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Phrasal Verbs That Start With “H”

phrasal verbs that start with H
phrasal verbs that start with H

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Hack around Waste time idly. I’ve been hacking around all morning instead of studying.
Hack into Illegally access a computer system. He hacked into the government database and stole sensitive data.
Hack off Annoy or irritate. His endless complaining hacks me off.
Hack up Chop or cut into small pieces. They hacked up the table and used it for firewood.
Hack up Expel phlegm by coughing. I hacked up a lot of phlegm while I was sick.
Ham up Act or perform in an exaggerated manner. He hammed up his performance to entertain the audience.
Hammer away Work persistently or tirelessly. She hammered away at her computer all night to finish the project.
Hammer into Repeat something to make someone remember it. He hammered the rules into my head until I could recite them in my sleep.
Hammer out Negotiate and reach an agreement. They hammered out their differences and finally signed the contract.
Hand back Return something to its owner. The police officer checked my license, then handed it back to me.
Hand down Pass on to the next generation. The family heirloom has been handed down for generations.
Hand down Issue a formal decision or judgment. The court handed down its ruling yesterday.
Hand in Submit something for evaluation. I handed in my homework late as usual.
Hand on Pass or transfer something to someone else. I handed the job on to a colleague who had more experience.
Hand on Pass down knowledge to the next generation. The ancient traditions have been handed on from generation to generation.
Hand out Distribute or give something to people. The teacher handed out worksheets to the students.
Hand over Surrender or give something to someone. The robbers told the clerk to hand over all the money.
Hang about Spend time aimlessly or loiter. They hang about the station most of the day, not doing much.
Hang about! Command to stop and pay attention. Hang about! Listen to what I’m saying!
Hang around Stay in a place without purpose. They hang around the station all day, doing nothing productive.
Hang back Hesitate or refrain from taking action. I hung back when they rushed forward, waiting for a better opportunity.
Hang back from Delay or avoid doing something. They were hanging back from making the final decision until they had more information.
Hang in there Persist or endure despite difficulties. We were struggling, but we hung in there until we finished the project.
Hang it up Retire or quit something. I’m getting too old for this; I’m going to hang it up and retire next month.
Hang on Wait or hold on for a moment. Could you hang on for a moment until she’s available?
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Hang on To hold tightly or grip firmly. The children were told to hang on to the railing while walking down the stairs.
Hang onto To keep or retain possession of something. Despite its old age, Sarah decided to hang onto her favorite childhood teddy bear.
Hang out To spend time socially or casually. Every Friday evening, the group of friends hangs out at the local coffee shop.
Hang out for To wait or anticipate something eagerly. John has been hanging out for a promotion for months, hoping for a salary increase.
Hang over To cause worry or anxiety; to be impending. The threat of layoffs hung over the employees’ heads, causing stress and uncertainty.
Hang together To remain united or cohesive, especially in difficult situations. The team members must hang together if they want to win the championship.
Hang up To end a telephone conversation by replacing the receiver. As soon as I heard the doorbell, I had to hang up the phone.
Hang up on To abruptly end a phone call with someone. I accidentally hung up on my friend when my phone battery died.
Hang with To spend time in the company of someone. Tom likes to hang with his old buddies from college on weekends.
Hanker after To strongly desire something, often in an unhealthy or excessive manner. Despite her diet, Susan hankers after a piece of chocolate cake every night.
Hanker for To long for something eagerly or persistently. Ever since he was a child, Bob has hankered for a vintage sports car.
Harp on To repeatedly talk or complain about something. Sarah’s parents always harp on about the importance of good grades.
Hate on To have a strong dislike or animosity towards someone. Lisa hates on her classmates who always outshine her in class.
Have against To hold a grudge or feel negative towards someone or something. I don’t have anything against you; I just don’t like the way you handled the situation.
Have around To entertain or host someone in your home. We had some friends around for a barbecue last weekend.
Have down as To perceive or categorize someone or something in a particular way. I had her down as a reliable person, but she proved me wrong.
Have in To possess or keep something in stock or available. Do we have any milk in the fridge?
Have in To engage the services of someone. We had in the plumber to fix the leaky faucet in the kitchen.
Have it away To engage in sexual activity, often casually. Despite their differences, Mark and Sarah had it away after the party.
Have it in for To bear a grudge or harbor ill feelings towards someone. I don’t know why, but Jane seems to have it in for me lately.
Have it off To engage in sexual intercourse. I heard they had it off in the back seat of the car last night.
Have it out with To confront someone or address an issue openly and honestly. After months of frustration, Sarah finally decided to have it out with her roommate.
Have off To take time away from work or duty. I’m planning to have a few days off next week to visit my family.
Have on To wear clothing or accessories. What did you have on at the party last night?
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Have on Have an electronic device switched on. I keep my computer on all the time.
Have on Have an arrangement. I’ve got a lot of meetings on next week.
Have on Tease or deceive someone. They said they’d failed, but they were having me on.
Have on Be in possession of something at a specific time. I haven’t any money on me, but I can get some from the ATM.
Have on Know something about someone that could harm them. I have a lot on him because we used to work together.
Have over Receive a guest. Shall we have them over for dinner?
Have round Entertain someone in your home. I had a few friends round yesterday.
Have up Make someone appear in court. They had him up for armed robbery.
Head for Move or travel towards. It’s getting late; I’m heading for home.
Head off Stop someone or force them to change direction. The sheriff and his men headed the bandits off at the pass.
Head off Prevent something bad from happening. The company made a better offer to head off the moves for a strike.
Head off Leave somewhere to go to another place. After work, we all headed off to the pub.
Head out Go out. We’re heading out at seven, so don’t be late.
Head up Be in charge. He’s heading up the steering committee.
Hear about Get to know some information. Have you heard about the company takeover?
Hear from Receive a communication from someone. I haven’t heard from them since we left university.
Hear of Know of someone or something’s existence. I’ve heard of the band, but don’t know their music.
Hear of Receive news or updates about someone. I have heard nothing of them since they moved house.
Hear of In the negative, refuse to accept or acknowledge. I said it would be a positive step, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
Hear out Listen to everything someone has to say. I heard them out before I commented.
Heat up Make food hot. He heated the soup up in the microwave.
Help out Give assistance. She really helped me out when I was going through my divorce.
Hide away Put something where it won’t be found. They hid the money away in secret bank accounts.
Hide away Go or stay somewhere away from people. I’m renting a cottage where I can hide away for the summer.
Hide out Go or stay somewhere to avoid being found. The police think he’s hiding out in the woods.
Hinge on Depend very much or completely. Everything hinges on the results of the negotiations; if they go badly, we’ll be in trouble.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Hinge on Be crucial for the development of a story. The film hinges on his ability to remain unrecognized when he’s in disguise.
Hinge upon Depend entirely or significantly on something. Everything hinges upon the outcome of the negotiations; if they go poorly, we’ll be in serious trouble.
Hit back Retaliate or respond aggressively to criticism. The president hit back at her critics during her speech last night.
Hit for Persuade someone to pay or donate money. They hit the sponsors for a substantial amount of money.
Hit it off Immediately have a good relationship with someone. We hit it off immediately and quickly became close friends.
Hit it off with Form a favorable impression of someone upon first meeting. I hit it off with her right away; we got along famously.
Hit on Have an idea or come up with a solution. I suddenly hit on the perfect solution to our problem.
Hit on Flirt with someone in an attempt to attract them. She hit on him at the party, and they ended up going home together.
Hit on Solicit money from someone. A beggar hit on me as I was leaving the restaurant.
Hit out at Respond angrily to criticism or negativity. The government hit out at the media for their biased reporting.
Hit up Inject drugs. She’s been hitting up for years, and it’s taken a toll on her health.
Hit up Ask someone for money. He always tries to hit me up for money whenever we meet.
Hit up on Inject drugs, particularly heroin. He’s been hitting up on heroin for years, and it’s ruining his life.
Hit upon Come up with an idea or solution. It took us ages to hit upon a solution to our problem.
Hit upon Make advances towards someone in a sexual manner. He tried to hit upon her at the pub, but she wasn’t interested.
Hit with Surprise someone with unexpected information. He hit me with the details of their demands, leaving me speechless.
Hive off Separate part of a company or service, often by selling it. They hived off the retail operations to focus on their core business.
Hold against Bear resentment towards someone or something. He was rude, but I won’t hold it against him; we all have bad days.
Hold back Refrain from showing emotion or holding back tears. It was difficult to hold back the tears during the emotional ceremony.
Hold back Hinder progress or advancement. Lack of funding held the project back, delaying its completion.
Hold back Conceal information or prevent its disclosure. The government held back the findings of the report to avoid alarming voters.
Hold back from Refrain from doing something. I had to hold back from losing my temper during the heated argument.
Hold down Maintain a job. He’s so unreliable; he can never hold down a job for more than a few months.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Hold down Prevent someone or something from moving. It took four of us to hold him down and stop the fight.
Hold forth Express opinions, especially at length and tediously. The manager held forth on the topic for about twenty minutes.
Hold off Delay or refrain from happening, especially concerning bad weather. The rain held off until we’d got back home.
Hold off Prevent someone from attacking or beating you. Chelsea couldn’t hold their opponents off and lost the game.
Hold on Wait for a short time. Could you hold on for a minute; she’ll be free in a moment.
Hold on Grasp or grip tightly. We held on as the bus started to move.
Hold on to Retain or keep something firmly. I held on to my luggage while waiting for the taxi so that it didn’t get stolen.
Hold onto Keep possession of something for as long as possible. I tried to hold onto my cash during the holiday to buy duty-free items on the way back.
Hold onto Grasp or cling tightly. The mother held onto her daughter’s hand to stay together in the crowd.
Hold out Resist or withstand. When the enemy attacked, they held out for six weeks.
Hold out Extend or offer something, typically in front of you. I held out my hand when she walked in.
Hold out against Refuse to accept or yield to something. The staff are holding out against the plans to reduce the workforce.
Hold out for Wait for something better or refuse a present option for a better one in the future. We are holding out for a much better deal than the one offered.
Hold out on Refuse to pay someone or give them information. He’s been holding out on me for weeks, and I really need the money.
Hold over Postpone or delay. The meeting has been held over till Friday.
Hold over Extend the duration of something beyond the original plan. It has been so successful that they have held it over for another fortnight.
Hold together Remain united or intact. The society managed to hold together despite the crisis.
Hold up Cause a delay in traveling. I was held up by the terrible traffic and arrived half an hour late for my appointment.
Hold up Rob or delay by means of violence or threats. Two armed men held up the bank in High Street this morning and got away with £75,000.
Hold with Accept or approve of (usually negative). I don’t hold with their plans.
Hole up Hide or stay in a place to avoid detection or an unpleasant situation. They holed up in a remote cottage while the police were searching for them.
Home in on Target or focus on something. The government is homing in on benefit fraud.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Hone in on Target or focus on something specifically. The company honed in on its rival and attempted a takeover.
Hook into Persuade someone to do something they are hesitant about. She managed to hook them into coming after all.
Hook up Meet with someone. We hooked up at the conference.
Hook up to Connect to a machine or device. He’s hooked up to a ventilator in the hospital.
Hoon around Behave recklessly, especially while driving. He was hooning around in his new car last night and got stopped by the police.
Horse around Engage in playful or silly behavior. The class was horsing around until the teacher walked in.
Hose down Use a hose to clean or wash something. They hosed down the patio after the party.
Hose down Invest heavily in or provide substantial funding. They’ve hosed down an obscure start-up with capital.
Hound out Force someone out of a place, job, or position. The press hounded the minister out after the scandal emerged.
Hover around Move about a place, typically in an undecided manner. She was hovering around to see what we were discussing.
Hunker down Settle comfortably in a place to stay for a while. The troops hunkered down in the building during the storm.
Hunt down Search for someone aggressively to punish or capture them. The police hunted down the killer and brought him to justice.
Hunt out Search until finding something. It took me ages to hunt out the photos hidden in the attic.
Hunt up Search for and successfully find something. He hunted up a copy of the book in the British library.
Hush up Attempt to keep something bad from becoming widely known. The company tried to hush up the scandal, but it still made headlines in the newspapers.

 

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