account for all the missing money. |
| Ache for | Strongly desire something or someone. | I’m aching for my partner who’s been away for two weeks. |
| Act on | Take action based on received information. | The police acted on a tip from an informant and caught the gang. |
| Act out | Perform with actions and gestures. | They acted out the story on stage. |
| Act out | Express an emotion through behavior. | Their anger is acted out in their antisocial behavior. |
| Act up | Behave badly or strangely. | My computer is acting up; I suspect a virus. |
| Act upon | Take action because of received information. | The police acted upon a tip-off. |
| Add on | Include in a calculation. | Don’t forget to add the VAT on to the given price. |
| Add up | Calculate a mathematical total. | We added up the bill to verify its accuracy. |
| Add up | Make sense; be a satisfactory explanation. | Her story doesn’t add up. |
| Add up to | Result in a certain amount or outcome. | Train delays and high fares add up to misery for commuters. |
| Add up to | Come to a certain amount or figure. | The total costs add up to several million euros. |
| Agree with | Have a negative effect, usually in the negative. | That food didn’t agree with my stomach; I feel terrible. |
| Aim at | Target something or someone. | The magazine is aimed at teenagers. |
| Aim at | Intend to achieve a specific goal. | They’re aiming at reducing costs by ten percent. |
| Allow for | Include something in a plan or calculation. | Allow for delays when planning your journey. |
| Allow of | Permit; make possible. | The rules don’t allow for any exceptions. |
| Angle for | Try to indirectly obtain something. | He’s been angling for an invitation, but I’m hesitant to invite him. |
| Answer | Reply rudely to someone in authority. | She shocked her mother by answering her back and refusing to help. |
| Answer for | Be held responsible for a problem. | The government should answer for their failure to resolve the issue. |
| Answer for | Speak on behalf of someone or from knowledge. | I can answer for my partner; I know her stance on this matter. |
| Argue down | Defeat someone in a debate or discussion. | The teacher attempted to argue the girl down, but was unsuccessful. |
| Argue down | Persuade someone to lower the price. | She argued him down by ten percent. |
| Argue down | Persuade against accepting a proposition. | They tried to argue down the proposed solution. |
| Argue out | Discuss a problem to find a solution. | If we can’t argue out our differences, we may need to seek legal intervention. |
| Ask about | Inquire about someone’s well-being. | He asked about my father’s health. |
| Ask after | Inquire about someone’s health or life. | Jenny called and asked after you; I assured her you’re doing well. |
| Ask around | Request information from several people. | I’ll ask around at work to see if anyone can help. |
| Ask around | Invite someone to your house. | We asked them around for dinner. |
| Ask for | Provoke a negative reaction. | You’re asking for trouble with that attitude. |
| Ask for | Request to have or be given something. | I asked for the menu when we sat down. |
| Ask in | Invite somebody into your house. | “Jon’s at the door.” “Ask him in.” |
| Ask out | Invite someone on a date. | He wanted to ask her out but was too shy. |
| Ask over | Invite someone to your house. | They’ve asked us over for drinks on Friday. |
| Ask round | Invite someone to your house. | We asked John round for dinner. |
| Auction off | Sell something in an auction. | They auctioned off their property to settle their debts. |
Read More – Phrasal Verbs that start with “B”